CO es OD es Se .as ••Ballymote 1924

Pigot and Company City of Dublin

and Provincial Directory 1924

Os THE 'S)rCORRAN HERALD1 A Ballymote Heritage Group Production

Issue No. 4

MAY EDITION 1986

PRICE 30p

BALLYMOTE DURING`THE TROUBLES'

by Neal Ferry

During the Great War (19141918) a branch of the Sinn Feinparty was set up in Ballymote. Inhis "Sligo G.A.A. CentenaryHistory", J.C. McTernan notes that.in 1915, Sligo County Board of theG.A.A. was experiencing greatdifficulty in having fixturescompleted because local G.A.A.members were joining the 'IrishVolunteers" in increasing numbers.A number of the earlier meetingsof the Ballymote Sinn Fein Branchwere held in the home of Chris andVinnie McDonagh in Main St..(Lower Teeing Street).

While the Great War was goingon in Eurpoe, civil disobedience tothe British authorities was organis-ed by the Ballymote Sinn Feiners.The Sinn Fein party opposedBritish Government directives toIrish farmers to increase tillage inan effort to boost food supplies forthe British war efforts Jack Hoey,of Newtown, recalled how he andother young members of Sinn Feincanvassed the local farmers instruct-ing them to ignore the orders of theBritish.

Bertie Farry related, that, in1917, the R.I.C. banned the publiccarrying of burleys and other.implements capable of being usedas weapons after an R.I.C. officerhad been killed by a blow from ahurley in a political riot in Dublin.In defiance of the order, themembers of Ballymote Gaelic foot-ball team provided themselyes withhurleys which they carried publicly

rough the town to the farigreeene they proceeded to play

football, leaving thealive camans neglected by

In 1917, also, Sarah Bohan,Baby Bohan, Dilly McManus andMrs. Alex McCabe sold flags inBallymote in aid of Gaelic Leaguefunds without a British permit.

The Sinn Fein candidate, AlexMcCabe, defeated the outgoingNationalist Member of Parliament,John 'Dowd of Bunninadden in thegeneral election of December 12th,1918. McCabe, who was theprincipal teacher of DrumnagranshaN.S., Keash, now represented theSouth Sligo constituency. OnJanuary 21st, 1919, Alex and thoseof the 73 Sinn Fein M.P.'s whowere at liberty, assembled inDublin's Mansion House to establishIreland's new revolutionary

parliament, Dail Eireann.Within months, the Sinn Fein

party in Co. Sligo began totransform the Irish Volunteers intoa guerilla army to oppose theBritish army and the R.I.C. DailEireann viewed the British army asa force of foreign occupation andthe N.I.C. were considered Irishcollaborators of the British army.The new guerilla army becameknown as the Irish RepublicanArmy and it operated under theauthority of Cathal Brugha andMichael Collins, who wererespectively Minister for Defenceand Adjutant General in theCabinet which had been appointedby Dail Eireann. In practice, theI.R.A. fighters tended to act ontheir own areas.

The commanding officer of theCo. Sligo Brigade, I.R.A., was BillyPilkington, a clerk in Wehrly's ofSligo. The Ballymote area Battalionwas known as the 3rd (Sligo)

Is in the county of Sligo

ninety-five miles north west of

Dublin, eleven from Sligo, and ten

from Boy le. Here are the ruins of a

small monastery of Franciscan

friars supposed to have been built

about 600 years; at present the part

of the interior is used as a burying

ground, and on the site of the other

is the Catholic parish chapel. Not

far distant are the neglected

remains of a large castle built in the

year of 1300 by Richard De Burgh,

second Earl of Ulster who was the

first nobleman for pessessions and

power in the kingdom. The castle

was large and strong, and with that

of Sligo, being in the hands of the

Irish, much impeded the reduction

of Connaught, but Ireton joining

with Sir Charles Coote, was the

of the army, re-took them both in

1652. Adjoining the town is Earls-

field, the beautiful seat of Major

Bridgeham. and about half a mile

distant, is Newbrook, the residence

the Rev. John Garrett, rector of the

parish church of Emlaghfad. The

church has a neat spire, and is

distant one mile from the town.

and pleasently situated on a rising

ground. Here is a court house,

where the sessions are held four

times a year, for the trial of civil

and criminal causes. The market

day is Friday, and the fairs are on

January the 26th. Easter Monday,

May the 11th, June the 14th,

September the 3rd and the first

Monday in November, old style,

and the Monday before Christmas

day. Population about 500.cont. page 2.

2Ballymote during the troubles (19 1 7-1922)

coal: frost Bar a.

Battalion :end it was divided into sixcompanies, i.e. Killavil Co . Bally-mote Co., Culfadda Co.. Keash Co.,Kilcreevin Co., and Emlaghnait_dttonCo.

The following officers andvoluateers were prominent in eachcompany.Killavil: Condt. Michael J. (Sonny)Marren, Capt. Pat Hunt (Quarter-master), Mirk Gardiner and JohnnyScanion.Culfadda: Thady McGowan, FrankBiggins, Michael James Higgins, Jos.Canon, Bob McMenamin, PaColeman and Joe O'Connor.Kilcrcevin r Capt. Bernie Brady,Tom Forbes, Peter Forbes, TomDeignan, Ted Mitchell, MikeyBrady, Ned Killeen and TommyJohn Healy (Ballinvober).Keash r Capt. Tom Brr_hony, AlexMcCabe, Henry Sheerin, TomCawley and Patty Harte, AndrewKielty, 'Tent Dwyer., Martin Kielty.Etnlagbanughton: Capt. Pak_:eO'Brien, Lt. Bernie Leonard, JackFinn, Pattie Henry, Dinny Coen andJohnny Connolly (Temple house)Ballymote John Joe Dockry,(Intelligence Offíeer) John AlbertFarry, Lt. Jim Hever (Carriclth.an-agher), Jim Molloy, Lt. Bat Keaney,jack Molloy (Lissananny), WitteMcDonagh, Stephen Harmon, JosíeHannon. John Hannon (O'Connellst.), Frank Hannon (Marlow), TomColeman, Berrie Farry, Jim Doneg-an, Paddy Dwyer, Paddy Rogers(Marlow), Jim Houston, PatrickDuffy (Ballinascarrow), and Marvin_.Davey (Arcrce), Tonso Farry, MattiMolloy and John Hannon (TbelBaiter). were members of FiannaEireann, the Sinn Feitt youth organ-isation. Patrick (Pappy) Farry was amember of the I.R.A. elsewhere inthe country and he served a periodof imprisionment in Crumlin Roadprison, Belfast. The Ballymote menhad a training camp in Ardree nearRathmullen bridge.

Comdt. Michael J. Marren, ofMount Irwin, Killavif w ascommanding officer of the 3rdBattalion. Josíe Hannon ofBallymote, was the Battalion QuarQuartermaster. and ThadyMcGowan of Culfadda was Adjut-ant. Josie Hannan had served fortwo years in the Royal Navy andhis military training provedinvaluable to the new geurilla batt-alion.

Members of the 3rd Battalionaccompanied Marren in engage-ments at Bailaghaderreen, Colloon-ey. Kiifree and Keash. A la, ge scaleambush was set in Rathmullen inMay 192' when and expectedconsignment of 'termite with a polpolice escort Wien tc turn up.Carts had been stopped by theI.R.A. along a mile of the road.

The members of the BallymoteBattalion attacked and burned theR.T.C. barracks at Temple House. Agroup of twenty men, whichincluded Frank C arty ofklallinacarroes and Pat Hunt ofKiliavil, attacked the Perceva: homeat Temple House in search ofweapons. The raid was largelyunsuccessful, yielding only someornamental swords and a Mauserpistol. A favourite weapon of theBallymote Battalion was a dualpurpose Parabellum which was apistol but could be used as a shortrifle whr-n a stock was fitted. PatHurt was Condt. Marren's constantcompanion all through the war.Some of the Ballymote volunteers:participated in a n atta k on!Rockingham' where a quantity ofarms was taken. The arms wereconsealed in a house in Corhubber.Bat Keaney was prominent in thisaction.

Early in 1921, a number ofI.R.A. suspects was rounded up inthe Culfadda - Rathmullen area andthey were assembled beside the rail-way bridge in Ardree. Tom Deignanwas captured in a bud nearCulfadda. While the prisoners werewaiting for transport, MariaScanlon, of Harristown (afterwards

Mrs. Healy, of Cietta) courageouslyentered the group of policemen andrebels and convinced the officer-in-charge that one of his prisoners,Jim Molloy. of Lisananny, was herown brother, that he a harmlessfarm boy who had been arrested inerror abd was needed immediatelyto transport the farm's milk toGurteen creamery. Thus shesecured Mulloy's release. If any ofthe Ballymote policemen were,present they must have corroborat-ed her story although it scents.difficult to understand how theytailed to identify a rebel of!Molloy's stature.

Ballymote Races

(1936)

(Under Irish Racing AssociationRules)

ON WHIT MONDAY 1st June .1936

handicapper Mr. F. Condell157, Cabra Road, Dublin.

