Inverbrena 2008

Strangford 2008

Memories from Inverbrena

A Note on “Inverbrena”

The name first appears in the Annals of the Four Masters as ‘Inver Brena’ – the mouth of the Bren river and identifies the narrow neck of water through which the tide rushes into Loch Cuan.

Chairman’s Note.

Thanks to the backing of our community, the 2007 magazine has been another resounding success.We printed 300 copies last year and all but a few are already gone.

Next year we may try 350. It is gratifying to know that there is such a demand from those of you who are interested in the history of our local area. Some of the highlights so far, in 2008, were the setting up of our web site by Paul McGurnaghan, which should spread our fame world wide and then it was the visit by Jennifer O’Reilly who has a very interesting story for the 2008 book. Michael McConville has also put his shoulder to the wheel and will be a great asset. We need this infusion of new blood, fresh ideas and technical ability in order to stay up to date and improve. We also need your old photos and your written memories to fill out our pages. Please consider it.

You would be made most welcome on the third Friday of each month at 8pm in the Inverbrena Centre. Enjoy this year’s read!

E J McMullan.

Chairman.

“For the olden memories fast are flying from us, Oh! That some kind hand would come And bind them in a garland e’re the present hardens And the past grows cold and dumb.”

Anon.

Cover:

The cover picture, an old post card from 1910, taken from the Windmill Hill, shows a steamer heading for Portaferry.

It could possibly be the Flying Irishman, one of McCauslands salvage tugs based in Portaferry at that time.

© Copyright 2008

W: www.inverbrena.co.uk

E: inverbrena@hotmail.co.uk

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

1

Contents I Remember Strandford................................................................... Noel Armour

3-6

A Summer Dander............................................................................ P.J. Lennon

7-8

Farmer’s Lament...........................................................................................

8

“Wee Fergie” Returns Home ............................ by Richard Magee

(As told to Peig Denvir)

9-11

Carnashoke 2 - School Registers................................................ Eamon McMullan

12-22

Finding Private Kane................................................................... Jennifer O’Reilly

23-24

Extract From Home Words...........................................................................

25-26

History Of Strangford And District Credit Union..................... Michael McConville

27-37

Gallery.........................................................................................................

38-46

A Letter from Una McMaster (Burnett)......................................... Una McMaster

47

Church Of St. Patrick Cargagh..................................... Canon Conway and Joan Magee

48-49

The Recollections of Robert Magee........................................As told to Joan Magee

50-52

The Cuckoo................................................................................ Brian Fitzsimons

53-54

The Phantom Burgler................................................ Bobby Magee, as told to Joan Magee

55

Working The Coalboats.............................................................. Eamon McMullan

56

The Eight Miles To Strangford.................................................... Eamon McMullan

57-59

Christmas In Strangford (circa 1940)........................................... Eamon McMullan

60

Acknowledgments The editor wishes to thank those who submitted articles and trusted us with their photographs. All the members of our group for their co-operation. Also Community Relations for their help and the staff of Flixx Graphics for their friendly and practical advice as always. Thanks to Kevin Óg for acting as agent.

2

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

I Remember Strangford 1956

By Noel Armour

The only station in the Province where the local Sergeant travelled by boat to cash the monthly station party pay cheque.

On 19th August, 1956 I performed duty at Craigantlet Hill Climb while attached to Greyabbey, my station of allocation. The following day I moved on transfer to Strangford, travelling in uniform in my Morris Eight complete with regulation Box, Pedal Cycle and other bits and piece.

Presently there is no police station there and while a two Constable Substation had been built in the 1960’s, I arrived at the old original station where the station party consisted of a Sergeant and four Constables.

Noel Armour

Sergeant James O’Hara met me on arrival, a very civil man who later moved on promotion as Head Constable to Cookstown, and later Divisional Commander at Ballymena.

Senior Constable Tom Connor was also present having spent his entire career there apart from a short period at Pomeroy, also there was Constable Samuel Warren and Ex Navy man and Depot Squadmate Johnny O’Driscoll, a native of Skibbereen, Co. Cork who presently resides in the U.S.A. I was the fourth Constable to complete the party.

Finding Strangford a rather quiet place, little or nothing ever happened from a police point of view. Cycle patrols were generally relaxing in the beautiful surrounding country side. I recall performing ‘Meet Patrols’ to Ballyhornan where I would have changed post and personal views with a constable from Ardglass at a point where the main telephone cable to England submerged into the sea. I have memories of lone cycle patrols to Kilclief on a Sunday afternoon during a Gaelic Football game and calling at the tiny Clubhouse for a cuppa or whatever was going. How times have changed today.

Long before the present Strangford/ Portaferry system had been implemented, travel between both villages was by way of a rather small covered boat which was mostly used to convey Secondary school children from Portaferry to where they boarded a bus for Strangford to attend schools at Downpatrick.

On receipt of the Monthly Station Party pay cheque, the Sergeant would travel on this small craft to a bank at Portaferry to enable us to get our cash in those official brown envelopes.

Left and Right: Strangford RUC Station 1957 - note sandbagged security sanger at left and barbed wire

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

3

As we had no station cook, single members messed out. However we had the use of a small ‘Baby Belling’electric cooker in the station kitchen, which was in general issue in that era.

I messed out with Mr.& Mrs. Ernie Milliken at the ‘Watch House’ a rather picturesque place on a hill overlooking the Lough. Though they have moved, I still keep in touch and will always remember their good food, kindness and generosity.

Squadmate, Constable Johnny O’Driscoll on motorcycle.

Local village tailor, the late Louis Curran made up RUC uniforms from material from issue for little more than the five pounds, ten shillings allowance; however his professional workman ship was always noted on inspection.

There was little to do socially in Strangford.

I recall five or six village friends of my own age group rowing across the Lough in total darkness, the target being a pier light at Portaferry.

This perilous action was undertaken in a somewhat unstable boat, not dissimilar to a bathtub. Once our lives were taken out of our own hands again, we were able to enjoy the Halloween dance at the local cinema. I, being a non swimmer at the time and crossing, what is believed to be the fastest flowing and most treacherous current in these islands, highlights the point you will tackle anything when Sergeant James O’Hara, later Diyou are young’. visonal Commander, Ballymena.

Whilst possibly in breach of police regulations at being open to or under a compliment to the members of the licensing trade, local publican, Brendan Sharvin, permitted me to garage my car at the bottom of the square. Sharvin’s Bar is presently under new ownership and has been extensively refurbished.

Recently on a visit there I was admiring a collection of photographs on display in the bar of ‘Strangford in days gone by’ including one of a Royal visit by King George V to Baroness De Ross’ Estate at the end of the last century. While engaged in conversation with Peter he gave me a small photograph which I had taken in 1957 of Johnny O’Driscoll on his motorcycle outside the station. By coincidence, it had been given to Peter after a recent visit by Johnny to Strangford when he had returned from the USA to visit his old Strangford haunts.

Visits to the station by District Inspector G P Kerr, Downpatrick or County Inspector E A Ferris did not pass unnoticed. Locals knew only too well both officers’ cars and would have quickly so informed the patrolling duty of their presence should either of them come near the place. That was the relationship which existed in those days in Strangford.

The Station Sanger 4

No one ever did anything wrong at Strangford and police detections merely amounted to ‘Dogs at large after sunset’ or ‘unlighted pedal cycles’. This resulted to a day out to Downpatrick Petty Sessions where fines of ten or five shillings were

Constable Noel Armour (Author of this article) with guard dog Ranger

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

imposed.

I was somewhat startled when on 12th December that year at 4am when I was rudely awakened while fast asleep in my room in the station. The I R A had just mounted its terror campaign of the 1950s. I remember Tom Connor and I setting up a road block at Ballyculter Cross on the main Downpatrick Road. By previous local arrangement we both carried material including farm implements,( a buckrake and two earth grubbers) from a nearby farmer’s yard to block off half the roadway while we placed ourselves on the other half armed with a hurricane storm lamp complete with red globe. Needless to say there was not much to stop. However I do recall local postman and station neighbour Peter Hynds as he cycled every morning at 6a.m in all weathers to his work at Downpatrick Post office. His ex R A F son Jimmy, later joined the R U C. and served in Portglenone, Newtownabbey and other places. This road stop lasted well into the day with ‘No Breakfast’, No Reliefs’and certainly Constable Noel Armour Constables John O’Driscoll,Thomas ‘No Overtime’ in station yard.

Connor and Sergeant James O’Hara in station yard

Resulting from the troubles, barbed wire was erected around the station by the Army and flares with tripwires which were forever being triggered off by wandering cats and dogs. A rather primitive sandbagged sanger with a tin roof was erected to the left of the station to provide a degree of cover.Three mobilised ‘B’ Specials were allocated to assist with local security and we provided ourselves with a guard dog.

At that time Sergeant O’Hara had left Strangford on Promotion and Ballinamallard man, Sergeant Ernie Graham arrived on transfer from Coagh, Co. Tyrone. He resided in a bungalow around the corner on the Ardglass Road with his wife and two daughters.A colleague from his previous station, Constable Jack Power had come to spend Christmas with the Graham family. It was Christmas Eve and I was Barrack Orderly from 9am through to 9am. on Christmas morning. A severe gale hit the province on Christmas Eve causing damage and bringing down power lines everywhere.

The village was left in darkness and we had no emergency generator, only a few candles and an old Aladdin Oil lamp locked in the station store. Some did a tour of the village ‘watering holes’ and eventually Ernie and Jack were located full of Christmas cheer.They both returned and eventually found the store key and insisted that ‘no young fella could fill or light an Aladdin Lamp’. Needless to say the inevitable happened, resulting in the broken glass base and globe being brushed up and awaiting the bin man’s collection. Having spent the night in total darkness all I had to look forward to was spending Christmas Night on 16 hours short leave with my parents at Maghera.

After spending ten months serving in the quiet, relaxing stillness of Strangford, I left on transfer in the same Morris Eight, complete with baggage, to Bangor’s old station in Victoria Road.

Special Constable Billy Dixon with guard dog Ranger.

To this day I have memories of attending Strangford small Presbyterian Church in uniform for Sunday afternoon worship, the local Catholic children all dressed up in suitable attire, parading the village square on confirmation days, the daily Angelus at 12 noon

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

5

which was clearly heard as far as Raholp in the stillness of the quiet countryside when I would have been on cycle patrol.

Last but not least I recall Tom Connor in full uniform, less boots, dangling his bare feet from the slip in the cool freshness of Strangford Lough.

As I travelled to Bangor little did I then know that during my entire police service, I would never ever again experience such peace and tranquillity as I had enjoyed in Strangford.

N.B. Our thanks to Billy Brown for his help with this article.

6

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

A Summer Dander

By P.J. Lennon.

Winter and summer for a good many years I have walked the few odd miles from Saul to Downpatrick. There’s nothing very unusual about this for I am certain that there are others even in this day and age who will walk much further every day.

However if you are ‘padding the scra’ around half past six in the morning you are very likely to have your own view of life. One thing I have noticed over the years is, even in this twentieth centuary, it takes things in the country-side a fair time to work around to a change.

After tea and a casual glance at the papers I head out with a couple of miles in mind. Now more often than not I am in swithers which way to go, I’m spoilt for choice. I could take the bog road towards Ballintogher; the Merron road towards the Quoile, or I could choose the Ballysusagh road or the main road towards Raholp.Very often I take Flannigans road, cut accross the fields towards Loughmoney and cut up the hills to Slieve Patrick.

Sitting here, over looking the Lecale and away to the south and the Mournes, the Ards and the Antrim hills you have a view which is second to none in Ireland. Below me to my right the blue band of Strangford Lough turns and twists its way towards Killyleagh and the Quoile. Beyond the village of Raholp I can just trace the little stream which leads from the Lough up under the Fiddlers Bridge along which, it is said, Saint Patrick came until he finally arrived in Saul.

Looking out across the countryside you would get the impression that everyone had retired to bed for it is well after nine o’clock. But on closer inspection you would soon discover that this is not the case and anyway past experience has taught me that the folk who live in the country are not all early to bed birds. In a cottage below me an old man is working in his garden. With great care he is drilling up his bed of early potatoes. Slowly he pushed the long shovel into the well-cared for soil and gently he heaps it against the green stalks. Later in the next month he will be digging them out with equal care, the centre piece of many a Sunday dinner.

A few fields away a handful of bullocks are gathered around an old building; one is scratching his neck energetically along what was once the mantle-piece of a farmhouse. All that really remains of the home is the gable, the inhabitants have long since sold up and sailed to the States to seek their fortune and they haven’t been heard of since.

Over in the churchyard a flamboyantly dressed stranger, dripping in camera equipment, is examining an aged headstone through a magnifying glass; a few yards away from him an old lady is pulling non-existent weeds from the grave of a child who has departed this world many years ago.

From the church I can hear the voices of a youthful choir as they sing their selection of hymns in preparation for a forthcoming mission.

Grey clouds are banking in the west as I make my way down the hill towards the main road. Halfway down the slope a group of hares sit unconcerned; there are few greyhounds around nowadays to bother or excite them much. As I get closer they prick up their ears, then one executes a little jig before leading the others through a hole in the hedge and across the next field, at a jaunty lope.

