Richmount News February 2021

Working together for all in our community Keeping us Connected Richmount News This magazine is designed to help Covid 19 dominated our lives in 2020 and it looks like this could us keep us connected. continue for a while longer, but the hope is that by summertime a It gives you articles to read about in degree of normality may have returned. However, in the meantime the local area and some articles to life goes on and we have to make the best of it. From a community provoke discussion. It also gives association perspective we are still providing services with a partic- details of what activities we have ular emphasis on older people and those who are socially isolated. planned. At this time it is important that the Unfortunately many of our plans made in December last year were community keeps connected and the dashed with the onset of the new restrictions. We had planned for Internet can be a way of doing this. more drive in events and where people could learn to use computers We would encourage more people to and avail of services on the internet. We have not abandoned these use it. plans but we have had to put some of them on hold. However, we realise that this is not for everyone and we will continue The one thing that is becoming increasingly apparent is that the use with regular issues of this magazine of the internet is becoming more important and we would and also the use of DVDs. encourage all in our community to use it. Some people may say : Remember social isolation and I couldn’t be bothered—I couldn’t do it - I’m too old. loneliness can be a killer. You can do it with help - We will help you. See Page 3

We have a very large programme of activities for this year but in the foreseeable future it will have to be delivered online.

However, for those who do not use the internet we will try to record the lessons or lectures on DVDs. We will be outlining these activities on page 15 We have established a programme of cooking traditional meals and delivering them to our older people. As well as using the internet and this Read more about this on page 3 magazine to help keep us connected we now have the facilities to produce and copy our own DVDs which can help to keep us connected. We are already recording our Tai Chi and Yoga classes.

Richmount Webinars This is a relatively new way of having lectures or presentations. Webinars allow large groups of people to engage in online discussions or training events and share audio, documents or slides – even when they're not in the same place as the meeting host or in the same room where the event or presentation is taking place. People can take part in an event without We had a great afternoon of entertainment at our Christmas party on 21 having to leave their home and if they December. Colin Harney and Lee Lawson ensured that everyone was well wish they can just watch and listen entertained including most of Scotch Street . Lee’s drumming has not only to without having to get involved in the heard, but seen as well : You view this on : discussion https://www.facebook.com/joe.garvey.583/videos/2046186465518275. We are looking forward to the next drive in Party—17 March ??

Our Christmas Party by: Joe Garvey Despite all the gloom and doom over the prospect of not having a Christmas party last year I decided that was not going to happen. So we decided we would have a hybrid solution:

Churches were having drive-in services and McDonalds had drive-in take-aways. Well, we just married the two together - we could cook a traditional Christmas dinner and bring it out to people in their cars.

However, a Christmas party without some music would be a bit of a damp squib so we needed outdoor music as well, but it really needed to be live music. In the middle of winter ? The solution -we will make , buy or somehow acquire a small outdoor stage.

It is said that necessity is the mother of invention and we thought what about a van with those curtains that pull to one side? So off we headed with my “big trailer” to near the border outside Keady and we bought ourselves a “ curtain sider” body off a van. It was popped on my trailer and brought to my yard where lights were fitted and a few other modifications , including heating . Then it was towed by my tractor down to Richmount for the “big day” !!

We were entertained by our ever popular singer , Colin Harney and the fabulous, Lee Lawson was our drummer and piper. There were no quiet afternoon siestas in Scotch Street that afternoon!! The food was good and the craic was mighty. It was novel and unusual but everyone seemed to enjoy it.

I would have to thank all my cohorts for their help : John Wilson for helping me locate the curtain sider and getting it down to Richmount , also his car marshalling on the day and for giving out the presents in his red and white suit, Martelle McPartland for her help in so many ways, Pauline Rooney, Julie Milligan and last but not least my wife Geraldine . We can now look forward to Richmount Rock Raves this summer.

