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borderroamerhttps://fisherbelfast.wordpress.comThe Northern Standard, Monaghan. Reporter.

TEAM 2013 WPFG

23/06/2013 by borderroamer

With WPFG mascot Emergency Eddie

“What do you call a Linfield fan with a bottle of champagne? — ‘Waiter!'” Just one of the jokes from comedian and actor Tim McGarry as he warmed up a crowd of around 3000 members of Team 2013. The volunteers gathered at the King’s Hall in Belfast for a bonding session designed to explain their roles in the forthcoming World Police and Fire Games.

Tim McGarry

Around 3500 have been recruited after undergoing an initial interview. They have now been assigned to sixteen teams, each with a specific role such as ceremonies, games administration and medals. As President of Belfast Lions Club, I have offered my services. I have been assigned not to a media role but rather to the logistics team to assist with event management at some of the venues and to deliver equipment and logistics across the Games, a job that will be done by the transport section, which a former colleague of mine in RTÉ will be involved with. I met him amidst the crowd at the induction, which was also attended by my wife who will be joining the Games Ambassador team.

It was a fun occasion and the organisers are determined to make these the friendliest Games ever. Around 7000 competitors from 60 countries will be participating in the event from August 1st-10th, so final preparations are being made over the next 38 days including training for volunteers in their specific roles. After that the volunteers will receive their bright red uniforms, examples of which were modelled for the audience.

The visitors are expected to bring family and friends with them, so it will be quite a boost for the Northern Ireland tourist industry. 56 sports will be held at over 40 venues, many of them in the greater Belfast area, but spread throughout the North. The new Aurora aquatic and leisure complex in Bangor with its 50m Olympic pool will be used for swimming, waterpolo, netball, bench press, push pull, and Toughest Competitor Alive.

Dame Mary Peters who helped the local organisers persuade the WPFG international committee to bring the Games here said they would be the largest ever sporting event in Northern Ireland. Belfast had been shortlisted with Innsbruck in Austria, but won because of the enthusiasm and integrity they had shown in their bid. She said the event would help to enhance the profile of Norn Iron internationally.

PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Judith Gillespie

The Police Service of Northern Ireland PSNI are one of the services hosting the games along with the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service NIFRS and the NI Prison Service. Deputy Chief Constable Judith Gillespie said she was immensely proud to be hosting the Games as a Belfast girl. She is a former pupil of Belfast Royal Academy, as she reminded readers of her blog in April.

The Fire and Rescue Service training centre at Boucher Road in Belfast is where the interviews for potential volunteers were carried out: some 6000 people applied originally. It will also be used for some of the training sessions for the different teams of volunteers over the next few weeks. At Custom House Square in Belfast city centre a tented village will be set up where the competitors can gather and get to know each other at the end of the events they take part in.

The second half of the Saturday afternoon session (after a much needed break facilitated by one of the main sponsors Coca-Cola) was introduced by mind-reader, entertainer and speaker David Meade, keeping the large crowd enthralled. Afterwards came speakers representing each of the 16 teams. South Belfast MLA Conall McDevitt is among the team of volunteers and did his best to energise the audience, some of whom had drifted away by that stage. The closing speech was given by the chief executive of Volunteer Now, Wendy Osborne. Roll on the Games!

Volunteering for Team 2013 WPFG

SS JOHN FISHER & THOMAS MORE

22/06/2013 by borderroamer

St Thomas More: St Pius X Basilica Lourdes

This is the feastday of St John Fisher and St Thomas More in the Roman Catholic calendar. The Church of England commemorates him two weeks later on July 6th. It was a tweet from @NewDawnYouth (conference in Walsingham) that reminded me of the occasion and prompted this article. It led me to another by a tweeter who has styled himself @fisherandmore.

Edmund Montgomery is a deacon in the Catholic diocese of Shrewsbury in England who is being ordained a priest today at Our Lady & St Christopher’s in Romiley near Stockport in Greater Manchester by Bishop Mark Davies. By the time this is published, he will be officially Fr Montgomery and congratulations go to him on his big day.