Along the road I halt at a cottage door; the lady of the house is standing at the door ‘turning the heel of a sock’; her better half is sitting on an upturned bucket endeavouring to read a paper in the fading light. As her fingers deftly manipulate the needles she enquires: ‘Are you hard on socks’. And before I have time to reply she continues, ‘this man of mine goes through socks like he goes through money’. The old man winks, sticks his tongue out as her back is turned to him,

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

7

but otherwise remains silent on the subject of socks or money; but he has plenty to say about the weather, the possibility of a good summer and how badly the crops need a ‘taste of water.’

When the wheel turns full circle...

FARMER’S LAMENT A farmer, after reflecting on the changing priorities

We grubbed out the hedges to make bigger fields

in agriculture over the last 50 years, penned the

The bigger the better to increase our yields

following words:

We worked on like beavers and never once paused

When I took up farming I was just a lad

And we were paid very well for the havoc we caused

I looked at our pastures and my heart was glad I was ready to take on the world if need be

Now forty years on there’s a knock at the door

And a good fruitful future was all I could see

The man from the ministry, the same as before “There’s cash to be made now if you plant a tree

Then a man from the ministry came to my door

It’s awfully exciting I think you’ll agree

And said, “Now young fellow you must produce more

We’d rather like some of your farm to grow wild

In London we’ve worked out a wonderful plan

Just like you remember when you were a child

To double your output, make you a rich man

A hedge by the hillside, a copse just beyond For fishes and frogs a nice stream and a pond”

Half of your land is just hedges and wood How can that possibly be any good?

Now I’m newly retired I just sing this sad song

Improve your acres and efficiency

Some of the things that I did were so wrong

And I’ll make sure you’re paid handsomely”

What did the damage, I ask constantly?

The man from the ministry, Dutch elm and me.

So I followed his schemes although it was hard When the last of the horses went from the yard I bought a new tractor and a big Ransomes plough It brings me to tears when I think of it now

We ploughed up the scrubland, orchids and all And with great satisfaction watched the trees fall We burnt up the branches and blew out the stumps The ponds in the meadows were our rubbish dumps

8

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

“Wee Fergie” Returns Home

by Richard Magee

(As told to Peig Denvir) Type T E A 75353 was brought into this country in 1948. At that time there was a scheme by the Ministry of Agriculture for farmers to purchase a tractor and they had to give good reason and make sure they were eligible to get a tractor.

My father, William Magee, Ballynar ry, Downpatrick, his address at the time, placed his order with Elliott’s of Strangford for a tractor.

But there was some mix up in the order and it took a long time in coming.

My father was in Downpatrick one Saturday morning and he met Jimmy Stewart out of Stewart’s Motorworks. He was telling him the plight about his tractor and he told him that there were two Ferguson tractors coming in Jack Magee, Louis Fitzsimons, Bob Magee by train to Downpatrick Station on Monday morning. He says ‘If you come in on Monday and sign up for the tractor it will be registered to you’. My father done what he was told and he came in and signed up for the tractor and the tractor was registered J Z 2167.

The tractor was brought home in early Spring of 1948 to Ballynarry – a petrol Ferguson tractor – to do all types of work on the farm; ploughin’ grubbin’, sowin’ reapin’, mowin’, doing the whole work that used to be done by horses.

The man that was driving the tractor at that time was my eldest brother, Joseph, who was on the farm with my father. At that time he was the driver of the tractor.

The first job the tractor done was to take potatoes from Dick Sharvin’s of Tullyratty to the potato boat in Strangford. The next thing she done was plough a field for James Murnin at the Blackcausway Road; five acre field and the payment was £5 - £1 per acre The tractor carried on through the years and gave great service. But then petrol got scarce and getting dearer so it was decided that the tractor would be better converted into T.V.O. (tractor vaporising oil). The tractor was left into Elliott’s Garage in Strangford and converted by a L.E.C conversion into T.V.O. which was a great job – never missed! The conversion is still on that tractor today.

The tractor that we used in Ballynarry done all the farm work along with the horses, for a short time, all ‘round Ballnagarrick, Cargagh,Whitehills, Church Walls, all them townlands, for different people.

One time that we were using the tractor Joseph was doing something up in the Middle field or the Carnmoney and our brother, Pat, who was mad for driving at that time, was with him. He let Pat drive the tractor across the Cruck down to the farmyard in Ballynarry and there was a Constable there who stopped them. Pat had no license and of course it went to Court. Pat had no license, Joseph wasn’t the owner so he wasn’t named atall so they took the license off my father that had no license and Pat got off scot free – there was no harm done! Changed times now?

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

9

Cutting Seed In Ballynarry 1950’s Paddy Hanna, Joseph Magee,Willie Magee, Dick Magee,Tommy Hanna, Francis Magee.

I remember one time Joseph and I went to sow a field of wheat in the Gate field. There were two bags of wheat come for to sow this field and we proceeded but there was some adjustments that was not just right.

We went twice round the field and discovered that the wheat that was treated had slipped and was nearly all away and we were in an awful state so we had to readjust and finally we sowed the rest of the field and we were anxious to see how it would turn out. Anyhow it grew a normal field of wheat and we were very glad

to see that.

Francis, God be good to him, he and I worked with the tractor too. I remember one time we were cutting harvest in Mosey’s Long hill and the tractor ran out.We didn’t know what happened but the tractor stopped – big disaster at the time! We discovered that she wasn’t filled with T.V.O. and we had to go down to Ballynarry to get a couple of gallon of T V O. and put it in her and off she went.

Also that day we cut the Bog field and the Far field. There was an incident happened in the Far field, we’ll never forget it: When the corn was young, Francis and I were weeding thistles with weeding pinchers.That particular day we had an appointment with the dentist in Downpatrick. It was what we thought, about dinnertime and we stuck the wooden pinchers in the ground, went home and had our dinner and went on to Downpatrick. Of course the weeding pinchers was forgot about.When we were cutting the harvest in the Bog field and moved into the Far field - no headrigs or anything to take off at that time; a couple of runs round the field and one round the ditch. When we came round to the gaps I heard this unmerciful roar -‘Woah!! - I looked round and Francis was in the middle of the leavers and the wee McCormack binder stood on her head.

We thought we had wrecked her but it was the two pair of weeding pinchers in the gap where we had left them that caused the trouble! Then the tractor done lots of work helping out with the mills and bailers and one thing and another, in a small way.

Times got better so we thought we would change the tractor to a 35 with a duel clutch for the machinery at that time was getting more modern. The wee grey Fergie had to go and was traded into Stewart’s Motor Works in Downpatrick. She was then sold to the Golflinks in Downpatrick to cut the Fairways. She worked there for a considerable time and then she disappeared from the face of the earth.

A man called George Galway used to tell some of our people that our tractor was about the Ards Peninsula.

10

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

A few years after that I took the notion to trace the wee tractor. I put ads in different papers and tractor magazines, giving the registration no. J Z 2167 and went to shows and demonstrations all round the country keeping an eye out – just in case, but to no avail..

On the 21st of December 1996 I was asked to lift a tractor for John Donnon of Ballyclander, at Castlewellan. On the way to Castlewellan I asked John what make of a tractor we were going to lift. He told me it was a 1948 Ferguson and when we got to Castlewellan, to my surprise, there in front of me was the remains of the tractor J Z 2167 that I had been looking for all of 30 years ago. I was delighted I had discovered her but the other man had bought her.We didn’t know what position we were in but we took her home to his farm outside Downpatrick and there was a big discussion and talk. I said to the man ‘What way are we fixed with this tractor?’ He says ‘Dick, if you can get me a tractor in the same condition as that, you can come and take your tractor home.

It was very, very decent of that man so I went out that week-end to look for a tractor. I made two or three enquiries form Dermot Beattie down at Bishopcourt. I said to Dermot ‘Have you got a Ferguson tractor here?’ ‘I have’ he said. ‘Is she for sale?’ I asked. ‘If the right man comes with the money, I’ll sell’ says Dermot. So the deal was made and I brought the wee Fergie home to Ardglass and she’s with me ever since. Welcome home Fergie!!

I’ve spent months lovingly restoring her, scrapin’ paint off her, replacing missing parts and to comply with today’s regulations, I’ve put a cab on her. I can now enjoy displayin’ her at Vintage Rallies and Shows across Co. Down.

I’ve lots of photos taken of the wee Fergie over the years; Fifty years between two photos taken in Ballynarry on 4th May 1952 and the 4th May 2002.There‘s more photos of the four generations that have known ‘Fergie’ and I hope will enjoy her for the years ahead.

To finish my story, it’s funny, but the same day I got Fergie back my brother had told me to give up lookin’ and even I, myself, had sort of abandoned hope of ever findin’ her.

Let this be a lesson never to give up ----- SEEK AND YOU SHALL FIND!

Dick Himself!!!

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

11

Cairnashoke 2 (An Ego Trip) E.J. McMullan.

The little river that flowed under Kerr’s Bridge, the one that Johnny Boy Fitzsimmons dredged, in order to drain the Frog Walk field, just himself, his horse and a home made scoop. The river had no name that I ever heard but it meandered through the area from Ballywooden Bog through Cairnashoke, Ballycotten and The Row, until it dropped into the sea at Millquarter where Hanna’s mill used to stand, taking advantage of the water power to turn the wheel. This was a lush and fertile countryside and centred on the hub of my universe, the school at Cairnashoke. One of the well used “pads” to the school started at the Glebe and came onto the road near Kilcuddy Brae.This ‘pad’ was used by the pupils from Drumroe, Cariff,The Mount and Ballycotton, Pollys, McCartans, Sharvins, Swails and Mullans and others. From the other direction, Ballywooden kids crossed over the ‘pad’ coming out at Willy Luke’s and up the loney directly opposite the school.

I remember Louis Fitzsimmons and Jim Sharvin using this shortcut.

Another well used ‘pad’ was the one from Ballynarry, across the fields and the Ballynagarrick River to Kilclief Chapel.The Denvirs, Magees, and the McMullans, who were my second cousins, used this ‘pad’.They then continued on past Kerrs Corner, over Kerrs Bridge and on to the school, the buzzing centre of our world. The Trainors and the Graceys had to travel the furthest, all the way from darkest Bishops Court. Then there was me, I really had the longest journey, but I made it in comfort in my Da’s car.You see he was the principal, the Master, and he ruled us all, me in particular, with a rod of iron. No way was he going to be accused of favouritism, no sir! But, while my pals had to slog through gutters and floods, wind and rain, frost and snow, I arrived warm and dry at the school door. Old Savage, the attendance officer, was always on the backs of those who missed school and, looking back now, it’s a wonder there was any one at school on wet, windy mornings when you had to sit in wet clothes and wet feet and the only fire ten feet away. Coughs, sniffles and runny noses were a constant backdrop to many a school day and the ‘neb’ nearly rubbed off yourself with a well used cuff.

The journey from Strangford in the car was ‘wee buns’, that is except when there was a high tide at around nine o’clock, combined with a southeast or easterly gale. Then the Battery Wall at Joe Murnan’s boathouse would be lashed by the waves which would flood the road and anything that happened to be passing by on it. On an occasion or two my father had been swamped and the engine cut out, so having been caught out once he learned to use the Back Road, by the Brow and Drumroe. Although sometimes on the way home around half three he would try dodging the waves and speeding through the treacherous 100 yard danger zone, as far as I remember he usually made it.

As I said, my father was known as the ‘Master’, although behind his back, he had numerous nicknames which seemed to vary with the generations that he put through his hands. The Eamon aged 2 1/2 ‘Dinger’, ‘Oul Paddy’ or ‘the ‘Oul Coot’, were 12

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

some of these appellations. He loved the importance that the title ‘Master’ implied, but at heart he was a simple man. I never remember him raising his voice in the house, a look was all that was needed, for he had a very stern expression, typicallyVictorian, and his little Hitler moustache seemed to bristle when he was angry. He never laughed out loud but shook violently when something struck him as funny and he really enjoyed the ‘in your face’ type humour of Laurel and Hardy movies. I sometimes feel that he was overshadowed by my mother’s gregarious, outgoing nature and quick wit, which he himself lacked, I suppose I could say he was not a good conversationalist, a bit naïve in business matters and easy to take advantage of by the more astute. My mother was the business head of the house and would often say, ‘Pat! You are a man among children and a child among men’. Still, he played his part in the community to the full, producing plays, running whist drives and doing secretary of the Regatta Committee.

On occasions he would be called on to measure fields. He had a surveyor’s chain of 100 links with which he would measure the periphery and then with the use of Pi or 22/7, could come up with the area. A chain by the way was 22 yards long and 10 sq. chains made an acre. In the 30s the government sometimes laid down laws about the amount of acreage allotted to certain crops and subsidies were paid, this was the reason for the measurements. I would, once in a while, act as his second pair of hands usually on a Saturday morning. One of his other unusual uses to the Kilclief community was as a supplier of ink.You see he made his own ink, not radiant blue , mind you, but it came out a blackish grey. It was a powder he got from the Educational Co., the stationery supplier of ‘Exxers’, jotters, pencils, nibs and the like. Letters or form filling were not a frequent exercise in the rural Kilclief communty and if, at any time, ink was needed, the person in need would arrive at the school with a little bottle in hand for a refill, something like a ‘sample’ for the doctor.The supply came from a glass bottle with ‘stroop’ and a glass stopper. He must have used the same bottle for thirty years or more.

