Tag Archives: Monaghan

MONAGHAN DESIGNERS

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MONAGHAN DESIGNERS SHOWCASE THEIR WORK FOR BUYERS

Liz Christy & Louise Loughman at the RDS Photo: © Michael Fisher

Liz Christy & Louise Loughman at the RDS Photo: © Michael Fisher

Three County Monaghan designers hope their displays at an important trade exhibition in Dublin will bring them new business at home and abroad. Liz Christy brought some of her latest work from her studios at Annyalla near Castleblayney to Showcase 2015 at the RDS. She was joined in the main exhibition hall by her friend Louise Loughman. Making up the Monaghan trio was an up and coming international fashion designer from Broomfield, Natalie Foreman.

Liz Christy, Swallow Studios, at the RDS Photo: © Michael Fisher

Liz Christy, Swallow Studios, at the RDS Photo: © Michael Fisher

Textile designer Liz was launching a new luxury collection of silk and marino wool stoles and scarves for ladies and gents, hand-woven by her at Swallow studios. The designs are inspired by Monaghan heritage, including Carrickmacross and Clones lace, and the paintings of Irish artist Roderic O’Connor. She says her love of colour echoes what she sees around her each day in the drumlin countryside: fresh hues of springtime crocuses and bluebells, vibrant highlights in the summer landscape, rich shades of autumn and shimmering, water-filled winter scenes.

Liz is a former pupil of Ardscoil Lurgan in Castleblayney, where one of her teachers was Louise Loughman’s mother Patricia. She went to Galway to study textile design in the mid-1980s and Louise ended up sitting beside her in the same class. Both took the opportunity of doing a course to help start their own business. In 1987 Liz approached the owner of Cleo’s in Dublin’s Kildare Street, Kitty Joyce (who died last year). Her outlet was known as the home of Irish linen and tweed and soft couture knitwear. She became Liz’s first customer and subsequently acted as her mentor.

Liz moved to Annyalla and has worked there since 1996, opening up her studios with one loom in 2004. Now she has four hand looms installed. In 2008 she introduced a range of sheep-design fridge magnets which have been quite popular. In the past her creations have been sold in outlets such as Kilkenny Design, House of Ireland and GlenAran.

The RDS exhibition attracts buyers from all over Ireland from craft shops and other outlets. It also provides an opportunity to meet buyers from abroad. As she was speaking to the Northern Standard Liz had a visit from a Japanese buyer, one of the main markets for such garments. Since the first day she went into business her creations have been exported, with the USA being the main market.

Louise Loughman, Castleblayney, at the RDS Showcase Photo: © Michael Fisher

Louise Loughman, Castleblayney, at the RDS Showcase Photo: © Michael Fisher

Louise Loughman from Castleblayney was attending the Showcase for the third time with her own stall. In the past she teamed up with Liz, having been based at Swallow studios where she did weaving. Now she is running her own business. Her wallhangings are a combination of batik art and silk painting. The designs she uses are based on the Children of Lir and the Brendan voyage.

The third Monaghan representative was Natalie Foreman. For all of them this was an important opportunity for bringing in business and developing their plans for the future.

NATALIE B. COLEMAN

Natalie B. Coleman, Carrickmacross, at the RDS Showcase Photo: © Michael Fisher

Natalie B. Coleman, Carrickmacross, at the RDS Showcase Photo: © Michael Fisher

For the second week in a row, a talented young person educated in Carrickmacross was in the large hall at the Royal Dublin Society showing their creations to the wider world. Fashion designer Natalie B. Coleman (the ‘B’ stands for her late mother’s name, Bridie) was at the Showcase exhibition. The event was intended to celebrate and promote Irish designers and more than 460 took part.

Talking to the Northern Standard, Natalie said she makes clothes that are delicate, romantic, cool and feature lots of print. They are also driven by a narrative. She pointed out to me some of her creations that are hand illustrated and printed on silk organza, with designs based around Enid Blyton’s The Enchanted Wood.

Her work has already been shown abroad, with most of her business done in Paris during fashion week. Berlin, Copenhagen and Amsterdam have also witnessed her designs. Natalie has been to New York and in June will be in Los Angeles. She goes back to Paris in March and will be in Shanghai in China the following month. So this former pupil at St Louis Secondary school in Carrickmacross has enjoyed international acclaim.

After doing her Leaving Certificate Natalie went to the Limerick School of Art and Design. She did her MA at Central St Martin’s University of the Arts in London. She set up her business in a studio in a garage at her family home in Corleygorm, Broomfield and in 2011 established her own womenswear label. She designs wedding dresses by commission. Her father Francie Coleman is well-known in the Donaghmoyne area for training the Ladies GAA Football team.