This large picture of More was photographed by me during the international military pilgrimage last month in Lourdes, in which contingents from the Irish Defence Forces along with the Royal Navy, British Army and RAF took part. More’s image is one of many saints (including Patrick) which hang between the concrete beams of the underground basilica of St Pius X.

Thomas More was born in Milk Street (off Cheapside) in the City of London in 1478, the son of a successful lawyer. In 1504 he was elected to Parliament to represent Great Yarmouth and subsequently London, serving as one of the two undersheriffs of the City of London. In 1514 he was appointed as a Privy Councillor and was knighted and made under-treasurer of the Exchequer in 1521. He was secretary and personal adviser to King Henry VIII, an influential person on government and was elected the Speaker of the House of Commons in. 1523. He became Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster two years later.

More was an opponent of the Protestant reformation. He became Lord Chancellor in 1529, just as Henry had become determined to obtain a divorce from Catherine of Aragon. When the King declared himself ‘supreme head of the Church in England’ – thus establishing the Anglican Church and allowing him to end his marriage – More resigned the chancellorship. He continued to argue against the King’s divorce and the split with Rome, and in 1534 was arrested after refusing to swear an oath of succession repudiating the Pope and accepting the annulment of Henry’s marriage. He was tried for treason at Westminster and on 6th July 1535 was executed at Tower Hill.

He was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1935 as one of the early martyrs of the schism that separated the Church of England from Rome. Pope John Paul II declared him “the heavenly Patron of Statesmen and Politicians”. The full proclamation on October 31st 2000 can be found here.

Rochester Cathedral

John Fisher was appointed Bishop of Rochester in Kent by Henry VII in October 1504 and served in that position for over 30 years. I saw the Cathedral when I walked past it in April on my way to Gillingham Football Club. For his story, I point to a summary on the website of the John Fisher school in Purley, the only school to be named after him prior to his canonisation by Pope Pius XI in 1935.

Saint John Fisher (October 1469 – 22 June 1535) who came from Beverley in Yorkshire was a Bishop, Cardinal and Martyr. He was executed in the Tower of London by order of King Henry VIII during the Reformation for refusing to accept him as Head of the Church of England. On June 22nd 1535, John Fisher was taken from his cell in the Bell Tower to be executed for treason. In the Decree of Beatification issued by Pope Leo XIII on 29th December 1886, when 54 English Martyrs were beatified, the greatest place was given to Fisher.

SHOW TIME

21/06/2013 by borderroamer

Launch of Bailey’s Champion Cow 2013

Meet Caislean Oman Rose. Her owner standing alongside her is County Dublin dairy farmer John Murphy, from High Down Hill in Newcastle (wearing a check shirt). He comes originally from Kerry. John is a member of the Irish Holstein Friesian Association and milks a herd of forty. The milk which was once supplied to Premier Dairies in Rathfarnham (Dublin’s last remaining dairy until 1997) now goes to Glanbia (formerly Avonmore Waterford) and is taken by tanker to Ballitore in County Kildare for processing.

Four months ago some members of the Irish Farmers’ Association held a protest at the Ballitore plant over the price being paid to dairy farmers for their milk. I do not know whether John was among them. But the price paid to suppliers is just one of the problems a small farmer has to contend with, another being the weather and the resultant fodder shortage.

Caislean Oman Rose was brought in for a photocall at the Diageo plant at Nangor Road Clondalkin in Dublin to launch the Bailey’s Champion Cow competition 2013, which will be held at the Virginia Show in County Cavan on Wednesday 21st August, four days after the Tydavnet Show in North Monaghan. This is the thirtieth anniversary and a special cake was produced to mark the occasion.

30th Anniversary Cake

Last year the top prizes went to Ridgefield Dundee Portea, owned by Pat & Derek Frawley, from Croagh in County Limerick. At the presentation of prizes by the late Shane McEntee TD, Minister of State for Agriculture, the Glanbia Chairman Liam Herlihy said “these top Irish cows are producing milk for Baileys which ends up all over the world, so this competition is an excellent showcase for our dairy produce.”