Programme

First Race 3.15 p.m.THE EARLSFIELD PLATEPlate of £10 out of which secondwill receive £2. Open handicap.Distance about 11 miles flat.Entrance Fee 5/-.Second Race 3.45THE CASTLE PLATEof £7 out of which second willreceive £2. For ponies 14 hands andunder. Open handicap. Distance,11/2 miles. Entrance Fee 3/-.Third lace 4.30 p.m.THE TOWN PLATE of £15, out ofwhich second will receive £2- Openhandicap. Distance 2 miles flat.Entrance Fee 5/-.Fourth Race 5.15 p.m.THE EMLAGHFAD PLATE of £5out of which second receives £1.Open handicap. Distance 1 mileflat. Entrance Fee 5í -.Fifth Race 6.00 p.m.THE CARROWNANTY PLATEof £5 out of which second receives£1. Open handicap. Distance about11/2 miles flat. Entrance Fee 3/-.Winner of any other race at meetingwill not be allowed to compete.Entries close on Monday 25th Maywith the Hon. Secretary Mr. B.Cryan, Bally mote. County Sligo.

A Special Train will leave Sligoat 1.45 p.m. and take passengersand Horses. Usual Cheap Fares wille green. It will return from

Ballymote at 8 p.m. Return Ticketsat Single Fares will be Issued fromLongford and Intermediate Stations.BALLYMOTE BRASS AND REED

BAND WILL ATTEND

Admission to Course 1/-Grand Stand 1/6Motors and Other Vec

Ballymote during the troubles 3

attempt to arrest him at Mount

Irwin some time previously. Sgt.

Fallon was a widower with three

young daughters, and many people

condemned the killing. It is recalled

by Owen Brawny that, moments

before he was slain, the sergent had

given sixpence to one of his

daughters for the purchase ofribbon. agt. Fallon was interrednear the roadway in St. Columba'scemetery.

At the time of the . shouting thetown was crowded with an enorm-ous number of cattle, farmers anddealers. Immediately, all the roadsout of the town became chokedwith lines of people and beasts flee-ing the expected wrath of theBritish forces. Detective - InspectorRussell of the Ballymote R.I.C.,cent a telegram, requesting assistan-ce, to the commanding officer of acompany of British Auxiliaries thatwas patrolling the Sligo-Roscomm-on border near Lough Gara, A copyof the telegram was afterwardspublished in the Sligo Champion.

As night fell, the terror andhysteria, that had been the lot ofBelgian towns during the GreatWar, descended on Ballymote whenthe lorries, carrying the avengingbattle hardened British veterans,roared into the town. The familiesof Sinn Fein sympathisers becamerefugees in the countryside, wherethey sought the protection ofrelatives and safe houses. It wasreported that a policeman known as"Toby" tipped off the Sinn Feinersabout the expected arrival of theAuxiliaries.

All over the parish, peoplevacated their homesteads to spendthe night in the relative safety ofdistant off-the-road outhouses. Inshock and terror, the countrypeople climbed to hilltops to watchthe flames from burning buildingsin the town. That night, theAuxiliaries put the following build-ings to the torch: the creamery,Dockry's bakery in O'Connell St..

the Hannan home in O'Connell St.,

J ames Duffy's turfshed acrdhayshed in Wolfe Tone Street andsome of Paddy Meehan's propertyat Camross off the Sligo road. Thebar of Parry's public house in WolfeTone Street was wrecked and it isbelieved that the house was save

from the arson because ConstableAnsboro of the R.I.C. shared thesaute roof with the Farry family.

Members of the local K.I.C.assisted the townspeople toextinguish the flames in Hannon'shome and a section of the housewas saved. Mr. Tom McGettrickdescribed that night's atmosphereof terror in an article in Irish whichwas published in the 1950 CorranPark Programme.

Sonic time later, a Black andTan constable named O'Brien, whowas attached to Ballymote R.I.C.station, lost his life in a gunfight atthe corner of O'Connell Street andCreamery Road. After midnight, aa group of I.R.A. men emergedfrom Farry's public house • andapproached a group of armed policeat the corner across the road. Ascuffle resulted from an attempt toarrest the I.R.A. men and JimMolloy of Lissanannv was knockedunconscious by a blow of a batonor the butt of a gun. One ofMolloy's comrades opened fire.mortally wounding ConstableO'Brien. Molloy was carried to thebarracks and the other rebels fledinto the darkness.

There were no reprisals on thisoccasion. The dying policeman isreputed to have said that the tightwas fair and square and he askedthat nothing should burn mBallymote on his account. O'Brienwas an Englishman of Irish extract-ion and it was reported that he hadresigned from the force because ofhis disapproval of British policy inIreland. My informant, the LateMick Gildea said that O'Brien diedwhile serving out his notice. JimMolloy had a narrow escape whenhe was helped out a rear windowof Tom Hunts cottage inLissanannv by Tom's daughter.

Mary Anne while the cottage wasbeing raided by a party of Blakeand Tans led by an officer namesStrave. Shots were fired at '.Ltlloyand Tom Hunt was interrogated.

Some of the Ballymote I.R.A.men participated in an ambush atChaffpooi which was organised bythe Tubbercurry and Cloonacoolmen. Detective - Inspector Brady of-the Tubbercurry R.I.C. lost his lifein this engagement.

During the period of the conflict,a Union Jack was occasionallyflown from Gorman's first floorwindow in Teeling Street safely outof the reach of some enraged SinnFein hands. coot, on page 6

At the end of June. 1921, a the escaping Marren during angroup of a hundred volunteers, ledby Billy Pilkington (Sligo) and JackBrennan (Cloonacool) attackedSligo jail and released Tom Deign-an, Frank Carty, Frank O'Beirneand Clarles Gildea by using ropeladders. The ascapers cycled to theLadies' Brae .where they went "onthe run" in the Ox mountains. Nineprevious attempts had been madeto free them.

During their imprisonment thelocal volunteers carried outoperations against trains atBallymote station, Kilfree,Culfadda and Seefin to preventpolice witnesses appearing in court.to testify against the I.R.A. men.Alex McCabe and Paddy Rogers ofMarlow, were also detained in Sligojail.

Tree-felling, road mining androad trenching operations werecarried out in the Ballymote area torestrict the movements of Britishand police patrols. Two bridges atArdree were destroyed by I.R.A.bombs. The railway bridge and thesmall bridge at Rathmullen had itscapstones removed and thrown onthe roadway to impede traffic. Thebridges were also bombed in OldRock and Temple House. These

actions caused great inconvience to

the local people who were compell-

ed to make detours to secure suppl-

ies in Ballymote. The local I.R.A.

made their own bombs and

landmines. The instructions were

sent from I.R.A. headquarters in

Dublin and Marren himself constr-

ucted many of the mines from beer

barrels, concrete and gelignite. Jos

Guidon. of Culfadda, also was an

explosives expert.

On the November, 1920 fairday

in Ballymote,Sergeant Fallon of the

local R.I.C. was assassinated by two

members of the 3rd Battalion at the

corner of Emmet Street and Lord

Edward Street. This action did not

have the approval of Comdt.

Marren, who always released his

prisoners unharmed and he was

known to the Black and Tans as

"The Gentleman"- There is a

estion that the gunmen shot

Fallon because they believed

ordered shots to be fired at

4Batt Henry 1872-1957

"I have met and spoken to threesaints in my lifetime: Pope Piusthe tenth, Rev. John Casey ofGurteen and my own brother Batt'.

These remarkable words, spokenin tribute to Batt by his brother Dr.Henry, bear eloguent witness to theesteem in which this outstandingman was held by all who knew himduring his long and fruitful lifetime.

In this article the Curran Heraldis proud to present to its readers aportrait, of the life and achieve-ments of Batt Henry. This is donein the sure knowledge that the livesof great men are always worthrecording so that the menory oftheir doings will live to serve as aninspiration to those who follow.

Martin Bartholomew Henrypopularly known as "Batt" wasborn on November 1st 1872 atEmlaghnaughton, Ballymote. Hisfather was Thomas Henry originallyfrom Mayo and later a teacher atthe old school in Emlaghnaughton.His mother, Catherine Mooney wasa native of this area Batt was thesecond eldest of their elevenchildren.

Batt Henry taught tor 40 yearsat Emlaghnaughton NationalSchool. He was not only anoutstanding teacher of Mathematics,English, Christian Doctrine andGeography, but also devoted timeto Singing, Art, Agriculture, Drama,Sport and Drill. A patient man wholoved children, he spent much ofhis spare time preparing his pupilsfor scholarships. Many such pupilssucceeded in acquiring places atSt. Nathy's College, Ballaghaderren,Marist Convent, Tubbercurry, andUrsuline Convent, Sligo where theyfurthered their education tobecome fine priests, on the homefront and on foriegn mission fields;nuns, who stayed at home ortravelled the world to carry withthem the owrd of God that Batthad instilled into them; teacherswho were to benefit much in theircareers from the example of theirold teacher Batt Henry; and many,many others the foundations ofwhose welfare in life were laid inthe humble one-roomed school atEmlaghnaughton.

