7th October, 1999
Good news for all Church goers, last
week St. Columba’s Church has finally re-opened. I can only
say that it is beautiful both inside and outside. Well done to
everybody who worked on it from the beginning right up to the
people who polished the pews for the opening ceremonies. A lot of
priests who administered in Douglas during the past 15 years were
there on the night. Fr. Vincent Hodnett, Michael Crowley, George
O’Mahony, Declan Mansfield were some who are now in
different parishes. Bishop Buckley was the main celebrant.
Afterwards there was a social in the Douglas GAA club. The
entertainment was provided by Sean O’Se, Billa
O’Connell and an excellent musician from Glamire (I
didn’t know his name). Billa, as usual, had everyone in
stitches. Sean O’Se had everybody on the dance floor and the
staff of the GAA club provided tea and sandwiches, washed down
afterwards with a few jars. I’ve mentioned it before, events
like this bring a sense of community to an area. The person of
the night was Father Liam O’Reagan, P.P., who took on the
mammoth task and still had time on Thursday night to take the
stage and give us a song. Well done to Dermot Keane, the social
staff of the club and everybody who made it a fantastic night.
Watching the news the other night I saw armed detectives at
road-blocks up the country, carrying sub-machine guns. I waited
for the news reader to say that the peace process had broken
down, or the UVF were on the rampage. No folks! Nothing as
serious as that, it was a travellers funeral!! Later the Garda
showed us some of the weapons they had confiscated - slash hooks,
pikes, swords, daggers, it was like a scene from the 1798
rebellion. Is this part of the traveller culture? When an Inca
King died, the elders used to kill a few locals to keep him
company on his journey. I’d imagine a lot of locals took
their holidays when the old King was fading fast. “Sorry I
missed the funeral, I was booked for the Mardi Gras in Rio!”
A reader from Grange called to the office last week and enquired
whether we knew the “Shelly House” was under threat.
The Shelly House is situated in what was and still is known as
Crichtons Woods, situated in Donnybrook. He drove me up and we
walked through land which is being prepared for house building,
and its very, very close to the woods. I hope these woods are
protected, because we owe it to our childrens’ children to
leave them some piece of nature. In years to come when they ask
us, “Daddy (or Mummy), what’s a woods?” Our reply
might be, “Look it up on the nature channel”. (See
article on “Shelly House” by Con Foley on page 10).
Looking at the tribunals on the TV I’ve noticed that the
people who appear before it have to take the oath, with the bible
in their hand. Yet their stories are conflicting, Spollen and
Scanlan. Did I read or hear that they were friends since they
were 8 years old? Not anymore, sad!! How many of you remember the
suicides during the late 70’s and early 80’s of people
who were threatened with eviction by the financial institutions?
People who owed them a few months mortgage were told “The
Sheriff is coming, get out!” Some people couldn’t
handle the pressure and took their own lives, while the people
who sent the letters were helping people with pots of money to
steal from the state. The poor devil claiming £74 a week from
the dole and selling blocks on the side is hauled before the
courts to be told, “You’re stealing from the
state”, while the very rich man has a senior counsel and can
go back to a law introduced by Brian Boru and drag it on until
its forgotten, and the next scandal crops up. If Pearse Connolly
and Collins could see whats happening would they say, “Oh
Liberty, what crimes are committed in your name?”
The well known Douglas landmark, the Fingerpost, is about to get
a make-over. Shrubs and flowers will soon decorate our
roundabout, and to take a quote from my fair lady,
“Wouldn’t it be nice if they did the same to the
roundabouts outside Shell and the Douglas Village shopping centre
entrance, as the corporation do on the Well Road.” We at
Douglas Weekly have been working behind the scenes to get
something big happening in Douglas in the next few weeks. More
about this shortly.
I know we sometimes complain about semi-state bodies and their
employees, but today I met a man from the ESB who is a credit to
the Board. Friendly, efficient and obliging, John Courtney from
Glanworth take a bow. What did I expect from a Glanworthie, my
mother came from there!!
Finally, I would like to thank Con Foley, who wrote “The
History of Douglas”. Every so often we use pieces from
Con’s book and I believe every classroom in Douglas should
have a copy because with people like Con and Michael Linehan (our
other local historian), we would know nothing about what Douglas
was like in the past, then we would have nothing to hold on to. A
sad thought don’t you think?
Bye for now,
Michael O’Hanlon.
