Embedded Files
Half-hung McNaughton's hiding place - http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/206034
The eighteenth century scandal mainly involved two people. The woman was Miss Ann Knox of Prehen, a townland near Londonderry. Ann was the daughter of Andrew Knox of Prehen House, an influential and well to do gentleman. The man was John McNaughton (MacNaghten), a member of the same social class as Knox. John fell in love with Ann and tried to be near her at all times. Andrew Knox opposed any marriage and both Andrew and Ann were wary of John's constant efforts to maintain contact. McNaughton claimed that they were secretly married. Andrew Knox made great efforts to protect his daughter and eventually, in 1760, set out to transport Ann to Dublin in a coach, protected by armed outriders.McNaughton and several associates concealed themselves in a little road adjoining Burndennett (Bumdenit) Bridge, a short distance from Sandville. They stopped the coach and a short discussion ensued, followed by gunfire. McNaughton fired at the coach occupied by Andrew Knox and his daughter, and Ann died from the bullet. McNaughton fled to the hayloft in Sandville. Armed searchers initially were unable to find him as the local people remained silent. Finally one man pointed to the hiding place and local tradition maintained that he lost that arm in a mill accident. Another story maintains that McNaughton eventually was captured in Antrim. McNaughton was convicted and sentenced to be publicly hanged in an open field at Strabane. He spoke to the crowd, saying he loved his wife and had been kept from her. The rope broke and the crowd shouted for him to fly, but McNaughton declared that he was not going to be known as "half-hanged McNaughton" and advised the hangman to get on with his work. The rope did not break again but his name did live on in legend as "half-hanged McNaughton."
One person threatened to chop it down as he thought that it was dangerous, but a petition was drawn up by the locals on both sides of the border and a couple of thousand signatures were collected and thus this historic tree was given a reprieve. It actually looks quite healthy to me and the man who raised the issue ironically is no longer with us
One person threatened to chop it down as he thought that it was dangerous, but a petition was drawn up by the locals on both sides of the border and a couple of thousand signatures were collected and thus this historic tree was given a reprieve. It actually looks quite healthy to me and the man who raised the issue ironically is no longer with us
In the early 1980’s Vincent Campbell and his brothers, fiddle players from the Glenties area often remarked on how they thought that Mickey Doherty didn’t get enough recognition for his fiddle playing, as John seemed to be the Doherty who everyone talked about. They talked about building some sort of memorial to Mickey and settled on building a monument in memory of Mickey and an incident some few miles from their home place involving ‘the Black and Tans’. This was a British military unit operating in Ireland from 1920 to 1922, their role was to suppress Irish republican military activity; however they were not well trained or disciplined and became notorious for their heavy handed and violent treatment of both republican activists and the general populace. Mickey was out on the road after curfew one night and the Black and Tans caught him and detained him for questioning. Mickey protested that he was no danger to anyone and was just a poor tinsmith making his way home and at gunpoint the Black and Tans demanded that he prove this. So Mickey got his tools out and on the spot made a small pandaí (a little tin mug) to show them that he was telling the truth and in doing this saved his own life. The Mickey Doherty monument was built on the spot where the incident happened and it is made in the form of the gable of a traditional cottage and features a sandstone fiddle
In the early 1980’s Vincent Campbell and his brothers, fiddle players from the Glenties area often remarked on how they thought that Mickey Doherty didn’t get enough recognition for his fiddle playing, as John seemed to be the Doherty who everyone talked about. They talked about building some sort of memorial to Mickey and settled on building a monument in memory of Mickey and an incident some few miles from their home place involving ‘the Black and Tans’. This was a British military unit operating in Ireland from 1920 to 1922, their role was to suppress Irish republican military activity; however they were not well trained or disciplined and became notorious for their heavy handed and violent treatment of both republican activists and the general populace. Mickey was out on the road after curfew one night and the Black and Tans caught him and detained him for questioning. Mickey protested that he was no danger to anyone and was just a poor tinsmith making his way home and at gunpoint the Black and Tans demanded that he prove this. So Mickey got his tools out and on the spot made a small pandaí (a little tin mug) to show them that he was telling the truth and in doing this saved his own life. The Mickey Doherty monument was built on the spot where the incident happened and it is made in the form of the gable of a traditional cottage and features a sandstone fiddle
The Ice House is a unique two-room stone house Victorian structure built from locally quarried red granite and set into the side of a hill The ice house was commissioned, literally to store ice, by the Marquis of Conyngham in about 1850. Conyngham owned huge tracts of the county up until the beginning of the 20th century and built a hunting lodge nearby. The structure was used to store salmon caught in the abundant waters of the Gweebarra River, to which the marquis owned exclusive rights In a properly constructed house, the ice could last for up to three years.