Like manu of his time BattHenry was weak on Irish languageand grammar. However, when theenthusiasm for the revival of ournative tongue came with the found-

ing of the Gaelic League he went togreat lenghts to improve his Irish.He cycled to Sligo to attend classesand spent time in Tourmakeacy,Co. Mayo where special classes werearranged for the teaching profession.Batt even went to the modelschools' in Dublin where he couldlearn more about his nativelanguage. Soon however Ballymotewas to have its own class which washeld in a room near the Courthouseand presided over by MartinQuigley N.T. Batt and many otherNational School teachers attended.

In this as in many other aspectsof his teaching Batt Henry showeda certain concientiousness. Heprepared concerts which wouldinclude: music, song, dance, drill,patriotic recistations and a humer-ous sketch. The plays he producedall with local talen fit for any stagein any theatre of Ireland. Some ofthe plays 'Arrah na pot ', 'Conn theSeachran' 'The Cailin Ban' andothers, he would take further afieldto halls in the local towns andvillages. As fund raising • events, forfamilies in need within the area orany other cause his kind awarenesssaw fit to aid. Childrer, could beseen outside the schoo brushingcostumes, preparing scs •nery to beused in possibly "The I ord Mayor'or maybe 'The White t leaded Boy'or at times even it akespearianscenes. Batt Henr f ensured acomplete education or his pupils.

As County Sec retary for theG.A.A. Batt Henn 'practised whathe preached and pror toted Nationalgames which inclu led not onlyfootball, hurley ant i handball, butalso sporting t ctivities weresponsored by the G.A.A. at thetime. To add furtf er variety for hispupils, they praclti sed the long jump,and the high ju; n p and even 'golf'.Improyisions w a e made for thissport: nine em',iIy paint tins wereplaced str Ategi ;ally in the groundwith the hand used as a club. Noneed h ,wever to improvise for thehandh,all practice. In 1926 a groupof e' ithusiasts, under the leadershipof Satt Henry set about the task of

ct ecting a . ball court on the school

gt ound. This wa.' accomplished inre cord time and for many yearsE nlaghnaughton was known as the

o ily place in the County where ab tck-walled alley was available toh andball players.

Giving so much of himself andso freely, it is not surprising tolearn that this man was deeply relig-ious. He incalcated in his pupils adeep love and understanding of ourChristian beliefs. Many of his pupilswere called to the preshood andreligious life, many from the samefamily were called. Batt Henrywould have been justified toproudly boast that he had fourpupils from the McGettrick familyand five pupils from the Wimsfamily of Ballymote who devotedtheir lives to the priesthood or relig-ious life. Batt Henry did'nt boast,he was unassuming, but past pupilsdid not forget their old teacher, andmany who distinguished themselvesin their vocations and professions,would return to visit, or wrote tosay thanks. On hearing of his deaththe late Sr. Bridget McGettrickwrote to Mrs. Henry from far awayTexas to say that 'Days spend withBatt Henry at Emlaghnaughtonwere a lifelong memory with her'.In retrospect his pupils no doubtrealized how lucky they were tohave known and been taught byBatt Henry.

He retired from teaching in 1937.A night of celebration was held in

his honour at his school, "Awedding feast" in the words of hisdaughter Shiela Kivlehan, herselfnow a retired nation school teacher.Batt Henry's three children Val,Shiela and Moya all followed intheir fathers' footsteps and becamefine teachers.

An ardent promotor of Irishculture in all its aspects, Batt Henrywas one of the chief organisers ofGaelic Games in the County of Sligofor two decades. His efforts andgreat organising ability did not gounnoticed and in 1914 he waselected County Secretary of theG.A.A. These were particularlyhard times with all public meetingsprohibited including G.A.A. games.Batt however was not to be curtail-ed where the National sport wasconcerned. On one accasion hecycled to Enniscrone accompaniedby Micahel Jennings of Collooneyand authorised the playing of asenior championship game betweenthe home side and Templeboy indefiance of the ban. On anotheroccasion he travelled to Cork • hHugh O'Donnell to atteNational meeting of the G.A.to be held on Easter Mo1916. •

MEMORIES OF MY FATHER by Mrs.Shiela Kiylehan

5- 1957Batt Henry 1872

They were oblivous to thefact that the 'rising' was takingplace in Dublin but were sooninformed. On arrival at Cork, Battd(lli Hugh arranged to obtain a liftback to Limerick in what wasa 'Republican lorry'. Hugh stayedin Limerick with relations but Battheaded Arome. He hired a bicyclefor 2 s/6 and cycled to Tubbercurrywhere he left the 'bike' withinstruction for its return toLimerick on the first train after the'disruption' He completed hisjourney in the mail car fromTubbercurry to Ballymote. Muchis owed to this man and people likehim for without them our Nationalgames would not have survived tomaintain our culture. Batt Henryhad and showed both.

During his period of office asCounty Secretary Sligo producedsome of its greatest Gaelic players,amongst them the Collerans,Kilcoynes, Noones, and the great'Click' Brennan. Brennan was nick-named `Click' by Batt himselfbecause Batt felt he had 'clicked'when he encouraged the selectioncommittee to include Brennan inthe team.

Batt is fondly remembered byMary leaving his home for a foot-ball match with the ball fastened tothe handlebars of his `bike' by itslace. He himself played for`Ballymote Round Towers' whenthey won the County championshipin 1905 .. Batt Henry remainedCounty Sectretary of the G.A.A.for 20 years a position he filed withdistinction as can be clearly seenfrom the foregoing. 'Few men inthe county of Sligo did so much theG.A.A. and fewer still gave sounselfishly of their time and service(recorded in the centenary historyof the Sligo G.A.A. 1884-1984).

Batt is also remembered for hislove of Irish music. Through himreels and jigs of the area have beingpreserved. His home at Emlaghnau-ghton was an open door for music-ians wishing to get together toexchange tunes. Ireland's music waswelcome in his home as was herpeople in troubled years, his homebeing one of the 'Safe houses'.

Visiting Ballymote on one accas-ion Batt heard a tune being playedb a traveller on a fiddle and was

t by it. He inyited theer to his home. Where Batt

the tune and many more

The traveller stayed thenight and went on his way the nextday after a fine breakfast. SeeingBatt in Sligo some time later thetraveller immediately changed histune to the one that Batt had takenhim to his home to learn. Batt isalso remembered in a poem writtenin America by a T. Doyle who carnefrom Boyle as overseer for thelaying our of new roads in theCarrownanty area of Ballymote.Here he came upon Batt's music.Doyle lived in a horse-drawncaravan whilst working in the areaand his humble dwelling was visitedby exponents of Irish music. Themusician play to the small hours.John Gorman played the fiddle,Batt Henry played the flute!

Batt Henry died September 10th1957. The year he died heremarked that he had been 28 yrsat the turn of the century and thatby 1956 he had added on two more28's to iris life-span. Such a simplethought for a great man. But thenthat is how he saw himself just anordinary man. Batt Henry was no'ordinary' man, his deeds werehundred fold, his faults were few.He is remembered with a greatrespect, and may this tribute ensurethat he is remembered for manyyears still to come.

Speaking of Batt after his deathMonseignor Roughneen P.P.,Ballymote extolled his virtues andachievements and spoke of his deephumility emphasising this especially.When calling next for prayers forthe happy response of his soul theMonseignor remarked that hepersonally believed that Batt didnot 'want' them.

Batt Henry's lifestory would beincomplete without mentioning hiswife, Julia Hunt, his former pupil,accomplishing the King's schoralshipon first trial (see list of pupils). Herown career forgotten, Julia was tobecome Batt's lifelong partner in allhe tried to do and in all he succeed-ed in doing. She herself commentedlittle did she realize the day shewalked through the door of the oldschool at Emlaghnaughton, that shewould nurse both its teachers ontheir deathbed ! :Batt Henry andhis sister, Mary Jane' Batt marriedat the age of 37. He had threechildren, Val, Shiela and Moya whoremember his proudly as a quiet,but authorative presence in thehome. Both parentsloved music andwould spend time teaching theirchildren the songs and tunes theyboth loved..

'Behind every successful manthere lies a woman' this was surelytrue of Batt and Julia Henry. Therewas however one detail in Batt'scharacter which even his wife failedto improve upon, and this was hisappearance. All the same, one can

surely forgive a man arriving in

dis-array to a match, having cycledover forty miles to be there. Onhearing of 'a fault in his character' Iwas somewhat relieved. In fact Iwas begining to wonder if this manwas human at all, appearing to haveno faults ! Enquiring thus of hisdaughter I was most assuredlyinformed that 'yes he had his faultsand yes he was very human. Battenjoyed the company of his friendsand neighbours and had a fondnessfor relating jokes and taleswhereever the opportunity arose.He was known on occasions to bethe 'life and sould of a party'. Asfor his faults it was well known thathe could be ' _xed' nn the footballfield, and consequently would playa poor game - tactics very oftenused with just that intention. Hisanger when arisen and because hewas slow to anger the few suchoccasions are remembered by hisdaughter 'A hush would fall uponthe house'.