Champion Cow Trophy

The first winners of the perpetual trophy in 1983 were the Crawford brothers from County Fermanagh. Farmers from Northern Ireland are still keen to compete at Virginia, but the restrictions on cross-border movements of cattle mean that they have to have passed TB and brucellosis tests thirty days before they are allowed into the Republic. The strict regulations are set out in the information about the Charleville Show in County Cork, which is on next weekend (29th/30th June). This requirement however means that the Northerners might not be in a position to send their cattle southwards, if their own shows (Antrim Agricultural Show on July 27th was one example) take place around the same time as another show in the Republic, as the Vice Chair of Holstein NI Gaston Wallace pointed out.

TOUGH TALKS ON AGRICULTURE

20/06/2013 by borderroamer

Minister of State Tom Hayes TD at Diageo Baileys

It’s that time of year again when the agricultural community shows off its best livestock and produce. One of the best known shows in the country is held annually at Virginia in County Cavan, beside the shores of Lough Ramor. This year’s event will be on Wednesday 21st August, four days after the Tydavnet show in North Monaghan. The Virginia Show has like many others several competitions in the different classes. But there is one cup in particular which the dairy farmers are interested in, the Baileys Champion Cow, now in its 30th year. More about that on another occasion.

The launch of this year’s event was at the Diageo Bailey’s global production plant at Clondalkin in Dublin. Mr Hayes spoke at a lunch with representatives from the company, the show and members (including myself) of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists. The recently appointed Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture (with responsibility for Forestry, Horticulture, the Greyhound Industry and Food Safety) is from Golden in County Tipperary and is a beef farmer, so he has a good knowledge of the agri-food sector.

The Minister praised the wonderful work and commitment of the various show committees who give their services to the community every year on a voluntary basis. The Minister said the past few months with the fodder shortage had been difficult for farmers. But he was hopeful that with the sun appearing, things would improve over the summer. He referred to the important negotiations due to be held in Brussels next week on the future of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. He said he would be joining his colleague the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney who will be chairing the talks. He said the Irish Presidency (which runs until the end of this month) had brought the negotiations a long way. He was hopeful they could bring the CAP talks through to a conclusion, but it was a difficult task because there are now 27 EU member states at the negotiating table. It was going to be a tough week, he said, but he was looking to see the finalisation of the process by Tuesday evening or Wednesday, or as was more likely to be the case, by early on Thursday morning as these discussions had a habit of going down to the wire.

Minister of State Tom Hayes TD & Liam Lavelle, President GAJ

In a week which has seen a controversy over sponsorship of sports by the drinks industry, the Minister commended Diageo for what he said was a very good sponsorship of the Bailey’s Cow. Diageo’s head of Irish operations David Smith spoke about the company’s plans for the future and said they were still committed to Ireland. On Monday the company, which also owns Guinness, denied it would scale down its plants in Ireland if drink companies were banned from advertising at big sporting events. Mr Smith referred to the investment of nearly €160m in what he said would be the most advanced brewery in the world at St James’s Gate in Dublin. The new Guinness brewery is under construction giving employment to 900 workers and is due to be fully operational next year. He also pointed to their investment of €3m at its Smithwick’s visitor centre in Kilkenny, recently announced.

WILLIAM CARLETON SUMMER SCHOOL

19/06/2013 by borderroamer

William Carleton Society committee members at Irish Writers’ Centre, Dublin

Launch of the William Carleton summer school programme 2013

The William Carleton Society made another trip to Dublin this evening for the launch of the programme for the 22nd William Carleton international summer school. The line-up this year is broader than before, with a number of events in Monaghan and Emyvale before the start of the school itself on Monday 5th August at Corick House in Clogher.

