“The Maid of the Melvin Shore” and other True
Stories
The Maid of the Melvin Side was a local love song, once well known along
the Moy which is a flat plain leading from Ballyshannon and Bundoran towards
the Leitrim Mountains. Indeed the name Moy is retained in the parish name Mágh
Éne which is the parish of Bundoran and some parts of Ballyshannon on the south
side of the river Erne. Lough Melvin is in County Leitrim and is a famous
fishing lake particularly for the ‘Gilaroo’ trout.
There once resided on the Moy a well-to-do
farmer who gave an annual big night for all those who assisted in bringing in
the harvest. There was only one stipulation that every guest had to sing a
Fenian song and there were to be no love songs. This rule was kept until one
year a singer started to sing “The Maid of the Melvin Side” to the
consternation of the host. “Damn you and your love songs” he cried, and he
reached for his fowling-piece on the wall. The singer made a hasty exit from
the house followed by a gun-shot which took away part of the lintel above the
door. Needless to say there were no more love songs featured at this harvest
gathering from then onwards. (Anyone today got the words of “The
Maid of the Melvin Shore”?)
The Runaway Fair was at one time the name given to the fair in
Kinlough on the 6th of January. The January fair in Kinlough was
considered a good time for romance because of the number of young people who
took advantage of the fair to elope. Kinlough is in County Leitrim at the head of
Lough Melvin.
Taken by the Fairies: One
night long ago a man called Gallagher was out walking accompanied by another
man when suddenly they came across a fort. On entering it Gallagher noticed a
little fairy standing at the side of it. He went to tell the other man, when
suddenly he was brought away wandering through the countryside and did not return
home until the next morning. The man is said to have walked on a stray sod and
everybody who does so, is set astray by the fairies. Stray sods are said to
exist still in Ireland in certain parts of the country. This story was recorded
about 80 years ago in Ardfarna near Bundoran. Taken by the fairies is a very, very common tale recorded in our
folklore.
Even the local poet William Allingham in his
famous poem called “The Fairies” tells of a little girl taken by the fairies.
They stole
little Bridget
For seven
years long;
When she
came down again
Her
friends were all gone.
They took
her lightly back,
Between
the night and morrow
They
thought that she was fast asleep,
But she
was dead with sorrow.
They have
kept her ever since
Deep
within the lake,
On a bed
of flag-leaves,
Watching
till she wake.
Ring forts are still
common today throughout our countryside and were originally peoples’ dwellings.
Indeed the townland of Rathmore (the big rath or ring fort) is located close to
the town and has a fine rath or ring fort which gives its name to the townland.
Even in our modern 21st century people are very reluctant to
interfere with these forts. So who doesn’t believe in fairies?
Two Fishermen Jailed
for Fishing: In
1892 two local men, John Gillespie, painter and decorator, College Street and
Michael Gallagher, tailor, served a term of imprisonment in Sligo gaol for
fishing for trout in the Erne without a permit. They considered that they had a
right to fish, declined to ask for a permit, were prosecuted, declined to pay a
fine, and went to gaol as a protest. Michael Gallagher later emigrated to the
United States of America.
In 2013 we recall the fight by the Kildoney
Fishermen, eighty years ago, to reclaim the Erne Fishery for the people which
was successful in the courts in 1933. A weekend to their memory and the
unveiling of a memorial is planned as part of “The Gathering” on the August Bank
Holiday weekend this year. Men like John Gillespie and Michael Gallagher also showed
the depth of feeling on this issue back in the 1890s when they were prepared to
go to jail for their convictions.
New Local History Book: “Ballyshannon
Genealogy and History” by Anthony Begley details new history of the
Ballyshannon area in the 19th and 20th centuries including fishing,
sport, tourism, social
history, flora and fauna, The Independence struggle, The Emergency, buildings,
townland history and lots of reminiscences.
None of the material used in the blogs is taken from
this book. The book covers an area roughly from
Ballyshannon:
·
To Rossnowlagh, to Belleek, to Finner/ Bundoran to the Loughside and
towards Ballintra. Includes all the parish of Kilbarron and the local parts of
Mágh Ene parish.
·
Contains 500 pages with much material on how to trace your roots.
All the gravestone inscriptions in the 3 local cemeteries are recorded and
indexed, with aerial photographs for ease of location.
·
The book includes many rare images and modern colour aerial
photographs of the area.
Available from The Novel Idea Ballyshannon/The Four Masters Bookshop
Donegal Town or can be ordered on line from anthonyrbegley@hotmail.com Price €25 softback plus postage if required. A limited
number of hardbacks also available. Enquiries welcome.
Ballyshannon Musings: Please let people with an interest in
Ballyshannon and surrounding areas know about this site, particularly people
who are not living locally and those who are abroad. The site is called
"Ballyshannon Musings" and there are a number of back issues available;
Google: ballyshannonmusings.blogspot.com
They can access
the site on the internet (or by connecting to my Facebook page).
The Gathering in Ballyshannon New items will be posted every week or two on Ballyshannon Musings during
2013; the year of “The Gathering”.
Keep in touch. Google “The Gathering in Ballyshannon” for more details of
events you might like to attend later in the year.
Next Blog will be posted on Monday 11th February and is called
“The Worst Fire Ever in Ballyshannon” which describes how upwards of twenty
properties on the Back Street down to the present Sean Ógs were burned or
damaged over 150 years ago.
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