No such hush could ever fallupon the walls of the old school atEmlaghnaughton where, uponreturn, its many pupils could yethear the echoes of the two timestables or the combined voices ofmaster and children giving air to`Eibhlin a Ruin' Ah yes indeed BattHenry through his unselfishdedication has managed to survivethe barrier of time and lives on.Appreciation to Mrs. Shiela Kivlehanfor the interviews on her late father.Narrative by Patricia McNally

CORRECTIONS

In our article "BallymoteTraditional Club" (2nd issue) thefollowing names were inadvertentlyomitted from the second paragraph.Jimmy McGettrick of Aughris,Paddy McDonagh, Padraic Kerins,Michael Mullaney from Riverstown.

In connection with our 3rd Issuearticle"4our miles of Change", wewish to point our that Gilmour'sGarage was of course built by AlexGilmour himself, and not be thelate P.Begley as stated in the article.

WORTH 300

PLUS £25 WORTH OF

PRODUCTS

6BALLYMOTE DURING 'THE TROUBLES'

PERIM(Ballymote

SPECIALS

HB Block Ice Cream .82p

' lb. Lyons Tea 82p

1 kg Sugar 59p

4 lb. Chicken ..... 3.25p

2 litre Orange ..... 1.39

1 doz. Eggs size 5 69p

Twin Toilet Rolls 19p

1 lb. Tin Peaches 39p

1 lb. Tin Fruit Cocktail44p"MIMI

FRIDGEFREEZERS

MUST BE WON

A tFNOR

MUST BE WONIN

THIS STORE

The following story, which wasgiven to me by George Hannan, ofCloonagashel, aptly illustrates howthe ladies gave invaluable assistanceto the fighting men. Sgt. PatMadden of Ballymote R.I.C.received and order from his super-iors to bring a group of Black andTans to the home of Martin Daveyin Ardree where a number of I.R.A.men were einvalescing during aserious 'flu epidemic. This inform-ation had been given to the policybya shy ?.

While the police party was beingorgnaised Sgt. Madden left thebarracks to have tea in his home inO'Connell St. (Now Harrisons).Forgetting about the tea, Maddencrossed the street to the home ofSusan Hannan all the time keepinga wary eye on the barracks. As hepassed the room where Susanworked as a dressmaker, he knock-ed loudly on the window and pass- ,ed on towards the Keash Road,where he suddenly turned andretraced his steps towards SusanHannan's door. As he passed thedoor, which was now partly ajar, hepaused momentarily to informSusan that a police raid on Martin

Davey's home was imminent.Susan relayed the information to

her farther, Stephen, whoimmediately unloosed a cow thatwas within a few months of calving

and drive her to Ardree on thepretext of visiting Martin Davey toavail of the services of the bull. No

doubt, Stephen hoped thebiological absurdity of his tripwould not be obvious to theEnglishmen in Ballymote barracks.Haying reached Ardree safelyStephen passed the information toMartin Davey and the men in sickbay quickly evachated the farm-house.

As Stephen and his cow returnedhome they met two lorries of Tans.He noted the knowing smile on Sgt.Madden's face and he, no doubt,reflected on the inevitable anger ofthe soon-to be thwarted English-men who were approaching the nestafter the birds had flown.

On another occasion Josie

Hannan commanded a flyingcolumn that attacked Omagh R.1.C.barracks, in Co. Tyrone. Josie'sbrother Stephen and fellowBallymote man, Bill McDonaghwere also members of the column.The raid was successful and a largeamount of arms was captured.During the raid one of the volunt-

eers stole a silver trophy which wasconfiscated and held "in tooth" byJosie Hannan on behalf of theBattalion.

About ten years later GardaSergent Potter of Ballymote met anOmagh R.U.C. man in Bundoran.The Tyrone man related to Potterthe story of the rais by theBallymote men and he particularlyregretted the loss of the silver cup,which was of great sentimentalvalue to the Omagh police.

On his return to Ballymote Sgt.Potter asked Josie Hannan to makeinquiries about the cup.Immediately, a meeting of theBallymote I.R.A. men, which washeld in Johnny Cryan's ofO'Connell Street released thetrophy and through the agency ofSgt. Potter it was returned to its

rightful owners.Countess Markievicz visited theSouth Sligo freedom fighters duringthis period. The 1916 heroine tookpart in a parade of the volunteers inBallymote and she addressed thecrowd at a volunteers rally in Keashwhere she shared the platform with

the Keash parish priest Rev. Fr.O'Grady. A number of bandsparaded in her honour. The rebelCountess stayed in Hannons's hotelin Lord Edward Street (now Des

Johnson's) during her visit.

A truce was declared on July

11th, 1921. Immediately, the menon the run emerged from their

hiding places in the mountains andon the moorlands to receive their

accolades from the admiring people

of town and country. On the 13thof July, Sonny Marren wastragically drowned at Strwhile celebrating with his mFollowing clergy was cornhis honour by Mary A.

(nee Henry) of Battlefiel

Lord Edward sbNt,^

Co. Sligo.Tat: 1071) 53196

SHANE LOFTUSAREA REPRESENTATIVE

F.B.D. INSURANCE P.L.C.

7

Ballymote During

The Trooblee

Their problem wassolved, however by the arrival intown of Mikey Brady (KilcreevinCo.) on horseback elevation toenable him to remove the offendingemblem.

There was a number of safehouses for I.R.A. men "on the run"in the Ballymote area. One of thesewas the home of Batt Henry inBallybrennan, weapons andammunition were sometimesconcealed under floorboards inEmlaghnaughton and Carrowreaghschools. Batt, who was secretary ofSligo County Board of the G.A.' .,made his own spectabuLx.contribution to the struggle forindependence when he cycled toEnniscrone accompanied by MickJennings of Collooney, to publiclyauthorise the playing of a SeniorChampionship football matchbetween Enniscrone andTempleboy in defiance of aproclamation by the R.I.C. whichbanned all public meetings, includ-ing G.A.A. games.

In the Ballymote area SusanHannan, Baby Bohan, Sarah Bohan,Katie Rogers and Mrs. Jim Heustonwere active in the Cumann na mBanorganisation while theKeash-Culfadda area, NorahMcGowan (Mrs. Flatley) and Mrs.Alex McCabe were prominent inthe womens' organisation. Thehome of Norah Mullen (Mrs.(Mrs. Cryan) in Culfadda was a"safe house" for men of the"flying columns". The Cumann namBan ladies organised victuals,accommodation and funds for theguerilla fighters. They also collected,information and delivered messagesvital to the men on active service.

cont. on page 11

The league season finished Easterweek with both division IV amdivision V teams playing in tinCounty Finals. Division IV playeaGillooly Hall. Sligo and lost 5games to 4 in a closely fought game.

Division V played St. John'sClub Sligo and had an oyerwhealm-ing win of 5 games to 2. Thissuccess qualified diyision V for theCoWacht semi-final, which took

at the Swinford Complex.to div. V were beaten byullet Culb 5 games to 2.

Dedication of the new Church atBallymote

BALLYMOTE SUNDAYEVENING .... The new CatholicChurch of Ballymote was this daydedicated to the worship of theMost High by the Most Rev.Dr. Durcan, Lord Bishop of Achon-ry, with all the solemnity andsplendour by the ritual for soimportant and sacred a proceeding.

The new church which isdedicated to the Blessed Virgin andHer immaculate Conception is oneof the most spacious, most substan-tial, and at the same time one ofthe handsomest temples of catholicworship to be found in the countrydistricts of Ireland. In lenght it is145 feet and its breadth is 54 feetand consists of a nave, aisles, apse,sacristy, etc. The sytle of architect-ure is pure Gothic; arches andpillars seperating the nave from theaisles are remarkably elegant in out-line, and the windows and door-ways also give evidence in theirgraceful design and formation ofthe talent that has been so striking-ly displayed in the architecture ofthe remainder of the building.Beside the principal entrance is animposing square tower whereinhangs a massive bell whose lucidtones will it is hoped ring out downthe years over the parish tosummon the people to pray.

BALLYMOTE BADMINTONCLUB

Mixed Doubled CompetitionThis competition was finally

concluded with an exciting finalbetween: Jim Gallagher and EvaGill versus Stephen Cannon andCarmel Mulligan with Jim and Evaovercoming Stephen and Cannel inthe third set.

To the able, indefatigable andsincerely beloved pastor of theparish, the t Very Rev. Canon Tighe,the highest credit is due for hisgreat and unwearied efforts to giveto his people the blessing which theceremonial of this day has placed attheir command and that of generat-ions to come after them. The placein which the church stands is onethat from its historical and eccles-iastical associations called for abuilding of no mean or unhand-some description. Immediatelyadjoining are the ruins of the vener-able Abbey of Ballymote foundedwith Papal permission in 1442 bythe McDonagh sept for theFranciscan tradition, and at a shortdistance on the other side of theroad are to be seen the ruins of theold castle of Ballymote wherein weare told the famous Book ofBallymote was compiled in 1391.The old chapel which up to nowserved the spiritual needs of theparish is a short distance across thegraveyard around the Abbey. (Thisis now the Loftus Memorial Hall).

