A Curious Court Case and other Strange Tales in Ballyshannon

The right hand bank of the Erne was the scene of an incident that led to a curious court case

Thursday 30th April 2020. An unbelievable court case based on an incident on the Erne at Ballyshannon. Also an amazing escape for a Ballyshannon woman.

Friday 1st May 2020. Local Customs for Special Days in the Ballyshannon Area.

Wrack versus Wreck
The wreck directly reached the rock

And wronged the Rector’s wrack,

       The Rector rushed to wreak the wrongs
Of wrack upon the wreck:

Can rectitude direct the Rector,

Recklessly to wreak

     Upon the wretched wreck, the wrongs

Of Rector’s wracky rock?

 A trading vessel called “The Henrietta Charlotte” was wrecked on the shore  near Ballyshannon  sandbar. The Rector (Minister), who lived not far from Wardtown Castle, claimed the right to the seaweed on that part of the shore where the ship had run aground. He sued the ship-owner for damage to his seaweed! His claim was unsuccessful. The case was humorously known as - Wrack versus Wreck. William Allingham captured the mood of the times in his humorous poem above called  “The Wreck of the”Henrietta Charlotte.”  Like myself when you know the background you can read the poem again and get a better understanding. (Wrack refers to the seaweed found along the shoreline).

The ruined residence of the rector is still identifiable on the way to Kildoney and is recognisable from the roadway as there is a very extensive walled enclosure still standing. Kildoney Glebe was the residence of the minister who served at St. Anne’s Church in Ballyshannon. A coloured aerial photograph of the remains of Kildoney Glebe are contained in my book “Ballyshannon Genealogy and History” page 256.  (see below for details)

Famous Pickpocket operated in Ballyshannon 1771

George Barrington whose real name was Waldron was born in Maynooth Co. Kildare in 1755. He joined a troop of strolling players managed by a man called Price. They put on performances for the garrisons and the gentry in large towns in Ireland. In 1771 they arrived in Derry but their funds were exhausted and despite performing plays there, Barrington resorted to a new source of income. Barrington was a good looking fellow, very plausible, so he engaged in pick pocketing from the merchant and shopmen in Derry. 

They moved on to Ballyshannon where they spent the autumn and winter of 1771. On Tuesdays and Saturdays they performed plays but for the remainder of the week they engaged in pick pocketing. During their stay Barrington was attacked by a violent fever and the company of strolling players moved on without him. However a young actress with the group called Miss Egerton was smitten by Barrington and stayed with him until he recuperated. They then moved on but she was drowned while crossing the Boyne. Barrington later in life went to London to carry on his illegal business and was eventually arrested and sentenced to seven years transportation to Australia. He died near Sydney in 1804.

A Narrow Escape for a Ballyshannon Lady in 1833

A poor Ballyshannon woman was looking out of a two-pair of stairs window, when her opposite neighbour offered her a glass of whiskey. Unfortunately she leaned out too far across to reach it and fell down into the street. Luckily she fell on a gentleman who was passing at the time who broke her fall. He enquired as to whether she was dead or not and she replied that she believed that she was not dead but speechless. He had her conveyed to the hospital where she has made a speedy recovery. She had shown great female presence of mind as she had held on firmly to her glass of whiskey and had not spilled one drop during her fall!

This story from Ballyshannon was recorded in a book of comic stories in 1833.

Limited edition quality hardback with dust jacket as above available when things return to normal in A Novel Idea and Local Hands Ballyshannon and Four Masters Bookshop Donegal Town. Also available for postage from anthonyrbegley@hotmail.com

Topics include: How to go about Tracing your Roots/The first settlers in the area/ Newly researched history of the town of Ballyshannon and the townlands in Kilbarron and Mágh Éne parishes/ Records of the first travellers and tourists to Ballyshannon, Bundoran, Belleek, Rossnowlagh and Ballintra/An aerial guide to place names along the Erne from Ballyshannon to the Bar/Flora and Fauna of the area/ A history of buildings and housing estates in the locality/Graveyard Inscriptions from the Abbey graveyard, St. Joseph’s and St. Anne’s /Rolling back the years with many memories of the Great Famine, Independence struggle, hydro-electric scheme, Gaelic games, boxing, handball, Boy Scouts, soccer, mummers, characters, organisations, folklore and lots more.

