Remembering the Most Successful Peaceful Protest in Ballyshannon

Cis Cleary Kildoney  (seated in red on the left) who unveiled the Fishermen's Memorial before a huge crowd at the Mall Quay 4th August 2013

Wednesday 22nd April 2020. The most successful peaceful protest in Ballyshannon took place at the Mall Quay and is an example of people fighting for their basic right to fish their own waters. The 4th most popular blog on Facebook.

This blog is dedicated to my old school friend Dan Gibbons who had roots in the Kildoney area and whose family have been closely associated with fishing.  It is also in memory of my brother-in-law Michael O'Kane Trillick and all those who died locally in the past few weeks and to whom you and I could not say farewell. The following words of William Allingham are appropriate:

 Though heads that now are black and brown must meanwhile gather grey,

New faces rise by every hearth, and old ones drop away-

Yet dearer still that Irish hill than all the world beside;

It’s home, sweet home, where’er I roam through lands and waters wide.

And if the Lord allows me, I surely will return

                                          To my native Belashanny, and the winding banks of Erne.

5 Fun Quiz. all answers in the blog below.
1. Who unveiled the memorial at the Mall Quay in 2013?
2. What happened on a June morning in 1925?
3. Who was the solicitor for the fishermen?
4. How many men were in the first boat in the estuary in 1933/ See photo.
5. Complete the line from Allingham.
"Farewell to you, Kildoney lads-------"

Local Fishermen Unable to Fish on the Erne

The Erne Fishery  was  privately owned originally by landlord and later by business interests.

The salmon boxes located above the Assaroe Falls were emptied regularly for the Derry Company and the warehouse buildings (which still survive as the Mulligan building today) were used to cure and store the fish. In earlier times an ice house overlooking the Assaroe waterfall was used to store the fish. 

However most local fishermen could not afford to fish on the Erne. These local fishermen were disappointed as they were deprived from fishing their native waters to earn a livelihood.

Yet who would have the courage to do anything about it? 

• Who would take on the system and assert their rights to fish unhindered in the waters which were visible in some instances from their homes? 
• The answer lay with the fishermen from Kildoney who were joined by sympathetic fishermen from a wide area. Matters reached a head in June 1925.

Crucially for the fishermen who took the court case, it was established that in  the 12th century the Cistercian monks at Abbey Assaroe had  fishing rights on the Erne and the native Gaelic chieftains the O’Donnells who had a castle at Ballyshannon were known as ‘the kings of the fishe.’ No exclusive fishing rights prevented local people from fishing at that period. 

The Plantation of the 17th century saw the dispossession of the native owners and the introduction of planters who took not only  land but the rich fishing grounds on the Erne. The Folliotts who gained control at first, sold their title to the Conolly estate. Eventually fishing rights were passed on to Moore and Alexander of the Erne Fishery Company who were to become known as the Derry Company.

Kildoney Fishermen Challenge the Derry Company

On an early June morning in 1925, a chosen crew of local fishermen; John Cleary, Hugh Gavigan, Red Willie Goan, Mickey Mc Carthy, Willie Morrow and William Phillips, launched their small tar-and-canvas boat, out into the Erne between the Assaroe Falls and the Bar at Ballyshannon. A crowd had gathered at the Mall Quay to witness their challenge to the Fishery Company, including two members of the local Garda Siochána, who had been notified by the fishermen of their intentions.

When the fishermen shot their net the Erne fishery motorboat appeared on the scene, rammed and sank their boat, seized their nets and accompanied them to the Mall Quay where the fishermen were greeted with acclaim. The fishermen and their legal team of Frank Gallagher and James Mc Loone  now faced court proceedings, which they had envisaged when they commenced their actions.

Local People became Legal Experts

The District Court, The High Court and the Supreme Court had to adjudicate on the merits of the legal arguments on both sides. Indeed an appeal was subsequently made to the Privy Council in England which was to place the case in an international setting. 

Local people in Kildoney and the surrounding Ballyshannon area were to become legal experts, as they discussed the merits of the Magna Carta, the Brehon Laws and the Privy Council. No other incident in our history provoked such legal debates and discussions with the history of Ballyshannon and the Erne Fisheries being examined and discussed. 

It was established that at the time of the death of Henry 11 in 1189 Donegal was an unconquered Gaelic stronghold and as such exclusive fishing rights should not subsequently have been recognised. The Brehon Laws also backed up this claim.

The Kildoney Fishermen Memorial at the Mall Quay April 2020.

