Dear Peter! Thomas Dudley's life story was fantastic, sad and yet hilarious. He could live freely, although he was not luxuriously rich. Back then, people could still play and honestly enjoy everything. I wonder which church his "pistol" could have been the key to. This is definitely not traceable anymore. Thanks for the experience as always.
Dear Susan. Thank you. Glad you enjoyed Thomas's story, he had such an interesting life. Yes I was wondering about the church to, I'd love to find that out but as you say it will probably stay a mystery. Have a lovely evening. Peter.
Peter ,onother great vidio ,I remember hearing of him although I am a wexford Man,it was a lovely story ,and you ended it beautifully when you noticed the cowboy shape in the key ,and the heart in the handle ,thank you for sharing
I’m a Bus Driver in Cork and I often heard of Bang Bang. Thank you for a lovely video on this kind gentleman. I’ve subscribed to your channel. We had our own characters in Cork - Slobby Joe, Colonel Mustard, Bernie Murphy, The Duke are the main ones I remember
I remember him as a child ,my mam worked in a sweet shop in finglas called macafferys, they used to sell toy guns ,he would often pay a visit to the shop ,i was there one day when he came in with his gun shouting bang bang ,my mam had her toy gun behind the counter and started shouting Bang Bang ,he would hide behind the door with his gun ,no one was afraid as they knew he was a harmless foor devil. My mam got great fun out of that as she had a great heart ❤ every one accepted accepted him as who he was.Lots of love to him .
I really enjoy watching and listening to the stories of Dublin's interesting history and the people who lived during those times as well as your great narration of them especially Thomas Dudley aka Bang Bang have a nice week and Thank You Peter for your awesome stories of Dublin.🎃👻🇮🇪
dear Peter,first of all............................good to hear you and thanks for another interseting story........Bang Bang was a good man,all the characters like Fourty Coats or dancing Mary,they all are lovely.do nothing to anyone...........................Blessings and Greetings from Daggy,Kiel,Germany☘☘☘
My uncles used to tell me about Bang Bang -- he'd appear from shop doorways with his huge key pointing at them! He was very popular There was another man called Johnny Forty Coats because of all the coats he wore Winter and Summer 😊
I remember my father telling me stories about this guy iconic old Dublin he had a key that he used as his gun was apparently a key for Dublin castle or some other land mark building. Brought back memories for me thanks. Did you do a video on the diceman?
I was shown BANG BANG'S grave in the mid 80s while I was working on the Rosmini grounds, there was a wall with many names of members of the Rosmini fathers and his name was among them long before the recent memorial. That area looks very different. RIP 🗝BANG BANG 🗝lord Dudley🕯🙏
An old poem of mine which i wrote many years ago: A Ballad for Bang Bang Down old Mill Lane in Dublin, Aside the onion dome, The fastest draw in Tombstone, Tom Dudley dared to roam. Though born outside the city, He’d been raised to wanderlust, With an itch not eased with scratching, It was Dublin town or bust, He rode into the city, On Shanks mare, he’d no gee-gee, And on that first and faithful day, He found an old church key. Then he spied a skulking hombre, Who was creeping ‘round a bus, And he dropped that shy gunslinger, With two shots straight in the puss. “Bang bang’’ cried our new hero, “Bang bang, you’re dead lie down’’, And thus began a legend, In dear old Dublin town.
Fantastic ,,I met him many a time all the oldies are gone ,what made it brilliant was everyone joined in with him ,no one looking ad if you had 10 heads ,sad and great times that was the real dublin spirit, all gone now .😢
Wow👏👏👏... I don't remember the key but I do remember being shot by him and me shooting back not knowing or ever seeing him before until my mam told me ,"That's Bang bang"... only now thanks to you I know his name... wonderfully nostalgic, mentioned him in the pub just a few days ago .RIP Bang Bang🥲
Never a Better Time say as a Small Country ‘ We really had such Great People with Great Character Personalities ’ My Type of People ❤️‘ R.I.P Thomas ( Bang Bang ) Dudley & all that Passed away before us 🇮🇪❤️☘️🙏✝️ Thanks Peter Excellent Story
I remember Bang Bang in the 1970s....i remember telling my Dad i'd seen him in town and my Dad told me all about him. He was an interesting man. Thanks for the lovely video Peter ❤
God love him and all the POOR souls buried in an unmarked grave 😢 I'm delighted they put up a marker for him POOR bang bang it's the least he deserves for a life of innocence he went through life with an open soft gentle heart 😊 Rip bang bang Dudley
Peter, I thoroughly enjoyed watching and listening to your clip on Bang Bang. I was born in Dublin in 1951 and remember both Hairy Lemon and Johnny Forty Coats. My late dad used to regale us with stories about Bang Bang and other Dublin characters but I never knew Bang Bang’s real name until this evening, having watched your entertaining clip. Thanks for taking time and effort to compile this.