Maurice Harmon and summer school director Michael Fisher

Our patron Maurice Harmon read four of his poems and the President of the William Carleton Society, Jack Johnston from Clogher, revealed details of his recent research on Carleton’s addresses in Dublin, where the famous 19thC author spent most of his life, although he was born near Clogher in 1794 and was a Tyrone man!

William Carleton Society President Jack Johnston talking about Carleton

Committee member Patricia Cavanagh from Tydavnet gave more details of her late father Terence O’Gorman’s book, which she has compiles from his poems and stories, “Memories Amidst the Drumlins: Cavan and Monaghan”. The book will be launched at the Four Seasons Hotel at 6pm on Friday 2nd August.

Patricia Cavanagh, Tydavnet, at William Carleton summer school launch

WILLIAM CARLETON INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL 2013

Friday 2nd August

Four Seasons Hotel, Coolshannagh, MONAGHAN CONFERENCE: CARLETON, KAVANAGH & GAVAN DUFFY

10:30am registration FREE ADMISSION Tea/coffee

11am Professor Thomas O’Grady (Boston/Prince Edward Island) on his poetry and Patrick Kavanagh

12 noon Art Agnew (Inniskeen) on Patrick Kavanagh

Lunch Break

2:30pm Charles Gavan Duffy: Journalist and Patriot: Brendan O Cathaoir (ex Irish Times) and Aidan Walsh (former curator, Monaghan County Museum)

3:30pm Break

3:40pm Mary O’Donnell (Monaghan poet and author)

4:45pm Shemus cartoons in The Freeman’s Journal: Felix M. Larkin

6:00pm Reception and Book Launch:

Memories Amidst the Drumlins: Cavan & Monaghan: Terence O’Gorman poems and stories

Saturday 3^rd August

11am meeting at Monaghan museum, Hill Street.

Walking tour of Monaghan town with Grace Moloney, Clogher Historical Society, & Theresa Loftus, Monaghan Museum. FREE.

Lunch afterwards at pub with traditional music.

Sunday 4^thAugust

4:00pm Assemble at Emyvale Leisure Centre (refreshments) or Edenmore school.

4:30pm walk to Blue Bridge, Emyvale

5:00pm to 6:00pm

Carleton commemoration at the Blue Bridge Emyvale and new plaque unveiled

6:30 Gather at Emyvale Leisure Centre

7:00pm Fair of Emyvale reading at Emyvale Leisure Centre. FREE. All Welcome.

8:00pm Refreshments.

***All Monaghan events are part funded by the EU’s ERDF through the Peace III programme financed through Monaghan Peace III Partnership***

Monday 5th August

Corick House Hotel, Corick, CLOGHER, Co. Tyrone BT76 0BZ

10am Registration, tea and coffee

11am Photocall

11:30am Opening by Mayor of Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council

11:40am Summer School Honorary Director:

Prof. Owen Dudley Edwards on “Carleton, Otway and Irish Literature”

1pm Lunch

2:30pm Keynote address Professor Thomas O’Grady, Boston

The Geography of the Imagination: Carleton’s “The Donagh”

3:30pm Tea/coffee break & bookstall

3:45pm Author Gerry McCullough (“Belfast Girls”) & Raymond McCullough

(singer & songwriter)

4:45pm Broadcaster & commentator Tom McGurk in conversation with Aidan Fee: “Northern Ireland: past and present”

6pm Close of session

Tuesday 6th August

09:30am registration Tea/coffee

10:15am Language in the Clogher Valley of 19^th Century. Irish: Dr Ciaran Mac Murchaidh, St Patrick’s Drumcondra. Ulster Scots: Dr Ian Adamson

11:50am break

12:00 noon President of the William Carleton Society, Jack Johnston:

“Augher: from landlord, Sir Thomas Ridgeway to George Duffy, the Miller”

12:45pm lunch

2:15pm Josephine Treanor tells the story of her relative, mentioned by Carleton:

“Anne Duffy, the Miller’s daughter from Augher”

3:00pm Break

3:15pm Focus on modern Irish writing: Ciaran Collins (“The Gamal”) + Patricia Craig (“Twisted Root”) + Anthony Quinn (“Disappeared”) + Tony Bailie (“A Verse to Murder”)

4:15pm Tea/coffee break

4:30pm Seminar continues & discussion to close of session 6:00pm.