Time for another party ? Why not St Patrick’s Day ? If restrictions are eased we could have a drive in . Failing that a Zoom Party with food delivered to you and we connect on line ?

A picture paints a thousand words and the photographs below illustrates what a great but unusual Christmas party we had.

Please remember to use to use this voucher by 28 February

Dinners for Older People - Good Food & Keeping Connected Delivered to your door for £4

We all know what it is like . If there is only one of you in the house or you are a couple and maybe not just as fit as you used to be. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a nutritious traditional meal delivered to your home at least once per week at a cost considerably less than going to the take away and better for you.

In January we delivered 180 meals free of charge to our vulnerable older people who were mostly living alone. We did this with a small grant we received from the Council From February we will be charging £4.00 for a main meal and £1.50 for a dessert. By a main meal we mean meat , two vegetables , potatoes & gravy. A typical dessert would be apple tart and custard.

Our main meals are substantial and many of our older people tell us they get two dinners out of one. They are delivered chilled in reusable sealed containers which can be microwaved. These meals, when refrigerated, will keep for three days. Some people have ordered multiple meals and we will vary the menu accordingly. We can deliver roughly within a 5 mile radius of Scotch Street. We are currently delivering out as far as Kernan in Portadown and to near the Birches. However, we can only provide this service if there is sufficient demand.

If you are interested please text 07934186635

Let’s get Connected This pandemic has taught us to find new ways of keeping connected. We know that many of our readers use the internet but many do not. One of our members recently told me that he was having a Zoom party for his family and friends for his 85th Birthday. He was more than capable of using Zoom and was really looking forward to it - so age is not an excuse ! Some people are already using the internet but just need a little push to get them onto Zoom. On page 15 you will see a wide range of activities that we have available. These will have to be undertaken via Zoom unless the restrictions are substantially relaxed but that is unlikely for sometime. Not on the Internet ? We have 20 computer tablets and we thought we could have “drive in ” sessions where people could get some lessons on getting connected and be able to use our wi-fi . We hope will be able to do this in the future but in the meantime we would urge our older people to get con- Digital Community Champions nected. If we can help in anyway please contact us. DVDs We are aware that many of our readers are not on the internet and can lose out on many of the activities we will be covering on Zoom or webinars . To help overcome this we have now have a DVD producer where we can record presentations or learning material at a reasonable cost. For those who do not have a device that plays DVS they are available in the shops from £19.99. We have had some DVD players donated to us for use by older people . If you have any spare ones that are work- Martelle McPartland & Joe Garvey. The first of the three “ Digital Community Champions” ing and with remote control we would welcome them. to be trained by the Council in a pilot project to try and It is important we all keep connected ! get more older people to use IT to keep connected

A Murder in Coharra - alleged matricide A true story by Martelle McPartland

Part 2 In the last edition we told you about the gruesome story of the fatal attack on an elderly lady in Coharra. Miss Elizabeth Bennett was arrested on the charge of having killed her mother and abetted by her lover , Patrick Garvey. Garvey was out on bail while Bennett was in Armagh Gaol. We re-join the story at the magistrates court where the two accused, if believed to be guilty, could be sent to the higher criminal court where they faced the death penalty for murder.

The Fourth Witness. Margaret Nixon said that she was in the house the day that Mrs Bennett died and was also there when the body was washed. She said that she saw a little blood on the deceased. On the Saturday before she died Mrs Bennett called out to Margaret from the window to say that she was hungry and Margaret brought her a piece of bread and passed it under the door as the door to her bedroom was locked. Margaret had spoken to Mrs Bennett on the Sunday and she had made no complaints about her daughter.

The Fifth Witness. Bella Mc Coo was in the house of Mrs Bennet on the Saturday before she died. Mrs Bennett, who didn’t complain often, complained to Bel- la that she had got abuse and that her daughter had cut her on the knuckle with a knife. She stated that she was there with Margaret Nixon and because the house was locked Mrs Nixon put some bread under the door for Catherine Bennett to eat.