In 2012 Natalie was awarded the Golden Egg Innovation Award for Designer of The Year. She was recognized as the National Designer of the Year 2012 by Image Magazine at KFW and also received the Future Maker Award from the Crafts Council of Ireland. Her label has been featured extensively in magazines and periodicals both nationally and internationally. Natalie has dressed Irish stars such as Kathyrn Thomas, Sharon Corr, Charlene McKenna and Laura Whitmore as well as many others.

 

MONAGHAN SUNSET

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Monaghan Sunset Photo: © Evelyn Fisher

                                                                Monaghan Sunset Photo: © Evelyn Fisher

Travelling back from Dublin to Monaghan late on Saturday afternoon, there was a most colourful sunset. I was driving along the N2 past the GAA county training ground at Cloghan near Castleblayney so I could not stop to capture the beautiful colours on camera.

Monaghan Sunset Photo: © Evelyn Fisher

                                                        Monaghan Sunset Photo: © Evelyn Fisher

The leafless tress were black shapes silhouetted against an orange background. A great scene for any landscape artist. Luckily my wife who was also driving to Monaghan had stopped her car and taken out her camera.

Monaghan Sunset Photo: © Evelyn Fisher

                                                            Monaghan Sunset Photo: © Evelyn Fisher

She managed to get these photos of the countryside close to Tydavnet. All photos © copyright Evelyn Fisher.

Monaghan Sunset Photo: © Evelyn Fisher

                                                             Monaghan Sunset Photo: © Evelyn Fisher

MONAGHAN ON SONG AT PROMS

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My report from the RDS Arena in Dublin on Sunday. Northern Standard Thursday 5th February 2015.

MONAGHAN IN SONG AT PEACE PROMS 2015

Knockconan NS, Emyvale Photo: © Michael Fisher

Knockconan NS, Emyvale Photo: © Michael Fisher

Eight national schools and five young musicians from County Monaghan contributed to a great spectacle of music and song at the Arena of the Royal Dublin Society at the weekend. On Saturday evening,  the Model School from Monaghan town took part in the Peace Proms 2015. On Sunday afternoon, seven Monaghan schools helped to form the large choir of schoolchildren performing at the same event along with the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland.

St Dympna's NS, Tydavnet Photo: © Michael Fisher

St Dympna’s NS, Tydavnet Photo: © Michael Fisher

It was a major operation to get a total of 180 schools from different parts of the country distributed over four performances in the course of two days, usually with the same arrangement of songs and music on each occasion. The seven schools I met all had to leave Monaghan early on Sunday morning, in order to arrive at the RDS at 11.30am in time for a rehearsal. The massed choir and musicians practised together for nearly an hour and were then given a break for lunch. But half an hour before the 2pm performance they had to be ready to go back to take their seats on the stage.

St Joseph's Boys NS Carrickmacross with Principal Paul Fitzpatrick Photo: © Michael Fisher

St Joseph’s Boys NS Carrickmacross with Principal Paul Fitzpatrick Photo: © Michael Fisher

Carrickmacross was represented by Bunscoil Lughaidh Naofa,  Cloughvalley, and St Joseph’s Boys’ National School,  Farney Street.  There were pupils and their teachers from Knockconan National School, Emyvale, and St Dympna’s National School, Tydavnet. There were also representatives from St. Louis Girls’ National School,  Park Road in Monaghan town; Scoil Mhuire,  Moys,   Clontibret  and also Scoil Mhuire National School, Latton, Castleblayney.  

The first half of the concert included favourites such as “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “Climb Every Mountain”. In the second half the large audience was serenaded with “Ireland’s Call” and “Let There Be Peace on Earth” and several other popular songs.  

Bunscoil Lughaidh Naofa Carrickmacross with Principal Maeve Callan Photo: © Michael Fisher

Bunscoil Lughaidh Naofa Carrickmacross with Principal Maeve Callan Photo: © Michael Fisher

The Peace Proms is a choral education project for Primary Schools devised and delivered by the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland.  Over 15,000 children from 300 schools participate in Peace Proms annually. It is not a “classical orchestra”. Their music  highlights the pop, folk and traditional cultures of the island of Ireland. They use all the instruments of a full symphony orchestra but include traditional instruments.

The five Monaghan members of the orchestra include two sets of siblings. Laura Rahill who plays the cello attends the St Louis Secondary School in Carrickmacross. Her brother Donal, a student at the Patrician High School, plays the violin. Tara Nic Giolla Seanáin from Clontibret is a harpist and attends Coláiste Oiriall in Monaghan, where she is in third year. Her younger sister Rossa is in first year and plays the violin in the orchestra. Their mother Eleanor Gilsenan, a teacher in Threemilehouse, is a member of the CBOI Parents’ Association. The fifth person from the county in the orchestra is another pupil from St Louis Secondary, Carrickmacross. Laura McKenna plays the flute. 

