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News
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| 30th Aug | Community Notices Packie Live |
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| 29th Aug | Community Notices The Late Andy Sweeney |
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| 27th Aug | Community Notices
Ladies Swimming Classes |
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| 15th Aug | Community Notices Wedding Bells
On Saturday the 17th of August, the townsfolk of
Ardara were happy to see another bride, Helen McNelis,
daughter of John and Teresa Mcnelis, Ardconnell, on her
way to the Church of the Holy Family for her marriage to
Gerard Gallagher, son of Packie and Mary Gallagher,
Meenakillew. Attending the bride were Ann McNelis,
Ardconnell, Sinead Gallagher, Monargan, aand Leah McHugh,
Kilraine. The three groomsmen were Paul, Daniel, and
Brendan, brothers of the bridegroom. The flowergirls were
Chloe McHugh, Kilraine, and Laura McWhinney, Dunkineely.
Guests attending the wedding had travelled from Dublin,
Kerry, Kildare, Longford, and England. The reception was
in the Blue Haven, and the newly marrieds are spending
their honeymoon in Paris. They intend to make their home
in Meenakillew. |
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Portnoo Raft Race
Raises Over 5000 Euros |
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| If you were in Portnoo on August the 11th, you would have seen the royal sight of 27 home-made rafts making waves, as they crossed and re-crossed a space of water near the pier, being paddled by people in unusual dress. All this was to raise funds for the RNLI, and while the lifeboat service is supported by similar events all round the north-west coastline, this was the first time a raft race had been staged in Portnoo for this cause. A good number of local people and holiday-makers took part for the craíc. | ||
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A large number of people gathered at the pier and at strategic view points for the event. The organisers were delighted with the response of the public and are happy that they managed to raise over € 5000. for the RNLI. Members of the organising group were : Patsy and Una Harkin, Rosbeg, Tommy Barrett, Kilclooney, Ann and Anora Toner, Narin, Honora Gyo, Lackamore, Brian Morgan, Portnoo, Joseph Molloy, Rosbeg, Mary McMahon, Narin, Hugh Sweeney, Rosbeg, and Jimmy Boyle, Rosbeg. | |
| Because the event was so well received
and supported by the public, it is hoped next year to
organise two raft races on two separate days. By popular
request, there may be a children's raft race and another
for adults the following day, so if you missed this years
race, it is going to be even more fun next year. The winners of the race were the 'Tramore Tigers,' a group of boys on holiday from the north. They practised and tested their raft on the sea every day for a couple of weeks beforehand, and deserved to win their first prize. The booby prize was awarded to the crew of the 'Best Castaway in the World,' who managed to sink their vessel and had to be rescued. Hugh Gavigan, Joseph the Rock, and their crew are expert rowers, but due to excitement they mistook the course, not completing a circuit of the boat at the turning point, and so they had to be disqualified! It's hoped to see them again in next years race, when they are bound to provide some hefty competition. Prizes were also awarded to the team who had raised the most sponsorship, wore the most original costume, made the most effort, etc. Safety considerations were given a high profile. "No-one was allowed to enter the race without a life-jacket. All new boat owners need to be aware of the importance of life jackets - one for each passenger in a boat. The recent tragic loss of life at Newross might have been avoided if everyone in the boat had been wearing a life-jacket. Being safe on the water implies exercising caution where the weather and the possibility of rough seas are concerned," said Honora Gyo. The organisers of the raft race had actually changed the route of the race at fairly short notice because of the choppiness of the sea. They had originally planned that the race should commence from the middle of the bay and end at Narin beach, but this was revised to a shorter course out from the pier in Portnoo, round a boat, and back again to the pier. In case of any team getting into serious difficulties, a safety diving team led by Ronan O'Múrchu and his wife, Ann, was on hand. |
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| The organising group would like to thank the gardaí
and Seargent Tonry, for the necessary traffic control.