Special trains arrived at thestation which was being built toreceive traffic at the same time asthe church, and Bianconi's cars,specially run took people in fromother districts.

Among the influential attendancewere Charles and Mrs. Strickland,Loughglynn House; Thomas andMrs. c trickland, Castlemore; Mr.and Mrs. Jervis; Edward Farrell,Esq., J.P. Carrickbanagher; GeorgeGoldby, Esq., London, (The Arch-itect); M.J. Madden and Mrs.Madden, Camphill House;Miss O'Connor and Mrs. McDerm-ott; R. Spring Esq., Dublin; JamesTighe, Esq., Sligo; Edw. Tighe,Esq.,Ballymote; the Misses McGettrick,Kilturra; Daniel Milmoe Esq.;Messers O'Brien, Ballymote;

Among the clergy present wereVery. Rev. Canon Tighe, P.P.;Very Rev. Dr. O'Rourke, P.P. Coll-ooney; Rev. Thos. Fitzgerals, P.P.Newtownforbes; cont. on page 8

Extract from the*Freeman's Journal"

5/9/1984

I THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITHEXTRAL!'FROM

'FREEMAN ' S JOURNAL

cont. from page 7 Rev. C. Cosgrave,

P.P. Keash; Very Rev. Roger

Brennan. P.P., Tubbercurry; Very.

' Rev. Jas. Higgins, P.P. Charlestown;

Very Rev. Goerge Gearty, P.P.

(Diocese of Ardagh); Very Rev. Dr.

Costelloe P.P. Crossmolina; Very

Rev. Jas Henry P.P., Bunninadden;

Rev. Mark Cooke, C.C. do; Rev.

D. O'Grady, C.C. Keash; Very Rev.

Br. Goodman, O.S.D. Sligo; Rev.

Mr. Lohall, Collooney.The Rev. Luke Hannon was

celebrant of the High Mass and the

deacons were Rev. M. Cooke and

Rev. Roger O'Hara, Ballaghaderreen.

The Archbishop of Tuam Dr.

McHale preached after the Gospel.

His Grace took as his text - "Come

not nigh hither fro the ground on

which you stand is holy ground"

(3rd chapter of Exodus, 5th verse)

and upon this text he delivered a

remarkably able and beautiful

discourse, which was listened to by

the immense congregation with

profound attention.

Benediction of the Blessed

Sacrament was then given by the

Lord Bishop of Achonry and this

brought to an end an inspiring and

red-letter day in the history of the

parish of Ballymote.

This poem was printed in the last .issue of the Corran Herald. Wewould like to apologise to Mr. StanCasey for the omission of a numberof lines.

A THOUGHT FOR EACH DAY

As pure as the lily that growsin the fields

As sweet as the wold rosethat the kind earth yields.

Let these be our thoughts aseach morn we pray,

To thank the dear Lordfor another day.

And as we traverse the Lord'sspecial path,

May our souls thus be free of allenvy and wrath.

Spare a thought for the sufferingeach day we pray,

As we journey along onourearthly way.

by P.J. Duffy

In the early veacs of this century

by P.J. Duffy

In the years of this centuryyou would find a forge in everytown and village, and indeed forthat matter, at many a rural cross-roads through out the Irishcountryside.

My own district of Killaville hadno less than four forges operating atthe same period in time. The mostfamous of these workplaces belong-ed to a smith named Paddy Corleywho resided and carried on businessat Knockrower. Corley could bedescribed as a man of many talents.for along with being a smith he wasalso a musician, and his thatcheddwelling house which was situatedacross the road from the ttr !' wasoften a venue for a lively sessi in ofmusic and dancing. Any musicianof the day who was worth his salt,would lay claim to having played ata session, or maybe, to havinglearned a fresh tune at Corleys.

Notable names from the worldof music came here from near andfar. People like Cipin Scanlon.Blind Healy. Coleman, Killoran,Hunt, and O'Beirne, to mention buta few.

As a young man Corley spendlong hours by the anvil, workingfrom early morning until well aftersundown. His father before him wasa smith, and the skills of he and histwo sons Paddy and Tom have longsince passed into legend. Not verylong ago I happened to comeaccross an old iron gate standing ina remote country field, it was asfirm as the day it was first puttogether and had the name Corleystampted on the latch. íie shodhorses for country squires at threeshillings and sixpence per set, andmore of ten shod Idonkeys for hisneighbours for the sum of half acrown.

Perhaps this man and his forge isbest remembered for a raffle heheld each year. Corleys annualraffle was an event to be lookedforward to in these parts. He wouldmake a gate and hold a draw at adance which would take place at hisdwelling house. The firge would betidied up to make way for a bar.stout from a freshly tapped barrellwould be sold freely across theanyil at three old pence per pint.Music, dancing, and dining usuallywent on inside the dwellinghouse.

Paddy Corley was by no means arobust man. His death in 1913 atthe early age of 47 years was

contacted wholethe forge.

about as a result of pneu-monia contacted whole working at

.the forge.My own memories of an Irish

forge go back to the early 1950's,and a smith names Pat Gaffney whokept a neat little thatched forge atRathmullen bridge. Pat, a batchelorand ex-army man was a master ofwit, something he certainly inherit-ed from his father who was also ablacksmith.

My early visits to the forgeusually took place in the springtimeof the year, when the plough ironsneeded pointing and the mare anew set of shoes. It was also a busytime of year for the smith, and alarge crowd of people could tiefound standing by inside the forge,their respective charges have beentethered outside. Pat, a man ofexceptional intelligence, had amethod of his own of dealing withhis customers. The proud and andhaughty he would take down a pegor two. The dower and the sourones, he could amuse. but woebetide the slick individual whodared think he could get the betterof Pat Gaffney.

I was present at the forge, on anevening when an old man of theroads walked in the doorway andasked for a till of tobacco for hispipe. Pat took a piece of tobaccoabout the size of a thinble from hispocket, and chuckledn now whichof us two is the poorest % Havingsaid so much, he then took apenknife from his pocket. andsplitting the portion in two gavehalf to the bewildered stranger,who produced a short shanxed pipe.The old man teased the tiny pieceof tobacco and plunged it down thefunnel, and Pat ser him smokingwith the tip of a red hot pokertaken from the forge fire.

Pan Gaffney died in September1976. The walls of the old forge arestill standing, and as I pass by onmy way to town, my mind goesback to those memorable daysspent at :tie forge, and the genialblacksmith who is still affectionatlyremembered for his great wit, andfine sense of humour.

It would be a shame to wind upthis article, without makingreference to the O'Connell brotherwho down the years operated avery successful farrier business atthe lower end of O'Connell Streetin Ballymote. Their skillsreputation as craftsmenknown far and wide.

Ulster BankBALLYMOTE

THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH

In! ( 'Iv l);u ^^

Manager B. DempseyAsst. Manager E. Sweeney

O 'Connell I've been told couldmake and fit a set of shoes on ahorse at the tender age of ten years.His brother Pat who was the lastsurviving member of the family towork here, was a brawny well built

man who in many way s resembeledthe description of the villageblacksmith in Goldsmiths poem"The smith a mighty man is he withstrong and sinewy hands".

1 student of to-day who mightbe lnterested in this dy ing craft.should pay a visit to O'Grady's ofGurteen, and there he can examineone of the last surviving forges inthese parts. Proprietor Martin Hoewill take you around and show you:aols -:ud :mplements. :iced

extensively by the blacksmith in

bygone days.

(Uá Ulster Bank

RURAL SCHOOLSbv Una Preston

The ill-adyised action of

goyernment in closing rural

schools has had a disastrous

effect on the areas where it

took place. In most cases the

children of these areas were

transferred to town schools to

which they had to trayel by

bus. Their backgrounds were

different to those of the

children whose schools they

now shared, and this was to

their disadyantage. Their new

schoolmates were for the most

part children of busines and

professional people, bankers,

lawyers, etc., and their

lifestyles were different to

what the rural children were

accustomed to.

The result of this situation

has been that the country

children in many cases deyelop

a distaste for their rural back-

ground and try to emulate the

manners etc. of thier town

schoolmates. Others react

differently: they feel frustrat-

ed at a difference that they

cannot understand and

deyelop an inferiority complex

can be quite destructiye

r personalities.

On the other hand, the rural

primary school was the hub of

:ountry community life.

Children could be seen wend-

ing their way school-wards

from different directions each

morning and home in the

eyenings/while at playhour their

shouts and laughter could be

heard from the playgrounds.

The teachers knew the parents

and the backgrounds of the

children and were always

approachable if there special

problems to be dealt with.

Rural schools were also

used for adult education class-

es, talks, lectures, and an

occasional social gettogether.

The Station serying the school

area was also held in the

school building and on

Election days for Dail or

Council polling booths were

centred there.