Cures from Bygone Days in the Ballyshannon Area.

29th April 2020. Check out the cures, in his own handwriting, that Michael McGrath Carrickboy collected from his mother in the 1930s. The McGrath family are still well-known in the community. In the days before doctors and chemists were as plentiful as today, people relied on herbs and faith healing to cure their illnesses.  Below are  more cures which were also collected by primary school students from the older people in the 1930s in a nationwide folklore study.

30th April 2020. " Ballyshannon's Most Unusual Court Case and other Strange Tales"

Cures from Bygone Days in Ballyshannon 

In the days before doctors and chemists were as plentiful as today people relied on herbs and faith healing to cure their illnesses. Below are cures which were collected by school student from the old people in the 1930s in a folklore study. Naturally today there are medical remedies and advice for patients which was not available in bygone days and the cures below are not practised today.

Ringworm:  A cure for ringworm was to pass a wedding ring round it three times, reciting the prayer, in the name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Another cure for ringworm was to get some clay and mix it with spittle and then make a worm crawl around it on the floor. The clay was then rubbed on the ringworm and the worm was then made to crawl around the affected part. This was done three times. This cure was handed down from a man to a woman and from a woman to a man. 

Sprain: A sprain could be cured with woollen thread and by saying some prayers. The thread was twisted around the part where the sprain was and this was kept there for some days. Another cure for sprain was to make the sign of the cross two or three times on the forehead, then the person rubbed their hands on the ground and then rubbed the sprain and shortly afterwards the sprain disappeared. 

Mumps:  If a person had mumps he went to the seventh child in a family whose mother and father had the same name. This person put a donkey’s winkers on the person to be cured and led him to the river and gave him three drops of water. This treatment was performed for three consecutive days. 

A Stye in the Eye: If a person wished to be cured of a stye in the eye he got nine whitethorns of a gooseberry tree and pointed them at the sky. Then he would be cured. 

Toothache: The seventh son cured a toothache by rubbing it with his hand. One never got a toothache if one made a promise (such as not shaving on a Sunday) and never broke it.  A visit to the dentist was only for the well off but for a severe toothache the doctors in the 19th century had to bleed the gums with leeches.

Warts:  A cure for warts was to steal a piece of meat or bacon and rub it on the warts. The meat was then burned and as it rotted the warts would disappear. Another cure for warts was to wash them with water taken from a hole in a rock. 

Whooping Cough: When  a child had whooping, also called chin cough, an ass’s milk was considered a good remedy. 

A Cold: Mary Ann Sheil wrote about cures the people had for the common cold in the 1840s when they took jam drinks to alleviate the symptoms.

Natural Remedies: Garlic was considered good for colds and coughs. The juice of dandelion was considered good for cancer.  People boiled dandelion and gave the water to a person with a sick stomach. Bogbine was used for the good of the blood. Nettle tea was given to children with measles. Celery seeds when boiled and strained and then drunk were a cure for rheumatism. Roots of parsley when boiled and drunk were good for kidney disease.  

A Men Only Cure for Cows!  When a cow lost her milk she was said to be touched by the little people. She got dull and gave no milk. To cure her a red hot coal in the tongs was brought to the byre. This was passed over the cow from head to tail and then under her, coming out at her shoulder when a sign of the cross was made on her back. At the same time three Our Fathers and three Hail Marys were said. This was done three times on three different days. Then the cow would get her milk back.  For this cure to work the cow had to be kept in the byre all the time and the cure had to be made between sunrise and sunset and never on a Friday. Only men could make this cure! 

Limited edition quality hardback with dust jacket as above available when things return to normal in A Novel Idea and Local Hands Ballyshannon and Four Masters Bookshop Donegal Town. Also available for postage from anthonyrbegley@hotmail.com

Topics include: How to go about Tracing your Roots/The first settlers in the area/ Newly researched history of the town of Ballyshannon and the townlands in Kilbarron and Mágh Éne parishes/ Records of the first travellers and tourists to Ballyshannon, Bundoran, Belleek, Rossnowlagh and Ballintra/An aerial guide to place names along the Erne from Ballyshannon to the Bar/Flora and Fauna of the area/ A history of buildings and housing estates in the locality/Graveyard Inscriptions from the Abbey graveyard, St. Joseph’s and St. Anne’s /Rolling back the years with many memories of the Great Famine, Independence struggle, hydro-electric scheme, Gaelic games, boxing, handball, Boy Scouts, soccer, mummers, characters, organisations, folklore and lots more.