The Ice House is a unique two-room stone house Victorian structure built from locally quarried red granite and set into the side of a hill The ice house was commissioned, literally to store ice, by the Marquis of Conyngham in about 1850. Conyngham owned huge tracts of the county up until the beginning of the 20th century and built a hunting lodge nearby. The structure was used to store salmon caught in the abundant waters of the Gweebarra River, to which the marquis owned exclusive rights In a properly constructed house, the ice could last for up to three years.
It is located at Dunluce Street and despite being partly damaged in a bomb during the troubles, it has not altered very much since it first opened in the 1890sMeat carcases used to be hung over the pavement from hooks below the shop signThe original wall tiling is still perfect, both externally and internally - Featured inside along the top border is a combination of the rose, shamrock, thistle, and leek, depicting the four nations of the British Isles, i.e. England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales
It is located at Dunluce Street and despite being partly damaged in a bomb during the troubles, it has not altered very much since it first opened in the 1890sMeat carcases used to be hung over the pavement from hooks below the shop signThe original wall tiling is still perfect, both externally and internally - Featured inside along the top border is a combination of the rose, shamrock, thistle, and leek, depicting the four nations of the British Isles, i.e. England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales
The Pilgrim Steps are in the "Wee Dock" where the boat-owners moor their punts.They are on the south side close to the road and are so called because they were used by people boarding boats which took them out to the sailing ships bound for America. The sailing ships were anchored off the Skerries. This was before the big harbour was constructed and there was only the old dock.
The Pilgrim Steps are in the "Wee Dock" where the boat-owners moor their punts.They are on the south side close to the road and are so called because they were used by people boarding boats which took them out to the sailing ships bound for America. The sailing ships were anchored off the Skerries. This was before the big harbour was constructed and there was only the old dock.
This old building was constructed by the McGlinchy family from County Donegal over 300 years ago and renovations were carried out to it in 1879 and there is an inscribed stone on the gable wall to mark the event
One local person in his eightieth year who was born in the Old Mountfield Road, "Dinky" Rodgers has recollections of the Bull's-eye. He remembers that it was a round stone about half a metre high and was formed in sandstone. He can remember sitting on it and when the road was continued round the corner, it wasn't thought important enough for it to be removed, but after several mishaps with traffic, it was taken away. Fortunately he is one of a small number of people who has a vivid recollection of its existence. It should be noted that in one of the "Images of Omagh" books, W.J.McGrew (dec'd) has tabulated that the bull's-eye was located on the Old Mountfield Road just past Gibson School. This is not the case, as I have verified by talking to some of the remaining folk of the area. It was thought that it didn't have any historical importance but it is thought that it was plinth for enabling a gentleman to step on before mounting a horse, or for passengers to alight from a cart.
One local person in his eightieth year who was born in the Old Mountfield Road, "Dinky" Rodgers has recollections of the Bull's-eye. He remembers that it was a round stone about half a metre high and was formed in sandstone. He can remember sitting on it and when the road was continued round the corner, it wasn't thought important enough for it to be removed, but after several mishaps with traffic, it was taken away. Fortunately he is one of a small number of people who has a vivid recollection of its existence. It should be noted that in one of the "Images of Omagh" books, W.J.McGrew (dec'd) has tabulated that the bull's-eye was located on the Old Mountfield Road just past Gibson School. This is not the case, as I have verified by talking to some of the remaining folk of the area. It was thought that it didn't have any historical importance but it is thought that it was plinth for enabling a gentleman to step on before mounting a horse, or for passengers to alight from a cart.
An isolated house on the right hand side of the A5 road about five miles out from Omagh heading to Ballygawley was locally known as 'The Lighthouse'.More at - http://www.pasttimesproject.co.uk/lsl_browse.php?subsite=ll&story=186
This one, at the centre, reads H. Cooke LLD. He studied chemistry, geology, anatomy, and medicine and was awarded an LLB (an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws)He opened the new Trinity Presbyterian Church in Omagh in 1856 - see http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/754121 Orangemen carry his likeness on their banners (though he was no Orangeman), and his statue in Belfast (erected in September 1875) is still a symbol of the Protestantism of the north of Ireland.He is more famously known as "The Black Man"- see http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/432355
Or should I say Maggie Fish? Its such a small world as when I was photographing this building an elderly lady whom I didn't know spoke to me and told me that she worked with my father many years ago in the tin shop of Nestlés factory which closed last year. Anyway, this used to be a fish shop from the 1930s to the late 1950s and Maggie McDonald ran it along with her cats which she kept in the shop. Local children used to taunt her with name calling like "Maggie Fish". Public Health would not approve of the felines if it was the situation today. It seems to be used for accommodation now and these look like the residents entering the premises.
