I haven’t been around much of late. It’s nice to get back online and have a chance to post some new material. By the way, I note there appears to have been an issue, during the past month, for those wanting to subscribe to the website. After testing, the issue was linked to a problem with the CAPTCHA. All appears to be working now. So if you tried to sign up in recent weeks...
Several hours last Saturday were spent, rather than writing up a weekend post, brushing out the flood in my house. I had turned on the bath and forgotten about it. I stepped off the sofa, to bizarrely find myself plodding around in water. Every room was impacted. Two hours of brushing water, whilst canoeing, and 5 fans subsequently running until midnight, ensured all the floor tiles were...
I hope that you are all keeping well. If you are struggling, please turn off the fear box. Don’t let the tyrants, that rule this world, grind you down. Re One Irish Rover. Many thanks for all your kind messages. Also, I am very grateful to those who have been sharing the website url on social media and with their friends. The website visitor numbers in recent months have been through...
Last year, I covered a story, from the early summer of 1909, which involved two folk from Belfast going on a walk around Portglenone. In the article, and in the follow-up comments, on that story, reference was made to the Bullock’s Track. Brian Cassidy commented that: [su_quote]The bullock’s track refers to a former standing stone on Lisnahuncheon hill, on our family’s farm. It...
I trust that you are keeping well. Thank you for the emails and the continued support. I am always behind in communications, so do not fret (two weeks behind currently). There are lots of articles in progress. Many just need to be finished. I started this week, to more fully research, and start writing, about the vicious murder of Patrick O’Kane, the publican and grocer, at his Waterwall...
Every once in a while, usually after a glass of red wine, I have a look at mum and dad’s old photos. They met in the late 1950s, in a hall over in Garvagh. Although dad was ten years older, it was apparently love at first sight. Looking through the trove of photos from that late 50s and early 1960s era, they clearly have a love for the north coast, notably Portstewart. It is a beautiful...
It’s been a few weeks since I last posted. Life sometimes interrupts things. As John Lennon put it, life is what happens while we are busy making other plans. I hope that you are all keeping well and managing to cope in this mad world. It’s wonderful to see so many finding and enjoying the website. There was a record, for the website, two days ago – we had seven new visitors...
UPDATE – getting very slowly caught up with old emails. Doing lots of photoshop and research work most evenings. Works in progress on Warwick, Gilmore, Kearney, O’Reilly, Bamford, Thompson, Father Dolling, and Greenlough. For Eden folk, the work of Sergeant O’Reilly in the 1920s should prove interesting. The Innisrush based peeler, during his three years in the area, was the...
UPDATE – Apologies, I am several weeks behind in emails (nothing new there, says you). I tend to abandon email for periods of time. Sorry, must do better. I know some subscribers like to hear the latest about my cats, Lucy and Roxy. Roxy, being some 6 months old, was snipped this day, one week ago (last Sunday). So there’s now no chance of any little Roxettes. After coming round...
These cold wintry days of mid January, with endless grey skies, made me think of my memories of being cold. I reflected back on my father and his use of the word, founder. Anyway, to set the scene. In the second half of last year, I came across an old poem by James Orr (who lived between 1770 and 24th April 1816). The poet came from Ballycarry, which is in County Antrim. Ballycarry has less...
I came across an old poem (see below) entitled To the Old Year, written on December 27th, 1884, by Susie Troland, a Coleraine lady. She was inspired by the year just ended, namely 1884. In Ireland in bygone years, I have vague memories of locals, in the rural community, going out shooting on New Year’s Day. You would also have heard a few shots (from a shotgun being let off) across Eden...
UPDATE – I would like to wish all the readers of One Irish Rover, a wonderful Christmas. It’s been a mad two years on this planet. But love, kindness, goodness, tolerance, always wins out in the end. Together, as the 99.999%, we are undefeatable. Big hugs, camaraderie, friendship, good conversation, and an ability (and the humility) for each of us to take the time to listen, are...