Wednesday 7th August

09:30am registration tea/coffee

10:00am Dealing with the past: Professor Jon Tonge (Liverpool)

Discussion: Alex Kane and Dr Margaret O’Callaghan (QUB), chair John Gray

11:45am Break

12:00pm Former politician and commentator Mary O’Rourke on how differences can be accommodated

1:00pm Lunch

2:30pm Poet Siobhan Campbell MA on writing about the past

3:30pm Tea/coffee Break

3:45pm Patrick Scully extracts from one man show on Edward Carson

4:30pm Writer & author Mary Kenny (Edward Carson: Dubliner, Unionist, Irishman)

6:00pm Close of summer school

Thursday 8th August

Coach tour in Co.Fermanagh by Frank McHugh & Gordon Brand with particular reference to Shan Bullock: “The Loughsiders”, based around Crom estate. Booking required: for more details contact Frank McHugh e: f.mchugh4@btinternet.com

Cost: £30 including meals

Evening Events: (supported by Shared History, Shared Future Project funded by South West Peace III partnership )

Monday 5^th August

Traditional Music session with female Irish traditional group Síoda &

singer Seosaimhin Ni Bheaglaoich, Rathmore Bar, Main St Clogher 8pm

Tuesday 6^th August

Walk on the Carleton Trail with the Clogher Valley Ramblers. 7:00pm

Bagpipers & traditional Music with the McKenna family (Clogher) at Somers Cafe, Fardross (off A4 road) 8:30pm Free admission

Wednesday 7^th August

Concert at Fivemiletown Wesleyan Hall 8pm

Murley Silver Band and Monaghan Gospel Choir: Special Guest Gloria Admission Free.

More information at: www.williamcarletonsociety.org

e: wcarletonsociety@gmail.com

Costs:-
Daily: £40/€47 including lunch and tea/coffee break;
concession £33/€35 (saving of €3)
Morning: £13/€15 or one session £7/€8 including tea/coffee;
concession £10/€12 or one session £4/€5
Afternoon: £16/€20 or one session £8/€10 including tea/coffee;
concession £12/€14 or one session £4/€5
Lunch £11/€13

Tour Thursday including meal: £30/€35
Season ticket 4 days £150/€175 or concession £130/€140 (saving of €10)

Accommodation:

Dinner, B&B Packages at Corick House Hotel, Clogher:

3B&B plus 2 Evening Meals@ £170pps (double/twin occupancy)

3B&B plus 2 Evening Meals @ £220 (single occupancy)

2B&B plus 2 Evening Meals @ £140pps (double occupancy)

2B&B plus 2 Evening Meals @ £180 (single occupancy)

Double Room Rates B& B only

1 night £55pps

2 nights £50pps

3 nights or more £45pps

Single Rate B&B only

1 night B&B £70

2 nights or more B&B £65 per night

Accommodation also available at Glenvar guest house, 111 Tullyvar Road, Aughnacloy BT69 6BL

GEEL GROUP DEPARTS

18/06/2013 by borderroamer

Geel group ready for departure from Tydavnet

Gift from Geel to Tydavnet: statue of St Dympna

They came here as part of The Gathering. A group of fourteen visitors from Geel led by Mayor Vera Celis has returned to Belgium following a five day stay in Tydavnet, County Monaghan, with which the town in Flanders is twinned. The common connection is St Dympna, whose story is reflected in both areas.

The well of St Dympna at Culdavnet has had access restored and the visitors went there to collect some of the water. The Mayor of Geel Vera Celis also planted a tree at the former national school at Cornagilta, which the local community hopes to open as a heritage centre.