The Sixth Witness. Elizabeth Mc Cann said that she knew both prisoners. She remembered being in Portadown the Saturday before Mrs Bennett died and that she did not take any whiskey with Miss Bennett that day.

The Seventh Witness. The magistrates court was packed with Elizabeth Bennet’s neighbours giving evidence but also with a wide array of people who were keen to find out what Mary Gribben also said that she happened in the fatal assault on old Mrs Bennett and others just plain nosy. was in Portadown on the Saturday previous to the death of Mrs Bennett. She met up with Elizabeth Mc Cann and asked her if she saw Miss Bennett. Mc Cann said, ‘Yes, I know where Miss Bennett is.’ Mary Gribben was taken to Mrs Sinnamon’s in Woodhouse Street and Miss Bennett was there sitting on a chair in the hall and Patrick Garvey was standing out in the middle of the street. Mary Gribben said that Elizabeth Bennett was sober.

On the morning after Mrs Bennett died, Miss Bennett said to her that if they did not hurry that the people would be in before things could be regulated.

At the end of the witnesses giving evidence Mr. W. H. Atkinson, defending solicitor, contended that there was not a scintilla of evidence against Garvey. The Court ,however, thought that he was implicated in some way. The prisoners were remanded until the 1st October, bail being taken in £200 for the appearance of Garvey, who readily found securities for the amount. The court rose at five o clock.

Day Two of the Trial

Mr Greer asked the court to release Patrick Garvey from bail. He would not be justified in keeping him any longer under bail. Captain Whelan said that the court were of the opinion that there was no evidence to connect Garvey with the charge preferred against him, and therefore he would be released from bail. Garvey then thanked the magistrates.

Mr Greer said he considered a clear case had been made out against Miss Bennett and asked the Worships to commit the prisoner. Mr. Harris, defending solicitor, argued that there had been no case made out by the Crown on which the Court could return the woman for murder. Th magistrate, Captain Whelan, said that the Court had carefully weighed the evidences and would commit Eliz- abeth Bennett for trial at the next assizes. The prisoner was accordingly committed for trial, bail was refused. The rusty round poker which has grey hairs stuck to its end .Was this the murder weapon ? The Inquest. Further particulars were given at the inquest regarding the foul murder, which has become a talking point in the entire district.

Immediately after receiving information that the deceased woman, Catherine Bennett, had died under suspicious circumstances, Sub – Inspector Jones and a number of police proceeded to her residence, and on examination of the body a number of marks of violence were found on the head, arms, and on one of the legs of the woman.

In the room where the deceased woman was lying an old rusty poker was found, and matted around one end of it was a large quantity of the dead woman’s hair. A three foot iron pole was also found. In the same apartment they found a woman’s white straw or Tuscan hat, the brim of which was splattered with blood. Several articles of clothing, which appeared to have been recently washed, were also found in the house. The premises of the former Red Lion Public House on the Loughgall Road. In late 1800s it would have had a John Cunningham, a boy of 13, and hired help to the thatched roof Bennetts gave his statement.

He said that up to last Wednesday he had been a week in the service of Miss Bennett and on his first day in service, Miss Ben- nett, sent him to the Red Lion Public House for three naggins of whiskey.

On the Saturday night the deceased told him and Mrs Betty Mc Coo that Miss Bennett had struck her with a butcher’s knife and he noticed a black place on her hand where the blood had run over. Mrs Bennet asked him and Betty Mc Coo to stop the night with her saying that her daughter might hit her, but the boy and Mrs Mc Coo were too afraid and didn’t stop the night.