Scoil Naomh Mhuire, Moys, Clontibret Photo: © Michael Fisher

Scoil Naomh Mhuire, Moys, Clontibret Photo: © Michael Fisher


Many of the CBOI’s commissions have been written by Brian Byrne who is recognised as one of Ireland leading contemporary composers and arrangers. The Belfast Peace Proms with schools from Northern Ireland are being held next Sunday 8th February at the Odyssey Arena. A similar event will also be staged in Limerick at the end of the month. 

Scoil Mhuire NS, Latton, Castleblayney Photo: © Michael Fisher

Scoil Mhuire NS, Latton, Castleblayney Photo: © Michael Fisher


The Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland which runs the Proms was established in 1995 as a peace initiative and is now composed of 120 young people from all over Ireland – north and south. It encourages diversity through music and community. It is internationally recognised as one of Ireland’s flagship peace initiatives. The Orchestra is led  by some of Ireland’s top professional musicians including: conductor, Gearóid Grant, violinist, Patricia Treacy and tenor, Emmet Cahill.

St Louis Girls' NS, Monaghan Photo: © Michael Fisher

St Louis Girls’ NS, Monaghan Photo: © Michael Fisher

This poem by 12 year-old Eimear Treanor, a pupil at Knockconan National School, from Faulkland, Glaslough, was awarded first prize in the Peace Proms 2015 poetry competition. Her parents received complimentary tickets for the concert at the R.D.S. Arena, in which Eimear participated.

PEACE  by Eimear Treanor:

Knockconan N.S., Emyvale, Co. Monaghan

For there to be peace in the world

There must be peace in the continents

For there to be peace in the continents

There must be peace in the country

For there to be peace in the country

There must be peace in the province

For there to be peace in the province

There must be peace in the county

For there to be peace in the county

There must be peace in the town

For there to be peace in the town

There must be peace in the village

For there to be peace in the village

There must be peace in the home

For there to be peace in the home

There must be peace in the heart. wpid-dsc_10202.jpg.jpeg

All but three are my photos. The one on the top right of the Model School Monaghan is copyright Rory Geary/Northern Standard. The top one is copyright Anamaria Meiu/Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland. Knockconan NS supplied the picture of Eimear Treanor.

NEW PRESBYTERIAN MODERATOR

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Presbyterian Moderator-Elect, Reverend Ian McNie, Ballymoney Photo: Presbyterian Church website

Presbyterian Moderator-Designate, Reverend Ian McNie, Ballymoney Photo: Presbyterian Church website

A conservative evangelical Minister whose son is in charge of two churches in North Monaghan has been elected as the next Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. He is the Reverend Ian McNie, Minister of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Ballymoney, County Antrim.

The 64-year-old was nominated by twelve presbyteries including Monaghan out of the nineteen that met this evening (Tuesday) across Ireland to select a successor to the current Moderator, Reverend Michael Barry. Known as the Moderator-Designate, Mr McNie will officially take up office as Moderator at the start of the Church’s General Assembly on Monday 1st June.

Speaking about his nomination, Mr McNie said, “I am greatly humbled that so many of my colleagues in the ministry, and many ruling elders, within the various presbyteries have felt they could entrust me with this important responsibility within the Church.

Throughout my ministry I have sought to preach the Gospel with clarity and conviction, in such a way that people will be moved by the God’s Spirit to make a positive response to become Christians.

With God’s help and the prayer support of the Church, I would trust that during my year in office, lives would be impacted with the Gospel”, Mr McNie said.

The four nominees in this year’s annual vote were the Reverend Robert Bell, Minister of Ballyclare Presbyterian Church; Reverend Liz Hughes, Minister of Whitehouse Presbyterian Church, Newtownabbey; Reverend Ian McNie, Minister of Trinity Presbyterian Church, Ballymoney and Reverend Frank Sellar, Minister of Bloomfield Presbyterian Church in East Belfast.

Voting for each nominee was as follows:
• Rev. Ian McNie: 12 Votes – Armagh, Ballymena, Coleraine and Limavady, Down, Dromore, Iveagh, Monaghan, Newry, Route, Templepatrick, Tyrone, Omagh
• Rev. Liz Hughes: 4 votes – Ards, North Belfast, South Belfast, Derry and Donegal
• Rev. Frank Sellar: 2 votes: East Belfast, Dublin and Munster
• Rev. Robert Bell: 1 vote – Carrickfergus.

Ian McNie will be the 176th Moderator since the election of the Very Rev. Dr. Samuel Hanna in 1840. Describing himself as a ‘conservative evangelical’, he also sees his ministry substantially as a parish ministry, confining himself to work within the congregation and district.