Remembering a Ballyshannon Character, An Unusual Claim and a Famous Remark

A view of Bachelor's Walk from Allingham Park  ( Sorcha)

Remembering a famous Ballyshannon character who had an unusual claim to fame. Townspeople like my old neighbour Tommy "Fingers" Gallagher and old bandsmen regularly repeated a handed down claim for this man.
Tuesday 28th April 2020. The Great Fire of Ballyshannon and More.

The person with the most occupations listed after his name in the Census of 1901  was undoubtedly local poet Francis (Francie) Daly who lived at Bachelor’s Walk and listed his occupations as house and landscape, coach scene and herald painter, letrographer, sculptor, decorator, guilder, engraver, surveyor and maffer, botany painter, civil engineer and poet!!
He lived on his own in No. 1 Bachelor's Walk and was aged 54. The houses in Bachelor's Walk today were rebuilt in the 1940s.

I can confirm that Francie Daly was a painter and artist in brass and used to do ornamental brass plates and door knockers for the well to do, whatever about his imaginative range of occupations which he posted in the Census form in 1901. Francis (Francie) Daly lived in Bachelor's Walk in the town and was not married. Local people pronounced the name as Dawley (Dalley)  a version of the Irish name. 

Who wrote Allingham’s Poems?! 

Francie Daly wrote poetry often about the local area like Hallow Eve's Night below.

Local anecdote would claim that Daly wrote some of Allingham’s poems. No substance has ever been provided for the claim or no specific poems identified as having been written by Francie Daly. In talking to old-timers the topic always came up-“You know Allingham didn’t write all those poems?”

In the oral history in Ballyshannon the claim was handed down to at least the 1980s. I can recall Tommy Gallagher my old neighbour in Bishop Street (and now in Cluain Barron) talking about him and old bandsmen who said that Daly was the author of  some of Allingham's poems. 

William Allingham did say that he collected ballads at the fairs and perhaps this led to the suggestion that Francie Daly wrote some of his poems. The work Allingham did on completing ballads may have given rise to this impression but his poetry was, one feels, his own work? 

Famous Two-Liner

William Allingham's birthplace on the Mall 1824

Ballyshannon was never lacking in witty comment. Local lore suggests that Francie Daly was walking down the Mall one day and as he passed William Allingham’s house, a voice from an upstairs window said:

“There goes a poet if he only know it.”

Daly turned around but couldn’t see anyone and replied:

   “Only you’re an ass you’d let the poet pass!”

An Erratic Genius

John Downey editor of The Donegal Democrat described him as “an erratic genius and very few recognised the talent hidden by the somewhat peculiar exterior”. He composed a number of pieces of poetry few of which were ever published. He was a simple, unassuming person who was a familiar sight on the streets of Ballyshannon for many years. As an old man he read his poems and sung his own compositions to local youth in his home at Bachelor’s Walk.  Francie Daly died circa 1919.

Hallow-Eve Night’s Dream

The following is an extract from a poem entitled, “Hallow Eve’s Night Dream” by Francie Daly. The background to the poem is believed to be, that in 1885 Daly was infatuated with Lily Harris a tightrope walker from “West Bromwich” and in the poem he talks of waking up in the morning and seeing the track a snail makes on a wall-it had made the initials L.H.  

Lily Harris had been touring the country with a theatrical company and performed in Ballyshannon where Daly saw her as a young man and she remained the girl of his dreams. The poem makes use of placenames which gives it a local flavour and the artist referred to is Daly himself as he was a house-painter and sculptor of a kind. Daly’s Fort on the Hills of Tullymore was where the Daly family resided before coming to live in town.

In eighteen hundred and eighty-five, the date being true and right,

Many colleens fair and young played “tricks” on Hallow Eve Night,

Twas gathering weeds round corn-stacks that many took a turn,

Pulling the yarrow, throwing reels, and more had nuts to burn.

There was one among them who was both fair and tall,

She says,” Now each has played a ‘trick,’ but I played none at all,

I have two nuts here in my hand from yonder hazel line

I shall burn them in my lover’s name to see if he’ll be mine.”

