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Christina Byrne – 17th December, 1936 – 17th December, 2012

A beautiful song Jim wrote in memory of his mother: Promise That We’ll Meet Again

It was a terrible shock to her friends and family when Christina Byrne, my mother-in-law, did not recover from a heart operation just before Christmas, 2012.

Christina, or Rena as she was also known, will be very much missed. She will be remembered fondly and as someone who lived life to the full – amongst other things she was an accomplished craftswoman, cook and writer. Quite remarkably she returned to education and gained a degree after having had six children.

She had many interests, including Jim’s music, and when we visited she was always keen to hear, and critique, his latest songs. She came along to all of his local gigs with her husband, Jimmy. Although we often ran into the pair at various music festivals and other gigs.

Christina was a multi-talented woman and was known to many people through her businesses in Clydebank – ‘The Wee Wool Shop’, and later ‘Christina’s’ – a pre-loved and retro clothes shop, which was a bit ahead of its time. Her pursuits were too many to list but notably; she was a member of Eurydice, Glasgow Women’s Socialist Choir and a student of the tin whistle, mandolin and guitar.

However, her main passion was writing and in this capacity she won many competitions and awards. Her work was published in various magazines and included in books compiled by the Drumchapel Writer’s Group, such as their book of ghost stories ‘A Spectre Calls’. She had also completed a novel.

For many years Christina contributed articles and reviews to this website and in her memory I’ve pulled some of her film crits, poems and reviews together. (See list on the menu on the right.)

Below you can also read some of her poetry and writing, which demonstrate both her skill and quirky sense of humour. So Much To Do So Little Time, was selected by her children, Rose, Jim, John, Anne, Steven and Peter, for inclusion in her Eulogy. They felt it so aptly reflected their mother’s spirit and attitude to life:

So Much To Do, So Little Time – Christina Byrne

Mention class to me and I immediately think – learn something new.
In my time I’ve been a bit of a class junkie in Further and Higher Education Colleges and University, Community Centres and Arts Workshops.

As an, ahem, mature student, classes have given me a wider appreciation of education and I’ve studied for Highers and ‘O’ Grades and a diploma in Home Economics.

Long after leaving school, tutors have opened my eyes to writing short stories and novels and script-writing for stage, radio and television. I’ve even tried broadcasting and radio production.

For a time I even saw myself as super secretary and got tore into shorthand and typing. When IT reared its electronic head I trotted off to tinker with computer keyboards and the World Wide Web.

I think of myself as a creative person and have dabbled in all kinds of textile crafts from macram? to machine knitting. In fact, in addition to being a pupil at these classed I’ve also passed on my skills as teacher.

I’ve been initiated into the mysteries of crafts such as tie-dying and screen-printing, painting and life-drawing. I’ve been a novice weaver, struggled with rug-making and coloured my life by creating stained glass.

On the physical side I’ve been shown the ropes in ballroom and sequence dancing, Latin American, tap-dancing and jive, yoga, aerobics and aquafit, and last but not least, belly dancing.

Trying my hand at lampshade-making shed light on my cack-handedness with regard to any kind of glue, and jewellery-making saw me sparkle with talent.

My latest class involved singing the blues at a song-writing workshop, where together with a few other class junkies I laboured to produce a talking blues saga about Tam, a Glasgow down and out who rose to fame as a karaoke king.

Talking about singing and stuff related to music, that’s one area where my talents fizzled and died. Although not a bad singer I cannot get to grips with the art of reading music. I once tried and failed, to learn the piano and for the last twenty odd years have laboured to master the guitar.

Still, I’ve not given up on that yet. Perhaps, somehow, somewhere, some day I’ll crack that nut. Does anyone know of a class in finger-picking?

This section: Christina Byrne