“As a conservative evangelical, I recognise that we are living in the 21st Century and therefore seek to steer the congregation in such a way that we do not cling to the traditions of the past, but seek to be relevant today. At the same time, I also recognise that the truth of the Gospel has not changed and we should not allow society to pressure us into departing from the core values of the Scriptures.”

The ministry of the County Antrim congregation is wide reaching with a daily community playgroup, weekly mums and toddlers group, senior citizens bowling afternoon and a group for adults with special needs. The Church also works with a range of local youth organisations, conducts weekly services in various care homes and sends teams to Malawi to support the work of missionaries in the south-eastern African nation.

Born in 1950, he is married to Anne and has two sons, one of whom, Stephen, is the Minister of Ballyalbany and Glennan Presbyterian Churches in County Monaghan. Mr McNie was brought up in Antrim and attended First Antrim Presbyterian Church, becoming a Christian at the age of 13. Having attended Belfast Royal Academy, he went on to Queen’s University, Belfast graduating with a Bachelor of Divinity.

As a teenager Mr McNie wanted to become a teacher, but felt God’s call to the ministry, a step he says he has never regretted. Having attended Union Theological College, he was ordained as Assistant Minister at Alexandra Presbyterian Church, Belfast in 1978 before being installed in 1980 at Kilkeel Presbyterian Church in County Down. He became Minister at Trinity in 1991.

As well as family life – he will become a grandfather for the first time later this month – Mr McNie enjoys running and walking and takes an interest in the projects his church supports in Malawi, having visited the country on many occasions.

Reflecting on the General Assembly’s theme for 2015 ‘A caring fellowship’ Mr McNie said: “Throughout my ministry I have sought to preach the Gospel in such a way that people will be moved by the Spirit to make a positive response to become disciples of Jesus Christ. The Church today is God’s answer to both the fundamental needs of the individual and society. We need to look beyond ourselves and re-examine the ways in which we include those who are often considered outsiders and become enriched by them.”

“During my year of office I would hope to be given the opportunity to present the Gospel in many different situations, both within the church and community, to learn from the experiences of others and to encourage congregations to be proactive in their presentation of the Word of God. I would also look forward to the opportunity to encourage ministers and their families, particularly those who have just started their ministry”, he said.

MONAGHAN AT PEACE PROMS 2015

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Peace Proms 2015 at RDS Photo: © Michael Fisher

Peace Proms 2015 at RDS Photo: © Michael Fisher

It has been a great weekend of music and song at the Royal Dublin Society’s Simonscourt Hall in Ballsbridge in Dublin. This afternoon seven national schools from County Monaghan helped to form the large choir of schoolchildren performing at the Peace Proms 2015 along with the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland. Last night (Saturday) the Model school from Monaghan town took part. This afternoon I met all seven schools from County Monaghan, who arrived at the complex at 11:30am for a rehearsal.

Peace Proms 2015 at RDS Photo: © Michael Fisher

Peace Proms 2015 at RDS Photo: © Michael Fisher

Two schools came from Carrickmacross, Bunscoil Lughaidh Naofa,  Cloughvalley, and St Joseph’s National School,  Farney Street. I also met pupils and their teachers from Knockconan National School, Emyvale, and my neighbours from  St Dympna’s National School, Tydavnet. There were also representatives from St. Louis Girls’ National School,  Park Road in Monaghan town; Scoil Mhuire,  Moys,   Clontibret  and finally Scoil Mhuire National School, Latton, Castleblayney.

Peace Proms 2015 at RDS Photo: © Michael Fisher

Peace Proms 2015 at RDS Photo: © Michael Fisher

The Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland (CBOI) was established in 1995 as a peace initiative and is now composed of 120 young people from all over Ireland – north and south. It encourages diversity through music and community. The CBOI is internationally recognised as one of Ireland’s flagship peace initiatives and has become one of the most acclaimed youth orchestras that Ireland has ever produced. The Orchestra is led  by some of Ireland’s top professional musicians including: Conductor, Gearóid Grant; Violinist, Patricia Treacy; Tenor, Emmanuel Lawler; and Uilleann Piper, Patrick Martin. The CBOI undertakes a National Spring Tour annually performing at: 

  • The Waterfront Hall, Belfast / the Ulster Hall, Belfast
  • The Kingfisher Hall, NUI, Galway / Leisureland, Galway
  • City Hall, Cork
  • The Hub, Kilkenny
  • City West, Dublin / the National Concert Hall, Dublin / the Helix, DCU, Dublin
  • Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Donegal
  • The Opera House, Derry
  • The INEC Killarney, Kerry
  • Limerick University
  • Dundalk Institute of Technology

The Orchestra has performed for:

  •  President McAleese at Áras an Uachtaráin
  •  Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle (Ensemble performance)
  • Many special international Ministerial gatherings at Slane Castle and Dublin Castle.
    Numerous national commemorations including:
  •  The Battle of the Boyne
  • 10th Anniversary of the Belfast Agreement
  • 30th Anniversary of the twinning of Listowel and Downpatrick
  • 400th Anniversary of the Flight of the Earls in Rome.

