portglenone Archives — Page 2 of 8

March – in like a lion out like a lamb

The Irish are well known for always talking about the weather. This is hardly that surprising given that we have as many as five different competing weather systems, that can give us four seasons in...

Dancing in Ireland in the 1950s

My father, Richard Mulholland, died some years ago. In recent years, two of his siblings have also passed on. There is now only one left. Sammy Mulholland, who lives at the top of...

Henry McAnally – Portglenone

I am still enjoying Henry McAnally's book of poems from the early 1880s, "Effusions After Toil." Henry was reared near Portglenone. He left in 1859, to find work in Scotland, ending up as he...

1946 – Portglenone Rectory’s Undelivered Polish War Letter

It's always nice to get correspondence. I was contacted several months ago by Iben Olsen, a stamp collector from Denmark. He had a fascinating old envelope in his possession, sent by the...

Henry McAnally Poem – The Banks of the Bann

In the late 1800s, the life of the farmer was very difficult. Farm landlords could demand any price they wanted and could throw tenants out on a whim. Locals worked long hours on the land and were...

Poem – Young Caroline Adair

It was a delight to recently discover a very old book of local poetry by Henry McAnally. The book is called 'Effusions After Toil - a collection of poems and lyrics' McAnally was reared locally,...

About One Irish Rover

One Irish Rover focuses on the history and the people of the area in Northern Ireland where I grew up i.e. the Portglenone, Kilrea, Maghera and Tamlaght areas, in Counties Derry and Antrim.

My mother took many photos and saved lots of old newspaper cuttings. Many of these appear on this website.

I love to delve through old newspapers, discovering and piecing together local stories. You will find originally researched articles on this website, that aren't available elsewhere. Indeed, many of the old events have been pieced together, using various resources, and are now only being told fully for the first time.

I am also delighted to receive old photos, and stories. Feel free to drop me a line, via the Contact link (in the MENU above). Thanks for all your contributions.