The group also visited the mens’ shed project in Monaghan town and were given a tour of the new educational complex on the site of the former military barracks, as well as a tour of the new Garage Theatre. It was an interesting programme put together by the hard-working local committee of volunteers in Tydavnet, with the support of Monaghan County Council. On Sunday morning the visitors attended the 10am Mass at St Dympna’s church in Tydavnet and they were brought afterwards to the community centre for refreshments.

The visitors stayed with local families and in return, visitors from Tydavnet are hosted by local people when they travel to Geel. An invitation was made by Vera Celis and Councillor Nadine Laeremans for the Tydavnet group to travel to Geel in May 2015 when the next St Dympna pageant (“Omegang”) will take place, a celebration held every five years.

Before they departed, Mayor Vera Celis presented Marie McAree representing the Tydavnet group with a gift: a statue of St Dympna from Geel. A suitable place must now be found to display it, perhaps in the chapel.

Flag of Geel

G8 PROTEST ENNISKILLEN

17/06/2013 by borderroamer

IRSP protestors at G8 security cordon

So after all the hype about demonstrators converging on Enniskillen. the protest against the G8 summit taking place at the Lough Erne resort outside Enniskillen passed off without major incident. The crowd was nothing like the 3000 forecast, although up to 2000 (a conservative estimate on my part) had marched through the town centre before proceeding the two miles or so out to the steel barrier fence which had been erected to prevent unauthorised access to the summit. By then the numbers had dwindled to less than 1000.

Police lined the route of the G8 protest march

Anti-G8 Protestors: telling the leaders they are not welcome in Fermanagh

At the end of the rally at the police outer cordon, a small number of protesters briefly crossed the outer wire perimeter but were warned not to proceed any further by a string of riot police who had assembled beyond the hedge in the next field.

It probably did not disturb the G8 leaders from the United States (President Barack Obama), UK (Prime Minister David Cameron), France (President François Hollande), Germany (Chancellor Angela Merkel), Italy (Prime Minister Enrico Letta), Japan (Prime Minister Shinzō Abe), Russia (President Vladimir Putin) and Canada (Prime Minister Stephen Harper) are taking part in the summit and they were joined this afternoon by Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Chair of the Irish Presidency of the European Council, due to end shortly.

Groups protesting against fracking in Fermanagh and the border counties, tax evasion and world hunger took part in a mainly good-natured six-mile G8 Not Welcome march. Dozens of onlookers stood in shop fronts and at doors in the town centre as the demonstrators passed by. A number of republican groups took part including the IRSP, Éirígí and the Irish Republican Prisoners’ Welfare Association. This latter group paraded past the war memorial, where eleven people were killed in an IRA bomb in November 1987, carrying tricolours and shouting slogans including “Brits out, Brits out now”. The same happened as they walked past the courthouse on East Bridge Street. A complete contrast to the dignity shown when Enda Kenny laid a laurel wreath on Remembrance Sunday last year and former Irish soldiers including a colour party with the Irish flag from the ONE Tanagh branch in Co.Monaghan joined members of the Royal British Legion in a parade after a service at St Macartin’s Cathedral.

IRPWA protestors at Enniskillen courthouse: their placards called for release of Martin Corey and an end to “selective internment”

Trade unionists were among those who walked the three miles around the town and then out the Belleek road. I bumped into (literally!) Mary Cahillane from the Socialist Party. I walked for a time alongside my #NUJ colleagues from the Derry and North West branch, among them Anton McCabe (Secretary), Darach McDonald who has some great pictures on his Frontier Post blog and Eamonn McCann from Derry, who was one of the speakers at the rally. Dublin photographer Paula Geraghty was busy working on a video.