Or should I say Maggie Fish? Its such a small world as when I was photographing this building an elderly lady whom I didn't know spoke to me and told me that she worked with my father many years ago in the tin shop of Nestlés factory which closed last year. Anyway, this used to be a fish shop from the 1930s to the late 1950s and Maggie McDonald ran it along with her cats which she kept in the shop. Local children used to taunt her with name calling like "Maggie Fish". Public Health would not approve of the felines if it was the situation today. It seems to be used for accommodation now and these look like the residents entering the premises.
Not much remains of this structure as viewed from the Ballynahatty Road Two ground floor corner wall of this structure remain and it had to be partly demolished in 2007 due to it becoming unsafe. This was built on the Huston Estate and was a result of the frequent drinking bouts associated with the fairs held on the townland and people got out of hand after indulging in poteen, a home brewed liquor derived from potatoes and made in illicit stills. A sizeable contingent of constables had to be called in and drunkards were locked up until they sobered. Several did not make it as the strength of the brew varied. It is said that you could either survive, go blind or die. Originally the building was two stories high and had stone walls and a slated roof. The single cell This wasn't a big affair. It was long and narrow, no more than a couple of metres wide, bounded by the interior wall to the right of the entrance door. A bench ran along the long wall and there was a small window with bars was located on the near wall opposite the door.
The smooth plastered part of the wall reminds me where the water tank used to be, on a light-hearted note, as a child I would make little boats out of any material I could find and sail them along the surface. The water was pumped from the lower meadow and stored here. More seriously though, I recollect this is where my late uncle Dennis would bring the sprayer, which was like a timber barrel, with a large crank handle, fixed to the three point linkage on the back of the wee fergie and he would make up a mixture of bluestone and washing soda. He got me to drive the tractor which I loved doing and we went to the fields of potatoes to spray them before the blight destroyed them. Dennis had to keep pumping by hand to force the spray to come out, and there were six sets of double nozzles, three in line top and bottom and they frequently clogged up. For smaller jobs there was a small knap-sack sprayer, which you also had to pump by hand. Above the smooth plastered area, there is the outline of a blocked window, which was part of the former dwelling.see - http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1058869Note: A fungicide for blight was not discovered until 1882, when it was found that spraying potatoes with a solution of "bluestone" (copper sulphate) prevented the disease from taking hold. I have often wondered why washing soda was added to the bluestone, it was thought that it helped to make the bluestone stick to the plants but real the reason was that bluestone on it's own would burn the potatoes and had to be neutralised, a test needed to be done with blue litmus paper and if it even turned a little red, more of the latter was added. There was a second test recommended after the washing soda was added and that was to get it to turn blue. I don't think this test was done but little book of litmus paper could have been obtained from the chemist for 2d (two old pence) It should be stressed that there is no cure for blight if has already taken hold, and the application of the spray is done when the crops are about 6" high and then about 3 - 4 weeks later. There is a plaque at Sheskin in County Monaghan to commemorate the site where the blight was first identified - see http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1992880
There is an interesting inscription behind it which reads, "This fountain was erected by the subscription of Sir Hugh Stewart and the inhabitants of Ballygawley in the year of our Lord, Eighteen Hundred and Thirty-Six"It is located at the corner of the courthouse along Main Street, where it joins Church Street-see http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1024820 The Stewart Family lived here for many years - http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/52361
Castlederg's hidden gem! - http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2142504
Castlederg's hidden gem! - http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2142504
One of several older buildings built by Sir Robert Ferguson and located at the rear of Gailey's premises on Main Street.Not much about him is to be found, but it is recorded that in the case of the Castlederg railway, he was the local MP who lobbied very actively at Westminster between 1840 and 1850. This was necessary because every railway company had to have approval of a specific Act of Parliament. This was repeated by local dignitaries in towns all over the country - his bust is inset into the walls opposite here - see http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2142511