Hopefully people will soon be able to take a seat at this peaceful place.

Victory for the Local Fishermen

The courts found in favour of the Kildoney fishermen after protracted legal arguments. Great celebrations followed on the Mall Quay on the evening of 5^th August 1933. 
Frank Gallagher spoke passionately of their struggle:

By our magnificent fight, we have righted a grievous wrong, a wrong that has root  three hundred years and more. No longer would native fishermen have to trawl the open ocean for fish in canvas boats while all the river-mouths around the coast were in the hands of foreigners with their spurious fishing rights. 

An historic photograph with the first boat in the Erne estuary after winning the court case in 1933.

(l.to r.) Willie Morrow, John Cleary, Jim Scanlon, Willie Goan, Bob Scanlon and Hugh Gavigan.

The legal challenge was brought by the following men who were commemorated on the Kildoney Fishermen Memorial at the Mall Quay on 4th August 2013:
 
John Cleary, Francis Coughlin, Patrick Coughlin, John Daly, Michael Daly, Richard Davis Jnr, Alex Duncan, Charles Furey, James Furey, Hugh Gavigan, John Gavigan Snr, Gerard Gillespie, James Gillespie, John Gillespie, Patrick Gillespie, Charles Gallogley, James Gallogley, John Goan, Patrick Goan, Willie Goan Snr, Joe Grimes, Patrick Haughey, William Hilley, Bernard Holland, James Keenan, Joseph Keenan, Michael Kennedy, William Kennedy, Alex Mc Cafferty, John Mc Cafferty, Patrick Mc Cafferty, Red John Mc Cafferty, John Mc Carty, Michael Mc Carty, Darby Mc Groarty, Frank Mc Neely, Tom Mc Neely, Michael Mc Phelim, Hugh Mooney, William Morrow(Legs), William Morrow, William Phillips, James Scanlon. Frank Gallagher, Master Keegan and Frank Gettins will also be commemorated on the memorial.

Memorial Unveiled Sunday 4th August 2013

The courageous campaign led by the Kildoney fishermen revealed that local people had rights to the natural resources of the river. It is appropriate that  80 years later, an impressive memorial to the memory of all who supported this fight was unveiled by Cis Daly, Kildoney, at the Mall Quay on Sunday 4^th August 2013. The event was organised by their descendants, neighbours and the wider community. Paddy Donagher The Abbey, Joe Roper Corker and Tom McNeely Kildoney co-ordinated the magnificent memorial event and led the team who sponsored the lasting memorial to the brave men who fought for the rights of all fishermen.

Farewell to  you, Kildoney lads, and them that pull  an oar,
A lug -  sail set, or haul a net, from the Point to Mullaghmore
From Killybegs to bold Slieve-League, that ocean-mountain steep,

Six hundred yards in air aloft, six hundred in the deep,
From Dooran to the Fairy Bridge, and round by Tullen strand,
Level and long, and white with waves, where gull and curlew stand;
Head out to sea when on your lee the breakers you discern!-
Adieu to all the billowy coast, and  winding banks of Erne!

William Allingham

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

Ballyshannon Horse Race made National News on Falgarragh Race Course

Site of Racecourse at Falgarragh now St. Benildus Avenue. Falgarragh Park was opened in 1936 by Minister Sean T. Ó Kelly who later became President of Ireland. ( in the centre on the right under the umbrella)

Sunday 5th April 2020. The story of one of the most unusual horseraces ever in Ballyshannon and in Ireland is in today's blog.  Read about horseracing and more at Falgarragh race course now the location of St. Benildus Avenue. Includes opening of Falgarragh Park and two verses of "The Flight to Falgarragh" by local man  Dan McCauley, a popular ballad in the 1940s. 

Horse Racing Dispute in Ballyshannon  Made National News

The green’s ahead: Now, now the red!

Now neck and and neck they ride

  Like flying meteors on they come

  Adown the green hillside.

                             Francie Daly. 

                             Ballyshannon poet

A popular venue for horse racing in the town was the area now occupied by St. Benildus Avenue which was called Falgarragh Park until recent times. The verse above from Ballyshannon poet and character Francie Daly captures brilliantly the excitement of a horse race and no doubt he attended races in Ballyshannon in his day.