Thanks are in order for the judges, Yvonne Hardiman, and
Niamh McDowell. A big thank-you must go to Patrick Kyles,
who was one of those instrumental in helping to clear the
course by moving moored boats. He was also a safety
steward on the sea during the race. After the race there was a barbecue and disco on Narin Beach, where the presentation of prizes also took place. "Next year there will be a prize for every team competing," promised Honora, "and we hope the raft race will be even bigger and better than this year." |
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| 15th Aug | Silver the Wonder Horse |
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Silver & Ollie & hat."Silver first started learning tricks by picking up Ollie's hat". |
Spectators at the Ardara Show on August the
10th were delighted by the performance of Texas Ollie and
his wonder horse, Silver. The crowd which surrounded the
two star performers, and who observed closely every one
of Silver's tricks, were intent on getting as close as
possible to this sympathetic pair. Faces were lit with
joy and wonder. Ollie told me that young children often
call "'Bye, Silver" as the horse is being led
away at the conclusion of a performance. Silver is a marvellous half-bred Connemara horse, standing fifteen hands and three inches tall. He is dappled silver/grey, but would be more silvery during a sunny summer. He is sleek and well-cared for, and loves to perform, showing his intelligence as he does so. He can shake and nod his head in answer to questions. He doesn't care for subtraction, but he can add, using his right front hoof to paw the ground. |
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| He can smile all round at the crowd, and
put out his tongue, if a little cheekiness is called for.
He can sit on his haunches like a dog, go down on his
knees, bow, and has a penchant for lifting hats. He can
also rear into the air most spectacularly, while his best
friend, Texas Ollie, stands immediately below him. Ollie bought Silver a little over three years ago. At the time he was looking for a riding horse, but couldn't find exactly the kind of horse he wanted. Whilst in Dungannon, he spotted Silver in a pen at the saleyard. Silver, at that time, was big and strong and wild, having lived out the first year and a half of his life on ten acres, untroubled by humankind. "He was built like a tank," said Ollie, "and I don't know why I kept going back to his pen to look at him. He wasn't quite what I wanted, but I couldn't manage to leave him. He had a lonely sad look in his eye." When Silver came up for sale in the mart, there was no other bid for him, apart from that of Texas Ollie.  "After I'd bought him, that was when my
troubles really began. Organising transport and the
wherewithal to pay for his purchase was difficult, but
"breaking" Silver was well nigh impossible.
Silver didn't want to co-operate - he wouldn't chew on a
bit for "mouthing", nor respond to a bit. He
wouldn't come out of his stall, unless he was hauled out
of it on a long rope." Three times Ollie tried to
"break" Silver, and three times he gave up. On the third and last time, he had been on Silver's back and Silver had spent his time trying to jump the garden enclosure, turning to left and right at will, and trying to rid himself of the rider in his saddle. Ollie's cap had fallen to the ground. Finally, Ollie had had enough. He slid off the horse, and leaned, observing the horse from the other side of the garden wall. He spoke his thoughts aloud, "What'm I goin' to do with you, Silver, sell you or shoot you?" In response, Silver delicately picked up Ollie's cap from the ground in his teeth, then dropped it again. He did this so prettily that suddenly Ollie had a great insight into his horses character. "He didn't want to be a riding horse, but a trick horse. He was showing me what he wanted to be." Ollie didn't leave the garden enclosure that day until he had got Silver to lift the cap again. Many days followed, in which Ollie used all his patience and good will to teach the untrained horse some tricks. Thinking of simple and amusing tricks to teach Silver became a constant activity in Texas Ollie's mind. One night he dreamed of Roy Rogers and his horse, Trigger. They lay side by side in bed, and Trigger pulled up the blanket in his teeth. In the morning, Ollie knew that this was something he and Silver could do. He had no knowledge of how to go about teaching a horse to do tricks, but working with Silver in the day and going to bed thinking of the day's activity, he would often dream of himself and Silver doing new tricks, and these he would teach to his wonderful horse. Not being a trick trainer, Ollie often wondered if he were training Silver "correctly". He approached some professional horse trainers, but was unable to get any additional information. Training a troupe of performing horses involves skills and knowledge which is often handed down and kept within a family, so this was a closed door, though one elderly experienced man reassured Ollie that he was teaching his horse in a "good way."  So Ollie
continued working, using his own and Silver's resources.