From it he kept the inkwells half full, to prevent blots, the bane of a schoolboys life in those days. Each desk had four or five of these inkwells fitted into holes in the top, grooves in the wood held the pens and pencils. The desk itself was about seven or eight feet long, a sloped top for writing on and a bench for a seat, Sketch by Eamon and definitely no back. The bench was treacherous for if you slid along against the grain, splinters would sometimes pierce tender parts of the anatomy and the process of removal could be both painful and embarrassing.

Yes conditions were indeed primitive at Cairnashoke Academy. One coal fire was all we had in the senior boy’s room. Excuses to stand near the fire would be found by discarding used pages or sharpening a broken pencil point, often broken on purpose, as an excuse to warm cold knees and hands at the only available source of heat in the room.

I remember Father Crossin’s first visit. He had been an academic all his days, teaching in St Malachy’s College in Belfast. It must have been around 1940. But he came into the school on a spring day I suppose to ‘case the joint’. He knew he was coming to a rural parish on the eastern fringe of Lecale and was full of eager enthusiasm to improve the lot of the primitive and isolated community which was to be his responsibility. Anyway the children were all in their bare feet, as was the custom, for in spring the first into bare feet showed how tough he was. Walking over

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

13

rough stones, mud between the toes and tar on the soles of his feet, only sissies and wimps wore shoes! Well! Father Crossin must have been affected by the overpowering smell of up to forty pairs of bare feet smiling up at him on this his very first visit, offending his sophisticated urban susceptibilities. The practice came to an end. Maybe by a diplomatic suggestion to the staff from the illustrious visitor, maybe an order, or an announcement from the pulpit.And so ‘gutties’ became the summer wear for the pupils. I believe that that word comes from Gutta-percha, a gum like resin from a Malayan tree. And so we were dragged, yelling and screaming into the 20th century, better shod no doubt and our alma mater was brought up to date.

The smells of the school were many and varied not only of springtime feet but of coats and trousers, many in need of a wash. They steamed when damp giving their own distinct odour to the air.

Coming into the school after the long summer break the bare wooden floor with its raised knots would have had its scrub of Lifebuoy or Sunlight soap with its own strong smell and then the mop of Jeyes Fluid. Over a period of time this would wear off and be replaced by the dusty smell of chalk from the blackboard and its duster and the acidy smell of the ink wells. Then, when the first fire of the autumn was lit, the coal or wood had its own special homely aroma. The Master’s press had its own smell of old books and paper and the whiff of Warhorse plug, the tobacco he smoked in his pipe. It was his habit to go down to big Willie’s and Rosina’s for a smoke and a cup of tea around 11 o’clock and then all hell would break loose in the classroom. Poor Miss O’Hare had to teach her own four classes and also keep an eye on the big boys into the bargain. However once in a while ‘Oul Paddy’ would sneak back to the school and throw open the window and was nearly sure to catch someone red handed doing or saying something that they should not. Then it was flipper time. ‘Woodbine you just stand there’, or ‘alright Bunt, keep that fag lit’. It was time to rub the hands together for cold hands and the cane were a painful combination.

Holiday times were eagerly awaited, spud holidays in the autumn, Christmas and Easter and then long summer break. It was idyllic! The spud holidays varied with the projected harvest and broke the long term between August and Christmas. Diphtheria and Typhoid closed the school for periods until the epidemic had run its course. Quite a few families lived beneath the poverty line and some of the children were poorly nourished although, at the time, I would have been unaware of this. But looking back, there was a definite lack of sustenance. One of my friends from that time told me that many a morning his breakfast consisted of a drink from the pump on his way to school, a boiled potato in his pocket for lunch, very little to take him through the day. When they got home it was perhaps a fried herring if Jack Smith had been round with his fish cart that day. Joe Blaney and Melvin Calvert had their bread carts, Kennedy’s and Inglis’s.We used to think that J B Kennedy stood for Joe Blaney Kennedy. A jingle from that time comes back to me from another bread cart, Hughes’.

Barney Hughes’s bread

Sticks to your belly like lead

It’s not a bit of wonder

You f—t like thunder

Barney Hughes’s bread During the war, to the delight of the reluctant scholars, the school was taken over by the Army for a month or so. As far as we were concerned, this was heaven sent.These soldiers were to be part of the security for the new aerodrome being built on Ballywooden Bog, which had been drained by the dredging and deepening of the Turkish river. The concrete runways soon stretched for miles, built by a firm called Cryers.Their Lorries brought sand from a pit at the back of John Sharvins at the Mount. A small camp was built at Kilcuddy Brae, just beside the school. It consisted of about ten or twelve Nissan huts.These huts were quickly built and easily erected.The sides and roof were made of curved sheets of corrugated iron which fitted together, and sat on a concrete plinth about 14

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

4 yards wide by16 yards long.The resulting building was a circular tunnel like structure with a door at each end. Owing to the lack of insulation, these pre-fab barracks were impossible to keep warm with the single pot-belly stove provided and the soldiers continuously complained of the cold.

One of the men stationed there was called McIlwee, from Ballymena,’ Hi’, and his son attended our school for a short time. I think the family stayed with the McIlmurrays in Cairnashoke for a time. Another boy called Neal was also from an Army family. At this same time the R.A.F. had a small mobile wireless station just down the road a bit towards the Row. It was in the second field in from the road and, from time to time, camouflaged as a haystack. In the first years of the war, the phoney war, it was manned by airmen who were billeted in Strangford and made the four mile journey by bike. A flashing beacon was constructed on top of Tully hill, behind Joe Murnans boathouse, when Ballywooden aerodrome became functional. However Ballywooden was not deemed Anglified enough and it became known as Bishopscourt, a nearby townland.

However, let me get back to my original topic. The school at Cairnashoke was divided into four classrooms Junior and Senior girls, and Junior and Senior boys. Seniors were in third to seventh class, Juniors were in baby infants to second class.The eastern end of the building was the girls school designated by the ‘O GIRLS’ sign on the porch jutting out at the front. In my day there was a succession of three principals, Miss Timmany followed by Miss McAlinden and then Miss Daly. These ladies taught the Senior girls while Mrs Blaney taught the Juniors. She was a tough old teacher and did not believe in sparing the rod to spoil the child. Manys the time, when I was in the class next door, I would hear the tearful, fear filled voices rhyming off their ‘times tables’ Eamon aged 6 or spellings under her strict physical tutelage. On occasion, when she had been, perhaps, a bit overzealous with the wooden ruler, instead of cycling home by Boal’s Corner, where she might be stoned by some vengeful pupil, she chose the safer route to Downpatrick, via Ringawoody, She certainly was a hardy individual, for she made that cycle journey to and from Downpatrick and the school morning and evening, rain, hail or snow throughout all my school days and more besides.

On the boys side of the building, under the ‘O BOYS’ sign, Miss O’Hare taught the Junior class.

She was a much gentler entity and tried to teach her class of young hellions a bit of ‘couth’ by introducing us to combing our hair, washing our hands and faces, cleaning our nails and, of all things, pushing back our cuticles. We didn’t even know we had the damned things! Miss O’Hare, who later became Mrs Sharvin, originally came from Dromara and herself and her aunt, Miss Mooney, lodged with Miss Brickley in Strangford. She was a gem, her pupils loved her, and her room was hung with charts and posters, ‘The house that Jack built’, ‘The cow jumped over the moon’, and others of local birds and animals. I was very fond of her and enjoyed those formative years in her benign care. To ask or answer a question she taught us to put up our hands and say ’Please Miss’, this we abbreviated to ‘Sliss’ and eventually to a kind of hissing sound like ‘ssssss’ and snapping our fingers while we hissed.

The Senior classes were taken by my father, the member of staff I knew best. He came from Saul, the oldest in a family of 5 boys and 2 girls. He was a typical example of the old adage ‘You

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

15

can take the boy out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the boy’. He was close to the soil and kept his rural values throughout his life. He loved his garden and kept a half acre constantly fully tilled. He always had a cow which he milked night and morning, filling the dual purposes of providing milk for the house and dung for the garden. Honey from his four beehives also kept the table well supplied for he himself had a very sweet tooth. He was overly conscious of his standing in the community and, after 33 years, he had put many generations of ‘Kilevians’ through his hands and they all called him ‘Master’, which was grist to his mill.Yes! Recognition and respect were aspects of social standing that gave him gratification, it therefore followed that he kept a strict eye on his own family in that regard. Respectability was a strongly enforced virtue.

Although fond of a ‘wee drop’, I must say, I never saw him the worse of it nor did I ever hear him use bad language. To make myself acceptable in the eyes of my peers, I could be ‘as course as purty oaten’, and often suffered the consequences when accidentally overheard. His attitude was that foul language was only used by those who had a poor grasp of English.

People have told me that he was a great teacher of maths, but, in general, his method was by ‘rote’, which has gone in and out of favour over the years. Poetry, tables and catechism were all learned off by heart and I still have a mind full of Assyrians in purple and gold, Shylock on the Rialto, Horatius guarding the bridge and arms clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful, cluttering up my brain, what little there is of it. Geography was taught the same way.The Humber tributaries, the Swale, the Ure, the Nidd, the Wharfe, the Aire and the Don.Then there was the endless catechism.

‘6th not to solemnize marriage at forbidden times, nor to marry persons within the forbidden degrees of kindred otherwise prohibited by the Church, nor clandestinely’. I never really knew what that meant. And how about ‘Who is my neighbour? Mankind of every description, without any exception of person, even those who injure us or differ from us in religion’. Quite a few students would have difficulty with these wordy lines, as you can see; they have taken up permanent residence in my head. I often wonder is the clutter preventing me from absorbing more beneficial information or is what I already have enough for my needs? From my father’s point of view, he taught by the rules then in vogue and did his best to educate the pupils of Kilclief P.E.S., his own son included. If memory serves me right, I was in fourth class when the government decided to give free milk to every school child and what a treat that was. It arrived by lorry each day and on cold mornings would be frozen solid. Then it was brought in and placed beside the fire to thaw out. The cardboard lid had a partially perforated hole for a straw but to me and my classmates it was manna from heaven.

The playground at the school was small and triangular and unsuitable for most games. Football was out anyway because we had no ball and Hurley could only be played when Bill Corns field had been well grazed down, by the way, his name was really Curran but this is how we pronounced it in Kilclief and I was man big before I knew the difference. Anyway many a game was played there with or without Bills permission. Eventually, when Drumroe Hall was transported to Cairnashoke, part of Bills field was either bought or donated to the school and we had a bit more room for play during my final years there.

Hurley was the game mostly played, although we had neither hurls nor ball. Our sticks were ‘cleeks’, any kind of a stick with a turn on the end of it and, the general shape of a hockey stick, and our ball was a tennis ball. But then too, it was wartime and every thing was scarce. Joe Murnan would sometimes plane a stick down for an adult but not for us wee skitters. I still have a vague memory of a van coming to the school. It had a glass window in the side wherein was displayed all kinds of games equipment which could be procured by collecting rags, this must have been before the war. However I never remember the scheme coming to fruition for no ball ever appeared. Perhaps, by the time us Kilclief kids had finished with an item of clothing it wasn’t worth collecting.

Marbles were played in season on a rink on the roadway, three suitable holes gouged out 16

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

with a big pointed stone off the ditch and the cry would go up ‘Bar two taws’, meaning you could only use one marble.

A ‘taw’ was a marble and you could have a ‘glassy’, a ‘stony’ or a ‘chalky’. A ‘chalky’ could be broken by the other two, this was seen as a real coup if accomplished The presence of the Army and R.A.F. were changes brought on by the War (1939-45) but another was the sudden arrival of a dozen or so evacuees from Belfast to escape the blitz. They usually stayed with cousins, aunts or grandparents, and it was strange for us to hear the city accent and Belfast figures of speech echoing through the hallowed halls of our alma mater. These kids came from the Short Strand and the Falls and, from their point of view, we must have been an eye opener and a culture shock. One boy came from England, Coventry I believe, and his first weeks with us must have been a trial by fire. He must have been stung by a nettle on arrival in Ireland and assumed that all leafy plants also Eamon aged 13 stung. He spent his dinnertime being chased with docken, sycamore or dandelion leaves. Unknown to him these were harmless plants, but he soon learned the difference. Isn’t it amazing how cruel kids can be? Miss Digney was a Belfast teacher sent to help with this influx of new pupils. She built a house in Ardglass just after the war, it had a flat roof, and everyone said it would leak. I wonder did it? Around that same time Professor Flynn, of Q.U.B. an Australian and the father of the film star Errol Flynn, built a house at the little beach opposite Kilclief Castle. It was called Koora Jong, after Errol’s plantation in Jamaica, although it does sound like an Aboriginal name and therefore makes an Australian connection, does it not?

In any case, the house of Errol Flynn’s father, for a moment, put Kilclief on the artistic map of the world, although, in my estimation, it always was and always will be there anyway.

The war ended in the summer of 1945 and so did my days at the school in Cairnashoke, no more bluebottle races or watching the crows and seagulls fight over the scraps we left out in the playground. It was good bye to the pen, the nib, the ink-well and the blotting paper, for Mr Biro had invented his everlasting pen, costing 55 shillings. In this small school I may have appeared to be a ‘smart fella’, a big fish in a small pool, maybe even a ‘spoiled brat’ to some, but the subject I did not excel in was industry, I always took the easy option and worked harder at getting out of work than I would have in doing it in the first place. This easy going, slip-shod way certainly did not work at St Malachy’s College or the Red High and as a consequence I slid further and further down the academic ladder and failed to reach 3rd level education. And so it was off to the States for our wee Eamon to a completely unplanned and foreign lifestyle in the United States Air Force, so different from the professional lives of my older brothers and sisters. And thereby hangs another tail or tale.