In a race held in Ballyshannon  in the 18th century, two horses were to race each other. Both horses were to leap a stone wall on the course but a boy who rode one of them as a “feather weight”, on coming to the wall, got off, leaped his horse over, climbed the wall and mounted again, and came in first. But his right to the race was contested because his horse did not carry him over the wall. The final decision was left to the Turf Club who ruled that the result was valid, as the horse had a saddle on its back when it jumped the fence and that this was sufficient as a “feather weight”. This incident was reported in The Freeman’s Journal of June 13th, 1793 and indcates that racing was held in the town  well over two hundred years ago.

 The White Hill at Sheegus and Rowantree Hill on the Belleek road were also popular  horse racing venues .

90 Years ago. Ballyshannon Races were held on Monday 5th August 1929 on the old Falgarragh Horse Racing Course.

This was in the days before the current houses were erected in 1936 and races were frequently held on this site.  The five race card had a prize fund of £80- a sizeable sum 90 years ago. The racing programme was as follows:

1.        2 o’clock. – The Assaroe Plate. (Open Handicap.) Value £15. Distance, 1^1/₄ miles. Entry Fee, 10s.
2.        2.30 o’clock. – The Farmers’ Plate. Value £10. Distance, 1 Mile. Entry Fee, 7s 6d. (Catch Weights).
3.        3 o’clock – The Traders’ Plate. Value £25. Distance, 1^1/₂ Miles. Entry Fee, £1.
4.        3.30 o’clock. – The Erne Plate. Value £15. Distance, 1^1/₂ Miles. Entry Fee, 10s.
5.        4 o’clock. – The Ballyshannon Plate. Value £15. Distance, 1 Mile. Entry Fee, 10s.
The Farmers’ Plate was for horses the bona-fide property of Owners (Farmers within a 10-mile radius of Ballyshannon for three months prior to the date of the races.)
Forms and full particulars about all the races were available from the Secretary. Special Reduced Fares on the Great Northern and Donegal Railways and all buses.

These house in the Back Street were tossed when the new houses with modern amenities were built in Falgarragh Park. Families like Tom Gallagher's moved from the Back Street to Falgarragh.

Falgarragh Park Opened in 1936

The second largest housing scheme in the Ulster counties of Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan was opened at Falgarragh Park Ballyshannon by Sean T.O’Kelly, Minister for Local Government and Public Health  on Monday 9^th March 1936. Mr. O’Kelly had played an important role in the 1916 Rising, twenty years before, and was later to become the second President of Ireland. On his visit he firstly inspected the new housing scheme at East Rock which had recently been built on the site of the Rock Barracks. Fr. Timoney blessed the houses and the Minister inspected and complimented the workmanship in their construction. He then visited the Mall Hosiery where the proprietor Mr. Swan presented him with a beautiful cardigan made in the factory. He also visited the Mall Quay and surrounding areas where he praised the new seating, shelter and dance platform recently completed as part of the Town Improvement Scheme. He also visited the Mall Laundry where he was welcomed by the proprietors Mr. & Mrs. M. Ward. 

Official Opening of Falgarragh Park (now called St. Benildus Avenue)

At 12.30 Sean T.O’Kelly attended the official opening ceremony of the 80 houses at Falgarragh park which he described as “the most beautiful he had yet seen”. The Minister remarked on the numbers of houses that needed to be replaced all over Ireland to stop the spread of tuberculosis and infant mortality and welcomed this new housing development in Ballyshannon.  Present with the Minister were local clergy Dean McGinley, Fr. McMullin and Fr. McGroarty who blessed the houses. Also present were Cecil Stephens, Town Clerk, Mr. Lysaght Commissioner in charge of the Town commissioners, M.F. Irwin C.E. Clerk of Works, W.J. Doherty architect of the scheme, reps. of contractor Kilcawley, Maloney and Taylor Ballisadare Co. Sligo, Dr. Gordon, Major Myles T.D. and Brian Brady T.D. The tape of number 77 was then cut by the Minister who inspected the house.
(A fuller account of the Falgarragh Housing Scheme and the East Rock Housing Scheme are contained in the book “Ballyshannon Genealogy and History” available in local shops. see below for details.)

The following two  verses from a poem called "The Flight to Falgarragh"  which has twelve verses and a number of verses are parodies of William Allingham’s “Adieu to Ballyshanny”. The poem was written by Dan McCauley who had fought in World War 1 and whose family, were one of a number of families, who left condemned houses in places like Bachelor’s Walk and the Back Street to live in the new houses which had all amenities.