NUJ Derry & North West Branch taking part in protest

Richard Boyd Barrett TD addresses rally

Jimmy Kelly, UNITE

Other participants and speakers included the Unite union regional secretary Jimmy Kelly, People before Profit TD from Dún Laoghaire, Richard Boyd-Barrett, Socialist Party TD for Dublin West Joe Higgins and a local anti-fracking campaigner Claire Falconer, an artist.

eJoe Higins TD on the march

YORK RAILWAY MUSEUM

16/06/2013 by borderroamer

Mallard at NRM York

Saw Mallard at the National Railway Museum in York. A steam engine I remember from my youth, though its record-breaking run was in 1938. On 3rd July 1938, the A4 class locomotive designed by Sir Nigel Gresley raced down Stoke Bank at 126mph to set a new steam locomotive world speed record, which still stands. This year the Museum is marking the 75th anniversary of Mallard’s achievement with a series of commemorative events, including three special opportunities to see the record breaker united with its five surviving sister locomotives: a family reunion on an international scale. Only six of the 35 A4 locomotives built survive and two of them have been temporarily repatriated from their home museums in Canada and the US. At the moment, visitors can see the cosmetically restored Dwight D Eisenhower and Dominion of Canada alongside Mallard in the Great Hall at York.

The Museum does not charge for admission and its future is according to The Press in York under threat because of budget cutbacks in the Science Museum Group. Over the weekend, a rally was held at the Museum to keep it open. So please do what you can to support this important part of our industrial heritage, begun by George Stephenson and his “Rocket”. The Museum is currently in the process of restoring The Flying Scotsman and it is hoped to have it back on the rails hauling heritage steam trips in 2015.

RACING AT YORK

15/06/2013 by borderroamer

York Racecourse

I thought that when it came to partying, especially on a sporting occasion, that nothing could beat Dublin. I have seen them celebrating in Newcastle in the North East of England at weekends and felt they also knew how to enjoy themselves. But their near neighbours in Yorkshire must come top of the list, especially when there is racing on at York. This has been a thoroughly enjoyable day out. I saw three races and got as good a view of them as any of the punters in the large county stand did, from the rails just beyond the one furlong marker. This evening the centre of the historic city turned into one big fashion show. One tip for the ladies: high heels and cobbled stones do not mix, as some of them discovered!

Happy Punters at York

ULSTER & IRISH VOLUNTEERS

14/06/2013 by borderroamer

Quincey Dougan on the UVF

A very interesting night on Wednesday at Monaghan County Museum, where the CaDoLeMo group that promotes orange bands and culture in the border counties of Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim and Monaghan held a talk on the two rival sets of Volunteers that emerged in the early 1900s before partition. It was an appropriate setting as the museum is currently displaying the Walking the Colours exhibition, which I wrote about in April.

Monaghan UVF Flag

Quincey Dougan spoke about Monaghan unionists, in particular their contribution to the formation of the Ulster Volunteer Force. For a more detailed look at the subject, you can find his article on the subject here. One of the flags included in the exhibition comes from the 2nd Battalion of the UVF in Monaghan, which Quincey explained had its headquarters in Clones under the command of Lt Colonel Madden of Hilton Park outside the town. After the outbreak of World War I, Madden was replaced by a prominent solicitor Michael Knight, also Grandmaster of the County Orange.

According to Dougan, in August 1913 it was listed as having just 408 men, but within 12 months it had became bigger than the first battalion with 1058 men enlisted. The main drill areas were Drum, which included Scotshouse, Corrygarry, Drum and Carn; Clones including Clones, Stonebridge and Drumully, and Ballybay which included Laragh and Aughnamullen. Newbliss had a section, as did Dartrey in the form of Doohat and Dartrey. The Castleblayney and Carrickmacross area was not listed on the original returns and appears to have been slow to organise, but by early 1914 it also had men drilling. The Mullyash area of East Monaghan had a large unionist presence, but its natural hinterland was the South Armagh town of Newtownhamilton and it appears that the area drilled with County Armagh.

Professor Terence Dooley

The second part of the evening was devoted to the story of the Irish Volunteers in County Monaghan. The guest speaker was Professor Terence Dooley, NUI Maynooth, who comes from Killanny near Carrickmacross. It was fascinating to hear the story of three Monaghan nationalists who went on to become politicians, Thomas Toal of Smithborough, Edward “twister” Kelly and ? O’Rourke.

Story of Toal, O’Rourke & Kelly