Now, the yellow bus arriyes

on the road at 9.15 a.m. and

takes away the children (from

four years old), the life of the

rural community, to crowded

classrooms and strange

teachers. The bridge that

existed between the rural

teacher, the child, and the

parent is gone. The substituteis the formal Parent-Teacher

meetings, where in many casesrural parents are far tooinhibited by teachers they donot know, by the more

articulate townspeople and bythe strange surroundings to 'say what they really want to

say. They are frustrated butfeel they are powerless against

the system.Country areas have

immense possibilities for

deyelopment, deyelopment

that could proyide

employment, buttown-educated children haye

little taste for the type ofwork that rural deyelopment

would entail.

Congratulations to Miss Brenda

Friel St. Annes, Carrownanty who

was awarded a special merit award

the 32nd Texaco National Art

Competition. This is the second

consecutive year for Brenda to be

awarded this prize. The competit-

ion attracted a total of 50,000

entries. Brenda recieved her prize

from Mr. Enda Kenny, T.D.

Minister for State

P

1

BALLYMOTE 1824Pigot and Company City of

Dublin and ProvincialDirectory 1824 cont. from page

CENTRY AND CLERGYBridgehan Major J. Earlsfielc.Durkan Rev. Patrick, Garrett Re, .John, New-brook. Duke Robt. K.esq. New-park, Fleming Wm. esq.Abbeyville.

MERCHANTS' TRADESMEN

Professional GentlemanLougheed Joseph, surgeon.ShoopkeepersCogan Patrick, grocer andlinen and wollen draperGomley Philip, bakerKerin Bartholomew, grocerMcMananamny Peter, grocerInnkeepersFarquhar WilliamFinn JohnPublicansBoland MatthewMcDonagh MichaelO'Brien Edward

No Coaches pass through this townCars may be hired for the convey

ance of goods to any part of Ireland

POST OFFICEPost Master Mr. John Motherwell.The Dublin mail is despatched atten in the morning, and arriyes atfour in the afternoon. The Sligo.Boyle, and Collooney mails departand arrive at the same time with theDublin mail. Letters from Englandand Scotland are sent by the Dublinmail.

Is Television that has so muchpotential for good becoming amenace? Is it time we took a hardlook at the picture. Few homes arenow without "the box" and view-ing is rapidly becoming an addict-ion. It is usurping our ability tothink and reason for ourselves. Ourbrains become lazy and accept thefood that is being poured into themvisually and orally, and what food !

Given sensible intelligentprogrammes, television couldstimulate the brain by supplyinginformation and providing food forthought and action, but even therewould lie the danger of ourbecoming dependent on it forinformation that is at best the fruitof someone else's mental activity.

LEAVES

Strong, silent, they stand on

this bright autumn day

Still are their leaves - waiting.Their summer chores are now

well doneSoon - very soon will rest

time come.Even now they're party-dressed

In shades of orange, gold and rust.Waiting for the dance.

Their host - the wind will comealong

Whispering through the grassand sedges

Murmuring through the wiltinghedges

At first - so low.But soon his voice will

gather strengthSoon will come his wild lament

The summer's oer - come letus go,

Now the dance is on.Come along ye brilliant bandSpread your gold throughout

the landDance until your strength is spent

Then sleep

Mother earth will find a place foryour beauty and you grace to rest

Any with her magic alchemyShell translate the faded gold

To something new from somethingold

To greet the coming spring.And our leaves will have new life

In violet sweet or iris brightIn willow grass or sedge - economyThus nature cycles move and cross

Nothing's wasted nothing's lostJust changed.

by Una Preston -

We are concerned about thestate of society today - immorality,extravagance, violence, selfishness,shirking of responsibility. Yet theTelevision screen presents thesethings to us night after nightunashamedly as the stuff that life ismade of, as the norm of modernlife.

Children are permitted at a veryearly age to sit for hours watching apresentation of life that is bothunreal and unwholesome, and weare surprised when we see theviolence etc, depicted on the screenenacted in real life.

THE SLIGO MAIDSAND THE STRANGER

I stopped to listen to the womenin the fields

Near Derroon Cross. Green-eyedKate of the long red hair

Bridget Ann of the upturned noseand urchin grin broad-hipped

whistling Niamhso comely in thier simple countrydress, arms bare seperated from

eachother and from meby three foot ditch and a single

hawthorn treeand their young wives' laughter

and their Sligo liltforking yellow hay, unknowing

of my gaze.

Where are thier men I thought ?

Would they be at the Mart orat Achonry creamery ?

What kind of men would leave suchlively girls as these forking hay,green-yellow hay, unprotected

in the fieldsfrom the stripping eye,

the probing eye, the turned ear,the practiced ear, and the

hungary soul, the callous soulof the passing stranger.

Good luck to the work .! I called.Their rhythm did not change

but Bridget Ann looked up and

smiled her strong arms and forkingstill. The other two kept heads well

down but I caught the sidelongglance and the humour in those

knowing eyes as they discarded me.

Then the deepchest roarof the curly bull in the bull field

to the rightas he camly watched his forty cows

and their forty curly calvesand the new-mown scents in theAugust air gave me the answer

Close to the earth, no need fear

for his wife.Close to the earth, the stranger

could well lose his life.

Granted there are many interest-ing, informatiye, and entertainingprogrammes on teleyision but thereare far too many of the other sortand it is up to us the citizediscriminate and it is our reibility to voice our opinions.

TELEVISION

BALLYMOTE DURING `THE TROUBLES'II

On the Death of Sonny Marren

Oh men of South Sligo,I write unto ye

A few lines of sorrowon death's cold decree,

Concerning a young soldierwho fought for his land

Being washed out by thewaves on the bleak Sligo strand.

He was kind as a lamb,yet brave as a lion;

In the deepest of dangerhe would never repine.

When he stood in dangerto give him just reward

He was never afraid

his foes to retard.

His ambition was lovefor his land to be free

But, alas, sure that freedomhe never did see.

One morning young Marrento his comrades did say

"We'll swim the salt wateraround Sligo Bay."

Oh. fatal the thought, for hisyoung life it cost;

In those threcherous watershis body was lost;

His comrades swam franticto search, but in vain,

Their leader was drownedand would ne'er lead again.

Yet God, in his mercy,the wild sea did command

And sent forth the remainsof our bravelrishmen.

His comrades, they bore him awayto the tomb

Overcome by their sorrowfor his awful doom.

And as for his parents. who can tellthe grief

Of their poor hearts of anguishwhich could find no relief?.

As they witnessed his comradesLay their son down in clay,

Bid adieu to their leaderand in grief march away.

When the Civil War broke out inJune 1922 the majority of the

Ballymote I.R.A. company took

the Republican anti-treaty sidewhile Culfadda men joined Alex

McCabe on the Free Statepro-treaty side. A number of the

lymote company were in action• st Free State troops, which

ed by General Sean MacEoin,

ollooney and Dooney Rock

(Lough Gill) where they captured aFree State armoured car, " theBallinalee". The Free State armywas victorious at Collooney andsome of the Ballymote menincluding John Hannon (GrattanStreet), Paddy Reynolds, Albertand Fonso Farry, Josie Hannanwere captured and interned inAthlone and the Curragh.

A company of Free Statesoldiers led by Alex McCabeoccupied Ballymote and attackedthe R.I.C. barracks which was heldby a group of Republican irregulars.Faced by superior numbers, theRepublicans evacuated the building

but not before setting fire to it. Thefire lasted for several hours andcompletely gutted the structure.The Free State soldiers then set uptheir base in the courthouse.

During this period anotherviolent death connected with the"Troubles occured in Lavaila. Anex. RiI.C. man Josie Brehonyreturned home to visit his brotherJohnny at his cottage. During thevisit some armed Republicans calledto the house. It is not clear whathappened but shots were fired.Johnny Brehony was shot dead andthe ex-policeman, Josie, escapedthrough a back door. Nobody wasapprehended for this killing.

During the Free State occupat-ion of Ballymote Pa Coleman, ofthe Republican forces was arrestednear his home in Lissananny. OwenBrehony recalls Coleman beingescorted by his captor and formercomrade, Alex McCabe, from a cellin the courthouse to JohnnyMcDonagh's bar in Newtown wherethey shared a drink or two. McCabewas imacculately turned out in hisofficer's uniform of the Free Statearmy while Coleman wore thetattered, filthy uniform of a guerillatighter and his head was swathed ina bloodstained bandage that cover-ed a wound he had received duringhis arrest.

Owen had first seen Colemanproudly sporting his new volunteeruniform at a leis in Culfadda at thecommencement of the War ofIndependence. Four Years and twowars had changed both menconsiderably but the flickeringfriendship that caused them to raisetheir glasses together betokenedhope for a new Ireland where theshame of foreign occupation, theagony of revolution and thebitterness of civil war wouldeventually be forgotten.

I am painfully aware that thenames and incidents contained inthis article do not portray thewhole story of the "Troubles" inBallymote. The available informat-ion is sketchy. Guerilla activity isby its very nature, secretive. I willbe much obliged if any member ofthe community can provide thenames of people or incidents thathave been omitted.