The Flight to Falgarragh

‘Twas in an old thatched cabin

With its walls as white as snow,

Where mother dear, (God rest her soul),

Some forty years ago-

Told me of some noble deeds,

How the great Red Hugh did turn

The Saxon from Tirconaill

On the Winding Banks of Erne.

And now we have a Housing Scheme

To brighten up the town:

We’ll clear out all slum dwellings

And pull the old shacks down,

A brand new house they’re giving us,

              And its Finn Hill turf we’ll burn,

Away in grey Falgarragh

By the Winding Banks of Erne.

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

Check out the photos from yesterday's Folk Festival blog for some household names

Sunday 5th April 2020. Today's  blog  will be posted later today and has the story of one of the most unusual horseraces ever in

Ballyshannon and in Ireland. Read about horseracing and more at Falgarragh race course ( now the location of St. Benildus Avenue)

Last Train from Rossnowlagh to Ballyshannon a Nostagic Trip

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 advert. 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

A Great Find by Fishermen in Ballyshannon in 1916

Rare Ballyshannon Sword Hilt found at the Mall Quay

1st April 2020. Amazing discovery of a unique item in a fisherman's net at The Mall Quay area in Ballyshannon. The experts in Dublin identified it as rare and that nothing like it had been found in Ireland up to the 1920s. It can still be seen today. See what you think of this wonderful find. Please share.

2nd April 2020. Tomorrow's blog  takes a nostalgic trip on the C.D.R. railway to Creevy and Rossnowlagh meeting  up with train driver Joe Thompson, conductor Tommy McCafferty and stationmaster Mr. McMahon on the last journey. We also meet up with a woman and her brothers  who are very well known in Rossnowlagh as they wait for the train at Coolmore Halt.

Fishermen's Find at the Mall Quay in 1916

A 2,000 year old sword hilt was discovered close to the Mall Quay and Inis Saimer in Ballyshannon in 1916. Fishermen casting their nets dragged up from the bottom of the harbour, a bronze sword hilt with a short iron blade, on which part of the blade was missing, probably having fallen out when the hilt got broken off. The blade was encrusted with sand and shells and the fishermen’s catch must have been the subject of much talk and speculation around the hearths in Ballyshannon. It would have been especially interesting as the location was quite close to Inis Saimer, where the first settlers who came to Ireland had resided, and no doubt some early speculation would have connected the sword hilt with these early settlers.

Ballyshannon Sword Hilt found near the Mall Quay

Hugh Allingham Acquired the Sword Hilt

 However wiser opinion would have prevailed as to how this ancient sword hilt and blade, made of bronze and iron, came to be in the harbour. Finds are significant only if they fall into the right hands and as news of the discovery spread, the local historian Hugh Allingham was consulted. Hugh was manager of the Provincial Bank in the town and was a noted historian who was a member of the Royal Irish Academy and of the Royal Society of Antiquities. Hugh acquired the sword hilt from the fishermen and this was significant as it was now possible that its origin could be established. Hugh is remembered for his history of Ballyshannon which he wrote in I879, much earlier than the discovery date of the sword hilt.

2,000 Year Old French Sword Hilt Identified

On Hugh Allingham’s death in 1922 the sword hilt and other artefacts which he had collected were sold to a dealer. He in turn sold on the sword hilt to noted Donegal antiquarian, Andrew Lowry. A native of Ballindrait Co. Donegal, he was a well-known collector and lover of all things Donegal. He was the first President of County Donegal Historical Society and donated a number of artefacts which can be seen in the Historical Society Museum in Rossnowlagh. 
Lowry established that the sword hilt was unique in the Ireland of the 1920s as no similar one had been discovered up to that date. It was identified as belonging to the La Tené period around 100 B.C. 
Andrew Lowry also contacted the British Museum, in his endeavour to ascertain more about the sword hilt. They had a few similar artefacts in England it was soon established that it was an extremely rare find.

Original Sword in the National Museum in Dublin

According to the experts the sword hilt probably belonged to a French visitor to our harbour around 2,000 years ago. Another possibility was that somebody traded or imported the sword hilt. Andrew Lowry was aware that the Ballyshannon Sword Hilt was important in a national context as it was a unique artefact.  He also realised that it should have a more prominent and public home and not be housed in his private collection in Donegal. In 1926 the National Museum purchased the Ballyshannon Sword Hilt for £10. It is still in the National Museum today but a replica is in the Ballyshannon District Museum and a replica in the County Museum in Letterkenny

Limited edition  hardback available from anthonyrbegley@hotmail.com and local book shops when things settle.