Cork friends travel back in time as they recreate photo more than 50 years on 

The former students, then in their mid-teens, featured in an article published in 1973, in the Irish Examiner, known then as the Cork Examiner.

This week, they recreated the picture down to a tee, posing with the same smiles on their faces in front of the Cork Boat Club.

“It was such fun,” said Barbara.

“I’ve been away for such a long time, I’ve only been back in Cork for three years. We’d see Facebook pictures and everything, but it was lovely to meet up with the old schoolgirls and reminisce about everything.”

She said meeting the girls again was like being “transported back” to the 70s.

“As soon as I met them, they put their arms around me, and we linked as we were walking.

“We were good girls back then, but you know, we did naughty things as well,” she said.

For Patricia, it was a lovely but strange experience, as she did not remember taking the picture back in 1973.

“I bought the Examiner hardback book with all beautiful photographs a couple of years ago.

“I was sitting having my breakfast one morning, I turned a page, and there was the photograph of us, so it was a total surprise,” she said.

“We all lived around in the village in Blackrock. We used to go to a shop that is now a bakery and then we’d stroll across and sit down,” Patricia said..

If they could give advice to their younger selves, what would it be?

“Don’t be worrying about things. Don’t fret about stuff, ‘Will I be able to afford that? Will I be able to get a mortgage? Will I be able to get this?’ Just live your life, really,” said Barbara.

Patricia added: “Stay in school longer. Back then I really wanted to leave school, I was desperate to get out of Ireland.

“I travelled, saw the world, and now, of course, it’s great to live back here because it’s a fabulous society.”

In the future, they are hoping to reunite the group again.

“Hopefully, every now and again, we’ll do another reunion again.

“It would be nice to meet up, maybe a couple of times a year or something, as people do,” Barbara said.