Latest Happenings & More Comments

Update
Tuesday 25th May, 2021

After new information supplied by Barry Mulholland, Tommy Collins, and Betty, I have updated the Tony Crockett page. Thanks Tommy, Barry and Betty.

Update
Sunday 23rd May, 2021

Many thanks to John for the new information on the Reverend Edwin Davey and the Polish letter article (namely, the Reverend’s obituary, plus additional information on the stamp).  I have updated the article.

Update
Friday 21st May, 2021

We moved to a new host yesterday, Thursday.  A fair bit of effort involved.  There are still a few things getting updated, tweaked and reset.  This will take a few days. 

The one main issue, is that my email has been down for about 36 hours.  This will resolve, when the new DNS server email records get updated.  Everything has been updated on my end, just waiting for the new records to propagate. 

Anyways, please be aware that if you sent me an email during these past couple of days, and for the weekend ahead, I will not have received them. 

Latest News
Quarter 1, 2021

This page has been created to enable subscribers to be kept informed of the latest happenings.

The updates posted on this little corner of the website will save the sending of duplicate emails to various parties. It also enables many more of the latest comments to be shown (see down below) than normal; plus a display of the most popular posts. Lest anyone should wonder what the current weather is like in Eden, that issue gets covered too.

As of late February 2021, as you can see from the screenshot on the right, there are 139 published articles on the site, with another 214 draft articles in various stages of completion.

I have been, in recent months, researching and assembling articles on each of the Given brothers, from Cullybackey. An old Thomas Given photo has been enlarged, cleaned up and colourised. That reminds me. Does anyone have a copy of the 1900 book ‘Poems from College and Country by Three Brothers’, written by Thomas Given of Cullybackey. I’d especially love to read more of Patrick Given’s poetry in this book, and see the book’s photos/sketches of Patrick and his brothers. What a talent Patrick Given was! If anyone has the book, it would be wonderful to get a few scans of relevant pages.

Other ongoing research/articles, to name but a few, include: William Allingham’s poetry; new information on Esther Mulholland (my great-great grandfather Thompson Mulholland’s sister); been cleaning up several wonderful old William Bartlett sketches of Ulster from the 1840’s; an article in production on Tommy Mulholland’s uncle abducting the local Judge’s daughter (not his smartest ever move); the ‘ghost ship’ spotted off Ulster’s coast in the late 1930s; Innisrush’s new sheriff’s war on the Eden potine industry (mid 1920s), cleaned up what’s probably the earliest photograph of Portglenone i.e. an old 1870s photo of Knox’s Commercial Hotel in the village (still researching the topic); an almost completed article on James Haddock’s ghost; and ongoing work on Reverend Townsend of the Craigs (recently cleaned up and colourised his photo, transcribed old media articles); an article from the 1940s on the US Army platoon stationed in Portglenone Forest (and Tommy Mulholland’s subsequent purchase of one of the military huts).

The transcribing of the Old Ahoghill graveyard headstones (plus another one in Cullybackey and the one in Gracehill) is ongoing (and has been since mid 2020) – an hour here, and an hour there. These may well be my last gravestones. But hey who knows, maybe the motivation will return in the future. The Holy Grail, from a personal perspective, would be the headstones at Tamlaght O’Crilly Upper. Indeed a couple of kind subscribers have, in the past, offered to transcribe my photos of that graveyard. Sadly, the old gravestones in that graveyard have pretty much disintegrated and are unreadable. It must have been the material they were made from. I have not encountered such widespread disintegration elsewhere.

Finally, many thanks to those who follow and contribute to this website. Pageviews have quadrupled in three years. Readership has more than doubled, up 119%, in the past twelve months alone. There were over eight thousand new users in the past year. There are new subscribers every week – it looks like we will have nearly 200 soon – from all corners of the globe.

Thanks for all your contributions, kindness and help.

All my best. Stay safe.

Latest Comments

  • Recent Comments Plus

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    • Alison on Innisrush Flax Mill: “I think my family may be descendents of William James and the other xlemta people on this photo. My family…” Aug 23, 01:03
    • Trudger on Faces of the Somme, 1st July 1916: “thanks, Barry, for the kind words. Just getting back online today. A labour of love. Still tweaking and fixing some…” Jul 9, 20:56
    • Barry Mulholland on Faces of the Somme, 1st July 1916: “A wonderful tribute, deserving a full read. What bravery to enter the campaign knowing the probability of not returning home.…” Jul 5, 10:57
    • Trudger on Faces of the Somme, 1st July 1916: “Thanks May for the lovely message. I hope you are keeping well and enjoying the summer.” Jul 4, 12:28
    • May Lennox-Milton on Faces of the Somme, 1st July 1916: “Thank you William. Excellent as your stories always are.” Jul 4, 11:05

