Biography of Aiofe

Aoife has been running Rye Old Books (an antiquarian bookshop) for 26 years.

Aoife was born and brought up in Ireland in County Mayo. When she left schools she worked in a newsagents shop for three years.

She moved to the London in the early 1960s at around 21 years of age. She was a Health Visitor in Haringey in London for five years and in Barnet for two years.

From 1974-1976 Aoife worked in Guatemala for Save the Children, running clinics. She was also in Honduras and the Yemen.

While living in London Aoife attended book fairs – her father had loved books, she says. She met a woman journalist at one of the book fairs who had also been collecting – as both their flats were filled with books the journalist suggested they open a bookshop.

The women chose Rye because someone suggested Rye was a lovely town and it reminded Aoife of the town in Guatemala where she worked during the 1976 earthquake.

It was difficult to make enough money for two people – eventually Aoife’s partner went back to the Isle of Man after inheriting some money and Aoife ran the shop by herself. She lives above the shop.

Aoife plans to retire soon. She has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and is finding it hard to run the business. She is quite pessimistic about the future of the antiquarian bookshop in general and thinks a lot of it will go online. Business rates, heating etc. very high. It will all go online.

A memory of the Guatemalan earthquake of 1976.

“My memory that I will never forget is after the earthquake the Americans were very efficient and sent thousands and thousands of beautiful cotton gowns for the people because their houses were made of mud and adobe and they collapsed like a pack of cards and the people were covered in muck …so they were so quick to take off their clothes and put on (one of these) gowns – but one elderly lady kept (gesticulating) at the heap of clothes – I just went over where all these clothes were. I put out my hand and I found this thing and it had a lump in it and I knew the poor Irish used to tie all their money in a hankie or in an old rag around their neck under their jumper and it suddenly dawned on me …and I went over and stretched out my hand – I can’t explain it – picked up this thing – it was her whole life’s savings. She grabbed me and …..give me a hug.”

 

 

 

 

Audio of interview with Aiofe