In recent years (the tropical chapter), the week before Christmas each year, my next door neighbour, Carol, would play festive tunes. Classics from a bygone era, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Perry Como, Johnny Mathis, etc would delightfully waft across the garden. It was a magical time of the year. I miss my very good friend, and her kindness. Beers on her terrace at sunset, my two cats back then (Fluffy and Tiger) sitting beside us on the terrace railing.
Thinking back to Eden Road. When I was young, Christmas was always a special time. My parents would put up a small Christmas tree in the front porch of our remote farmhouse. From our bungalow, no other house was visible. You could see, across the flatlands, for over 10 miles, to the distant mountains above Maghera.
The red, blue, green and blues of our Christmas tree lights, were very vivid to my young eyes. They shone as a little beacon of cosy hope, against a seemingly endless backdrop of darkness across the fields. I never forgot the contrast (nor the vivid colours).
This time of the year, is always a period for reflection. I find myself singing (to myself) the old John Lennon classic.
“And so this is Christmas,
And what have you done,
Another year over,
And a new one just begun.”
Sometimes even the original public domain tune gets an airing. ‘Stewball was a racehorse, and I wish he was mine’
For some reason, unknown to me, another tune has been dominating my tuneful thoughts across this festive period, Chris Rea’s ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ (from 1986). It brings back memories of times spent in Kilrea, as well as driving home, to Eden, from university near Belfast, in the late 1980s.
With a thousand memories
Chris Rea’s fantastic ‘Shamrock Diaries‘ album, from a year earlier (1985), got a lot of airplay in my car. A classic collection of songs.
Three Cool Cats
Thank you for all the comments about the new cat, in the last article. Baby (a temporary name) is slowly settling in. Lucy and Roxy are slowly coming round. The new girl is emotionally intelligent and very sensitive. So I have to be careful and not be too loud during moments of annoyance.
Thanks for the ideas re a name. Still undecided, but considering Star, Storm, Precious, Special, Angel, Chrissy (thanks Anje).
Here are two photos from this morning (Saturday, new year’s eve).
Things are very dark. We can only hope that the new year will bring some light, and greater awakening, into the world.
Here is an old poem, from well over a hundred years ago. It encourages us to ‘throw away’ our past regrets and worries, and instead focus on self, and the future year ahead.
It’s almost 10pm here. Only two more hours left of 2022. I will watch, with friends, from our mountain vantage point, the midnight fireworks going off, along the ocean, some 12 miles distant.
I am about to open a bottle of red wine. All my very best regards to you all. May you, and your loved ones, have a healthy and prosperous 2023.
Best,
William
PS – Stephen Burns, who has kept the streets of Portglenone clean for the last two decades, has been awarded an honour in the New Year’s Honours list. Wonderful to see local people get the recognition they deserve.
New Year
As the old year sinks down in Time’s ocean
Stand ready to launch wish the new,
And waste no regrets, no emotions,
As the masts and the spare pass from view.
Weep not if some treasures go under
And sink in the rotten ship’s hold,
That blithe bonny barques sailing yonder
May bring you more wealth than the old.
For the world is for ever improving
All the past is not worth one to-day,
And whatever deserves our true loving
Is stronger than death or decay.
Old love, was it wasted devotion?
Old friends, were they weak or untrue?
Well, let them sink there in mid-ocean.
And gaily sail on to the new.
Throw overboard toil misdirected,
Throw overboard ill-advised hope,
With arms which, your soul has detected,
Have self as their centre and scope.
Throw overboard useless regretting,
For deeds which you cannot undo,
And learn the great art of forgetting.
Old things which embitter the new.
Sing who will of dead years departed,
I shroud them and bid them adieu,
And the song that I sing, happy-hearted
Is a song of the glorious new
E. W. Wilcox
An old poem, reprinted in Londonderry Sentinel, 1st January 1946
Thanks for your always interesting posts and poems. Have a productive, happy and exciting 2023!
Thanks, Page, for the lovely words.
All my very best to you and your loved one for this new year to come.
Tremendous post! The poem is quite old. Ella Wheeler Wilcox lived 1850-1919. Remembered for penning “Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone.” Wishing you all the best as we “gaily sail on to the new!”
Thanks, Marcia, for that info. I didn’t know very much about her.
Wow, she was the one famous for “Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone.” I didnt know that.
Thanks for the lovely words. All my very best to you and your loved ones for 2023.
William best regards from kilrea and wishing you a happy 2023
Best Regards
Tommy
Thanks for the lovely words, Tommy.
Although I am over five thousand miles away, I still often think of Kilrea and my times spent there.
All my very best wishes to you and your loved ones.
Happy, healthy New Year William. All the best for 2023.
What breed is your new cat. It looks as if it should be an exotic name, like Cleo – short for Cleopatra.
Good spot, May. Yes, she does have an exotic look. I am unsure what breed she is. But she is definitely different from my other two cats. Her paws are longer and a different shape. Her elbows are higher up the joint, than my other cats.
I am currently considering adopting one (or maybe two) of her siblings. She is such a sweet girl, and doesnt have a bad bone in her body. So, I named her Angel.
Thanks for your kindness. All my very best wishes to you, May, for 2023.
Hi 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
My grandfather was known as thomas John but John Thomas on his birth certificate
The Neely’s came from Moyagney and tivaconoway both near tamlaght o’crilly
Family names William James, Alston, Henry, Tommy and George
Grampas sister went to Australia ,
Grampas brother Alston went to new Zealand he was killed WW1
My mother as a child used to help a Biddy McAlistair , would you recognise that name ?.
Hello May.
My great grandmother was Mary Jane Neely, daughter of Thomas and Mary (McAllister) of Tivaconway. She came out to Australia and married in 1854 in Maitland, NSW. Her brother Thomas and wife Elizabeth (Stewart) came in 1860. Also her brother gardener came, but he went back to Ireland and married his sweetheart Matilda Kenhorne. I do family history of my family.
Cheers,
Robyn
Hello again May. Who was your grandfather’s sister who came to Australia?
Cheers,
Robyn
Hello Patricia
Just read your ancestral Query Neelys of Tivaconavey .Christian names generally follow family ancestry,jusy a little lead may give you a trace,Gardner Neely and his brother George (both deceased) both lived in Tivaconavey,Gardner sold his farm and in retirement moved to Portstewart many years ago(I think his family may be deceased also).His brother George’s son George) and daughters still reside in Tivaconavey. If required send me a email amd I will endeavour to get you a contact
Best Regards
Tommy
George neely decendents
I am friendly with Tee Cunningham nee Neely her father was George Neely she has a sister Sharon who is married to Caskey farmer they all live at tiviconaway and there is a sister Elizabeth
I have seen the old Neely house a ruin now left to rot obviously the neighbouring farmer bought the farm for the land ,, it was a fine two story house in its day , very similar to the Neely house at Moyagney
They were from France Huguenots left France because King Louis was killing the Protestants if they didn’t convert , they went to England then onto Ireland
Sorry been off the boil with the family tree stuff since I changed my internet provider and lost All my emails with info