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

17

18

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

19

20

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

21

22

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

Finding Private Kane Jennifer O’Reilly

The letter for Mrs Kane, Port Loughlan, arrived in the summer of 1973. It apologised for writing to her about the grave of her son, Private P Kane, who was buried in Rollengem Churchyard, West Flanders.

It informed her that the graveyard had been classified by the Municipal Authority as no longer a burial ground and that those interred there would have to be moved. This was to be deeply regretted but it assured her that her son would continue to be honoured in ‘the manner befitting his sacrifice’.

My great grandmother, of course, had died many years before the arrival of this letter from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and so it lay among my grandfather’s papers until it was unearthed by my uncle and brothers in the late 1990s.

So precise were the instructions on the location of Patrick’s new grave – Plot VIIA, Row F, Grave 2, Langemarck – that they decided to go to Flanders and find it. They did and they wept. That visit sparked a renewed interest in my great uncle, Patrick.

That he had died two days before the war ended shot by a German sniper; that he had been wounded a few days before his death, the thought of which deeply upset my grandfather who could only imagine the horrific conditions he would be kept in; that he had run away from home and joined the army at the age of 17; that he was shot in the heart through his notebook and prayer book, were indisputable facts over the years both in my grandfather’s household and in our household. But as Patrick’s story unfolded, the only remaining truth was that he had indeed been shot through his notebook and his soldier’s prayer book. The rest was myth.

With the help of Belfast Telegraph journalist, Chris Thornton we gradually discovered what had happened to Patrick.

He joined the 6th battalion of the Connaught Rangers at the age of 22 shortly after the war started. By December 1915 he found himself in France and by January he was in the Trenches.

The Connaught Rangers is often regarded as the lost Irish regiment of the British Army, being disbanded in 1926 after partition. It was formed during the Napoleonic Wars with most of its recruits coming from the west of Ireland. Many Northern Catholics joined at the outbreak of the First World War.The regiment helped to popularise the song, ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary’ by making it their marching song. Some of the regiment were famous for organising a mutiny in India during 1920 in protest at what the Black and Tans were doing in Ireland. One of the ringleaders was executed, becoming the last British soldier to be executed for mutiny.

The Rangers suffered horrific casualties during the war, and Patrick like so many young men witnessed the full horror of that warfare. He survived the onslaught of the Battle of the Somme only to find himself in the hell hole of Passchendale where mustard gas was used for the first time and soldiers drowned in mud.

In the final German offensive at the Battle of the Somme in March 1918, Patrick’s battalion was so decimated that those remaining, including Patrick were transferred to the Leinster Regiment and the 6th Connaught was never reformed.

Eight months later, while the Leinsters were pursuing the retreating Germans through Northern France, Patrick and a group of other soldiers were returning from a night patrol near the village of Le Quesnoy. They had good news, the Germans had left the village some 12 hours before the

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

23

arrival of their patrol.

Private Penrose, on sentry duty, however had not been informed of the night patrol and opened fire with his machine gun. Patrick was killed instantly along with Private Bousfield.The war ended two days later. One can only imagine the mental trauma of Private Penrose when he returned home knowing that his killing of his comrades in ‘friendly fire’ were the last casualties suffered by his regiment in that war.

Patrick’s notebook and prayer book bear the scars of one of the bullets which hit him. They were in his breast pocket and the bullet went through them and into his heart. The contents of the notebook brought us all closer to Patrick as it is filled with personal comments written in pencil in perfect hand writing. He had written French phrases, details of his pay from the end of 1917 up until his death and the lyrics of well known songs of the day.

Perhaps one of the most poignant of those songs was Irvin Berlin’s,‘When I Leave this World Behind’. Patrick had written every word of that song with the chorus: I’ll leave the nighttime to the dreamers I’ll leave the songbirds to the blind, I’ll leave the moon above to those in love, When I leave this world behind.

One of the most enigmatic entries was in his Simple Prayer Book for Soldiers. On the inside cover he had written: ‘Let me not forget Thursday 15 August 1918 at the little chapel in Calais feast of BVM’. He had written this a few times and it is sad to think we will never know what significance that time and place had for him just three months before he died.

Private Patrick Kane stands beside his seated friend Private John McKeating.This is the last photo taken days before he headed to the front.

24

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

Extract from Home Words (continued) Chapter X

July 1878

The next place of consequence at which we arrive in our circuit of the lough is Killyleagh. The town consisting of two long and nearly parallel streets, intersected by one still longer, stands at the head of a creek on the western shore.The Earl Dufferin and Major Rowan Hamilton are its joint proprietors.There are here two extensive linen yarn mills, also a small harbour, well sheltered, and accessible to vessels not if drawing more than ten feet of water. The following is an extract from Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary:“The town of Killyleagh is partly in the barony of Castlereagh, but chiefly in that of Dufferin.This place was a port of some note previously to the conquest of Ireland by the English and with the adjoining barony of Kinalearty formed part of the territories of the native sept of the McCartans.

It was afterwards granted to De Courcy, who, in order to protect it from the attacks of those powerful chieftains, erected castles on every advantageous site round the shores of the lake, among which the principal was the castle of Dufferin. In 1356 Edward III appointed John de Mandeville warden of this castle, which subsequently fell into the hands of the O’Nials, who maintained possession of it till 1561 when the adjoining territory was by Elizabeth granted to Hugo White, who shortly afterwards erected a castle at Killyleagh, into which he removed his warden from Castle Dufferin. Shane O’Nial besieged the newly erected castle in 1567 and meeting with a powerful resistance, set fire to the town; but a league being afterwards made between the McCartans and the O’Nials, they jointly attacked the castle, dispossessed the family of White, and usurped the uncontrolled dominion of the entire country. On the suppression of the Tyrone rebellion at the close of the sixteenth century, the possessions of the McCartans were confiscated; and the manor and district of Killyleagh were subsequently granted by James I to Sir James Hamilton who restored and considerably enlarged the castle, which after his elevation to the peerage by the title of Lord Claneboy, he made his principal residence.The castle was besieged and taken by General Monk for the Parliament in 1648 and was partly demolished by the war of that period, but was substantially repaired in 1666; and in it was born the first Archibald Rowan Hamilton, Esq. Ancestor of the present proprietor. It is a large and strong pile of building, in the later English style, occupying an eminence which commands the town but affords no protection to the harbour”.

In the parish of Killyleagh, and situated to the N.E. of the town, is the small island of Dunnyneill.

Harris mentions Doneneal Isle as a “round island, like a Danish fort”. A good authority states that “In lake Cuan there is an island which rises like a mound, called Dun-Na-N-Guill; that is the Fort of the Hostages”, for there as tradition says were kept the hostages which Niall the Great exacted of foreign nations; but whether it was the St Helena of Niall Naoighiallach’s nine hostages is very doubtful, but that it was a place of confinement at a remote period is almost certain”.

Rineady, now Ringhaddy, a portion of Killinchy parish lies a little father on. It was originally an island; but, having been from time immemorial united to the mainland a causeway, it presents the map the appearance of an elongated neck of land running northwards into the lough. Hence probably the name, which signifies “the long point”. On it are to be seen the remains of the walls of a church.Wending our way northwards through this picturesque lough, nor far from the western shore, we come across the largest and it may be added, most important of the islands in point of antiquity - the one of which we possess the greatest amount of information, and where have been discovered the remains of one of the celebrated round towers of Ireland which, whenever met with have been the objects of much interest and inquiry. Nendrum or as it is now called Mahee Island is a portion of Tullynakill parish. The name now in use is a corruption of “Inis-Mochee’, and is derived from St Mochaoi, who was the founder and patron saint of the church.The extracts from

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

25

the Ulster Journal of Archaeology which will be given now and in our next chapter, throw some light upon the past history of this Island.

“In this very delightful lake (Cuan) there are most lovely islands scattered over it’s surface, among which is one sacred to St Mochay. The largest island in the lough is Mahee containing 176 acres.

It was one of the earliest Christian settlements in Ireland and though a place of great celebrity in former days has since the good friars time, been overlooked and no notice taken either of its name which indicated its patron, or of its round tower, which was an antiquarian beacon.

The name Aondrium, which signifies ‘one ridge’ is easily identifiable with this island, for the Calendar of Aengus, at the 23rd of June, has the following gloss on the name:- Aondruim, that is Mochoe of Oendruim in Delvin-Ahra or nine hills that are in the place where is his church, or Oendruim - that is ‘one hill’ - is the entire island; and in Lough Cuan it is,The former Oendruim is now a townland, called Enorim and contains an obsolete cemetery in the parish of Wherry or Ferbane, in the barony of Garrycastle in Kings County. The letter N for euphony’s sake was generally prefixed to the name and hence it came into common use to be pronounced and written Nendrum.

In 1178 John de Courcy with the consent of Bishop Malachi granted this island of Nendrum to the monks of St Beeves in Cumberland, and his donation was followed by many others of his retainers. The roll containing these grants, written about the year 1230, is preserved among the Cotton Charters in the British Museum. In the ancient taxation the church is called Nedrum.The legend of St Mochaoi is preserved in a note to the Calendar of Aengus and is very remarkable for its poetical wilderness. * Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, published in 1887.

(To be continued)

26

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

History Of Strangford And District Credit Union.

By Michael Mc Conville.

Strangford and District Credit Union was launched on Sunday 17th September 1967 in Stella Maris Hall Strangford. Rev. Fr. M. Dillon CC, did a tremendous amount of work to get the movement off the ground and invited members of Credit Unions from Coleraine, Ballynahinch and Portaferry to explain the workings of the Credit Union to the people of the district who attended the meeting.

The Treasurer of the Coleraine centre traced the history of the Credit Union movement from its early beginnings in Germany in 1899 to its present day worldwide position. He spoke about how the Credit Union movement was first introduced into Ireland in 1958 and its expansion throughout the country. He ended his talk by explaining the Credit Union motto “Not for Charity, Not for Profit but for Service”.

In his presentation the Portaferry representative explained the practical workings of the Credit Union and spoke about personal experiences.The Ballynahinch member stated the key word for the entire Credit Union movement was “thrift”. He then urged all present to join a Credit Union without delay and volunteered to help a new committee get organised.

Fifteen volunteers were nominated at the meeting and were charged to organise a study group and get the Credit Union under way.The volunteers were John Ritchie, Jack Magee,Tom Fitzsimons, William Kerr, George Conway, Sean Fay, Bobby Magee, Joe Polly, Anne Fitzsimons, Kevin Cultra, Pat Watterson, Pat Curran, Brian Denvir, Eileen Magee and Joe Magee.

1967 Study Group L to R: Back Row. G. Conway, K. Cultra, J. Ritchie, B. Magee,T. Fitzsimons, J. Magee, P. Curran,W.Kerr.

L to R: Front Row. J. Magee, A, Fitzsimons, S. Fay, E.Magee, P.Watterson, J. Polly, Missing B. Denvir.

The first Annual General Meeting of Strangford and District Credit Union was held in the Oratory, Strangford, on Monday 25th September 1967. The Credit Union Study Group was in attendance along with Rev. Fr. M. Dillon and a representative of Ballynahinch Credit Union. Fr. Dillon opened the meeting giving a general outline of how the Credit Union operated and emphasised the importance of confidentiality in connection with all the dealings in Credit Union work. The treasurer of the Ballynahinch centre then outlined the workings of all the various committees, the CUNA Mutual insurance and banking procedures. At this meeting Pat Watterson was appointed

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

27

treasurer and Joe Magee assistant treasurer.

By the unanimous decision of all present membership of the various committees was drawn for with the representative from Ballynahinch Credit Union presiding.

The results were as follows: Credit Committee - George Conway, Jack Magee and Brian Denvir.

Supervisory Committee - Kevin Cultra, Pat Curran and John Ritchie.

Board of Directors - Tom Fitzsimons, Joe Polly, William Kerr,

Bobby Magee and Sean Fay. Sean Fay was elected President and Bobby Magee Secretary. At this meeting it was decided to open for business on Friday 29th September 1967 in Stella Maris Hall.

The first person to join Strangford and District Credit Union was Ursula Fitzsimons from Ballyculter, and she has kindly given permission for her application card to be reproduced for this article. A suboffice was also opened in Kilclief School. The banks with branches in Downpatrick were approached to see which would offer the best terms and facilities to the Credit Union and after considering the reports, the account was placed with the Northern Bank Ltd and arrangements for use of the night safe were made. In 1969 the Credit Union switched its account to the Munster and Leinster Bank now known as the First Trust Bank.

It soon became obvious that Stella Maris Hall was not suitable for business and that better facilities would have to be obtained. Thanks to the co-operation of John Ritchie, Principal of St. Joseph’s Primary School and his staff, the business was transferred to the school on the Downpatrick Road.

The opening hours were Friday evening between 8.00 p.m. and 9.30 p.m.

The second Annual General Meeting of the Credit Union was held in St Joseph’s Primary School on 3rd March 1969 and covered the financial period from September 1967 to 31st December 1968. At this meeting the President Sean Fay reported that the membership had risen to over one hundred and that the common bond, within which the Credit Union could accept membership, had been defined as “A person who lived or worked in the parish of Kilclief ”. The Board also decided that a six week introduction period of membership should be completed before new members could make an application for a loan.