International tours and showcase of the best of Ireland:

  • ROYAL ALBERT HALL LONDON –  The CBOI performed to a capacity crowd at the Royal Albert Hall London in 2012 and is only the 3rd Irish orchestra in our history to have performed there.
  • WORLD EXPO SHANGHAI – The CBOI represented  Ireland, the UK and Europe at the historic World EXPO in Shanghai in 2010 where they received an award for the most “Outstanding International Performance”.
  • CARNEGIE HALL NEW YORK  – The CBOI has toured to the United States many times selling out prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, New York, Chicago Symphony Hall, and Boston Symphony Hall. The CBOI as also sold out concerts in eight cities throughout California including San Fransisco and Los Angeles
  • EUROPE – The CBOI has performed in many European countries such as Italy, England, Czech Republic and Finland.

    Peace Proms 2015 at RDS Photo: © Michael Fisher

    Peace Proms 2015 at RDS Photo: © Michael Fisher

 The CBOI plays a vital role in enhancing Music and Arts education in Ireland thourgh “Peace Proms”. Peace Proms is a choral education project for Primary Schools devised and delivered by the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland.  Over 15,000 children from 300 schools participate in Peace Proms annually. It is not a “classical orchestra”. Their music  highlights the pop, folk and traditional cultures of the island of Ireland. They use all the instruments of a full symphony orchestra but include traditional instruments for example Lambeg Drums, Uilleann Pipes and Highland Pipes.  Many of the CBOI’s commissions have been written by Brian Byrne who is recognised as one of Ireland leading contemporary composers and arrangers. Based in Los Angeles, Brian is an IFTA winner and OSCAR nominee.

Peace Proms 2015 Commemorative Brochure

Peace Proms 2015 Commemorative Brochure

Over the past 18 years, the CBOI has played an important role in building and nurturing vital cross border and cross community relations. We are delighted to have recently established a link with the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Northern Ireland Branch and look forward to showcasing our combined cultural talents and working with them for a better future.
Belfast Odyssey Arena Sunday 8th February  3pm Belfast Peace Proms
Limerick  Saturday 28th February

PATRICK KAVANAGH CENTRE

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Art Agnew, Rosaleen Kearney and Patsy McKenna at the Patrick Kavanagh Centre, Inniskeen Photo: © Michael Fisher

Art Agnew, Rosaleen Kearney and Patsy McKenna at the Patrick Kavanagh Centre, Inniskeen Photo: © Michael Fisher

BUSY YEAR FOR KAVANAGH CENTRE

Art Agnew has taken on the mantle of Patrick Kavanagh. The former English teacher who was Principal of the St Louis school in Carrickmacross until 2005 is one of a team of volunteers behind the Kavanagh Centre in the former Catholic chapel in Inniskeen. It was officially opened by President Robinson in June 1994. Twenty years later President Higgins visited the building for the Kavanagh weekend in September 2014. He said the poet brought the Ireland of his and our times, with both its beauty and its savagery, into our consciousness. Now Art is hoping some of the initiatives they have taken as a committee will bring tangible results to boost this area of South Monaghan.

Patsy McKenna, Rosaleen Kearney and Art Agnew at Patrick Kavanagh's grave, Inniskeen Photo: © Michael Fisher

Patsy McKenna, Rosaleen Kearney and Art Agnew at Patrick Kavanagh’s grave, Inniskeen Photo: © Michael Fisher

An annual poetry award for secondary school students in the border area first presented in 1984 is to be expanded and will now be open to secondary school students throughout the island of Ireland. It is being sponsored by Cavan Monaghan Education and Training Board. Noel Monahan will be one of the adjudicators. Art explained that in the past, if a student or school from Dublin or Waterford had submitted an entry, then it would have to be sent back, albeit very reluctantly. Now they are hoping they will receive entries from throughout the Republic and Northern Ireland.