They only saw her when she spoke and at her they did gaze,

A blazing brand she lifted up, and set the nuts to blaze,

She watched the flames as they did unite, and to them there she said,

“A ring I see in the ruddy glow, my trick is truly played,

I must away my love to see, he rests by some bright stream,

And place these nuts beneath his head, perhaps on me he’ll dream,”

She quickly turned away from them, these maidens all in fright,

Saying fare ye well, I wish you joy, and “A Merry Hallow Eve Night.”

They all followed with their eyes, but she soon left their view,

Not knowing where she came from, nor where she was going too.

Says one on to another, “I’ve seen her once before,

She was coming down from Daly’s Fort on the hills of Tullymore.”

A bedroom door was on the lock; a fire was in the grate,

The artist he lay fast asleep when Morpheus showed his fate,

For a vision bright, all clad in white, and ornaments so rare,

With red-rose cheeks, coral lips, and yellow-golden hair,

She glided up to his bedside, and o’er him she did stand,

The gold ring off her finger she held it in her hand,

She says, “This is our marriage token I truly tell to thee,

 For when we are two in one you must come with me.

Limited edition quality hardback with dust jacket as above available when things return to normal in A Novel Idea and Local Hands Ballyshannon and Four Masters Bookshop Donegal Town. Also available for postage from anthonyrbegley@hotmail.com

Topics include: How to go about Tracing your Roots/The first settlers in the area/ Newly researched history of the town of Ballyshannon and the townlands in Kilbarron and Mágh Éne parishes/ Records of the first travellers and tourists to Ballyshannon, Bundoran, Belleek, Rossnowlagh and Ballintra/An aerial guide to place names along the Erne from Ballyshannon to the Bar/Flora and Fauna of the area/ A history of buildings and housing estates in the locality/Graveyard Inscriptions from the Abbey graveyard, St. Joseph’s and St. Anne’s /Rolling back the years with many memories of the Great Famine, Independence struggle, hydro-electric scheme, Gaelic games, boxing, handball, Boy Scouts, soccer, mummers, characters, organisations, folklore and lots more.

Last Train from Rossnowlagh to Ballyshannon a Nostalgic Trip

Thursday, 2 April 2020

Rossnowlagh the place to be. Ballyshannon links to the G.N.R. and Bundoran mentioned.

                                                                                                  (Courtesy County Archive)

Thursday 23rd April 2020. Check out the wonderful advertisements . for Rossnowlagh and the connections available on the C.D.R. from Ballyshannon. No. 3 in the top ten of popular blogs got a lot of hits.
5 Fun Quiz ( all answers in the blog below)
1. How many halts between Ballyshannon and Rossnowlagh on the C.D.R. line?
2. Where were Soinbhe Lally and her brothers waiting on the train?
3. How long did it take for the train journey from Ballyshannon to Donegal Town?
4. Ballyshannon had 2 railways the C.D.R. and what other railway?
5. who were the train driver, conductor and station master on the final journey from Donegal Town, Ballintra, Rossnowlagh and Ballyshannon?
Friday 24th April 2020.No. 2 most popular blog which was favoured by a lot of Facebook viewers.

A Town with Two Railways

Ballyshannon in the 1950s had two distinct railway companies, two railway stations and was a commercial hub for rail transport for a wide area extending into Donegal, Leitrim and Fermanagh. In the space of two years both railway lines had closed. First to close in 1957  was the Great Northern Railway which was located on Station Road on the south side of the river Erne and had served the area since the 1860s.

In 1959 sixty years ago  the County Donegal Railway located on the northern side of the river Erne closed leaving the town with no rail connections to the outside world.  The  County Donegal Railway (C.DR.)  which ran from Ballyshannon to Donegal Town  and onwards through the Gap was commonly called “the wee train or the narrow gauge,” by passengers who frequented it during its short lifespan in the twentieth century.The line officially opened for passengers on Thursday 21st September 1905 and the  journey from Ballyshannon to Donegal Town took 50 minutes.