The President also reported that in an effort to increase membership and so spread the advantages of Credit Union to more homes in the parish a recruitment campaign was launched. In October every house in the parish was visited and the Credit Union message explained. The campaign included a very successful social and educational evening in Kilclief Hall with guest speakers from Newry Credit Union. There was dancing and a supper was provided by the lady members of the committee with the generous help of the ladies from the Kilclief end of the parish.

In his statement, the treasurer Pat Watterson, reported members savings/shares were in excess of £3000:00 and he proposed a dividend of 4% be paid on all shares for the period ending 31st 28

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

December 1968. He also thanked Joe Magee for his help and co-operation throughout the year.

George Conway for the Credit Committee reported that loans to the total of £1000:00 had been granted to members.

In the Supervisory Report, the Chairman John Ritchie highlighted a visit from the Credit Union League of Ireland’s field officer who reported everything to be satisfactory and gave some practical advice for the advancement of the Credit Union branch and its service to its members. John also thanked Rev. Fr. McCloskey in making available the premises at St. Joseph’s School so that the members could have privacy and comfort to conduct their business.

I became involved in the Credit Union during the 1968 – 1969 financial year. I went over to the school on a Friday evening to conduct my business and Joe Polly was one of the tellers on duty.

I went to his desk and he invited me, in his own unique way, to become involved in helping to run the Credit Union. His approach went something like this, “Hi boy, we need more help to run the Credit Union, come over next Friday and we will show you the ropes”. The following Friday I went over and started as a teller. By the end of the year I had been co-opted onto the Board of Directors.

To comply with the new Credit Union Northern Ireland Industrial and Provident Societies Act of 1969, the Credit Union’s name was changed to Strangford Credit Union Limited and the common bond was defined as “Anyone living or working within a radius of six miles from the village of Strangford”.

One of the first jobs I got involved in was working with the treasurer Pat Watterson to familiarise the staff with the new decimal currency to be introduced by the Government in 1971. I then became a member of the Supervisory Committee and was appointed to the position of Area Supervisor.

It would, I suppose, be fair to say that one of the problems we experienced in the early years of the Credit Union was educating members to accept the Credit Union as a savings as well as a lending organisation. The motto to get over was “If you don’t put in, we can’t give out”.

In early 1972 we had to take the decision to close the Kilclief office.At the Annual General Meeting, George Conway, Chairman of the Supervisory Committee explained the situation and I quote from the minutes of the meeting,“The State of our subsidiary branch in Kilclief has been the cause of some concern to us. A breakdown of figures there shows we have 50 members, 21 members never came at all last year, 20 members came occasionally, 8 or 9 members used the facilities each week and last week there were only 5. Due to the fact our schools are now Maintained the Down County Education committee requires a rent for each of them for their use by the Credit Union.

This amount has been fixed by them and is a lot more than we have been paying here to fore.

This fact coupled with the poor attendance at Kilclief and also the fact that two of our officials are engaged there each Friday evening, has forced us to decide that the business carried on up to now at Kilclief should be transferred to Strangford. We know it will inconvenience some Kilclief members but we ask those concerned to accept the reasoning behind this change and give us the support in Strangford that they have given us at Kilclief ”. The Kilclief centre was closed on the 31st March 1972.

In 1973 Fr. Dillon C.C. was transferred out of the parish and in their report to the members at the Annual General Meeting the Supervisory Committee, on behalf of all the members, expressed their thanks to him for introducing the Credit Union movement into the community. In their

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

29

report, George Conway, Chairman said, and I quote, “He was responsible for the setting up of the Credit Union in this parish and I think I can safely say that without him Credit Union would not yet have reached Strangford. We owe him a lot for his advice and great council during our early teething troubles and I would like to think he will be remembered kindly by all our members”.

At this meeting I was electedVice-Chairman to Sean Fay and appointed onto the Credit Committee along with Joe Polly and John Ritchie.

At the 1974 Annual General Meeting I was elected Treasurer, a position I held until the transfer of engagements to Downpatrick Credit Union in November 2007. My assistant at this time was Anne Mc Cann. One of the first experiences I had, as Treasurer, was the visit of the field officer Mr Jack Gorman from the Irish League of Credit Unions. At the time of the visit we were operating out of St Joseph’s School and as it was an all day audit I had to take the books home so that he could inspect them without interruption. In the discussion with him after the audit was completed he told me he had gone for a walk down the street and had stopped several people to ask them where the Credit Union was. Most of them could not tell him. He pointed out that if Strangford Credit Union was to survive it would need its own premises and it should be a priority of the Board of Directors to obtain an office within the village.

The Board took his advice and Sean Fay, as president, approached Fr. M. Kelly P.P. as to the possibility of buying the late Kitty Quail’s house and shop on the Downpartick Road. Fr. Kelly was friendly with the Priest to whom Kitty Quail had left the premises in her will and thanks to his negotiations the Board of Directors, on behalf of the members, in May 1977 were able to buy the property. At first the Credit Union operated from the house until, with the help of the staff and working under the voluntary supervision of Paddy Curran, we were able to fit out the shop and move the collection desks into that area.

Our 12th Annual General Meeting held on 11th December 1977 was held in our new premises. At the end of the meeting Eammon McGuigan entertained all present with a showing of his 8-mm movies of Kilclief and Strangford.

At the 13th Annual General Meeting held in the new premises on the 3rd December 1978 the President, Pat Watterson, congratulated the members on their sensible use of their Credit Union. He said this was reflected in the balance sheet which showed an increase not only in membership but also in shares and loans.

At this meeting, the Credit Committee did a comparison talk which showed that in 1972, 75 loans were granted to the value of £8268:00. In 1975 140 loans were granted to the value of £18,831:00 and for the year past 148 loans were granted to the value of £28,412:00. In view of this increase in business it was decided by the Board to increase the number serving on the Credit Committee to five persons.

In their report the Supervisors stated that although shares and loans had risen the Credit Union had little success in recruiting volunteers to help as tellers. This shortage had placed a heavy burden on both the existing tellers and on the other officials.The Supervisory Chairman, George 30

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

Conway, also said and I quote “When we changed to our new premises last year we had high hopes that our image as a non-sectarian organisation would also improve, but sadly this does not appear to have happened.We should all make the effort to get the message of Credit Union across the religious divide and encourage all the people within the common bond to make use of the facilities provided.”

The Board of Directors and other Committees elected at this meeting for the incoming year were; Pat Watterson President, Sean Fay Vice President, Pat Magee Secretary, Michael Mc Conville Treasurer, Anne Mc Cann Assistant Treasurer, other members of the Board were Bobby Magee, Freda Sharvin, Terry Sharvin, Anne Sharvin, Maria Magee and Malachy Magee.

The Credit Committee was John Ritchie, Joe Polly, Paddy Colhoun, Sean Fay, and Pat Curran.

The Supervisors were George Conway, Patricia Fitzsimons and James Fitzsimons.

In 1981 Strangford Village Improvements Committee enquired about the possible use of the premises as a local office for the Ulster Bank. The local branch of the Northern Bank had been withdrawn and they were anxious to get a bank outlet established in the village. I had two meetings with the Downpatrick branch Manager of the Ulster Bank but due to staffing difficulties the opening of a part time office in the village proved not to be a viable proposition..

In his report to the 1982 Annual General Meeting the President, Bobby Magee, introduced a new word into Strangford Credit Unions vocabulary. This was the word “Million”. During that financial year our loans exceeded the quarter of a million mark reaching £262,650.In his report he congratulated all who helped the Credit Union to reach this figure. Unfortunately, in their report, the Supervisors had to draw the members attention to the fact that there were still no volunteers coming forward to help.Their report reads as follows “We still have problems in regard to the recruitment of sufficient tellers and this puts additional work on those who are willing to help in this important section of Credit Union business. It would seem that voluntary work of this nature has little appeal in present times particularly among the younger generation, but the warning must be noted that unless we get more young workers Credit Union will not be able to carry on in this area”.

In 1984 the Credit Union tried to extend its contact with the community by sponsoring the Kilclief Camogie Club with a cup and the Wychcraft Owners Association with a shield. We also held an essay competition in both parish schools to mark International Credit Union Day and there was a tremendous response from the children.

The following year we completed the renovations to the premises by building a new kitchen and toilet. That summer, during the annual festival, we held the first of many photographic displays in the premises. These were very popular as was the annual Credit Union quiz for the children at festival time. The photographic display eventually moved to Strangford Castle where it was sponsored and run for a few years by the Strangford Village Committee.

1984 Credit Union Cup Freda Sharvin (Left) presenting to Margaret Magee (Right)

The use of the premises by other groups started in 1987 when in February of that year a number of people from the parish held a meeting to discuss the formation of a new play group and in March K.A.S.P.A.

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

31

(Kilclief and Strangford Playgroup Association). started to operate from the premises until their mobile classroom was erected in the Council playing fields. Various other groups applied to use the premises either for their meetings or to hold cake sales. Inverbrenna Community Association held their meetings there after Stella Maris Hall had been removed and their new centre was being built, so also did Strangford Village Improvements Committee. The Bowling and Youth clubs had their meeting there as did the Camogie and G.A.A. clubs. The Sailing Club used the premises to organise their Golden Jubilee Display which was held in the Inverbrena Centre in 1994. During 1991 the plans for the new jetty were put on display for four days so that anyone who wished could see the proposal before they went to the public meeting that had been arranged by the D.O.E. in the Inverbrena Centre. Up until 2007 the photographic display in the Credit Union Window continued to be a very popular attraction during the annual festival.

In 1986 the Credit Union celebrated its 21st Annual General Meeting.At this meeting the President Pat Magee stated that the Credit Union was now an essential and integral part of the community and stressed the need for the Board of Directors to establish an Education Committee.The Treasurer reported that we had a good financial year and that the shares in the Credit Union stood at £80,869 and the loans were £65,684. In her report the chairperson of the Supervisory Committee, Freda Sharvin drew the Boards attention to the few members who were not honouring their loan repayment arrangements. In her address, to the members, she said “If you find you cannot meet your agreed repayments, for whatever reason, make an appointment with the appropriate committee and sort out the problem early, do not wait until your problem becomes a crisis. Remember at all times the Credit Union is here to help you”. George Conway one of the founder members of the Credit Union retired at this meeting.

The new Board of Directors elected was Pat Magee President, Sean Fay Vice President, Elizabeth Quinn Secretary, Michael McConville Treasurer,Terry Sharvin Insurance Officer, Gerard Rooney Membership Officer, Colm Magee, Maurice Hunter, Kevin Branniff, Pauline Hanna and Kathleen Branniff. The Credit Committee appointed was Patrick Colhoun, Joe Polly, Sean Fay, Pat Curran and Pat Magee. The Supervisors elected was Freda Sharvin, James Fitzsimons and Bobby Magee. After the meeting tea was served and an anniversary cake was cut by the four attending founder 21st Anniversary Cake L to R: G. Conway, Sean Fay, Pat Curran, J. Polly

members George Conway, Sean Fay, Pat Curran and Joe Polly.

On the 8th December 1991 the Credit Union celebrated the completion of 25 years. In his address, the President, Kevin Branniff told the members present that the Credit Union had gone from strength to strength over the past few years and with their help and support it would continue to serve the people of the district for many 32

Committe L to R: Back.T. Sharvin, P. Hynds, K. Branniff, M. Mc Conville, P. Magee, B. Magee, C. Magee. Front Row: M. Hunter, F. Sharvin, E. Quinn, S. Fay, J. Polly, P. Curran.

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

years to come. The Treasurer reported that the shares in the Credit Union were now £109,576 and the loans were £100,667. He also made an appeal to the members that because they have a loan does not mean they stop saving. He said the Credit Union relied on savings to facilitate loans.

In the Credit Committees report the chairman Pat Magee said that most of the members had got the message about shares (i.e. If you do not put it in we cannot give it out.) “However” he said “Some members still needed to be educated into the real world of Credit Union where honouring agreements and positive savings benefits all the Credit Union members”. Bobby Magee chairman of the Supervisory Committee reported that the Board of Directors carried out their duties efficiently during the year. He had a special mention about the work carried out by the tellers who attended week on week. He pointed out that without them the organisation could not function properly. A dividend of 4% was proposed by the Treasurer and approved by the members.The Board of Directors elected at this meeting were Kevin Branniff President, Joe Polly Vice President, Kathleen Fitzsimons Secretary, Nan Black Assistant Secretary, Michael McConville Treasurer, Bobby Magee, Elizabeth Quinn, Pat Hynds, Terry Sharvin, Pat Magee and Tommy Hanna.The Supervisory Committee elected 25 years L to R: B. Magee, K. Branniff (President), J. Polly.

was Imedla Fitzsimons, Declan Magee and Maurice Hunter. The Credit Committee appointed was Pat Hynds, Paddy Colhoun, Terry Sharvin, Una McMullan and Tommy Hanna. A short celebration followed to mark the completion of 25 years of service to the community.A special celebration cake was cut by the two remaining founder members Joe Polly and Bobby Magee and they also each received a piece of Tyrone crystal to mark the occasion. In 1993 Joe Polly one of the two remaining founder members resigned after 27 years in the Credit Union.

25 Years Committe L to R: Back.T. Sharvin, K. Fitzsimons, N. Black, P. Magee, M. Hunter, P. Hynds, P. Colhoun, I. Fitzsimons.