Apparently, it usually takes three people to teach a
horse the "high rise", standing on it's back
legs. Ollie taught this to Silver by himself. Sometimes,
Silver helped. One day, in a refusal to do what Ollie
wanted, Silver began stepping sideways, "out of
awkwardness" said Ollie, " so I just gave up
and said, 'go on then, walk sideways, keep walking
sideways then, walk sideways." Thus Silver taught
himself the sidepass, and it was a step which came in
handy for dancing! It would just happen that Silver
sometimes wanted to do something different, and Ollie
would see the possibilities.Much later, Ollie read up about some of the things one can teach a horse, and was delighted to find that he and Silver had already learned many manoeuvres which were defined and named in the book. Teaching Silver is an on-going process, and must continue or the progress made so far would be lost. "If I stopped teaching Silver, he would die,"said Ollie,"and I would too." Silver and Ollie are presently learning and practising a new trick, but I can't tell you about it. Ollie was born in Raphoe, and has always had a way with horses and been interested in them. From around the age of ten years, Ollie was often asked by local farmers to ride purchased horses home from sales. Whenever possible, Ollie worked with horses, and he spent a period in Texas working on a dude ranch. He loved having the opportunity to live in a place where good horses were appreciated, and he is proud of his Texan saddle and cowboy hat. "All I think about is horses," he said. "If somebody talks about a horse, that suits me for the rest of the day. I want to know what's going on in their heads. Do they have feelings like us ; can their feelings be hurt? When teaching tricks, this is the big problem, getting the horse to know what you want." Seeing Silver and Ollie doing their stuff does wonders for people. Their faces light up, and children invariably want to get as close as possible and to touch Silver. On one occasion, a girl in a wheelchair, who could neither walk nor talk, made a huge effort to get closer to the horse. She lunged, fell out of the chair, and continued to crawl forward. Observing this, Texas Ollie brought Silver to her side. Silver nuzzled her forehead gently, and the girl was full of delight. "This is what I want to get out of it," said Ollie. "Silver and I are trying to bring a little bit of happiness to people. We don't mind if they laugh at us as long as they are happy. I want to bring happiness to people." Top of page |
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Community Notices
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| 12th Aug | Community Notices
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| 9th Aug |
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Derry Rider Stars in
Ardara Showjumping The star of the afternoon's showjumping beside the Owenea River, Ardara, on Sunday afternoon July the 28th, was a woman. Mary Barron of Derry took the top prizes and a fistful of rosettes when she came first, second and third in the 1. 10 metre class, and later she took first and second in the 1. 20 metre class at the Ardara showjumping . |
| Local riders Martin McGowan, Donegal
town, on Moonlight Shadow, Conal Watters, Ardara, on Tara
Lady, John McGuire, Ardara, on Lackamore Lad (owned by
Brian Gillespie of Portnoo), and James McDaid, Frosses,
on Copper Clara took top places in the amateur class. Heavy overnight rain made conditions underfoot poor and there was a low turn-out in the pony classes, although there was a large entry in the horse classes with many riders travelling from Northern Ireland, including Peter and Richard Smyth from Omagh. John Chambers,Omagh, was the course builder. There was quite a line-up of horse transportation - seven big lorries as well as jeeps and cars with horse trailers attached. Conditions in the field had been perfect the night before but the overnight rainfall had rendered the field in such a state that they were 'flying on a wing and a prayer' said Mr Jim Campbell, Narin, who was one of the organisers with Charlie Gildea, Monargan. The main arena was in a usable condition, but the riding club arena was closed in the interests of safety after two classes had competed in it. Results: Pony 128 CD - 1st Shaun Mangle, Princess Sheera, 2nd Rory Holmes Enniskillen Boy; 128 ABC 1st Rory Holmes He Ott To Be, 2nd Jammie Smyth, Flighty Brown; 138 CD Lisa Smyth, Spotacular, Siobhan Gallagher, Fast Step, Gary McCrossan, My Little Lady, Kelley McAlaney, Eavamaster Classic Lady; 138 ABC 1st Aileen Holmes, Gerry's Pocket Money, 2nd Lisa Smyth, Spotacular, 3rd Kelley McAlaney, Eavemaster Classic Lady, 4th Kelley McAlaney, Dartan Bay; 148 CD 1st Lisa Smyth, Dream Cruise ;148 ABC 1st Tracey Gallagher, Claires Pet. Horses Amateur - 1st Martin McGowan, Moonlight Shadow, 2nd Conal Watters, Tara Lady, 3rd John McGuire, Lackamore Lad, 4th James McDaid, Copper Clara; 90cms - Jimmy McCloskey, Caboshea, Kelda Morgan, Shackelton's Dream, Peter Smyth, Pub Deal; 1.00 mtr - Jimmy McCloskey, Another Cruise, Jimmy McCloskey, Kyoto, Doreen McGee Glasheedy Boy, Jimmy McCloskey, Duke Maximus, Peter Smyth, Pub Deal, Kelda Morgan, Rebel Dream, Fiona Beirne, Its Motto; 1.1mtr -1st Mary Barron, Mr Sandymount, 2nd Mary Burron, Party Time, 3rd Mary Barron, Mr Tibbs, 4th Richard Smyth, Covers Ace, 5th Peter Smyth, Mulvin Liftoff, 6th Jimmy McCloskey, Millenium Madness; 1.2mtrs -1st Mary Barron, Party Time, 2nd Mary Barron, Mr Sandymount. AIRC Clear Jumping - Aoife McDaid, Frosses, Copper Clara, Marie Clark, Narin, Sorreato Sky, Jim Campbell, Rosbeg, Oscar. Top of page |
