ON JANUARY 18, 1971, Heather Brown – who was originally from Fivemiletown, but was living in Yorkshire at the time – gave birth to a baby girl, Tracey.

However, after making just one phonecall home to her family to tell them the happy news, all communication was cut off, due to the United Kingdom Postal Workers Strike which began on January 20.

Lasting six weeks, the country was plunged into a deep lockdown – a communications lockdown.

Now, as she readies to celebrate her imminent 50th on January 18, Tracey Brown Kernaghan will be marking the milestone birthday during the third Covid-19 lockdown in Northern Ireland – a different type of lockdown to the postal strike of the year she was born, but in some ways they can be compared.

Talking to The Impartial Reporter this week, Tracey's mum, Heather, spoke of her disappointment at losing communication with her family not long after giving birth to her first child.

"Tracey was born on January 18, 1971, that was a Monday, and then I think it was the Wednesday that the Post Office ones went on strike, so we just had time to get a message back to Northern Ireland to say Tracey was born and everything was well, and that was basically it then for six weeks," said Heather.

"There was no post, the phones were out of order, there was absolutely no connection whatsoever," she explained, adding: "Obviously, we were disappointed and annoyed in one way, but having said that, we got on with it and managed the best.

"Just every day, I would’ve went to the phone box just to see if the phones were back working, but they weren’t, so that was kind of a daily chore.

"After six weeks, it all went back to normal again. Then we had an avalanche of post after that," laughed Heather, explaining that her husband, Albert Brown, originally from Derrygonnelly, turned 21 during that time as well.

"It’s just always stuck in my mind that when Tracey was born, that’s what happened.

"And it’s ironic that it’s come around again 50 years later, that it’s the same type of thing, only there’s more communication this time," she said.

With her 50th birthday just around the corner, Tracey has been thinking about the times she was born in and how they compares to the world we are in now.

“I was chatting to my daughter, Alex, and I said to her, 'In a way, I was a lockdown baby',” laughed Tracey.

"It's interesting to consider just how much has changed in those 50 years. We’re still physically separated, but the way we can communicate is completely different. Although we are in a complete lockdown now, back then you couldn’t contact anyone.

"I just thought it was quite interesting that, inside 50 years, we have come on so far, but yet in a way we haven’t; that we can still be stopped in our tracks.

"I think there has been a lot of conversation during this lockdown about the importance of social media and technology for us to be able to communicate with each other, and how much we are reliant on it.

"But people did survive without communication between loved ones in those days. Some people have been through that before, and they got through it. There’s some hope in that, too," said Tracey.

Although her original 50th birthday plans have been curbed due to the current lockdown, Tracey plans to celebrate later in the year when she can meet up with her family and friends.

"My plan now is to have a 'Formally Fabulous Being 50 Party' down in my caravan in Benone, with all of my girlfriends, and we’re going to wear formal dresses. We’re all going to be formally 50,” laughed Tracey. “That’ll be something to look forward to!”