Front: F. Sharvin, B. Magee, M. Mc Conville, K. Branniff, J. Polly.

As the new millennium approached Strangford Credit Union continued in its development and by the time the millennium dawned the shares in the Credit Union had exceeded £500,000 and the total loans granted was over £2,500,000. The Credit Committee were approving loans to members in excess of £175,000 per annum.

In the year 2000 Credit Unions were allowed by law to accept savings from minors.These accounts had to be treated independently within the Credit Union.They had to have their own stationery, ledgers and pass books.They also had to have their own bank account and cheque book. Due to this overall increase in business it was proposed at the 2001 Annual General Meeting that the number serving on the Board be increased by two and that additional opening hours be implemented.We were, however, unable to attract two extra persons to serve on the Board but an assistant Treasurer Martina Quinn was appointed. The Board was anxious to open extra hours but was unable to do so due to the lack of volunteers.

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

33

Unfortunately an old problem remained with us as a few members let the rest down by now repaying their loans as promised.Thankfully they were a very small minority and did not jeopardise the overall success of the Credit Union. Success is not only measured by the dividend a Credit Union can afford to pay to its members (4% being the norm, although the dividend paid in 2006 was 5% and in 2007 5.25%) but also by the support and help provided to the community.

I know some members were annoyed by the time they had to wait before they could conduct their business. This was mainly due to the lack of volunteers we had to help behind the counter. On some evenings only the secretary Elizabeth Quinn was available. Not withstanding the majority of the members were patient and used this waiting time to discuss various sporting and other local issues. At times the banter around the door and in the hall was very interesting. Friday evening at the Credit Union turned out to be a social meeting time. The success of the Credit Union relied not only on the members but also on the dedicated volunteers who turned up on a regular basis to fill the various positions.Without this band of workers the Credit Unions would not have been able to survive.We were very lucky to have some of the founder members still on the Board years after the Credit Union had first begun..

Throughout the Credit Unions history two Board members died while still holding office. In 1984 Maria Magee, who I believe was our youngest Board member died after a prolonged illness, and in 1988 Sean Fay, one of the founder members who held almost every position on the Board and a driving force in the organisation passed away. Our very efficient caretaker George Beattie died in 1990.

Other deceased founder members of the Credit Union who served for years in the organisation were George Conway, Joe Polly and John Ritchie. May they rest in peace.

Of course there were hitches and glitches, ups and downs throughout the years. On the 28th March 1997 we experienced our first trouble from without when four persons, who were certainly not local, stole a car, drove to Strangford, broke into the Credit Union and tried to open the safe.

Thanks to the vigilance of local residents one of the individuals was apprehended and sentenced at court. A similar event occurred when someone gained entrance through a side window on the 3rd April 1999. In this incident, apart from a broken window, nothing was damaged and nothing was taken. The third and by far the most serious incident occurred on the 21st December 2001.

At this time we had moved temporarily to St Joseph’s School as our premised had developed a serious structural fault which required immediate attention. Just before closing time two armed and masked men ran into the School, forced the two tellers on duty to lie on the floor and stole the cash from the counter. Thankfully the tellers were not physically injured but the incident did have a psychological effect on them. One teller returned to the Credit Union but then left, the other remained but requested and was given a different position. The thieves were never caught.

In 2002 the Credit Union moved back to its own premises but after the incident in the school it was decided to erect a permanent screen/counter to protect the tellers. This meant dividing the room preventing it from being used for other purposes.To encourage more members to volunteer their help to run the Credit Union we held a Special General Meeting to explain to the members the urgent need for more staff to help run the organisation. The meeting was well attended but we had very little success in recruiting new volunteers. We also had posters and flyers printed and distributed and a recruitment campaign was held in the premises on a Friday evening during opening hours again with very little success.

At the end of 2004 Bobby Magee, the last serving founder member retired as did Kevin Branniff 34

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

long serving Board member and President since 1987. We had great difficulty in replacing these members on the Board.

Throughout the years 2005/2006 the Credit Union was still going from strength to strength but with the lack of help and the increase of returns required by the Registrar of Friendly Societies and the Irish League of Credit Unions the Board reluctantly took the decision to explore the possibility of amalgamation with another Credit Union. Downpatrick Credit Union was the choice as their common bond overlapped ours so an approach was made to them on the 4th September for their views. At the second meeting with them on the 15th September they discussed the possibility of Strangford Credit Union winding up their business.This proposal was not an option and after further discussion, neither was an amalgamation.The way forward was to be a transfer of engagements whereby Downpatrick Credit Union would take over the affairs of Strangford Credit Union. At the third meeting this was discussed in detail and the four assurances the Strangford Board sought were agreed. They were (1) That the members of Strangford Credit Union would automatically become members of Downpatrick Credit Union without a break in membership. (2) That the contracts made between the members and Strangford Credit Union would be honoured

by Downpatrick Credit Union. (3) That it would not be the intention of Downpatrick Credit Union to close the office in Strangford. (4) That any sponsorship currently agreed by Strangford Credit Union would be honoured by Downpatrick Credit Union. At this meeting the Board representatives of Downpatrick Credit Union suggested that at least two members of the Board of Directors of Strangford Credit Union would be co-opted onto the Board of Downpatrick Credit Union to help ensure a smooth transition between the two Credit Unions and that the manual system of accounting used by Strangford Credit Union would be maintained until they could get all the records computerised. The date suggested by them for the transfer of engagements would be the end of 2006.

At our Annual General Meeting held in November which was attended by 19 members we informed all present of the Boards decision to pursue the transfer of engagements. At the next meeting with Downpatrick Credit Union the transfer date was changed to Easter 2007. It was then discovered a legal procedure had to be followed before any changes could be made. These involved notifying every member of Strangford Credit Union, by post of this proposal and to arrange a Special General Meeting to approve the transfer of engagements.Three weeks after this we would have to arrange another Special General Meeting to approve the decision of the first Special General Meeting. The First Special General Meeting was held on the 3rd July 2007 and was attended by 35 members. The proposal was approved but the decision was not unanimous.

At the second Special General Meeting held on the 24th July 2007 and attended by 21 members the decision taken at the previous meeting was ratified and the road was clear for the transfer of engagements to proceed.

In the period between the meetings I had two one on one meetings with the treasurer of Downpatrick Credit Union. At these meetings I outlined the difficulties I thought we would experience in changing our 40 year old manual accounting system to their computerised system.

These were the last meetings that were directly arranged by Downpatrick Credit Union. All other meetings were arranged by the Irish League of Credit Unions who sent their field officers to our premises to computerise our system. They spent the best part of a month completing this task.

On the 1st October we were informed by the Registrar of Friendly Societies through the Irish League of Credit Unions that we would have to hold an Annual General Meeting to complete our final year. This came as a surprise as we were told that the transfer of engagements would

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

35

take place before the 31st October which was the end of our financial year. We had to get our account into the auditor, set a date for the annual General Meeting and arrange to inform all our members by post of the meeting. We had two further meetings with Downpatrick Credit Union both arranged and chaired by a member of the Irish League of Credit Unions. At the first meeting Downpatrick requested that all our members records be handed over so that they could enter them onto their computer system. They collected these records on 25th October. They also asked for a key to the premises so that they could make some changes to the counter and the lighting.

They also needed access to the building so as to get their computers installed. At this meeting and the one that followed I got the feeling that they were not interested in keeping the office in Strangford open and they did not require the services of any of the volunteers of Strangford Credit Union. I thought this a pity as there were at least 5 with over 150 years of Credit Union experience between them willing to join the staff of Downpatrick.

The final Annual General Meeting of Strangford Credit Union was held in the Inverbrena Centre on the 25th November 2007 and was attended Final A.G.M. by 20 members.Also present was our auditor for 25th November 2007 many years Mr Seamus Tumelty. The meeting was chaired by the vice-president Freda Sharvin who welcomed all present and in her address thanked all the staff of volunteers who worked in the Credit Union throughout the years. The Treasurer reported there were 537 members in the Credit Union with savings of £721,983:00 and that 204 of these members had loans to the total value of £489,384:00.He estimated that the total loans granted to members for Provident and Productive purposes since 1967 was in excess of £4,500,000:00. He also reported there were 89 Minor accounts with savings of £38,940:00. He thanked all the Committees for their help and support throughout the past difficult year especially the help of the Secretary Elizabeth and the Assistant Treasurer Martina. In conclusion he hoped that Downpatrick Credit Union would be able to extend the opening hours of the Credit Union to meet the needs of the community. He said “Strangford needs a financial institution in the village.

With no Bank, and the Post Offices throughout the country being under pressure to close, the Credit Union should be more readily available to serve the community”.

At this meeting a final dividend of 5.25% was approved by the members.

As recommended by the Registrar a new Board of Directors was not elected but the existing Board was appointed to oversee the Transfer of Engagements .They were Martina Carville, Freda Sharvin, Elazibeth Quinn, Michael Mc Conville, Martina Quinn, Tommy Hanna, Nan Black, Ann-Marie Curran, and Terry Sharvin.

Strangford Credit Union opened for business for the last time on Friday 30th November 2007.

We expected a representative of Downpatrick Credit Union to be there to discuss any final arrangements and to collect the keys but no-one appeared. At the end of the evening we locked up and after 40 years 2 months and 1 day serving the community, Strangford Credit Union Ltd slipped quietly into history.

The following Monday, however, I was contacted by the Irish League of Credit Unions on behalf of Downpatrick requesting us, as Downpatrick had not got their computers installed, to open for 36

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

business on Friday 7th December.We agreed and 5 members of the Board volunteered.They were Elizabeth Quinn, Martina Quinn, Nan Black,Tommy Hanna and myself. After the nights business was complete we reconciled the cash and dockets, and at Downpatricks’ request, left our keys on the desk, locked the door, put our last key through the letterbox and went home.

Volunteers at Annual Dinner 2005

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

37

Gallery

Credit Union: A.G.M.

Credit Union: Last Credit Committe Meeting.

7th December 2007. N. Black,T. Hanna.

38

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

Gallery Credit Union: Last A.G.M. Sunday 25th November 2007 M. McConville, F. Sharvin, M. Quinn, E. Quinn.

Credit Union: Last Night in Office. 7th December 2007 M. McConville.

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

39

Gallery

Credit Union Poster Competition Winners 2001

40

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

Gallery Credit Union: Presentation to 1000th Member

Credit Union: Presentation to Fr. H. Kelly

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

41

Gallery

Mrs. Ellen Crangle of the Rock, Raholp reads a congratulatory message from Canadian Prime Minister, Mr. Lester Pearson.

Well-built cornstacks in the stack yard of Messrs. James and Patrick Denvir, Ballybeg, Ardglass (left of picture), who have won many prizes for their well-built stacks durning the course of many years.

It is interesting to note that the tractor to the left, which is almost 20 years old, and in everyday use, is one of Mr. Ferguson’s earliest models, being No. 19 off the assembly line.

42

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

Gallery

The committee and judges at the Strangford Flower Show in 1963. Included are Mrs.Wilkinson Tom Morris, Phylis McCullough, Phylis Curran, Rev.W.E. Kennedy, Dr. P. Moore, Mrs M.J. Coyle, C.W. Hoy (Hon Sec.), Mrs Lowe, Miss M. Morris, Paddy Dougherty, Mrs. D. Gill, Frankie Curran, Mrs Hoy.

Pipes for the first sewerage scheme for Strangford being delivered for interim storage on The Wee Quay.

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

43

Gallery

The wedding of Betty McKeown and Leslie Peto during World War II

Snugville Bakery horse drawn breadcart making deliveries at Raholp Brae

44

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

Gallery

A Royal Airforce Flying Boat landed in Strangford Lough in the early nineteen thirties and is moored in the harbour with Swan Island in the background

Open Passenger Ferry Boats berthed at the ferry slip waiting for customers for onward passage to Portaferry. Pre World War II

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

45

Gallery

Pupils from Stella Maris School Strangford and St. Malachys School Kilclief at confirmation cermony in Stella Maris Church on 26th June 1951

Enjoying his pipe at the Old Custom House and viewing the harbour is Dr. McLaughlin, a distinguished figure in the history of Strangford.

He resided in Compass Hill House. In addition to attending to the health of the locals he was a successful yachtsman with his famous yacht “Myra”. A tireless campaigner for improved water supply and sewage disposal in the village. He was the proud owner of the first motor car in the area this vehicle was a “Chambers” and is at present on display in the Ulster Museum.

46

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

A Letter from Una McMaster (Burnett) Dear Eamon, Thank you so much for sending me the postcard of Strangford, I found it most interesting-before my time certainly, as it looks as if the ferry slip is just being constructed. I remember it being called the ‘new slip’. Obviously there had been a landing place there before, of some kind- after all Queen Anne landed there, hence, The Royal Rock. (1702-14) The house on the far left is, I believe, the Ferry Quarter gate lodge, it is the right shape.

The wall in front of it is part of F-Q kitchen garden which is on a lower level and gives the house the impression of height.

There are more houses at the Gallows Hill than I remember, but I know Mc Cartans lived there, Jimmy, Johnny and a sister. Their names appear on the census sheets.

I couldn’t be sure about the punt occupants-Dick Farrow never wore a cap, always an old hat-( a good one for Sunday).

If the man has a sailor cap on and a beard, it could be my grandfather, again it could be Sam Swail and his wife sailing back to his landing place below the White Houses-it certainly looks like Mrs Swail’s hat. Mrs Swail was often out in the boat with Sam, especially fishing.