One of several older buildings built by Sir Robert Ferguson and located at the rear of Gailey's premises on Main Street.Not much about him is to be found, but it is recorded that in the case of the Castlederg railway, he was the local MP who lobbied very actively at Westminster between 1840 and 1850. This was necessary because every railway company had to have approval of a specific Act of Parliament. This was repeated by local dignitaries in towns all over the country - his bust is inset into the walls opposite here - see http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2142511
The dance-hall was built by the late John McGivern in early 1934 and was known then as McGivern's Dance Hall. I am reliably informed that the passing writer who wrote the book "The Ballroom of Romance" was called William Trevor Cox, (now living in Crediton) but is not English. He was born in Mitchelstown in the south of Ireland but his chosen nom-de-plume is William Trevor. A BBC producer, having read William Trevor Cox's book, decided to make a film based on it. And so the film of the same name was screened worldwide.During the 7 weeks of lent there were no dances held in the Rainbow or any other hall in the diocese of Kilmore (except on St Patrick's night). This was a ruling by the Clergy of the diocese. During those weeks of no dancing John would organise concerts and other types of entertainment. - more at http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1089875
The dance-hall was built by the late John McGivern in early 1934 and was known then as McGivern's Dance Hall. I am reliably informed that the passing writer who wrote the book "The Ballroom of Romance" was called William Trevor Cox, (now living in Crediton) but is not English. He was born in Mitchelstown in the south of Ireland but his chosen nom-de-plume is William Trevor. A BBC producer, having read William Trevor Cox's book, decided to make a film based on it. And so the film of the same name was screened worldwide.During the 7 weeks of lent there were no dances held in the Rainbow or any other hall in the diocese of Kilmore (except on St Patrick's night). This was a ruling by the Clergy of the diocese. During those weeks of no dancing John would organise concerts and other types of entertainment. - more at http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1089875
The Emo filing station and Mace shop are built on the site where the late Dr Johnston's residence stood at the corner of Meetinghouse Street and Pound Street. The song ‘Johnston’s Motor Car’ was written by Willie Gillespie, Ballybofey, to commemorate an incident that took place in 1921. This is one of the few incidents when the intensity of the campaign in the North was tempered with a little levity. The tune "Johnston's Motor Car" was one used widely by local poets for their home-spun products. There is a plaque in the wall in front of the Emo column - http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2168814The background to this is Johnston's Motor Car is an Irish rebel song written by William Gillespie based on the commandeering of a motor car belonging to a Doctor Johnston by the IRA in 1921. The song was very popular in Ireland in the 1920s before being rediscovered and covered by bands like The Dubliners and Flying Column (music group), although the more modern versions have slightly different lyrics; Johnston is often replaced with Johnson as well, as in the Clancy Brothers version. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnston%27s_Motor_Car The song describes how an IRA unit needed transport to a town over fifty miles away, but had no car to carry them. They decided to call out Doctor Johnston and then ambush him and his car at a railway bridge and commandeer the car for the IRA. The song is based on real events.
The Emo filing station and Mace shop are built on the site where the late Dr Johnston's residence stood at the corner of Meetinghouse Street and Pound Street. The song ‘Johnston’s Motor Car’ was written by Willie Gillespie, Ballybofey, to commemorate an incident that took place in 1921. This is one of the few incidents when the intensity of the campaign in the North was tempered with a little levity. The tune "Johnston's Motor Car" was one used widely by local poets for their home-spun products. There is a plaque in the wall in front of the Emo column - http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2168814The background to this is Johnston's Motor Car is an Irish rebel song written by William Gillespie based on the commandeering of a motor car belonging to a Doctor Johnston by the IRA in 1921. The song was very popular in Ireland in the 1920s before being rediscovered and covered by bands like The Dubliners and Flying Column (music group), although the more modern versions have slightly different lyrics; Johnston is often replaced with Johnson as well, as in the Clancy Brothers version. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnston%27s_Motor_Car The song describes how an IRA unit needed transport to a town over fifty miles away, but had no car to carry them. They decided to call out Doctor Johnston and then ambush him and his car at a railway bridge and commandeer the car for the IRA. The song is based on real events.
Heading WSW towards the footbridge over the Drumragh River between Relaghdooey and Gammy - at one time parishioners would have used this route as a short-cut to walk to mass at Drumragh Chapel
It took you over the older bridge decked with timber planks over the river, under the railway bridge and onto Ballynahatty Road at Gammy and directly opposite was the start of Fireagh Road which led to the church. When the roads were first tarred, this route wasn't deemed important enough to upgrade and it was forgotten about.