  • Latest Comments

    • Alison on Innisrush Flax MillI think my family may be descendents of William James and the other xlemta people on this photo. My family name is clements and they ate from Magharafelt. William James was my great great grandads name as was his father
    • Barry Mulholland on Faces of the Somme, 1st July 1916A wonderful tribute, deserving a full read. What bravery to enter the campaign knowing the probability of not returning home. Your efforts on photo editing is appreciated.
    • May Lennox-Milton on Faces of the Somme, 1st July 1916Thank you William. Excellent as your stories always are.
    • Robyn Markey on Land Owners in Ireland 1870’sSee my great great grandfather Thomas neily owned 34 acres in killygullib ,I wish I knew where, my daughter going over to killygullib to see where we came from , thanks robyn
    • Marcia Taylor on Faces of the Somme, 1st July 1916Thank you for an excellent historical recount. Your presentation touches our hearts.
    • Stuart Grant on Saint Colmanell’s Church of Ireland Ahoghill GravestonesYou didn’t list the grave of James Grant and his family. It’s quite a large sized plot so surprised you missed it.
    • Anje on Faces of the Somme, 1st July 1916It is great to read from you again. Thanks for this most interesting historical insight!
    • R Stocker on Cullybackey Old Methodist GravestonesI think the church you are looking for is the Cullybackey Reformed Presbyterian Church, per the following webpage. It says the church was sometimes known as The Pound Meeting House and even mentions a Rev. Clarke Houston. http://www.thebraid.com/covenanter-trail.aspx?title=cullybackey-reformed-presbyterian-church You can
    • Barry Mulholland on Sunset in ColeraineAh Christine, And I still am a truly lovely person. Quite happy for my email to be passed on. I have been developing my family tree, which has expanded into all the other families that remained in Ireland, around Eden
    • Christine on Sunset in ColeraineThis is a message for Barry. I came across all of this quite by accident. I have often thought of our school days. You were a truly lovely person as was your sister Anne who sang with me in the
    • On the March Videos on Eden Accordion BandEden Accordion Band are still on the march around the streets of Ulster today
    • Patricia markey on Old photo of Swatragh village, Mercers, McFadden FuneralHi. My ancestor George (Calvery) Neely was given land at Swatragh, after the war between king James and King William of England. His land was called Neely Hill. I am related to Carol who writes to our great grandmother’s were
    • Susan Booker on 1740 Protestant Householders Returns in County LondonderryHelllo, Alice= I do not know of any extant Pattons in Tamlacht Finlagan, but I descend from Daniel Patton, son of Barbara and brother of James Patton, who was the first of his family to come to the young United
    • Jim on 1740 Protestant Householders Returns in County LondonderryHello— I am looking for the origins of a Withrow ancestor (Ann) who came to the US (possibly with a cousin, surname Love) and settled in Londonderry, NH. They share an obituary, as follows: “Died. At Henniker, Mrs. Ann (Withrow)
    • JOHN SCOTT on Photo of McFadden Family GlarryfordYes you have got the Wright family my wife and sister are currently researching family history and would love to compare notes
    • Irene on Photo of McFadden Family GlarryfordHi, I think you knew my mother, Molly McCloy. If I am not mistaken your family go to Elim Ballymena. I have done quite a bit of research in the family if you would like to make contact.
    • John scott on Photo of McFadden Family GlarryfordHi Just read your article on the Mcfaddens found interesting as John McFadden is my grandfather . Interestingly i worked out of Glarryford post office for many years as a postman but had no idea a relative did.
    • Stacey on Reverend Mark Bloxham of Tamlaght O’Crilly Lower ChurchHi, Is there any way to see the full text on a page without part of it being covered by the Subscribe, Recent Comments and Recent Posts frames down the right-hand side? I'm trying read the post about Reverence Mark
    • Robyn markey on The Old Year Sinks in Time’s OceanHi I am looking for graves of my great great grandparents Thomas and Mary Neely died 1873 and 1874 they lived tamlaght ,Mary was a. McAllister ,I was wondering if you were they would be buried .cheers robyn from Australia
    • Gwynn on High Sheriffs of County Londonderry Ireland 1670 to 1883The Londonderry corporation minutes page 6,10 on PRONI [Public Records office of Northern Ireland] NI Direct say John Riddall, John Riddell was to be sheriff for the rest of the year and that an oath was required (not sure if

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