It has also been brought to myattention that the sufferings,sacrifices and courage of thoseBallymote men who fought todefend western domocracy asmembers of the Allied forces in thetwo World Wars have beenoverlooked and forgotten. I wouldwelcome information from anyoneabout these men and perhapswomen, so that an effort can bemade to enable to present generat-ion of Ballymote people toacknowledge, ::nderstand andappreciate their motives and thecourageous reality of their deeds.

BALLYMOTE G.A.A.Activity in Ballymote G.A.A.

club is now in full swing. In thisyear. which is the club's centenaryyear, the players, selectors andmanagers of all teams are striving toachieve success to make the centen-ary year memorable on the field ofplay.

After a good run in the winterleague the under 13 team lost toMaugheraboy in the Countysemi-final. The under 14 teamunder J. Cunningham andM. Donnellan started the seasonwith an eight point win overEastern Harps. The under 13 teamis now in training for the:;ommunity Games footballcompetition.

The Junior team has won two ofits three opening games in theleague with victories over Crumcliffeand Enniscrone. This team lookslike a good bet to lift a trophy oftwo this season. Training sessions,which are well attended on Tuesdaysand Thursdays are well structuredand are directed by BrendanDempsey. Morale is high among theplayers. Team building has beengoing on since 19$4 when theJuniors progressed to the thridround of the championship trainingsessions and club leagues in 1984were organised by Jim Gallagherand Neal Farry.

THE • FREEFILM • MAN

PHILIPMcCAFFREY

Films

Developed & Printed

Picture Framing

Cameras

Binoculars

PASSPORT PHOTOSWHILE YOU WAIT

When in Sligo call to see me

PHILIP McCAFFREY8 HIGH STREET,

SLIGO

open. 6 days

MESSAGES OF SPRING

Long winter days have all but fled,

And the kind frog croaks from

his refreshed bed.

Now the sweet vales show

myraid shades

And the song-birds

in secluded glades.

Down in green pastures

the oxen sigh

As the sweet little lark is soaring

on high.

A mystic scene that we love

and renew

As in childhood days when ocares were few.

12An Eighteen Century MemorialCross in the Franciscan Abbey

In the easr end of the FranciscanAbbey at Ballymote, in from ofwhere the altar was, there is a stonecross with the top broken off. It isabout 11/2 feet high above theground and 2 feet wide across thearms. It bears the following inscrip-don."Pray for the soul of

Roger McDonagh whoDyed October the 9th 1712".

The first three lines are writtenacross the arms of the cross and thedate is written on the shaft under-neath.

The inscribed side of the stonefaces to the east to the rising sun.This is the usual direction formemorial stones in older graveyardsto face, the rising sun symbolisingthe Day of Judgement and theComing of Christ. In the case of thememorial to a priest, it generallyfaces to the west and to hiscongregation.

Over the inscription the lowerhalf of the letter S appears. Thisprobably was part of an inscribedIHS the monogram of Christ "JesusSaviour of mankind".

Politics have been and still are a

male preserve; The subordinate'

position in which women were kept'

over the ages and the fact that they

were denied a comprehensive

education barred them from havingany aspirations to a say in

government. The tables are turning

now, but slowly. Even the vote was.

a hard won concession though it

was a breakthrough. Women still

hug their chains - whether through

timidity or laziness it is hard to say.

A few have entered the political

scene lately, but how ? They

joined a political party with

man-made rules and a man-made

policy. If they want to remain in

the party they must adhere to the

rules and accept the policy.

The importance of women in

politics is that they would have an

opportunity to use their approach

to problems as women, not as

imitators of men. This is something

that neither men nor women seem, ,

By Mary B. Cimuney

Unfortunately it is not knownwho the Roger McDonagh was. Inthe Hearth Money Roll fro Co.Sligo of 1665 a Roger McDonnaghis listed for the townland ofShancarrigeen. Could this be thesame Roger, or more likely his son?Shancarrigeen is near to Ballymotealso he was wealthy enough to betaxed under this system. RogerLonagh mus have been a sufficient-ly important person to be 'riednear the old altar under the Eastwindow of the Abbey. Thedifference in the spelling McDonaghagainst McDonnagh is not of signif-icance as spelling errors arecommon both in the Hearth MoneyRolls and also in sculpturedinscriptions.

It is the oldest memorial stone inthe Abbey graveyard. Over the pasttwo years I have been recording thegrave stones in Co. Sligo and thisis the earliest memorial in the formof a cross that I have seen. It is alsothe only Sligo cross dating from theeighteen century known to me.

to be aware of. Nature designed

men and women to be complem-

entary to each other. Women are

patient, far-seeing and gentle, and

have a natural sense of economy.

And their presence in the political

arena . should provide a more

balanced approach to many

prooiems than the ail male one we

are accustomed to.

There is a growing feeling

amongst women everywhere that if

united they should in some way be

able to stem the increasing violence

that is threatening to destroy even

our planet. We had an international

women's day, also a day of prayer.

and there are severai women's peace

and anti-nuclear groupings.

Women have emerged as leaders

in different parts of the world and

have shown their , apabiiity.

Through time they will learn to

infuse their feminine qualities into

the entrenched male system.

WOMEN IN POLOTICS by Una Creston

_ron Sensor Footbalt – 1937

Back (Lett to Bight) – B. McGovern- C. 0 Coonor.T McGettrick. J. Winns. T. Morrison P Davey. M Clarke. J Kivlehan.

0/ahem, P. Dwve. (Trainer.Middle Row - V. Henry. S. Tighe. J. Coleman. F. McDonegh, P. Wiens. M. Keanns.

Front Row – P. Healy, M. Clarke. A. Bodge's. M. C.l.giey, P. Cawley

13

BALLYMOTE G.A.A.IN THE THIRTIES

With the dawn of the thirties

many prominent players, who had

figured to such good effect in the

previous decade, had by now called

it a day and their departure from

the scene led co a dearth of talentin the parish. However, former

exponents Patrick Dwyer and

Bertie Farry were now cast in the

role of administrators and kept the

flame alive.

Early in the thirties young

players began to emerge with four

locals gaining representation on the

County Minor team. In 1930 John

Kivlehan and Tom McGettrick

gained representation on the team

that beat Leitrim in the Connacht

Championship. In the following

year two others, Paddy Cawley and

Val Henry, made the team and these

formed the nucleus of the Junior

team in 1935.

The scene of operations had now

shifted to Carnaree and the team

became known as Derroon or, as

they were popularly known "The

Bit o' Red". Young players were

begining to sprout in the area, most

prominent being Jimmy Coleman,

Paddy Fahy and the Wims brothers,

Jimmy and Paddy. Ned Grehan

became the team's established net

minder and another to join the

club was Packy Davey from

Ballinaglough. Charlie O'Connor, a

Garda Detective, had come to

Ballymote from Tuhbercurry and

proved himself a valuable asset on

centrefield in the early years of that

Derroon team. In the mid-thirties

the side was strengthened by the

acquisition of three young forwards

in Dinny O'Rourke from Culfadda

and Francis McDonagh and Andy

Rogers from the town. Bill

McGovern had returned from army

duties and played some great games

at right half back.

This first breakthrough at

county level came in 1935 when

Derroon won the County Junior

championship by defeating Grange

at Collooney. The following year

three Derroon players gained places

e County Junior team that

itrim but lost to Mayo in

nnacht Championship. These

were John Kivlehan, Tom McGett-

rick and Jimmy Coleman. By virtue

of winning the Junior Champion-

ship the previous year Derroon now

took their place among the elitist

senior teams in the county. When

the draws were made they foundthemselves in Division t in the

company of Knockalassa, Sligo

Town, Coolera, Ballisodare and

Maugherow. Some great games

ensued and those that stand out

most clearly in the memory were

the trussles with Knockalassa and

Coolera. One of the above surpass-

ed all others in excitement was the

game at Riverstown against the

mighty Knockalassa. Derroon were

looked on as no hopers prior to

this game but caused a major

surprise by holding the O'Garas,

Dowds, Mick Devaney, Bernie

Cogans and company to a draw.

From then on they gained in

confidence and won out the

Division. In the other section the

Easkey Sea Blues won out and so a

new pairing emerged to contest the

County Senior Final.

Training at Quigley's field was

stepped up with sessions each

evening and all sessions well-attend-

ed. Road work formed a major part

of the training schedule at the time

and a common sight to be seen on

the road between Ballymote and

Collooney was a squad of Red and

White figures striving to get fully fit

for the Big Game. Many supporters

came out from Ballymote, and,

indeed from all areas of the parish

to watch the players in their train-

ing stints,.

by Johnny Benson

As the day of reckoning

approached flags were got ready

and transport where available was

arranged. The most common mode

of conveyance in that era was the

bicycle. Each machine carried two

and sometimes three people and it

was not uncommon to see many

fans making the journey on foot.

Derroon were the choice of

many to take the title for they field-

ed many stars in their lineout. The

forward formation looked the best

in the county and read from right:Francie McDonagh, Dinny

().Rourke, Val Henry, Andy Rogers,

Tom Ai cGettrick and Paddy Cawley.

