Dromineer boatman pens memoir

'Water, Wind & Wood' is the encapsulating title for the memoir of well known Dromineer man Reggie Goodbody, who reflects on his lifetime association with boats.
Due to be launched at Lough Derg Yacht Club this Friday, Reggie's book is an entertaining look at the interesting life of a man renowned for his craftsmanship. He says his inspiration to pen a memoir came from a talk he gave to an Active Retirement group in Dublin a few years ago. The attendance was keen to hear his stories of living on a boat as a child, and Reggie was invited back several times to continue talking about his life.
Two years later, while on an 18-day voyage home from South Africa, Reggie started writing about various aspects of his life to pass the time. This project continued after he got home, and Reggie also amassed an impressive collection of photographs from over the years to the point where he decided to publish a book.
He begins with reminisces of growing up on Lough Derg, to where his family relocated from Dublin in 1943. His parents, Llewellyn Marcus and Eileen Elizabeth – better known as Bunny and Betty – moved to nineteenth century Waterloo Lodge, about two miles from Ballinderry.
Among Reggie's memories are the 'Big Freeze' of 1947, and of living on an old steam yacht called 'Phoenix', which his father restored before moving to Dromineer.
Reggie was sent to Newtown School in Waterford, where he learned how to make things with Meccano. This, Reggie says, taught him a lot of basic mechanical principles – something that may have helped him to the master craftsman he would become later in life. He was also educated at Kingstown School in Dun Laoghaire before emigrating to England, working with timber importers Bailey & Whites in Worcester. He returned to Dublin in 1960 and worked in a wooden box factory and saw mill.
In 1965 Reggie married Hjordis Hilma Glass (whose grandfather was Norwegian) in a Quaker marriage ceremony. In his memoir, Reggie vividly describes their honeymoon, in which they set off for France in a small MG Midget soft top sports car. They drove about 2,000 miles around France, camping and cooking meals on a Primus stove.
In 1979 Reggie and Hjordis set up a business fitting out hire boat hulls in Portumna, where the Emerald Star company was based. Employing up to seven people at one stage, their boat yard became the first company on the Shannon to provide winter storage. It was also the only boat yard in Ireland to receive International Organisation of Standardisation (ISO 9002) approval.
With Hjordis looking after the books, the Goodbody business in Portumna grew from strength to strength over 21 years. Among many other aspects of his work, Reggie describes repairing storm damage to yachts and occasional motor cruisers. The author talks about developing wooden oars in Portumna, and of being asked by the University of Limerick to construct a wind tunnel capable of Mach One.
Reggie and Hjordis had two sons – Erik, who is now working in video post-production in Dublin, and Shane, who owns an upmarket spirits retailing business in Glasgow. They eventually decided to retire and sold their business in 2000.
In his book, Reggie goes on to talk about his pastimes of sailing, photography, and of course his skill of making furniture and model boats with wood, examples of which can be found across the Nenagh area and beyond. He also talks about his involvement in Lough Derg Yacht Club and dedication to preserving our industrial heritage.
Between all the stories of boat repair and restoration projects, one will also find engaging accounts of some of the entertaining characters that Reggie encountered during his years on the Shannon, and at sea. The stories are vividly recollected and told with a sense of humour that should appeal to a wide circle of readers in the area.
Printed by Nenagh's Guardian Print, 'Water, Wind & Wood: A Memoir' by Reggie Goodbody will be launched by radio presenter Marcus Connaughton in Dromineer this Friday, November 27th, between 6 and 8pm. It will be on sale at the launch for €20 and available at the Nenagh Bookshop, Friar St, thereafter.