Newry News and Irish Fun
John McCullagh 
I remember in the early 60’s on a Monday morning Hughie Green called at our door in Drumalane and asked me if I wanted a couple of days work unloading a timber boat. I had never done it before but being broke, I decided to give it a go.
It’s getting round to tourist influx season again so I just thought it time I review some of our archaeological heritage.
If you are interested in the fairly recent past – like the twelfth century! – you might pay a visit to the so-called Bagenal’s Castle ….
One of the major changes in more recent years was the conversion of some three-bedroom houses to two-bedroom dwellings. It was wrong, Geordie, insists.
My place is neat and clean,
there are no locks on the gate.
It is a quiet area of town.
So why does no one visit me?
The floors in The Meadow were of a bitumen type that you weren’t allowed to cover. It was supposed to be polished. But, says Geordie, the floors were soft.
The enforced emigration of Ireland’s life blood over centuries, which came to a head during and after the Great Famine (1845-1851) is one of the reasons for the huge Irish worldwide diaspora and the fairly ludicrous situation that by far the greater part of people of Irish descent do not and never have lived on the island.
The Annals of the
The annals are mainly a compilation of earlier annals, although there is some original work. They were compiled between 1632 and 1636 in the Donegal monastery of the Franciscan order. The entries for the 12th century and before are sourced from medieval monastic annals. The later entries come from the records of the Irish aristocracy (such as the Annals of Ulster), and the seventeenth century entries are based on personal recollection and observation.
The chief author of the annals was Micheal O’Cleirigh, and he was assisted among others by Peregrine O’Clery, Fergus O’Mulconry and Peregrine O’Duigan. Even though only one of the authors, M
Our busiest and happiest times along the Derrybeg River (really a tiny stream) was in the summer months for it was then that the sprickleys were running, the hawthorn was in bloom and strongly perfumed and Corr’s field was awash with buttercups.