Midfield ryas manned by the high-

fielding Paky Davey and Jimmy

Wims. The backline from goal was:

Ned Grahan, Jimmy Coleman, John

Kivlehan, Michael Quigley, Bill

McGovern, Charlie O'Connor and

Paddy Wims. All were strong and

reliable Defenders and would

present opposing fo rwards little

scope for scores. The Final was

played in Quigley's field in Colloo-

ney and the crowd was massive

with a big force of stewards trying

to keep the crowd in control and

outside the playing area.

The game itself was fast and

furious and Derroon were finding it

difficult to break through the tough

Sea Blues' rugged defence that

included such stewards as John and

Owen Harte, the two Weirs,

"Spinner" and "Jet" and a fine

midfielder in Mick Kennedy. There

was little between the sides but it

was Easkey corner forward, Kevin

O'Sullivan, who buried Derroon's

hopes with a brace of goals and the

final score was : Easkey Sea Blues

3 - 1; Derroon 0 - 4. cont. on page 14

f

The CourthouseBallymote

In 1899 this building was thescene of a dramatic political event.In January of that year the GrandJury system was abolished and inits place County and DistrictCouncils were to be elected. Forthe purpose of selecting candidates,the Mayor of Sligo and M.P. for theCourthouse summoned a convent-ion at Hallymoce. the Courthousewas the only building in townsuitable for such a gathering, butthe day before the convention thefollowing telegram was sent to thecaretaker, Jackson Hawksby, by theSub Sheriff, Colonel Coffey:-

"Posses Point January 11th,1899 - Mayor McHugh

cannot have Courthouseto-morrow"

When McHugh and his followersarrived he found the doors barredand locked. He demandedadmission in ten minutes; afterconsulting with the DistrictInspector of the R.I.C. Hawksbyreturned with a refusal- McHugh

turned to the local League Secret-ary and said: John Gilmartin, getme a sledge hammer - 1 am notgoing to ask you to do anything Iwould not do myself"- In a shorttime Gilmartin returned with thesledge and with a few hefty blowsMcHugh sent the doors flying offtheir hinges, the party trooped intothe building and transacted theirbusiness unmolested. JamesHannon, J.P. was the first CountyCouncillor selected and afterwardselected for Ballymote area. TheDistrict Councillors chosen were:-John Gilmartin, Thomas Gallagher,

James Kane. James Cunnane andMatthew Hannon. McHugh's actioncaused a great sensation both in this

countru and elsewhere, beingfeatured in the Paris newspaper"Le Temps". A local poet made a

"New Hit" and gave us a ballad of

which I quote the opening verseand chorus:-

"To a Courthouse not remote,Well it's christened Ballymote,

Now myraids of good mengathered there,

Up from Sligo, Screen and Curry,Leagu ers hastened in a hurry,But the cream of all dandies

was the mayor".

Bat J. Keaney Comdt:,

SCANLONAND

IRWINTHE ROCK BALLYMOTE

Retail • WholesaleDeep Freeze Specialists

HAVE YOUR OWN ANIMALSLAUGHTERED AND FREEZER PACKED

AT REASONABLE RATES

14

G.A.A. in the thirties.Much the same team was again

in action the following year and,

ironically, the Final pairing for the

1937 Final was again Derroon v

Easkey. The result was much the

same on this occasion with the Sea

Blues emerging winners on the

score i - :0 1 - 5. 1 - he Derroon

saga continued for some years after-

wards with the inclusion of some

fine players in Marty Clarke of.

Keash, Paddy Healy, Matty Clarke

from Hranchtield, Martin Kearins

and others. However, the great

charisma that surrounded the teams

of 1936-37 was never recaptured

and so ended a wonderful chapter

in the annals of Ballymote G.A.A.

that gave much pleasure to players

and many supporters. It must be

mentioned here that the county

selectors recognised the merits of

some of those players, when they

selected two, John Kivlehan and

Francie McDonagh, to play against

Galway in the first round of the

Connacht Championship of 1938.

Galway won that game on the score

of 3 - 2 to Sligo's 2 - 3 and went on

to win the All-Ireland Final against

Kerry in a replay. Ballymote had

played a noble part in Sligo football

in the thirties. N.B. It is hoped in

the next issue of the Herald to takea look on G.A.A. events in the

war-torn forties.

BALLYMOTEPARK

DEVELOPMENT

At the A.G.M. of Ballymote andDistrict Park DevelopmentCommittee toe following officerswere elected.Chairman Eamonn ScanlonVice-Chairman Tom CurridSecretary & Development Officer

Sean TanseyJoint Treasurers John Perry

Liam McCleanP.R.O. Neal Farr,

The meeting decided to ree, testGlanmire Parks ConstructionCompany (Cork) to survey the sitewith a view of providing a costedplan which will accompany thecommittee's application forgrant-aid from the EuropeanRegional Fund through the agencyof Enterprise Connacht. The parkwill also be surveyed by Mr. Webb,and environmental architect fromAn Forces Forbartha.

As soon as these surveys arecompleted the earth and stories inthe roadside section of the park willbe levelled and deposited inaccordance with the advice of theadvisory services mentioned.

Further fundraising will becarried out later in the year.

LOFTUS HALL BallygnoteSunday 25th May

04)

^i;~,^

New single on sale "Don't Flow Down"

HE!1!lNOGANS SLG©ZE BAND at 1 2attn.

with aeip►pearf group

PEEL THE GtRAPE ®ra stage at 11.15

Admission £2.50

MIIWIVIIA111111941001106 ,IeNIIIM

.W. Ilr4411,11119411CRIOP0,4..,9111.11•..s ,^.».^ ̂

M 1 •A.V.L411111•010,

Se lling Is Our Business

AUCTIONEERS. VALUERS.

ESTATE AGENTS

Baliymote, CO.Sip90PHONE (071) 83316

15

RUN TIIERACEsialAGAINST TIME `'^,1D DANCE

In July 1985 the largestconcert eyer seen was heldsimultaneously in Wembleyand Philadelphia, called LiveAid, it was the brainchild ofBob Geldoff, and it raisedoyer £70 million worldwide tohelp the starying peoples ofAfrica.

On May 25th 1986 we willhaye Sport Aid, the last majoreffort by Geldoff to raisemoney for Africa. On that daymillions of adults and childrenworldwide will undertake a10 km/6 mile sponsored funrun.

A Ballymote Fun Run isbeing organised. Sponsorshipcards arc available from VideoSeryices, Lord Edward Street.For the runners two trophieswill be awarded: one for eachfor the first male and femaleto finish the course. Runnerswho are not sponsored mustpay a £1 registration tee.There will be a prize for theindiyidual who raises the mostmoney.

The Fun Run is more thanworthy of your support.Whateyer you giye, little orlarge, it will help save liyes inAfrica. The Sport Aid ruráwill start simultaneouslyworld wide tit 4 p.m.Ballymote's own run startsfrom the Community Centre.

1)416410•

THI'. (;URKAN HERALD

PUBLISHED IN BAI "MOTE

' EDITOR JAMES FLANAGAN

DESIGN,TYPFSI•, fTIM";

AND PRINTING f Y

."FASTPR ► N7"

isMorris Minor 1944 Price £389.10

The 'Big-Car' specification of the'Minor' includes independent front

wheel suspension* 4 speed synchromash gearbox

* Lockheed hydraulic brakes12 Volt lighting

* Dayview headlights (withdip-sw itch).

* S.U. Catburator* Very generous luggage

accommodation

* £12 tax.* 40 to 45 miles to the gallon

* 64 m.p.h.Instalment Plan £50 down ,(tax andinsurance included) and the balance-may be spread over 12, 18 or 24months.

£389.10(Ex. Works)

This '8' equals any '10'

..... and the Morris '8' can make

things hot any '10' when it comes o.

to performance. See your nearest

Morris dealer to-day, for a demon-

stration and you'll agree that here isa real 'big-car' comfort andperformance at small car cost.

Acceleration is lightning and

roadholding superb. Watch it corner

at speed and see how beautifullyit's done without swaying or strain.

See too, it cruises without effort at

50 and its ample top speed of 64.

Yes this '8' is a Minor Miracle' - it

will carry five people in real

comfort and their luggage too, and

with its petrol comsumption of

40-45 miles to the gallon, it's the

most economical car on the road

to-day.

YDEO & PHOTOGRAPHIC SERVICESLord Edward St Ballymote Ph (071)83490

VIDEO SERVICES PHOTOGRAPHIC* Weddings * Tele-Cine Transfer SERVICES* Concerts * Photo Studio

Plays Photo Neg. to Video PORTRAIT SPECIALISTS

VIDEO LIBRARY * FIRST COMMUNIONLatest Films in Stock"View to a Kill, Police Academy II" etc. * COMFIRMATION

* FAMILY PORTRAITSComing Soon

"WITNESS" with Harrison Ford* CHRISTNINGS

BEST DEFENCE" with Eddie Murphy

ComputersPNew Sinclair 128K Spectrum

ALL PORTRAITS AVAILABLEWITHIN 7 DAYS

Expert Photographerwith software

Dragon 32K £150 (includes £80worth of software)

Framing Seryice Ayailable

Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 For further Details Ringwith word processor also in stock. • Sligo (071) 45 509

4