O’Neill Vault
For many years the exact position of the O’Neill Vault was a subject of speculation.
It was known that c. 1820 the Rev Rector Charles Atkinson decided to brick up the doorway of the Vault.
Agnes on sex
Dear Agnes,
This is rather a delicate matter but I’m sure, Agnes that I can rely on your discretion.
Meadow: Buggies 2
In those early days of the late 1950s in The Meadow, there was only one boy to earn even greater ridicule than the rider of the lop-sided buggy, and that was the lad who suddenly appeared, beaming, on a shiny new, pristine shop-bought contraption with cissy rubberised wheels.
Meadow: Ball-Bearing Buggies 1
Our foot ‘pads’ were cement pavings, two-broad to the edge of the kribben, and none too evenly laid, but this just added to the thrill, as we thundered along on our ball-bearing buggies.
Russell defends Parnell
It was a famous Newry man, Charles Russell who exposed in court the British-Government inspired calumny against the great Irish Nationalist leader of the late nineteenth century Charles Stuart Parnell.
Orphaned and homeless
My mother died in childbirth when I was ten. She left three boys and three girls. My father coped for about a year ………..
Poyntzpass/Acton
Tommy Morrow recorded his memories of the Poyntzpass area in the 1930s and 1940s.
‘There were 82 businesses then.
All Souls Day
It’s that time of year again when we think of the Holy Souls who have departed and especially of those who were central to our own lives.
Kingdom of Mourne
There is firm evidence of early human habitation in the Annalong area. In the mid 1980s when some minor excavation work was being carried out during the making of the
Coolridge Effect
Previous American Presidents are remembered for a wide variety of reasons – Nixon for his crookery, Teddy Roosevelt for the Teddy Bear (I’m sure our pedants on Discussions will provide many more examples!) – but only one, to the best of my knowledge, has lent his name to a phenomenon in Zoology.
Dwelling Place of Dragons
The author and historian Majorie Harshaw Robie is due to visit Ireland on the 26th November 2006 to launch her book “Dwelling Place of Dragons“. The book centres on the 19th Century lives of local men James Harshaw, John Martin and George Henderson. There is more information about these men on the Harshaw Martin Heritage Trail website.
We have not had a chance to review the book as it is not yet launched but the publishers description is shown below.
Publishers Description: Ten years in the making, author Marjorie Harshaw Robie’s impressive Dwelling Place of Dragons recounts two of the most formative decades in Irish history. It reveals how a few brave members of the Protestant community of Ulster joined the Catholic population in the struggle to gain independence from repressive English control. Her unique perspective tells Ireland’s incredible story through the eyes of three remarkable, very unique men: James Harshaw, the Irish nationalist; Harshaw’s nephew John Martin, who fought to achieve independence from England; and George Henderson, who became editor of one of the most influential newspapers in all of Ulster. Unlike John and James, George was a supporter of British control. From a conference in 1830 where religious peace was declared to the murders and riots and the great Irish famine, author Robie delves deep into Irish history, exploring the tensions that led a peaceful country into sectarian war. Extensively researched, Dwelling Place of Dragons explores the dangers that can occur when one religion runs a country.
Robie’s book is also deeply personal. She searched for and finally found all six volumes of Harshaw’s incredible diaries, and balanced them with the character of George Henderson, who represented the majority opinion of Irish Protestants. These three men and the motives that moved them are brought back into the limelight in a book of rare historical importance.
Stick yer cream buns!
Dear Agnes,
I am a woman of maturing years, certainly, but I have all my faculties. I’m sure you know what I mean, Agnes, for you are likewise.
Meadow: Pigeons [2]
There was a strict regulation imposed on all new tenants of The Meadow estate in the late 40s-early 50s that no wild or domesticated animals be kept in or about these pristine new homes.