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| 8th Aug | Larne
Couple's War Grave Search Ends in Ardara A couple from Larne recently completed a search on behalf of a Scottish woman, who had long wished to know the last resting place of her uncle James, lost at sea during the Second World War. Their search ended in the quiet graveyard of St Conall's Church, Ardara, on the 31st of July. |
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| Kathleen
and Robert Alexander of Larne, were on holiday in
Aberdeenshire, researching some local history in the
churchyard of Drumblade, at the end of last summer, when
they made the acquaintance of Mrs Betty Wilson, who is
caretaker of Drumblade church. Betty has held that post
for thirty years now, but had never encountered any Irish
visitors, though she has conscientiously kept a visitors'
book during her time as caretaker. She told the Alexanders about her uncle, James Davidson Scott, drowned at sea 250 miles north of the Donegal coast. He had been the adopted son of Mrs Gordon West of Landhill Longside, Aberdeenshire. She had died in 1939 and he then made his home with his sister, whose daughter was then about 10 years old. She is now Mrs Betty Wilson, Huntley, Aberdeenshire, and she has fond memories of her Uncle Jimmy. James had formerly been employed by Aberdeen County Council as a road builder. He joined the armed forces with many of his friends in the early stages of the war, and became sapper 1919147 in the 706th Construction Company of the Royal Engineers. He was also a drummer in a territorial pipeband.  The
"Mohammed Ali El Kabir" was an Egyptian ship, commissioned
as a British troopship during the war. James embarked on
this ship with 700 other Royal Engineers, bound for
Gibralter via the seas north of Ireland, in order to
avoid attack by German U-boat. Sadly, the "Mohammed
Ali El Kabir" was torpedoed by U-boats, and sank.
Many of the troops on board survived to be picked up, but
Jimmie, 26 years old, was one of those who was lost.
Some time after their return home to Larne, the Alexanders received a letter from Betty. Enclosed with the letter were the only photos she had of her young uncle, and the king's letter informing the family of his death. Though Betty didn't say so, the Alexanders believed that her letter was a tacit request for help in tracing her uncle's burial place . Kathleen, being a member of her Local History Society, was ideally suited for this task, as she had the interest and the knowledge of how to undertake the job. She replied to Betty, saying that she would keep the documentation concerning James safe, until she had the time to follow it up. On Remembrance Day, Kathleen and Robert saw a television programme made by R.T.E. in conjunction with U.T.V. The programme concerned the story of a body, which had washed ashore on Tory Island in 1940. The young man had been identified. He was a 26 year old from Aberdeenshire, enlisted in the Royal Engineers, and a victim of the torpedoing of the "Mohammed Ali El Kabir". Though Kathleen and Robert did not know this at the time, they later learned that he had been a close friend of Jimmie's. Finding the burial place of James Davidson Scott, was a relatively simple task in the end, though one would have to have been informed to do so. Kathleen went onto the wargraves site on the internet. She found the information regarding his burial place by using his name. James' body had been washed ashore near Ardara, a few weeks after the torpedoing of his troopship. Local people had attended the burial service and put a wreath on the grave. Later, the British Legion had erected a headstone, and each year they leave a little wooden cross on the grave. On the 31st of July, Kathleen and Robert also left a small wooden cross on that grave in the Church of Ireland graveyard, Ardara. James Scott's niece, Betty Wilson, is much comforted to have found out where her uncle is buried and is grateful to those good Donegal folk who gave his body the dignity of a Christian burial. Top of page |
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Community Notices
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| 6th Aug | Community Notices
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| 2nd Aug | New Extension of Rosbeg Pier Officially Opened |
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| A small crowd gathered at the
Rosbeg pier for the official opening of a re-structured
and extended pier in Rosbeg, Dawros Peninsula on Sunday
the 21st of July. The pier and boats had been decorated
with balloons and bunting as befitting the celebration.
