Model citizen Joe's magical history world

A MODEL maker from Trim who creates miniature scenes based on events in World War II says listening to stories about his father’s time in the Merchant Navy inspired a life long passion for history.

Joe O’Donohoe became fascinated with World War II when his older who worked in a well-known toy shop in Dublin city centre would arrive home with model aeroplanes kits and compelling tales of his family's connection to the war. 

Fast forward 50 years and the Finglas native’s home is like an Aladdin’s Cave of memorabilia, intricate handmade models, war figures and carefully kept collectables from the global war. 

“When my brother was a trainee chef, he worked part-time in the Banba toyshop on Capel Street in Dublin, he’d come home every Friday and bring me back a Batman or James Bond car and he’d bring home an Airfix model for himself but I’d be more interested in his model than playing with the toys he’d bought me.

The Finglas native’s home is like an Aladdin’s Cave of memorabilia, intricate handmade models, war figures and carefully kept collectables. 

“I remember him getting me a Spitfire and a Hurricane kit when I was about seven and he told me the story of how they were used during the Battle of Britain and I was just hooked.”

Originally from Finglas in Dublin, Joe was just 12-years-old when his father, Tom, passed away, leaving older brother also called Tom to step into the role as head of the family. 

“My late brother was born in 1948 just shortly after the war. He was a big reader and was particularly interested in the history of World War II.

"My father got on a bike when he was 14 cycled to Wexford and got on the first ship he could find and became a chef.

“He worked with the Merchant Navy all through World War II and was torpedoed and shipwrecked three times. On one occasion a mate of my father started banging the door down in the tenements on Jervis Street where he lived and said they were looking for a chef on the boat, he ran to the docks and just missed it and saw the ship going off without him.

Joe O' Donohoe has over 300 war figures in his home in Trim 

“That ship was torpedoed and all hands were lost and he just missed it by seconds. They used to have guns mounted on some of the ships and he shot down one of the German dive bombers. I’m sure these were the type of stories he was telling my brother.

“He was posthumously awarded a medal of honour from the Argentinian president 20 years ago. 

“It was because the Irish Merchant Navy kept the food run going from Europe to South America and South America back to Europe during the convoys when the Germans had submarines all over the place.”

 A gift from his son at Christmas some years back reignited his passion for model making according to the history buff. 

Joe received some criticism for displaying this scene featuring Hitler and the swastika sign at the opening of a model shop in Wexford but according to the Trim man, ‘it is history whether we like it or not and if you start denying history that’s when the trouble starts. Teach history, don’t deny it.’

“One Christmas my son bought me what looked like an action man but was a figure based on someone who had served in the war. It was so detailed, they had actual dog tags and you could look them up and find out if they survived the war. 

“I decided that I couldn’t leave them sitting on a shelf and I decided to make a little diorama, I had only two or three figures at the time and I have nearly 300 at this stage.

“When I’m making a model, I sketch it, I take loads of photographs and sometimes I make up a rough idea in cardboard. I use packages of Balsa Wood, artist paste and super glue. 

“I sometimes use little pots of fake grass, tubs of mud, sand etc for props. The detail is all in the webbing which is like a little makeup kit with three different colour palettes. You add a drop of water, rub your finger on to them and dab it and it gives a weathering effect or an effect like rust, soot, snow etc. “ 

 

Students from Kiltale National School were fascinated when model maker, Joe brought  history to life when he took his Kilmainham Jail scene into  their class

 A bricklayer by trade, Joe’s involvement with the Tidy Towns in Trim led him to be approached to recreate a number of local monuments including the Black Friary one of the largest Medieval Dominican Friaries in Ireland now the location of an archaeology field school, as well as the Yellow Steeple and Sheep Gate that are all on display in the town hall. 

 “Unless you can go into a time machine it’s my opinion of what it looked like but by all accounts, I hit the nail on the head. 

“I decided that if I was back in the 11th/12th century the first thing I’d look for if I was building something would be a water source so I included a well in the centre. 

“After the model was made, I was asked to go up to the library to meet one of the head archaeologists. 

A model of the Black Friary is on display in the town hall in Trim

“He came over and shook my hand and said ‘you are not going to believe this but when we were excavating recently we discovered a well exactly where you placed it in the model.’

“We are already talking about the next historic local model that I’m going to undertake. 

“It’s great to be able to do something I love while doing something for the community here as well.”