Newry News and Irish Fun

Gaelic Place Names 1

Perhaps the principal extant repository of our ancient Gaelic language in everyday use…

‘It wus always called the Blest Well [Sunday’s Well, Glen, Newry: also St Moninna’s Well, Killeavy] an’ the cures were after sunset or before sunrise.

Ye had till leave somethin’ behind ye or it wus no use. But I wus a hard-workin’ man all me lfke, an’ with the best of health, so I didn’t be troublin’ the well.

St Patrick was born a Roman-Briton and lived his early life near Bannaven Tabernia – which may have been in what today we call Wales, or Scotland or England. His name was Maewyn Succat but he took Patricius upon becoming a priest – a name signifying leader or elder of Roman society. He was the son of a civil servant and grandson of a Christian priest.

Alice McParland wus far too fond of hoardin’ [herding] the cows in the forth as long as iver there wus glimmer of light.

Lisbanemore was a cashel [rock fort] in Killeen on the eastern extremity of the Ring of Gullion.

The following rambling account was recited – some generations ago – to a passing tourist!

Is it Lisbanemore ye’ve come till see?

This couple had a wee holding in the West of Ireland and a locka acres of land, a small house and in the first year of their marriage they had a baby. very long ago!

Round Square

‘She needs a square of being round!’ – she’s intellectually-challenged: she has a…

Dog Brothels

It was an amusing story, certainly, but my attention was grabbed by that…

Lislea: View from a Bridge

The Carrick Players of Tyrone, with their performance of ‘Eclipsed’ [life in the…

I find it maddening in the extreme – given that all of my forebears suffered untold hardships in this vicinity through the years of the Great Hunger of the mid-nineteenth century in Ireland – to hear a supposed authority like the former head of PRONI [named below] – at a public meeting recently in Newry – claim that our area was little affected.