Billy Brennan's Barn: Inniskeen Road, July evening 2013 Photo: © Michael Fisher

Billy Brennan’s Barn: Inniskeen Road, July evening 2013   Photo: © Michael Fisher

Towards the end of last year, the Patrick Kavanagh Centre team were among the first to show an interest when ‘Billy Brennan’s Barn’ at Drumnanaliv near Inniskeen that featured in one of Kavanagh’s poems was put up for sale through a local auctioneer. The barn was used for unofficial dances in the 1930s and 1940s. The poem ‘Inniskeen Road: July evening’ is well-known among generations of Leaving Certificate students as it featured in the Irish curriculum since the early 1970s. Art is very hopeful that some form of state funding can be obtained to preserve this building. But one of his main concerns is the future of the visitor centre.

"The bicycles go by in twos and threes..." Photo: © Michael Fisher

“The bicycles go by in twos and threes…” Photo: © Michael Fisher

Talking to him and administrator Rosaleen Kearney in the small office at the centre, it is clear that 2015 will be an important year for their plans. First, they are hoping to reconfigure the layout of the building in order to display its contents in a more exciting way for visitors. But it will be necessary to make this old church dating to 1820 watertight. A conservation expert has just completed a survey of the building. He has found that the existing physical environment is not suitable at present in order to house the material in the exhibition. So capital investment is needed to make the display secure and safe. The accommodation for staff and visitors also needs to be improved, according to the report.

In the past the centre received support from the International Fund for Ireland and is hoping that other sources of support can now be found. The committee would like to see the material they have stored made available in a library for postgraduate students in particular. They are hoping to establish a lecture space and audiovisual area. If their plans succeed, they hope it will give a boost to tourism in South Monaghan.

Billy Brennan's Barn: Inniskeen Road, July evening 2013 Photo: © Michael Fisher

Billy Brennan’s Barn: Inniskeen Road, July evening 2013 Photo: © Michael Fisher

For the past two years with the support of Carol Lambe of Monaghan County Council, an Inniskeen Road, July Evening festival has taken place, with visitors encouraged to tour the sites associated with Kavanagh on High Nellie bicycles. So thanks to Art Agnew, Rosaleen Kearney and an active committee, a lot is being done to keep the memory of Kavanagh alive.

 

COLUMBA MCVEIGH

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Columba McVeigh Photo: Irish Times

Columba McVeigh Photo: Irish Times

The Bishop of Clogher Dr Liam MacDaid at a special Mass  last night in North Monaghan appealed “in the name of humanity” to anyone with information about where one of the so-called disappeared, Columba McVeigh, is buried to bring it forward to the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR).

At the Mass in Carrickroe, near Emyvale, Dr MacDaid urged anyone who might have even a small shred of evidence about where Mr McVeigh was secretly buried to come forward to the Commission and help end the burden the McVeigh family had carried for forty years. Prayers were also said and a candle was lit for Kieran McAree, the Emyvale man who is believed to have gone into the water in Lough Erne in Enniskillen and for whom the search has continued for five weeks.

The Sacred Heart church is a few miles from Bragan mountain, where Mr McVeigh is believed to have been buried after being abducted and murdered by the IRA in November 1975. Four searches, the most recent in September 2013, have been carried out in the bogland since 1999, but Mr McVeigh’s remains have yet to be found. The Commission is hoping former IRA members directly or indirectly involved in the incident would come forward with more specific information to assist in the search.

Family members of the disappeared point to how after an appeal by the Catholic Bishop of Meath, Dr Michael Smith, in September 2013, new information was passed to the Commission. Last October the remains of another of the disappeared, Brendan Megraw, were recovered from Oristown bog in County Meath.

“In the name of humanity and of this community, I would entreat anyone with any information to search their conscience and help bring an end to this suffering,” Bishop MacDaid told the congregation, who included Columba’s brother Oliver and sister Dympna Kerr, as well as other families of the disappeared. Dympna lives at St Helen’s near Liverpool in England and flew over yesterday afternoon to attend.

Frank Murray Photo: ICLVR

Frank Murray Photo: ICLVR

One of the two Commissioners, Frank Murray, a former Secretary to the Irish government, attended the Mass along with forensic expert Geoff Knupfer, who has led some of the searches carried out by the Commission. Before the service, Mr Murray addressed the congregation. He stressed the independence and confidentiality offered by his office and said anyone who gave information to him was immune from prosecution.

“For almost four decades the McVeigh family have had to bear the pain of the loss of Columba, a pain deepened almost beyond imagination by the fact that they have no grave to tend, no place to grieve,” Bishop MacDaid said.

Oliver McVeigh from Donaghmore in County Tyrone also appealed for anyone with information to bring it forward. “The ICLVR needs more information to narrow down the search area to find Columba, just as they were able to do at Oristown and find Brendan Megraw,” he added. “How can anyone with a shred of humanity about them leave us like this after forty years knowing that they could end our suffering?”