I have looked out old pictures and hope to get something written about them, then I’ll send them to you.

I have enclosed the Strangford census for 1901. A Downpatrick man, who lives near, (his mother was a Telford), does a lot of research on the computer, knowing I came from Strangford, he gave me this. I found it most interesting, knowing so many names and discovering their ages! My mother is recorded being 22 years also grandfather aged 60.

You will know quite a few family names too, as well as individuals. I really must stop rambling on.

Hoping you have many happy hours poring over the census As ever, Una.

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

47

The Church of Saint Patrick, Cargagh

By Canon Conway and Joan Magee

In the Inverbrena magazine of 2000, Isabel Magee wrote a fine piece on the history of Cargagh chapel, concluding her article by writing of her regret that the chapel was then in much need of repair. Happily the necessary refurbishment occurred this year.

The church was reopened on Saturday 11th May 2008, the feast of Saint Comgall, the founder of the monastery of Bangor in 555A.D. The church of Saint Patrick was refurbished by O’Boyles Limited, under the very capable direction of John Carson. Tommy Curran, grandfather of Alfie Curran, is credited with having replaced the original earthern floor of the chapel with wooden timbers, but this wooden floor has now been replaced by concrete screed and covered with new carpet. Some window frames were replaced and the electrical circuitry was renewed.The striking stained glass window of the crucifixion by Harry Clarke studios, originally installed in October 1947 in the time of Fr. Crossin and Fr. Campbell, was cleaned and strengthened by specialists CWS Design of Lisburn. Born in Dublin in 1889 Harry Clarke was a stained glass artist and book illustrator and an important figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement. The window had become bowed, possibly due to the wind, consequently CWS Design needed to flatten it by weighing it down, and they have now positioned storm glazing to protect it from the elements. The elegant sanctuary lamp was brought to its former splendour by Gunning and Kavanagh of Dundrum. Cargagh chapel still retains its former beauty and simplicity and is witness to the continuity of the faith in the parish.

This photo of the refurbished chapel includes Isabel Magee in the foreground, tidying the altar, just days prior to the celebration of the first Mass.

48

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

The first celebration to take place in Saint Patrick’s Church, Cargagh, following its renovation, occurred on the 17th May 2008, to solemnize the first holy communion of pupils from Saint Malachy’s Primary School, Kilclief.The mass was officiated by Canon Conway. Padraig Cormican, Michael Ellesmere, Courtney King, Caitlin McMullan, Conrad McMullan, Laura Peacock, Aobh Sharvin, Ellen Sharvin, Erin Fitzsimons-West and Jessica Wright were the first communicants on this special occasion. The children were accompanied by their Principal Mr. O’Neill, and their teacher Mr Doherty.

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

49

The Recollections of Robert Magee As told to Joan Magee

…Ballynarry Oh there used to be some wild nights too in Ballynarry. Do you see that cnoc* there; in the summer-time, you wouldn’t have got standing room on it for all the young people that were about. There was no dancing now, just young ones meeting together.They used to play skittles and marbles and all that sort of thing.The skittles used to be good value. Pitch and toss was another game. You put a mark on the road or you put a nail on it and you threw pennies, and whoever got the closest got what was there. And then they tossed up for whoever was getting the first throw in the next round. There was a fellow who used to come to Sharvins o’Ballywooden, he was Paddy Lennon and his mother was one of the Hynds of Drumroe. Paddy was a very clever man and if you started playing cards with Paddy Lennon you should have remembered never to play rummy with him. If he got one round of the cards he could remember every card in the pack, he was brilliant right enough. He went away to London and he joined the Metropolitan Police and I think he got promoted to Sergeant. He left the police and had a garage selling cars before he died. Nan Black and Mrs Allison in Strangford would be his nieces.

Well indeed it’s a wonder that somebody wasn’t killed in Ballynarry, the things that were done.

I remember in the summer time when we were all put to bed early. There was a window in the living room next to the garden, and when we were all put to bed and the door was closed, we waited for a bit,‘til all was quiet, and then we opened the window and went away up to the cnoc* and maybe didn’t come down for a couple of hours. No one knew we were gone for the house would have been full of ceiliers. There used to be James Denvir up the town, and Mick, and Pat Magee o’Bowles, Thomas Magee o’ Ballynagarrick, Jack Magee o’Ballylenagh, Paddy Corrigan and Paddy Denvir. They were the regulars and there would have been nearly another half dozen other nights besides.You wouldn’t have got a seat in it. We lost all the history you know, for they had it all and if we’d been older then we should have recorded it. There was a world of history in them all. Auld Paddy Denvir would have come in, and you, maybe sitting on a chair, would have got up to give him your seat. And Paddy would have protested; “Don’t stir, don’t stir, don’t stir!”

Don’t you remember Michael, for he used to call in Ballynarry regularly even when you were a wee fella? He rode down the road over the White Hills on a bicycle in the pitch black dark. I think that maybe he even walked the bicycle the most of the way. …War I remember the war starting and finishing, but I was only a child myself on the altar at Cargagh. It was Sunday the 3rd of September 1939 and rumours had been strong at the chapel that war would be declared that morning, so we all hurried home after mass and gathered around the radio at McMullans, for they had the only wireless in the country. That morning you wouldn’t have got anywhere near it, there were even people standing outside their house waiting to hear the BBC radio news. The Germans wouldn’t pull back from their attack on Poland, so at 11.15am auld Chamberlain announced; “This country is at war with Germany,” I remember the day McMullans came to Ballynarry too. They had a donkey, and being only a 50

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

child I’d never seen a donkey in my life before. They came from Ballylenagh, they’d lived there at Corrigans house, where Breens live, they lived there. I don’t know that they lived anywhere other than that, I don’t think so.They all went to Ballyculter school except Eamon, I think Eamon went to Kilclief. He was on the altar in Cargagh with my brother Dick. I remember when they were only two wee nippers and they were carrying on badly one day, and Johnny McMullan says; “Well I’ll put a stop to this.” And my father said; “What are you going to do then Johnny?” “I’ll set two tea chests on the ground, and I’ll set one in each of them, and then they’ll not be able to get at one another,” laughed Johnny. And you know he did just that, he put the two tea chests on the ground with them set in each of them, and that put an end to their carrying on. Eamon has one hand with a black mark running across three of his fingers, you know. I don’t know where my mother was at the time but Dick and Eamon took a notion to clean the fender and all with black lead. But whenever he was polishing the fender Eamon cut the three fingers, and I think that the black lead is still there. Didn’t he tattoo his own fingers?”

I remember being in the chapel at Kilclief one morning when my mother arrived, and I remember her asking me to see if Father Morgan could let the man with her use the priest’s phone. She had been on her way to mass when the pilot had crashed near her, in Thomas Magee’s field. Father Morgan gave me his house key and so I took the airman over to make his phone call. When he’d finished we walked back towards the chapel, and he asked me what time mass started. I told him it was probably already started, but we went to the chapel anyway and the pilot pulled his missal out of his tunic pocket and stayed for mass. He was an RAF pilot from the aerodrome and he flew a Martinet, which was an aircraft built specially for towing targets which were used for aerial gunnery practice. The targets were a bit like a large balloon and would maybe have been about the length of this room, narrow at the front end and widening towards the back, travelling maybe half a mile behind the plane. Well the Martinets would have towed the targets off over the North Sea and the Ansons would have followed for gunner practice. The Martinets could land after the exercise if the cable was still attached to the target, but sometimes the bullets fired by the gunners missed the targets and instead hit the cables pulling them, so the cables were let go to fall to the ground before the plane could land; they were made of good steel wire you know.You might have seen them out nearly every day you know, and this was probably the early ‘forties, for the aerodrome was built during the war. It was closed down for a while just after the war ended while work was done on it. I think they might have spent nearly a quarter of a million pounds on it. I got a piece of that money you know, not a lot, just a little, for I worked on the aerodrome for three years. I was driving an old Yankee Chevrolet left-hand drive lorry. I drew gravel from John Sharvin’s pit and I drew gravel from Conway’s pit. …Nevin family I remember the day I was driving out from Conway’s pit with a load of gravel, and down past King’s blacksmith’s shop, when Dan Sharvin ran out of the shop and hopped up on the running board and told me that my mate Maurice Nevin had been killed that morning. Maurice was accidentally electrocuted while building a house. You know when you pass the Bull’s Eye road in Downpatrick, well there was a site up there on the right hand side. They were putting up scaffolding and Maurice Nevin and Pat Black, I think, from Saul, were holding the pole when it hit a live wire. Maurice was killed and Pat Black was badly shocked. When I got the bad news I remember I went back up to the aerodrome and I said to the foreman that I had to go for a friend had been killed. I remember I went round to Mrs Nevin, when Father Campbell had just arrived to take her to identify the body. Mrs Nevin insisted that I go with her. It was a sad job for he would only have been maybe eighteen or nineteen, a big handsome fellow, and on the first of

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

51

the next month he would have been joining the police. I remember just a week or two before he died, that I called for him at home before we went on to a ceili in the hall in Kilclief. I went over to his house and Maurice came out of his room with his brand new suit on him, but his mother made him change into his blazer and flannel trousers instead, for fear of dirtying his new suit in the hall. Well on the day when I accompanied her to the morgue Mrs Nevin looked at Maurice and said to me; “Bob, I’d give a brave bit to see Maurice come out of his room with his new suit on him now.” That’s what she said to me.

I think Mrs Nevin was called Billsborough. I think she used to work at the mill in Killyleagh before she married. The mill gate used to close at a certain time, and if you didn’t make it in on time you lost a day’s pay. Mrs Nevin had a big family of boys and the one girl. The girl was the eldest and she married Paddy Coyle and lived in the cottage at the top of Ardtole hill.Then there was Tommy Nevin, who was the eldest son, Willie was next, Cathal was after that, then Dermot and Maurice and Emmet, and Dessie was the youngest. I remember Willie died of TB in the hut in their garden. Cathal died of TB too. Emmet was still only at Kilclief school when Doctor Moore put him into the hut on a February day with TB also. Come the beginning of September Mrs Nevin went up to Frank Magee and asked him when he was intending to start picking the spuds, for she wanted to send Emmet up. She didn’t care if he got any money or not, or whether he was able to do a day’s work or not, she just wanted him to be in the field and to get the smell of the soil and the fresh air, for she hoped it might be the first thing that would cure him. And when the potato harvest was finished she went up to the foreman in the Naffy (NAAFI) in Ballyhornan to try and get him a job doing bicycle deliveries around the camp. John Swail was working there and so was Tom Fitzsimmons, they were both driving vans, and John told her that as soon as he got word he’d go round and tell her. And about a fortnight later John Swail arrived with word that Emmet could go round the next morning to start work. And you know he ended up being manager of the biggest Naffy in Northern Ireland. He was one of the smartest and nicest fellows that you could ever meet. He lives in Belfast now, and I think that he lived there from when he married. * Cnoc (pronounced cruck) - a green hillock of common ground in the clacan of houses in Ballynarry.

52

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

The Cuckoo

By Brian Fitzsimons

llustration by Brian Fitzsimons

Most people living in the country areas nowadays do not hear the sounds of the country because of all the noise from traffic and farm machinery. At Ballintlieve, where I live, I am not too close to the road, and to the south of my home is a largely unpopulated area. Therefore I, and some of my neighbours, would hear the cuckoo when it arrived from Africa in late April or early May. It is, as most people know, an unusual bird in that it does not build a nest but lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. It gets its name of course from the repeated call it makes of coo-coo, but this sound is made only by the male, while the female makes a bubbling chuckle noise. The male and female look alike and are about the size of a dove with long tail feathers. In flight it resembles a sparrowhawk. Indeed in ancient times and well into the nineteenth century it was believed that in spring the hawk turned into a cuckoo and then back again.

The cuckoo has grey plumage with mottled white and grey under parts. I was lucky enough to see one close-up perched on a fence-post, about seven yards from my window in 2006. I also saw a pair mating on a fence-post a little later on that same year. Why the cuckoo does not build a nest is a mystery as other migrating birds arriving at the same time, such as the swallows, have time to rear a couple of broods in the season. Female cuckoos are territorial and return to the same areas every year.They use the nests of small birds such as meadow pipits, reed warblers, dunnocks, robins and wagtails, but mostly ground nesting birds. Individual females will only use the nests of one particular species and have evolved the ability to colour and mark their eggs close to the eggs of that species. It is thought that their offspring will in turn use the same species. A cuckoo

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

53

can lay up to twelve eggs in a season but this would depend on how many suitable nests there are on her territory. She can spot out nests several days before she lays in them. She usually lays an egg every other day, mostly in the afternoon, although most other birds lay in the morning. A cuckoo’s egg is very small in proportion to her body size. It is thought that this is because she has to retain the egg for some hours until she gets the opportunity to lay in a particular nest. Once she gets the chance she will land at the nest, remove one egg which she usually eats, and then lay her own in as little as eight seconds. She only lays one egg in each nest. Both sexes are constantly harassed by small birds, which seem to know their intentions. When the young cuckoo hatches in about twelve to thirteen days, it soon sets about removing any other eggs or young birds from the nest. It has a hollow in its back and it works under them and tips them out of the nest. It then has the full attention of its foster parents, who have to try to satisfy its insatiable appetite, and so it grows rapidly. It stays in the nest for about three weeks and is fed for a further three by these poor overworked birds. The adult cuckoos fly back to Africa at the end of the laying season in early July. The young ones follow later and how they find their way remains a mystery.