On Tuesday night he slept in the house but had heard strange noises. Mrs Bennett, he said, was screaming. The next morning he was sent out early to tend to the cows and the house was locked all that day so he couldn’t return. John Cunningham , only a boy of 13 became a key witness in the case. He would have been chased out early in the morning to milk the cows

Doctors Stewart and Dougan stated that they had carried out a post mortem examination of the body. There were five lacerated wounds on her hands and forearms, which seemed to have been inflicted with the nails of a hand. They found the eyes contused and three lacerated wounds on the head, which cut down to the bone. The wounds were made by a blunt instrument and they stated that they must have been inflicted with great force.

The wounds on the head, considering the woman’s condition and age, were said to be sufficient to cause death. The wounds could have been inflicted with a blunt instrument but witness believed from the formation of one of the wounds, that it must have been inflicted with a weapon having a sharp corner. The poker was produced as evidence. A three foot iron pole was also found. The witness stated that he didn’t think that the poker was sharp enough to cause the wounds referred to on the head. Sub -Constable Samuel Crooks, examined by Mr Henderson, Q.C., deposed that on the 17th September he went down to the house of the prisoner and searched it. He found a poker lying under the bed with a lot of grey hair attached to it. He said that he also found a blood soaked chemise in a locked box in the prisoner’s house. He said only the prisoner had the key. When witness asked the prisoner for the key she said some other neighbour had it. She then tearfully asked him what All alone in the dock at the Assizes, Elizabeth would happen to her if she was found guilty and would she Bennett was at the mercy of the jury. If found have to leave her home? She also asked him, what evidence guilty she would hang was needed against her before she was convicted? North-East Winter Assizes, Country Antrim (Former higher criminal court) The evidence largely followed that which was presented at the inquest and at the magistrate’s courts . Esther Rafferty elaborated a little on her previous evidence. She told the court that Miss Bennett had told her the mother had fallen when she was getting up to be washed. Under cross examination she agreed that there was a grate in the fireplace in the bedroom, at the head of the bed where Mrs Bennett slept. Susan Cunningham reported to the court that a couple of days earlier she had heard Miss Bennett saying, “She wished to God her mother was dead”. Mrs Bennett had told her that she was in a bad way and that Miss Bennett had broken her ribs by having knelt upon her. However, there was no discoloration of the ribs at the post-mortem.

It was then asked if the hair on the poker could have been the random pick up of hairs on the floor of the room? There was only rust but no blood on the poker and medical opinion was that the corner of the poker would not have been sharp enough to cause the injuries. It was, however, the opinion that the wounds were inflicted by a blunt instrument and that they were responsible for Mrs Bennet’s death. It was also believed that the wounds were inflicted 24 hours before her death.

The defence called Margaret Nixon. She told the court that she was intimately acquainted with Mrs Bennett and her daughter. Miss Bennet always appeared to very kind to her mother and when she was in the house the Sunday before she died, she noticed nothing unusual.

The defence counsel addressed the jury and said it was a sad thing to see Miss Bennett in the dock (who for the greater part of fifty years had been all that a daughter should be charged) with having caused the murder of her elderly mother who in the normal course of things would have died a natural death before many months would elapse. There could be nothing more improbable than Miss Bennett taking the life of her own mother. He thought there was nothing more natural than the old lady fell against the grate when getting out of bed and that the wounds were caused by successive falls against the fireplace in her attempt to get up. He reviewed the evidence at length and recommended that the Jury give the case a merciful consideration and restore Miss Bennett to that liberty of which she had been wrongly deprived. The jury retired and after due deliberation returned a verdict of not guilty . But was she ?

Unmarried Mothers, Concealment and Infanticide by Martelle McPartland It was always the girl’s fault

There has been a long history in Ireland and indeed the world of prejudice towards unmarried mothers. Some viewed girls who got pregnant outside wedlock as “fallen” and that they had sinned and should be punished. Some parents were ashamed of their daughters getting pregnant in these circumstances and out of pride took all sorts of measures to hide the pregnancy and the child. Many, as you know were locked up in mother and baby homes, where their babies were taken off them and adopted out to strangers usually at a price.

