Matt Talbot Hair

"Matt Talbot worked in the timber company, T & C Martin, he was an alcoholic by 1914. When he was 30 he abandoned alcohol, took the pledge and fell back on his religion. He died in 1924 on his way to Mass. The American Catholic church describe him as the 'Patron Saint of Alcoholics'. He was revered as someone who worked to discourage the consumption in Dublin, particularly in areas like the Docks where alcoholism was rife. The lock of hair is contained in an envelope but has never actually been opened. May O’Reilly, my grandmother, would have been given the envelope by Mrs. Manning, whose husband Mr. John Fox was the foreman in T & C Martin timber company. The envelope has written on it: “3/1/? (year is illegible). Relic of Matt Talbot’s hair. Received from John Fox, 14 Fairview who received it from Mrs. Manning, Church Road, whose husband is foreman in T & C Martin.“"