Most of the information I have on the subject I gleaned from reading a book called “The Cuckoos Secret,” published in 1922 and written by Edgar Chance, a leading ornithologist. He carried out a detailed study of a cuckoo for four seasons from 1918 until 1921. Under controlled conditions in 1920 he encouraged her to lay a record 21 eggs. The cuckoo has been the inspiration for poetry and song and even a clock. In spring a frothy substance can be found on stems of plants. This is called cuckoo spit, even though it contains the larvae of some insect.

Sadly since the 1940s cuckoo numbers have been in decline and indeed since the start of the century I have heard few of them except in 2006 and 2007. There are probably several reasons for its decline. Adult cuckoos feed almost exclusively on hairy caterpillars, “Hairy Marys,” as we used to call them. I have not seen many of these in the last few years. There is also an increase in the number of foxes, magpies and hooded crows. These and other vermin will all raid nests, and I blame them rather than any change in habitat for the reduced numbers of small birds. There may well be other reasons in Africa or indeed on their journey here, for the cuckoos decline, but it would be a pity to see it go the way of the corncrake.

The Cockoo comes in April She sings her song in May In leafy June she changes tune In July she flies away.

54

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

The Phantom Burglar

By Bobby Magee, as told to Joan Magee Bobby is married to May and they reside in Strangford village I remember receiving a phone call one night, it must have been in Father Dillon’s time, that the lights at Cargagh chapel had gone out. It was winter, it was dark and confessions were due to be held that evening, and they couldn’t take place if there was no lighting. I gathered up some of my tools and set off for Cargagh, to look at the fuse box in the sacristy. I remember fumbling about in the darkness and changing the fuse, which immediately blew again. While I was trying to isolate the problem I heard heavy footsteps echoing on the chapel floorboards, and the eerie sounds seemed to become more fearful as they came nearer in the darkness. By the light of the moon shining through the chapel windows, I could see a dark sinister shape looming down upon me. Raising my hands to defend myself I fortunately grabbed Willie Hamill’s wrist before he was able to strike me with a candlestick.Willie had arrived early for confessions and on hearing the strange noises in the chapel he had mistakenly believed that a burglar was stealing valuables. He purposefully strode down the chapel aisle, grabbing a candlestick from the altar on his way past, with which he intended to teach the intruder a lesson.

However Willies early arrival at the church was a godsend, for with an extra pair of hands to help hold the torch, I was able to complete the repair just in time, allowing confessions to go ahead.

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

55

Working The Coalboats E J McMullan

The work on the coal-boat was awkward as sin For the oul square-mouth shovel just wouldn’t dig in.

So the first big lumps of coal were just lifted by hand And thrown into a bucket as tall as a man.

Sometimes the bucket was laid on its side And the coal was scooped into it, easing the ride.

Or Fred, on the ‘steam’, pulled the bucket along And filling it that way, it didn’t take long.

By the time they had lifted the very last tub, The men were all bound for their favourite pub, Where Ranaghans, Sharvins, and Hedleys gave out The best of good porter or whiskey or stout.

The bills were all paid and the families were set.

For another wee while they were free of the debt.

The groceries were bought and a shirt or a cap, Currant-squares for the youngsters or maybe a bap.

Maybe boots for the children, a blouse for the wife, Or a trip to the pictures for once in her life., A tyre or a tube for the oul BSA A body could buy, if a body could pay.

Oh! Hard times they were and thank God they’re away And the good times have come and will hopefully stay.

No more men demean themselves, wounding their pride, While waiting for boats on the incoming tide.

Strangford’s better off now than it was in that day.

But the oul Square Pump’s gone and the stores at the quay.

The village looks cleaner, it’s open and bright And the crows are still flying there morning and night.

I still love the old place, it is there I was born.

And don’t like to see it neglected and worn.

To reminisce with the friends that I knew long ago Is my greatest enjoyment. Long may it be so.

56

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

The Eight Miles To Strangford E.J.M.

Many town lands had to be crossed, touched on or passed by on the short 8 mile journey from Downpatrick to Strangford and places with peculiar names were often called out by the Conductors of the buses that plied the route, Charlie Stewart, Thomas McKeown or WaWaWalter Quayle. Walter had a stoppage in his speech. In my day it was the N.I.R.T.B., The Northern Ireland Road Transport Board, who ran the old Denis bus starting at the old Post Office on Church Street in Downpatrick, now the H.Q. of the Down Recorder. Veering right at the War Memorial, past the Cricket Ground and the. Workhouse to the Bulls Eye crossroads.

What a pity to lose such a quaint name. Does it not stir the imagination?

The Quoile Quay was the next stop, where the Downpatrick Timber and Slate Co. had their coal yard, importing directly from Whitehaven in Cumberland by a small coaster of two or three hundred ton capacity able to navigate the shallow Quoile estuary. The old Quay down past the Quoile Castle used to accommodate Scandinavian sailing ships who sold timber directly to local people. My father’s cousin was crushed to death on Raholp Brae when a load of timber he was carting collapsed probably around 1906.

Going on past the Castle, Slieve Patrick comes into view. This mount was formally known as Slieve William, but the name was changed around 1934 when the statue of the Patron Saint was erected on the summit. I could also see Mageeans of the Orchard, cousins of my father, a Saul man himself. The -two comely daughters of the Mageean family used to board and disembark the bus at Lisbane, now known as the Saul Mills Road. Lisbane means the White Fort but at that time I was unaware of any mound in the area - except perhaps where the windmill stump is now.

The stump over looked the Castle Island bus stop, in the townland of Ballintogher - meaning ‘the town of the causeway’ no doubt referring to the causeway joining Castle Island to the main land at one time. In the Parish of Saul they were building a new hall and to gather money it was the custom for each house to have a ‘45’ drive. Each card player paid a subscription to the fund and a prize would be donated, usually a bag of potatoes, or coal or maybe a chicken or a turkey. But on one particular night the prize was a goat - which nobody wanted. Consequently it was put up as a prize the next night, and again, and again, until eventually it was won by a man called Hugh Magee. A local wit by the name of Mick Burns penned these lines:Her beard was long, her back was bare, She was grey about the head.

She was seven years a stripper Till Tony Casement’s ned.

And she ran through Ballintogher For to let the people see That her master was a gentleman Called Mr Hugh Magee.

Near by too was a cottage in which a set of triplets were born. This was an unusual event in the early 1930’s and the cottage was always pointed out to strangers as ‘the Triplets Cottage’. If memory serves me right, the family name was McGreevy.

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

57

Passing Castle Island and rising up to the top of the Bucks Hill, an old Fairy Thorn stood on the skyline to the right and at the beginnlng of the descent Johnny Curran used to tell his passengers ‘There yez are - the beautiful Lakes of Killarney’, as he pointed to the left at the island-studded lough laid out below. On a sunny day it is still a sight worth seeing with the emerald drumlin tops decorating a blue and tranquil sea. Johnny was the driver of Sharvin’s old bus the forerunner of the B.O.C., the N.I.R.T.B, the U.T.A., Ulsterbus and now Translink. The Sharvin and Quayle families in transport tenns stretched back to the horse-drawn longcars and were the first organised means of communication between the village of Strangford and the County town.

As the road passed on down the Bucks Hill it crossed St Patrick’s loney along which the Saint made his way from the Slaney mouth to Dichu’s barn and introduced our ancestors to Christianity.

The road crossed the Slaney by the Fiddler’s Bridge, so called because it was near this spot that an itinerant fiddler was murdered, and buried in a shallow grave. The story goes that he had played for a wedding in Raholp and when it came time to ‘pay the fiddler’, all the money had been spent, copious amounts of poteen consumed and instead of payment the poor old fiddler lost his life. However, during the night the river flooded and uncovered the body. Reportedly the ann was waving in the shallow water like Captain Ahab. Whether or not the culprits were ever apprehended, I know not.

Also within sight of the bridge is a house where a peculiar happening occurred. A man lived there who was fanatically anti-religion and a firm unbeliever in God. As his funeral was leaving the house his ghost was seen dancing and cavorting in demonic glee at the upstairs window.

The road continued on down to the Scaddan four roads. It was always the definite article used to prefix Scaddan. Nearby my father’s uncle bought the ‘whole town land of Ringbane’ at the turn of the century at the same time my grandfather bought the town land of Cavan under the slopes of Slieve William (Patrick). The family story goes that the McMullans, known by the nickname of ‘the dingers’ either found a gold mine or robbed a bank and in Dromena Kilcoo there are definitely no gold mines. That was the home place of my family.

The Scaddan was the half-way mark between Strangford and Downpatrick and just up the hill a little you could see the old church of St Tassock who attended St Patrick on his deathbed. Further along the main line was joined on the left by the Myra Road. It skirted the town land of Ballyregan and my aunt Bessy who came from Ballyregan used to tell the supernatural tale of the Ballyregan light - a throbbing orb of glowing energy that would appear periodically following a path from the higher ground around Bannaghan to the sea at Ringbane. A crowd of young people had gathered in the Ward house and someone saw the light start its ghostly journey. Two brave souls decided they would solve the mystery and ran out to conceal themselves along the known path of the apparition. Suddenly they sensed a presence near them and on turning round beheld this sphere of pulsating light about the size of a potato basket, beating like a heart beat about two yards from them. They were frozen to the spot but eventually gathered themselves together and ran like the wind.When they got to Ward’s house they were white with fear.After a while they recounted their tale. As for the ‘light’, it was never seen again, having been disturbed on its habitual right-of-way to the sea; and that is the absolute, pure and unadulterated truth - so said my Aunt Bessy.

Also down that same Myra Road is Walshestown Castle - a tower built in the 15th century.These tower houses were known as £10 castles because of the £10 subsidy given by Henry VI to any of his liege men who built a fortified dwelling of certain specifications, (12’x16’x40’). Quite a 58

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

few of the Anglo-Normans lived in eastern Lecale; the Walshes, Jordans, Fitzsimons and Audleys, and at least four of these castles line the route from Strangford to Downpatrick; The Quoile, Walshestown, Audleys and Strangford itself. Such a rich, rich heritage.

Just along the way, where the road forks at a place called The Mallard, another definite article, lies the little church of Carlin with its lovely stained glass window. Sure enough there is a little ‘linn’ there - a pool or lake. This road known now as the Audleys Road serves the area known to the locals as the ‘Back of the Wall’.The main road however runs on past the Rock and the Bannaghan Road to Tullaratty, the ‘hill of the bits of silver’, probably referring to the shimmering bits of lead which impregnate the local shale and where lead was mined in 1827.The dam to supply Strangford with water was built there in 1936, give or take a year or so. As kids we used to wet out hair before combing it and consequently called it Tullratty hair oil.

Onward again to Ballyculter crossroads and Carrycasey at the top of the Doctors Brae. The first field on the left as you start down the hill was where Paddy Dougherty had a dowser search and found water in an otherwise dry field.The next field down the hill was where the American tanks burst through the demesne wall of the Castleward deer park to practice and manoeuvre, getting ready for D.Day and the assault on Fortress Europe in 1944. At the bottom of the hill the causeway, built across a small piece of Castleward bay was known as Blackassy by the local people. Here was one of the few tidal mills in Ireland. About 150 years ago some vandals broke the millstone and the Parish of Ballyculter had to pay the bill for repairs. That’s the way things were in those days.

And so as our journey nears its end, we pass the little Wesleyan church on the right, past the Bus Depot which used to be Flynn’s Store, up the Meeting House Brae, through the rock cut from which the Quarry Hill got its name. The original level of the road being a good eight to ten feet higher than now. Finally we reach the Square, decorated by the little castellated folly known as the Square Pump, safe home among the people, places and things we knew and treasured so well. But – the Square Pump has gone now - and for no good reason. The Quarry Hill is now Downpatrick Road or Castleward Road. All those places we passed on the way from Down to Strangford are now fading from people’s memories. I wonder will this little article play some small part in preserving some of what may well be forgotten in another generation.

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

59

Christmas In Strangford (circa 1940) Eamon McMullan

Like a caring watchful guardian, the little church stands there, On the very top of Chapel Hill, above the village square.

The Strangford people gather there to worship and to pray, With their hopes and cares and worries, on the eve of Christmas Day. The atmosphere of peace and calm, the quietness and hush Seems to banish thoughts of haste or fear, of selfishness or rush, Where Martha played the organ and Rosie sang the hymns, With Big John, a tenor tremolo, Des and Brendan in the wings.

Adeste and Silent Night are sung, See Amid the Winter Snow, And holly round the ‘Stations’ hung and prayers were murmured low.

The atmosphere within the church was respectful and sincere, As the candles and the incense burned and the midnight hour drew near.

Father Crossin and the altar boys, Pat and Jim and Tom, Came out unto the altar and the choir broke into song.

Very soon the Mass was over and we all walked down the hill, Sineys lantern, at the corner, burning brightly in the chill.

Some of us went home to soup, some to a boiled duck egg, Some to a bit of turkey or a slice of mutton leg.

And Father Christmas did his best; the children’s eyes went wide To see what their Christmas stockings held when they got to look inside.

60

Inverbrena Local History Group Magazine 2008

produced by Flixx Graphics. Tel: 028 4461 5613