Hi peter do you remember the old lady that walked backwards ,and the other lady that every time she walk she seen imaginary holes on the path ,she got on the bus one day we had to wait 10 or more minutes before she got off as the bus floor had a big hole in it ,every one had great patience eve the good old dublin bus drivers ,would not happen now .Great memories will never see that happening again .❤😊
Saw him once walking up Oconnell street. A person in my presence shouted " there's bang bang " and proceeded to start a shoot out with bang bang. Today's Dublin has lost so much of its character, bland and rough ,with no sense of community.
We had a man in our town did the same thing haha, we used to have shootouts in the street with him as kids 😂 God bless them all innocent souls from a better time 🙏
Thanks peter for sharing a very light heated story of a natinol treasure we could do with these old ways of caring for our fellow man today with all of media hatred in the country again well done 👍
The Mero .(Dublin picture house song) And we all went up to the Mero Hey there who's your man It's only Johnny fourty coats Sure he's a dacent man Bang Bang shoots the buses With his golden key Hey hi diddly eye And out goes she
He frightened the life out of me when I was in the pram in Meath Street. Me granny had me and me brothers there on a Saturday. Me brothers and others had a full blown shootout with him. I remember the granny telling me that years after. Innocent fun times when Dublin was a safe city.
Dublin had some great characters over the years. Anyone remember Jimmy? He used to hang around outside Collins Barracks pretending to direct traffic, sometimes asking drivers for ID etc and getting somewhat irate at times. Some memories of those old innocent days. Sadly Dublin has lost it's character, never to return.
Fantastic story, congrats...I remember him coming into the bus on O Connell Street around 1977, or I think it was him as I only herd of him years later, would he have been still shooting in 76 or 77 ???
Vert interesting ::: i just about remember this era of Dublin , child of the late sixties early 70’s ,,,,, Which was now looking back ,, A really wonderful time 💤💤💤🕺🕺🕺🌀🌀🌀😵💫😵💫😵💫😜😜😜💥💥💥🎸🎸🎸🥁🥁🥁🎹🎹🎹🎷🎷🎷🎼🎼🎼🎤🎤🎤♟️
1:47 My father told me a story that two gards asked him to behave himself and to stop causing disruption and bang bang said no problem sir I'll behave myself then he shot the two of them and ran off😂😂😂😂
I shot himself when walking past the Sherbourne Hotel one Sunday afternoon with my father I was about four or five years old he held his chest then fell backwards landing where the luggage was kept on the old RA buses. I always think of that memory each time I pass the Sherbourne Hotel. I also remember Johnny 40 coats he slept under St John of God's School Kilmore Road Artain during school time I would often see him cycling down the Malahide Rd heading towards town early in the morning no doubt to see Bang-Bang. On school holidays he stopped for tea and a wrap-up at the Nuns house then go back under the school prefab for the week 24hrs 5days a week. I'm not sure however I think he was inpeared perhaps deaf or dumb. Strangely enough some years ago whilst walking up Mill Street the builder's were knocking down Bang - Bang's old home I ventured inside to have a look, two pictures were hanging on the wall. I asked the builder could I have them he took them both down from wall & handed them to me, I still have them to this day the last ghostly remains from his home.
I am not from Dublin but I loved your insight and explanation, here in Ennis Co Clare we had our own legends like Michael Tierney ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DFysUNUHLBY.html who lived true to himself in a very conservative rural Ireland. The most familiar reference to me was forty coats, a character in Wanderly Wagon , an RTE production from the 70’s / 80;s