Jane Williamson was born in London in 1959, the second eldest of five children. Jane’s father had moved to London from Birr, County Offaly. He served in the British Army during the Second World War, in the King’s Liverpool Regiment. He spent most of the war in Jamaica. During her childhood, both of her parents worked in the police force having met whilst working at Streatham Police Station.

As the eldest daughter, Jane describes carrying out a significant amount of the household responsibilities, especially after her mother’s death in 1977, when Jane was seventeen. Jane shares fond memories of her schooling at Coloma Convent Girls’ School in Croydon, studying A-Levels in Geography, Classical Civilisation and Economics. 

Jane shares memories of trips back to Ireland in the summer from the age of eight, she describes her initial visits to Ireland as “a shock to the system” due to the difference in amenities available as well as the very rural location of her family’s farm. Jane shares fond memories of going to dances as a teenager at Dooly’s Hotel and the County Arms Hotel in Birr. 

Although her school urged her to apply for university, Jane’s father urged her to get a job after she left school and she began working for Social Services in Croydon. She subsequently worked for Southwark Council and they later funded her training as a social worker. Jane also had part-time jobs during this time, such as waitressing, working in an estate agent’s and setting up an independent fashion company with friends.

Jane describes living at home until she was around 27 years of age, navigating long-term romantic relationships during that time and the dynamic between her father and her partners. She describes an informal network of aunts and older women, such as neighbours, colleagues and boyfriends’ mums, who supported Jane as maternal figures following the death of her mother. 

Jane reflects on the experiences of her extended family that she visited in Ireland, including the difficulties of living in a very rural area. Jane tells the story of her father’s eldest sister who, in the aftermath of her own mother’s death, became pregnant and subsequently married but was cut off from her family and then suffered the loss of her baby. Jane reflects on the changes in Ireland since her visits as a young woman in terms of wealth, culture and diversity and shares the memory of the first time her husband visited and was welcomed by her extended family.