Joe Thompson train driver lived at Bachelor's Walk beside the County Donegal Railway station in Ballyshannon

From Ballyshannon to Creevy and Rossnowlagh 

There were a number of halts and stations developed on the C.D.R. line. The train left Ballyshannon Station and travelled via, Creevy Halt, Coolmore Halt, Friary Halt, Rossnowlagh Halt, Dorrian’s Bridge Halt, Dromore Halt, Ballintra Station, Bridgetown Halt, Laghey Halt, Drumbar Halt, Hospital Halt and Donegal Town Station.
The railways were designed to open up isolated  areas and make them accessible for goods and services. In areas where no public transport existed, the railway proved a lifeline for shopping, commuting, and getting goods transported to homes isolated from the town.

The  C.D.R. led to the growth of tourism in the Sandhouse Hotel and Rossnowlagh

The line was to prove advantageous to the growth of tourism in Rossnowlagh, as day excursions and regular services brought holidaymakers to the sandy beach resort. Locals from Ballyshannon used the train to go to Creevy and Rossnowlagh which proved to be  popular places for swimming and sunbathing. The arrival of the Franciscans in Rossnowlagh in 1946, was to bring additional  business to the line, as churchgoers attended Masses, Sodalities  and Novenas in large numbers. A special Friary Halt was opened in March 1953 to meet the needs of people visiting the Friary.

Railway bridge and Halt on the line from Ballyshannon to Rossnowlagh. Some railway bridges still intact.in the area.

Speeding up Emigration 

Both railways in the town were to speed up the emigration of people from the area as the following advertisement for the C.D.R. indicated: 
“The opening of the new railway to Ballyshannon affords its inhabitants several alternative services to Scotland via England. Not the least important of these is the service from Ballyshannon to Glasgow offered by the C.D.R. and Midland & Glasgow South Western Railways. To leave Ballyshannon shortly after noon and reach Glasgow at midnight is a big inducement to those who wish a speedy run. Leaving Ballyshannon at 12.15 and arriving in Derry in good  time to catch the 4pm train for Larne.”

     Soinbhe Lally, well-known author, and her brothers, waiting on the train at Coolmore Halt.

many years ago. Soinbhe lives in Rossnowlagh with her husband Patsy Lally today.

The End of the Line in 1959

The end for the C.D.R came quite suddenly when the company issued a statement, in November 1959, stating that they intended ceasing operations on the 31st December 1959. Heavy losses had been recorded for the previous years and major investment would be required to update the rail line. Public reaction was one of sadness and concern as local people saw the closure of the town’s two rail lines within two years of each other. The loss of access to goods and  markets, the significant role the railway had played in the growth of  tourism, and the withdrawal of a service which had linked town and country were to leave some communities feeling isolated once more.

The final curtain fell on the C.D.R. or “The Wee Train”, as it was called, on the 30th December, 1959, as the last train left Ballyshannon: 
^“The last railcar from Ballyshannon set out on the journey to Donegal Town at 4 p.m. on Thursday evening to the banging of six fog signals. Driver Joe Thompson was at the wheel and conductor Tommy McCafferty was in charge of the two cars which carried a full complement of passengers, many of whom normally travelled by the service, and others making the journey for sentimental reasons, to bid goodbye to a service that had served them well for over half a century.”

The last train to arive in Ballyshannon was at 19.OO on the 30th December 1959.  A large crowd gathered at the station  to say farewell to a railway which had been part of their lives for as long as most could remember.

 The reporter from “The Donegal Democrat” captured the mood of those present on that sad occasion: 
“There was almost complete silence as the car glided to a stop. It was as if the waiting spectators had suddenly realised that this was indeed the last of the “wee train” which had for so long held such a unique place in their affections. A  feeling of sadness pervaded the crowd. There was a spontaneous burst of applause to greet Thompson and McCafferty which was renewed when stationmaster McMahon approached and shook hands with them and received the staff which was placed in the stationmasters office – the final act in the life of the C.D.R.J.C. as far as the travelling public in south Donegal were concerned”. 

The Railway Museum in Donegal Town is well worth a visit as it preserves much memorabilia from the C.D.R. era. Many of my generation and older remember travelling on the County Donegal Railway and many of us were present to sadly witness the end of the line in Ballyshannon sixty years ago.

Limited edition quality hardback with dust jacket as above available when things return to normal in A Novel Idea and Local Hands Ballyshannon and Four Masters Bookshop Donegal Town. Also available for postage from anthonyrbegley@hotmail.com