The Chief Executive of the WAVE Trauma Centre in Belfast, Sandra Peake, said the families of the disappeared appreciated the prayers and support of Bishop MacDaid and the wider local community. They will not rest until Columba and all those who have yet to be recovered are returned to their families to bring an end to this cruel torment, she said.

The remains of 11 of the 17 Disappeared have been recovered, including those of Jean McConville from Belfast, whose son Michael attended the Mass along with his wife and daughter. I interviewed Michael at various times as the search was going on for her remains, which were recovered eleven years ago, though it seems a lot less.

The six yet to be recovered are Columba McVeigh; Joe Lynskey, who went missing from Belfast in 1972; Captain Robert Nairac, a British Army officer believed to have been shot dead close to the border in the Louth/South Armagh area in 1977; Kevin McKee and Seamus Wright, who disappeared in 1972 and are believed buried in a bog at Coghalstown, near Wilkinstown in County Meath; and Seamus Ruddy. He was killed in France by the INLA in 1985 during an internal feud and is believed to be buried in a forest near Rouen.

Dympna Kerr and her brother, Oliver McVeigh at the Mass in Carrickroe Photo: © Michael Fisher

Dympna Kerr and her brother, Oliver McVeigh, at the Mass in Carrickroe Photo: © Michael Fisher

TIP FOR THE TOP: KATE BEAGAN

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Kate Beagan in her studio Photo: facebook

Kate Beagan in her studio Photo: facebook

LOCAL ARTIST TIPPED FOR ART BUYERS
Michael Fisher

At her studio beside her house in Donaghmoyne overlooking the fairways of the Manaan Castle golf course, artist Kate Beagan is busy preparing to exhibit her work in London and Dublin in the coming months. She concentrates on painting contemporary landscapes, inspired by scenes close to where she lives. Old houses and fields provide the inspiration for much of her work. As she spoke to me, she was working on a large canvas.
This type of oil painting takes a couple of weeks to complete. Some have been sold privately such as a Carrickmacross street scene. Others have been sold to clients in the public sector such as the Office of Public Works, which bought eight of her paintings, and the business sector including a bank. Kate’s family home where she grew up was close by and she went to the St Louis Convent in Carrickmacross. She went to art college in Galway but did not finish her degree. She emigrated to Australia, where she spent ten years before returning to Ireland. Kate is married to Kevin and they have two daughters in their early 20s and a son aged 17. Twelve of her paintings will be displayed at the affordable art fair in Battersea Park in London in March and will also be shown in Hampstead in June.

Carrickmacross painting Photo: © Kate Beagan

Carrickmacross painting Photo: © Kate Beagan

Her other main project is preparing for a solo exhibition in April at the Doorway Gallery in Dublin, with the theme ‘I came upon a place’. Another exhibition is due  to be held in Mullingar in September. In the past her works have been displayed in Amsterdam, Brussels, New York, Newcastle on Tyne and London. But she believes Monaghan as a county could give more support to the visual arts, as literature and theatre seem to get more attention. She is hoping to set up a visual arts festival with workshops during the weekend of the Patrick Byrne festival in Carrick at the end of March. Kate has also produced some work for charity. She is one of two County Monaghan artists contributing to the ‘Pig Parade’ next month in aid of the Jack and Jill foundation, but that work is still under wraps at the moment. She is also contributing work for a Paolo Tullio cookbook that will be sold to raise funds for schools in Nepal. In 2007 she illustrated the book ‘Monaghan: County of the Little Hills’, authored by Brian Deery. It seems her star is very much in the ascendant as she is due to be included in an art buyers’ catalogue as one of four or five Irish artists tipped by the auction houses to invest in. So Kate is hoping that 2015 will prove to be a good year.

Carrickmacross News, Northern Standard 14/01/15

Carrickmacross News, Northern Standard 14/01/15

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CARRICKMACROSS NEWS

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P1180715 (800x141)My job for the next few months is to represent the Northern Standard as Carrickmacross correspondent in South Monaghan while the staff journalist is on maternity leave (congratulations Veronica on the new arrival!). I enclose the first two pages of Carrickmacross news from last Thursday’s edition (January 8th 2015). Pictures are by Pat Byrne. P1180705

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If you have a story from the area you can contact me at standardcarricknews@yahoo.ie or telephone (042) 9663890 on a Monday/Tuesday or contact the Monaghan office on a Wednesday (047) 82188.  P1180710 (777x800)

