Local History Talk tomorrow Friday 4th November. 10 Things to discover

Illustrated Talk will reveal forgotten Ballyshannon links to World War One

Tomorrow  Friday 4th November an illustrated talk will be given by Anthony Begley, local historian,which will reveal new stories and incidents concerning local men who fought in World War One. Upwards of 60 local men died in the War. He will be joined by Jim (Seamus) Melly who traced his grand uncle Patrick Melly’s footprints from Finner Ballyshannon to the Somme in France where he died on 1st July 1916. Conor Carney will be on hand to record letters from the front and poetry and songs with local connections. Much of the material has never been heard before and the talk is free to all. The event is in memory of Kathleen and Louis Emerson of County Donegal Historical Society and also forms part of the Allingham Festival.

 The talk will uncover new material and will include the following  10 topics:

 Letters and postcards from the war front to families on Erne Street, Main Street, Back Street,

 The Mall and The Abbey.

 A Ballyshannon born Brigadier who was rated as the best Canadian officer in World War One.

 How 4 Ballyshannon soldiers are remembered on an Enniskillen Memorial today. 

 New insights into the deaths of three local men who died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. How 200 men travelled on a Great Northern railway train from Ballyshannon to fight in the 1916 Rising. A previously unrecorded event. 

 A famous Ballyshannon ballad “ The Flight to Falgarragh” and it's connections to the War.

 A Captain of Bundoran Golf Club who lived at Laputa and who was killed in 1914.

 A war veteran who was a leading Ballyshannon businessman and member of the Dail. 

 Why only 4 houses were built in the town for veterans of the War and were only opened in 1930- twelve years after the War ended.

 A Ballyshannon First World War veteran who played a major role in protecting the town during World War Two and who was a local pioneer of cinema in the town.