The locals refer to it as Magherangeeragh Meeting House. This story is well known locally, regarding a minister who performed a marriage there in November 1937, and by mistake wedded the best man to the bride due to a mis-understanding. It was the fault of the best man who stepped out of position and responded for the silent bridegroom. Some locals may have thought that it was the Rev. JH Lyons who preformed the ceremony but the Celebrant and whose signature on the marriage certificate was Rev. William Duncan. Rebecca Cunningham, the bride, and Christopher Craig, the bridegroom, were unknown to the ministers. The bride arrived at the Presbyterian church with Albert Muldoon who was the best man. The church sexton was pressed into service as bridesmaid. While awaiting for the ministers, the party got mixed up, the best man taking the place of the groom. The minister was reported to have asked the best man, "Are you the groom"? and he thought that he was asked, "Are you Muldoon" He made all the responses until the time came for the words I will." - The bride said it for him. Not until the party went to the vestry to sign the register was the mistake learned. The ministers decided the ceremony could be performed over again. Only the difference in names prevented the best man from being legally married to the bride. Rev. Lyons conducted his first marriage ceremony in the church in November 1939 and he may have assisted Rev. Duncan when Rebecca Cunningham and Christopher Craig were married
Boutry Bush, Ballykeel
Ireland is steeped in tales of cures, curses, and wild folklore, much of it hidden in the rural landscape.
While many of these legends are well-documented, one story has almost faded from collective memory, even as it continues to grow quietly on the outskirts of a Tyrone village. A singular, unassuming bush along Ballykeel Road near Plumbridge is said to possess both healing and sinister properties.
Known locally as the 'Boutry Bush', this foreign-looking plant is easy to overlook, yet its reputation in local lore is anything but ordinary.
Local photographer and history enthusiast Kenneth Allen recently revisited the mysterious plant after recognising it during a walk.
"A local showed me the bush along Bradkeel Road," Kenneth explained. "I scanned it using a plant ID app on my phone, and it identified the species as a European Black Elder-berry. I'd heard the name years ago from older country folk, but I wasn't sure of the spelling. After some
digging, I got a reply from a botanist in County Antrim who knew it by the name 'Bourtrey." Further research led Kenneth to references in medieval Gaelic folk-lore. According to the University of Glasgow, 'bourtreebuss' - a variation of elder tree bush - was used in historical texts, often associated with poor-quality land. elder tree was commonly known as the boutry. The elder tree has long been a staple in traditional folk medicine. Its berries were used to make wine, while its leaves, bark, and twigs were believed to hold curative powers. Elder was once prescribed to treat everything from blindness to epilepsy. Leaves gathered on May Eve were thought to heal wounds, and warts could allegedly be removed by rubbing them with a green elder stick and then burning it - symbolically destroying the wart as the stick rotted away. In Denmark, a cure for toothache consisted of placing an elder twig in the mouth and then sticking it in a wall, with the user having to say, 'Depart thou evil spirit!' as part of the cure ritual. However, Kenneth also explained that whilst it may warn off evil spirits (and toothaches!), the bush is believed to have negative religious connotations. "One of the old traditions claims the elder tree was cursed because it was used in the crucifixion of Jesus." he said.
"There's a rhyme that goes:'Bourtree, bourtree, crooked rung, Never straight and never strong; Ever bush and never tree, Since our Lord was nailed to ye.' "However," Kenneth added, some believe planting a boutry bush in your garden can ward off the Devil and even offer cures for certain ailments." In some parts of the British Isles, the elder bush is less-feared. In Scotland, it was second only to the rowan in warding off evil and witchcraft. Elder crosses were hung in barns to protect livestock, and coach drivers carried elder-wood whips to fend off malevolent forces.
There is also a curious belief which claimed that bathing your eyes in elder sap would allow you to see fairies and witches.
The elder tree also plays a role in stories about the legend of Saint Patrick. It's said that his staff, used to banish snakes from Ireland, was
made from boutry wood But the bush also carried warnings: Ancient lore claimed anyone who fell asleep under an elder tree would be plagued by nightmares and awaken in a state of delirium. Many of the Irish superstitions that surround the bush's evil nature surround the combustion of it branches and twigs. In ancient practice, the elder tree was never to be burned. Cutting or burning its branches was said to anger a protective deity known as the 'Elder Mother, Who would seek revenge. Some even claimed that burning the wood would summon the Devil himself. While modern science attributes the ill effects of burning elder to the plant's mild toxicity, such beliefs fed the aura of danger surrounding it. Whether the boutry bush is a source of healing or a harbinger of misfortune, the lore surrounding it continues to blur the line between fact and fable.
Yet along rural backroads and sparse fields, they remain a fascinating force of nature.
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