JB THE FUNDRAISER FROM KILLANNY

John Byrne, Killanny Photo: © Michael Fisher

John Byrne, Killanny Photo: © Michael Fisher

Around the parish of Killanny and further afield everyone knows him simply as ‘JB’. John Byrne from Lannatt is a former mechanic who used to repair and sell cars. Once it was easy work for him to lift an engine out of a car. But a heart attack thirteen years ago which he was lucky to survive meant he would have difficulty for a time lifting small objects such as a can of peas. He is now doing everything he can to ensure that potentially life-saving equipment is readily available at strategic points throughout the parish such as the parochial hall and a local restaurant.
Chatting to him at his house he told me how he had once been an active sportsman. He played football for Killanny GAA Club and also represented the county mainly at under-21 and minor level. He captained the Killanny side that won the double (championship and league) in 1979 earning them promotion from junior to intermediate and eventually senior level. He went on to become chairman and also manager of the club. But in February 2002 at a time when his work was becoming more and more pressurized he had a heart attack. He was taken to hospital in Dundalk and transferred to Dublin for treatment. Three months later he knew he was beginning to recover when he was able to walk from his house along the laneway that leads to the main road. But it would take nearly two years before he could resume work. His wife Noeleen and daughter Aoife (a keen footballer) were then able to help him in his next project. During his rehabilitation in Dundalk hospital JB noticed there was a need for equipment in a small gym that had been established there. So he helped to raise IR£4500 by asking a number of friends to do a bunjee jump at a parish sports day. Then in 2007 a stroll near the River Glyde inspired him to do a river walk, not alongside but in the water itself. Dressed as James Bond and wearing a dry suit over his tuxedo and bow tie, he managed to walk two miles in the river, ending up by killing off a crocodile-like figure that had been put in the water to introduce a bit of drama. His friends at the Riverbank pub provided sustenance after he successfully completed his task. The money raised was enough to provide six defribrillators which were installed at the GAA pitch and other public areas around the parish. They are kept inside specially marked boxes and cost around IR£3000 each. Now the emphasis is on training people in how to use them. JB’s target is to get two people in every household in Killanny  (population around 1200) trained in the use of these devices. The youngest person trained so far is 15 and the oldest 85. As the man himself put it: ‘the fun part was the fundraising, the work is only starting now’.

CLONTIBRET ‘INVASION’

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ClontibretIt was hardly an ‘invasion’ in the true military sense. Nothing like the 200,00 Allied forces that invaded Iraq in 2003 or the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 or of Poland in 1939. Yet Peter Robinson’s nocturnal excursion along with a group of 150 loyalists across the border into the quiet County Monaghan village of Clontibret on August 7 1986 was dubbed an ‘invasion’ by some sections of the media.

It was more like a sortie, a raid, an incursion or an infiltration. His intention was to show what he believed were the gaps in cross-border security, following the signing of the Anglo-Irish agreement in 1985. Yet it was the RUC who tipped off the Gardaí about his plans, according to Stormont papers recently released by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

Historian Éamon Phoenix who has researched them says that a note from a Northern Ireland Office official from the Political Affairs Division to the British Ambassador to Dublin refers to about 150 loyalists, “some wearing paramilitary uniforms and carrying cudgels” entering Clontibret.

They daubed the slogan “Ulster is Awakening” on a Garda station and from what I myself remember of the day in question, on some walls including that of a Church of Ireland school. The crowd also injured two Gardaí.

The BBC reports that the note said: “The RUC’s action in tipping off the Gardai during the night of 6-7 August about the incursion by Peter Robinson and his loyalist thugs was also warmly appreciated in Dublin, according to Michael Lillis [of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs].”

The NIO official who wrote the note told the ambassador: “We have done our little bit here by holding Irish hands in the [Anglo-Irish] Secretariat and feeding them with material for their hourly reports to their ministers during periods of particular tension.” The report notes that the crowd dispersed when gardai fired shots into the air.

“Robinson, who appears to have lingered behind deliberately, was arrested and held in custody for 32 hours (during which he refused all sustenance provided by the gardai, preferring the wholesome Ulster food brought to him by his wife) before being charged with four offences, including assaulting gardai and causing wilful damage.”

Although Mr Robinson was already in Ulster, this reference is to the breakfast brought to him by his wife Iris during his detention at Monaghan Garda station.

The official noted that Mr Robinson (who first appeared in court in Ballybay) was granted bail to appear in court in Dundalk on 14 August.

Other loyalist shows of strength planned to take place on the same night as Clontibret were limited by RUC activity to Swatragh in County Derry where a group of masked men, some carrying firearms, marched through the nationalist village, causing some damage to property. Both incidents were condemned by the British and Irish governments. For its part, the DUP hailed the operation “as a clear indication of the absence of cross-border security”.

A separate file reveals that Peter Robinson and his party leader, Ian Paisley, felt they “narrowly escaped with their lives” and made a formal protest to the British Foreign Office about inadequate protection, following a court appearance in Dundalk over the Clontibret incident.

Peter Robinson later took over from Ian Paisley as DUP leader and First Minister of Northern Ireland.