De Valera in Newry

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Eamonn de Valera led the Anti-Treaty forces and as such, was a prohibited person in the new statlet of Northern Ireland. The Republican grouping that organised the Newry meeting at which he was to appear put posters up all over the place indicating that, come hell or high water, their star guest would put in an appearance in the Town Hall. 

Newry in the 1920’s

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There was a great variety of feelings palpable in the attitudes and the demeanour of Newry people in the immediate aftermath of the 1921 Government of Ireland Act : anger dominated – at forcible inclusion in the Six County State, but the people, though largely nationalist, were divided denominationally and politically, and each side was resentful of things from the recent past and suspicious of the other side’s every move.  Yet apprehension for the future was the overriding feeling. 

Demob crazy Black and Tan

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It was late summer of 1922 when we boarded a train at Dundalk bound for Clones. We lowered the window with its strap and watched as others boarded. A small group of laughing men came walking along the platform. There were five or six large men who looked like farmers grouped around one small man wearing a brown trilby hat and a grey tweed overcoat that reached down to his toes. 

Rathfriland long ago

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When we lived there almost eighty years ago, the town of Rathfriland was small, gathered together on top of a gusty steep hill at the very foot of which the farms began.

Orange Marches

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An Outsider’s Twelfth

 The Orangemen had come from all over and for several hours they moved in procession past our door, walking four abreast, all of them dressed in navy blue suits with bowler hats and ornate sashes of orange decorated with metal trinkets representing five-cornered stars and Jacob’s ladders and Masonic symbols. 

Who are these men?

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The photo reproduced below was submitted by former Newry resident Mr Gerald Duffy.

The individuals are identified on the reverse by the scrawled names:

Back: Joe Donnelly, Eddie Lamb and Joe Cardwell

Seated: Joe Byrne (Imperial Hotel), Frank Connor (Bridge St) and ?Peter Bremner(Australia)?

There seems to be some confusion as to whether Left Back or Left Front is Mr Cardwell!!

Please illuminate!! 

A mere diversion!

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This is the transcript of the ACTUAL radio conversation of a British Naval ship and the Irish, off the coast of Kerry, Oct 95.

Radio conversation released by the Chief of Naval Operations 10-10-95:

IRISH: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the South, to avoid a collision.

Templemore Virgin

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One must be careful of the sensibilities of one’s friends and co-religionists, yet it is difficult not to comment upon the remarkable coincidence of eras of our (and indeed other) country’s history – of violence, of great physical, emotional and spiritual deprivation – and the alleged appearance of the Blessed Virgin,

Fews Glossary ‘U’

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This is the penultimate in our long-running series of an alphabet of words peculiar to, or used in a specific meaning in South Armagh.  We have had few reactions, hostile or supportive, and few additions or corrections.  Please correct this!

Dialect ‘U’

Unbeknownst   :     unknown to

Unchancy       :       unlucky, ‘an unchancy one, that boyo’

Bananas!!

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The latest Government initiative to curtail yobbish behaviour is the imposition of ASBO’s, or anti-social behaviour orders.  One had already been served upon solicitor Roger Maxwell’s client, Stephen Winestoned when he was re-arrested.

Fews Glossary ‘T’, 4

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Trig :    neat, ‘a trig wee farm’

Trinkle : trickle, ‘there’s a wee trinkle left in the river still’

Trinnel :    trundle; ‘trinnel it up to the cart for me, please’

Trollop :    an untidy person;  ‘don’t be walking out with that trollop!’

Jimmy Gill, above the law!

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It was Peter Hughes mentioning his boyhood friend Marty Gill that brought two other names to mind. In my class of ’66 there was a John Gill. I do not know what became of him. But it was the story of Jimmy Gill (known as Jemmy) that I wanted to tell.

 Jimmy was in his prime one hundred years ago. And a fine fellow he was – a steeplejack, and there was still then much call for his services as the town of the time – as you can see from the photograph – was still dotted with mill chimneys.

Catherine St of Peter Hughes

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I was born and bred in Upper Catherine St. Lived there from Mar 1967 – Dec 1980 (we moved house the day John Lennon was shot!).  My memory is a bit hazy but our side of the street (circa 1975) went as follows (I think).

Voices & Sound of Drums

We finally met Peter Shea, son of the author of this book.  With his wife Lynn, Peter – who hails from Adelaide, Australia now, though born in Belfast – is on a 10 day tour of Europe (Yes!  Europe, no less) and called with your editor in an attempt to find his father’s grave in St Mary’s – and to get a quick look-round Newry.