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| Sheil House College Street home of Mary Anne Sheil |
28th March 2020. It is incredible to imagine that the circus visited
Ballyshannon before Famine times in 1844. Mary Anne Sheil was
a member of a prominent medical family whose diary gives us an insight into what
Ballyshannon life was like at the outbreak of the Famine. She lived in "Sheil House" (photo in blog) which still stands at the entrance to the St. Patrick's church car
park in College Street . Her
brother was Dr. Simon Sheil who left £6,000 in his will for the
building of the Sheil Hospital. The 10th and final blog in the top ten tomorrow reveals that Fake News was around in Ballyshannon many years ago and also that a Ballyshannon tailor was brought to court for having too many pockets in his jacket!
The Sheil family, like everyone else in town, were
mesmerised by the circus parade through the town and the circus performance
reminiscent of Donnybrook Fair at its best. Townspeople and anglers alike
watched in amazement as the circus performers displayed their skill .through
the streets of the town. Everyone wanted a good vantage point to view the
Circus parade with seven pairs of beautiful horses and as the advertisement
said: “The Largest Elephant in the World”
Upstairs windows were at a premium as they offered a
great view of the circus parade. That
evening there was a parade and show through the streets of the town and Mary
Anne watched the parade from her home in College Street.(Lane):
When we got here we found our Lane equal to Donnybrook
Fair particularly at our own door, there were jugglers, tumblers, people riding
on stilts, dancers etc. etc. we all gathered into the windows and for two hours
we laughed loud and long at the rival performers. Dr. Mc Gettigan came up by
the upcoming coach from Ballintra and we stood so long watching all the
varieties under the windows we did not dine till long after six.
On Friday 2nd July,
Hughes’s Modern Roman Amphitheatre of Arts, as the circus was called, was going
to perform at 2 o'clock. Mary Anne Sheil and her sisters went for a sneak
preview and: “got a peep through a keyhole at the elephant, which little
Stephen Heyward who was with us particularly enjoyed.”
"Excitement continued when a
message was brought that the show was commencing at the “Roman Arena”. We ran
off to get on our bonnets and Florinda, Julia, Henny, Louisa, Mr. Allingham,
Dr. Mc Gettigan, Mr. Hobson, Simon and myself started; Alas! We were in when
one half of the performance was over. I was very sorry as I could have gazed on
them for hours; I thought the riding so beautiful. In all my memory I never
recollect a day of such variety in the town of Ballyshannon; it was a Fair day,
which with the attractions of the Elephant etc. etc. caused the town to
overflow with company".
The following day saw the departure of the circus and
normality slowly returned to the town, which had been in a state of excitement
for three days. The circus left in the direction of Bundoran, on its way to
Sligo. Very few diaries have come to light which give eyewitness accounts of
life in Ballyshannon in the nineteenth century. Mary Anne Sheil , in her diary,
reveals glimpses of life in Ballyshannon, in the mid-nineteenth century, with
insights into life in the big house, fishing on the Erne, Victorian protocol,
customs, the Famine, the building of St. Patrick’s Church and the excitement
generated by the arrival of the circus in town, over 170 years ago, on the 1st July 1844.
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| Limited edition quality hardback as above |
"Ballyshannon.
Genealogy and History" reveals newly
researched history and genealogy of the town, extending as far as the
Rossnowlagh, Cashelard, Corlea, Clyhore, Higginstown and Finner areas.
Includes the parishes of Kilbarron and Magh Ene.
- The genealogy material provides detailed guidelines for anyone tracing their roots in the area or anywhere in County Donegal or Ireland. The book contains 500 pages and is richly illustrated with stunning colour, aerial photography, original illustrations and rare photographs of the area not seen before.
- It includes much new material on the independence struggle which is being remembered throughout Ireland. It also contains the full story of The Green Lady which was performed in Ballyshannon to great acclaim.
When the storm passes Available in A Novel Idea, and Local Hands in Ballyshannon and 4 Masters Bookshop Donegal Town. Also available from Anthony Begley for postal enquiries email anthonyrbegley@hotmail.com