Other women, destitute and abandoned by their families, had little option, but to seek refuge in workhouses where again their babies were adopted out as what occurred in Lurgan Workhouse even up to the 1930s. Other unmarried mothers were institutionalised in asylums under the guise of hysteria often after they had given birth to an illegitimate or bastard child. You can imagine the stress such a young mother would have been under: Her child had been taken away and she mayhave had To hide their shame the unmarked post natal depression which was not seen as a potentially serious van came to take their daughter condition at the time. away to the asylum

I worked in a psychiatric hospital in the late eighties and there was a woman there aged seventy two who carried with her a blanket that she nursed in her arms and was never without it. She told me it was her baby and asked me often did I want to look at it. Once a week in the hospital there was a disco that all patients and staff had to attend, which took place in a large soulless recreation hall with grey walls and where scratchy tunes were played on a record player. At Lost her baby & condemned to a life the centre of the ceiling there was a large silver disco ball that hung low of ridicule and shame and threw out sparkles onto the floor and every week the woman danced in circles under the silvery light with her ‘baby’. When she was sixteen she had given birth to an illegitimate child and shortly after- wards she was committed to a lunatic asylum where she remained until her death six decades later.

In the rural Portadown area, Rosy, in the early 1900s was committed to Armagh District Lunatic Asylum at the age of 15 after she had a child out of wedlock. What terror did she feel that autumn day when she was told by her parents that she had brought shame to their door and was being sent away?

Up the lonely lane the van pulled by horses came just as the last of the apples had been picked in the family orchard and two men in white coats got out. Rosy Mother’s “lost” their screamed and fought against them with every breath she had before being pinned babies—they had no say down, sedated and forcibly strapped into a wheelchair. over where they went. Most were untraceable Her parents had signed a form to have her committed against her will. For sixty years Rosie was locked up, a prisoner, behind large grey walls with people moaning, screaming, lashing out while they were all subjected to treatments meant to cure them. Long before she died the light had already left her eyes. These cases are not isolated as the stigma surrounding unmarried mothers was widespread and the women were ostracised and shamed in their community as long as they lived and the stigma also extended to their families.

It is, therefore, understandable that should a young girl find herself with child that she would do her utmost to conceal her pregnancy The infamous laundries where the girls from her family and neighbours and indeed there have been were virtual slaves . This was the penalty numerous cases where family members kept their daughters hidden for having a child out of wedlock. Who away in their state of ‘uncleanliness and shame’, some were even put them there ? Their parents boarded up into rooms.

Due to the large numbers of young girls trying to conceal their pregnancy and then abandoning or at worst killing their babies to retain their moral standing within their communities, the Concealment of Birth Act was brought in, in 1861.

This made it illegal for any person to conceal the birth of a child and bury it in secret regardless if the baby had died before or after birth.

Anyone found guilty of concealing a dead baby was liable to be imprisoned for two years, with or without hard labour. Murder of a Child was a separate indictment.

In Ireland, between 1900 and 1919, there were nine hundred cases of infanticide and concealment of birth reported to the police.

This, of course, was only the tip of the iceberg as many more babies were buried in secret places and graves that were never reported or found.

If in the unfortunate circumstances a baby died before baptism, be it infanticide or otherwise it could not be buried within conse- Shallow graves were often dug in gardens to crated ground and another site had to be chosen to bury the baby. conceal the birth of a child

The midwives of the 17th century swore an oath to bury children: 'In such a secret place as neither hog, neither dog nor any other beast may come onto it' and that the infant would not be 'cast into the lanes or any other inconvenient place'.

Drowning babies in rivers was not uncommon and child abandonment and infanticide continued well into the twentieth century including a case in Ballina, where the remains of two mummified infants were found under the bed.

