Back in Time - The Stiles

When I was in Ireland the bulk of my time was spent residing at 101 The Stiles Road, which was in Clontarf, Dublin. The house itself was affectionately referred to as ‘The Stiles’. Living at the Stiles was nothing short of epic and some incredible times were had in this house. Complete with garden big enough to host a one day festival, The Stiles boasted 5 bedrooms, a lounge, dining room / kitchen, 1 bathroom (it’s only shortfall) and a garden shed big enough to host Shed Parties of up to 6.

At its peak, the Stiles had 9 people living in it. Primary residents included myself, Bren O’Connor, Laura Wilson, Marc Barnes, Jaco Eksteen, Phil Taylor (IRE), Anthony King, William George, and Tammy Leigh. Needless to say it felt full inside the Stiles’ belly, but with the sacrifice of personal space came the benefit of never ending fun. Bren and I on more than one occasion had the discussion where we both agreed that we used to get physically excited on the walk up the street to the Stiles after work, and we had to make a conscious effort to not run. You just never knew what you might find when you opened that front door. More often than not, you were greeted by the scent of lager and the sound of music coupled with laughter, and those butterflies you had in your stomach would be justified, because you knew there was something good happening inside.

Weekends were another story and can be summed up very aptly by one of our neighbours in a formal letter of complaint……..

”Every Friday, once the beer crates arrive and the music turns on, we know we have 48 hours of complete and utter chaos ahead of us, and peace and quiet with our children in the garden is a guaranteed non-event”

We weren’t proud of neglecting our neighbourly relations but it was difficult to find a sense of responsibility amongst all the madness. Memories I hope I never forget were being made every single weekend, and some of the parties we had in that house will never be reproduced in my lifetime. Those who lived and partied at the Stiles will know what I’m talking about and that house, along with the legends who lived there will never be forgotten.

Here are a handful of the memories that were made…..

Summer garden activities

Kino bought this 6kg pack of tile adhesive thinking he had bought charcoal for a braai

General chaos

The Colonel and Howie getting stuck in

Skate-boarding injury

A real life leprachaun