SUNSHINE HOUSE in Balbriggan has just reached its 75th year. On Saturday, the seaside holiday retreat for children from the capital held an open day to celebrate.
Set up by the Society of St Vincent de Paul back when inner city children often suffered rickets from light deprivation, the house was named after the sun rays that served as powerful antidote.
And, the other day, that sun cast a warm glow over children, parents, volunteer stewards and adults who nursed fond memories from their own distant childhoods.
Signature Sunshine House yellow balloons strained on strings tied to the railings as an impressive new slide was unveiled. Child after child hurtled joyfully downwards. Nicky (5) liked it. Why? “Because it’s fast.”
From May to August, up to 120 children each week escape the routine of their backgrounds. “This often gives the parents a break in the process,” says Sunshine Fund president Jill Smith.
The Sunshine week has varied little since 1935: sandcastles, crab hunting, fresh air, arts and crafts, and talent shows. Gerry Walsh (78) has been a steward for 60 years. He recalls how the occasional homesick child would make a break for it in the 1950s and follow the train tracks back into Dublin: “Kids will always be kids.”
Janet (40) is from Seán McDermott Street. She sits with other women who enjoyed Sunshine House as children. “I was here in 1977 and it was great,” she says. Only 25 minutes out of the city but you felt miles away.” Her daughter, Nadia (6), is looking forward to a week there this summer.
An inner city neighbour, Barbara (43), recalls with amusement how boys and girls back then went on alternate weeks: “We’d pass each other on the tracks. As the train of girls went out, the train of boys would be coming back in.”
What’s it like as a volunteer? “You see the kids develop during the week. And after all the fun, they go home delighted,” says Dave (23), a steward. Dozens of little raincoats hang on hooks, ready to be donned by the city’s children. Rain, hail or sunshine, the house of childhood triumphs.