In 1956, The Hen House Boy was discovered by chance in a hen house outside Crossgar in County Down by two children. He was found in the appalling squalor of a hen shed that was completely without heat and light and which stank heavily of urine. When found, Kevin Halfpenny, had broken claw like nails, broken bones and matted hair that had never been cut. He couldn’t speak, made chicken noises and was unable to stand for longer than half a minute unaided as his shin- This story made the bones were concaved. national headlines . He had rickets, was malnourished and suffered from People were very quick to swollen joints. ridicule the actions of the A doctor examined the boy and testified that his arms and mother. But no one asked legs were riddled with fractures because of the weakness why? She had been good to her other 3 children but this of his bones. boy was born out of wedlock He was only seven years old and it was obvious from his poor physical and mental health that he had been placed there at birth by his mother who had been widowed for 13 years when she gave birth to him. She only served nine months in prison, while her son was condemned to a lifetime of pain.

The child’s condition improved and he learned to talk but he was designated as having learning difficulties due to the neglect he had suffered. It is very easy to be judgemental in such cases but you have to consider why did she do this ? The court considered the mother’s background. When her husband died she was left to bring up three girls and a boy. She also had to manage the farm.

The Judge highlighted the difference between the love and affection she showed for her previous children. He told her: “You deprived him of something that God gave to him (sunlight). You also deprived him of something that the State was prepared to give for nothing - medical attention.”

But, these cases did not just happen to others in other places they happened here in this small area of rural Portadown as well. Baby buried in an earthen floor at the foot of the bed in rural Co. Armagh. Foul play suspected .

In the next issue I will be examining several cases of alleged infanticide that took place in this general area. One of which occurred in the townland of Drumakelly, (Mahon Road) where in 1880, a shocking discovery was made. Evidencing a shocking state of “depravity and immorality” was made by the Constabulary in the house of a man named John Mc Burney, of Drumnakelly. It transpired that neighbours of the Mc Burney family had suspicions that the young girl, Rachel Mc Burney, had been This poem was hidden away with child and that the child had been born some written by the late days previously. Seamus Heaney and was The neighbours suspected that Rachel had concealed the birth of based on the her child, which was a crime at that time punishable by jail, and “Hen House Boy” had possibly even murdered her new-born baby.

Worldwide situation ? In 1950s America, unwed pregnancy The Bye Child was a sociological crime. In this press When the lamp glowed, report from Waynesboro Pennsylvania a A yolk of light woman, divorced from her husband for In their back window, 4 years, became pregnant. Her two The child in the outhouse children came home from school and Put his eye to a chink– thought they heard a cat mewing. They found a baby boy hidden in a closet. He Little henhouse boy, was 3 day old malnourished and with Sharp-faced as new moons sores. After police investigations the children’s mother confessed Remembered, your photo still it was hers. She knew that she would be maligned and ostracized Glimpsed like a rodent from her family and employer and could have faced potential On the floor of my mind, criminal charges. Little moon man, Kennelled and faithful The Social Heritage of our Society At the foot of the yard, Sometimes when people talk about the heritage of an area or era Your frail shape, luminous, they think of old buildings, famous families or past battles Weightless, is stirring the dust, together with works of art and traditional crafts. The cobwebs, old droppings However, the way our society behaved is also part of our Under the roosts heritage. What happened in the past to girls and women who had And dry smells from scraps children out of wedlock would be seen as incomprehensible to She put through your trapdoor our younger generation but many of our readership will identify Morning and evening. with the stigma and shame attached to having an illegitimate child. After those footsteps, silence; It has been claimed that society at the time was heavily Vigils, solitudes, fasts, influenced by the puritanical views of some of our churches and Unchristened tears, parents and family of the pregnant girl often felt that she had A puzzled love of the light. sinned and should be penalised while others felt shame and tried But now you speak at last to cover it up. With a remote mime In all of this the fathers of these children rarely get a mention - Of something beyond patience, Why not? This attitude was not confined to Ireland and goes Your gaping wordless proof back through the annals of history. The degradation and discrim- Of lunar distances ination against women has persisted throughout history, but in the case of the unmarried mother it is worse as there is a child that There was a film made about also suffers. the Hen House Boy called the Bye Child. This is our heritage. Who knows in 50 years time society may You can view it on : look favourably or unfavourably at the killing of unborn babies. http://tinyurl.com/glo73gx