It was a dry overcast afternoon, but rain threatened
towards the end of the ceremony. Fr Daly, Kilclooney,
assisted by the Rev. G. Freeman, Ardara, and the Rev. M.
Classon, Summy, performed the blessing of the renewed
pier and the assembled fishing boats, and Cller Enda
Bonner officially opened the pier by cutting the ribbon.
For the first time in it's history, the pier was provided
with a water and electricity supply, both most useful to
crews of boats who moor there. Several hundreds of local people and visitors to the area attended the official opening and blessing of the newly extended pier. Master of Ceremonies for the occasion was Ms Anna Classon, Rosbeg, area organiser for the N.L.I. Enda Bonner spoke of the need for the work on the pier and that he was glad to have been of assistance in acquiring the necessary money. He was happy that the work had been awarded to a local contractor, and pleased with the success of the work. A religious service followed, in which the pier and the assembled fishing boats of Portnoo and Rosbeg, and one from Killybegs, were blessed. Fr Bernie, Manchester, well-known in the Narin/Portnoo area, and Elaine Boyle, Kilclooney, provided the music and sang the hymns. The Cliff and Sea Rescue team from Killybegs had arrived by boat for the ceremony. The Gardaí and Civil Defence were represented, and provided service in traffic control. Junior Minister Pat the Cope Gallagher, the Killybegs Harbour Master, Pat Conaghan of the Killybegs B.I.M., and representatives of Donegal County Council were also in attendance. |
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 Fr Daly and Rev. G. Freeman blessing the new extension and slipway, and the boats. James Boyle of Rosbeg is also in the picture. |
The last time that a large sum of money had been spent on the pier was in 1978. At that time, £68,000. was spent on converting the Rosbeg slipway into a pier. Two years ago local fishermen met with Enda Bonner, then a Senator, and with representatives of Donegal County Council, to state that the end of the pier needed to be raised and extended to provide mooring for boats which would be safe at the spring tide. As things were, the end of the pier was flooded with several feet of water at spring tide, necessitating the mooring of boats at the landward end of the pier, and then re-mooring them at the seaward end to avoid being left high and dry as the tide receded. A slipway was also needed for the launching of fishing and tourist boats. | |
| "Before the recent works were completed, we had a problem with the height of the pier," explained Patsy Harkin, local fisherman. "At spring tide, the sea came up over the lower part of the pier. Boats had to be shifted to the higher part. Later on you had to move the boat back to the lower end of the pier, otherwise it would be stranded as the tide moved out." | ||
| Application was made by Enda Bonner to the Marine Department of the Donegal County Council, for the necessary funding. A year later, £220 thousand pounds was allocated for the work on the pier. The job was put out to tender, Paddy Peter McHugh being the successful applicant. The Rosbeg Pier Renewal Group worked with Eamon McGill, marine engineer of Donegal County Council, Fintown, to design the extension, the slipway and the raising of the end of the 1978 construction. Plans were made to enlarge the carpark and to surface it. |
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| The work was started in September, 2001.
Fortunately, last winter was fairly mild and calm, but
there were some winter days when working conditions were
very difficult. Work had to be fitted into nature's
schedule of the tides, so that the men employed on the
job had often to work both early and late on the
construction of shuttered concrete. The re-newed pier was
completed by the end of March, 2002. "The fishermen are very happy with the work that was carried out on the pier and the slipway," said Patsy Harkin, chairman of the Rosbeg Pier Renewal Group."It's a big improvement on what we had. We are thankful to Paddy Peter McHugh, contractor, and Eamon McGill, marine engineer, for the work that was done. The slipway is already being used and is proving very useful." After the ceremony, there was an adjournment to Dawros Bay House for tea and sandwiches, with perhaps something stronger in liquid refreshment, and music, to celebrate the re-newed pier. Top of page |
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| 1st Aug | Community Notices
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| #www.geocities.com/ardaratown# |