From Stone Age giants to the 20th Century - 5 millennia of heritage at Ballintaggart, Portadown A Community Heritage Project

Sinnamons Lane by Joe Garvey

Sinnamon's Lane , between the Loughgall and Armagh Road ( Now Drumnasoo Road ) was a lane with many semi- detached cottages. Names like: Madden, Cullen, Toner, Quinn, Derry, Young, Hadden , Doherty, McQuillan , Keegan and Connolly were familiar names in the area. Some of these families are still there. Up until the mid 1960s the section of Drumnasoo Road at the Loughgall Road end was known as Sinnamon's Lane. Up until 1862 it ceased before the river up until when a bridge was built over the Ballybay river. (Previously known as the Dalagan Flu ) John and Henry Sinnamon were substantial landlords in Ballintaggart. Henry son of John would appear to have built Hannavale House on the Loughgall Road and also a number of cottages on a road which became known as Sinnamon's Lane. He built 12 semi-detached cottages in the lane in the mid 1800s . He would appear to have been a speculative landlord. Why the cottages were built is not known. They were of a cottier style with a small amount of land around the cottage and about an acre of detached land. This allowed the tenant to keep a cow and grow potatoes. It has been suggested that the cottages were built to provide accommodation for the workers at the then thriving water and steam mill on the nearby Ballybay river.

Mrs Toner and her daughter outside their home in Sinnamon’s Lane.

Mrs Toner’s son Bob became a very accom- plished artist . He is famous for his painting of the old chapel at Drumcree. He did this drawing of Sinnamon’s Lane for us.

My earliest recollections of Sinnamon’s Lane were riding a bicycle with my father along this level part of the road through Ballintaggart . I was intrigued by the wavy roofs on the houses. My father told me it was due to the timber sagging. All the houses were on one side of the road. There was a man who kept a lot of noisy dogs and nearby there was man who had a big garden full of roses. There was also a man called Joe Doherty who came to our house on a bicycle from this lane to “dress” pigs. There was a big green cow tail pump near a house owned by a man called Albert Young who took away dead animals. Many of the children in these houses went to the same school as me at Coharra. Further down the lane around the corner in the summer time the little narrow fields were full of people making hay. Then you went over the hump back bridge over the river and then up the hill and you came to what seemed a very rickety wooden bridge over the railway line. This then took you out to John Mackey’s shop where you could call in for a slider. The shed beside the shop had Dobson’s Ice Cream painted on the red tin roof.

These are my simple memories of a location in the 1960s. Please send in your memories - they do not need to be long and are best in plain English

Henry Sinnamon’s interests in Ballintaggart were sold at the start of 1900s . Henry lived in Clanamola on a lane between Drumgoose Road and the Dungannon Road. This short piece of road is colloquially known as Sinnamon's Lane as well. The house and farm was sold in the 1940s .

We are trying to trace the descendants of this family. The Sinnamon's house in Clanamolla is shown in the picture. The Sinnamons would appear to have been substantial merchants in Portadown.

There was also a rather illustrious Thomas Sinnamon who lived at Ballintaggart House but he will the subject of an article in a later edition.

Henry Sinnamon lived in a substantial house in Clanamola. The family sold the farm in the 1940s In August 1943 the cottages were placed on the market for sale by Miss Locke. We understand she was a daughter of GA Locke. This was a family of auctioneers and agricultural merchants. The weekly rent for each cottage at that time was 3/6d or 17.5p in decimal currency. From what we gather the houses were not sold at that time but they were subsequently offered for sale to the tenants. They would have been built after 1862

Hannavale House, left, was built by the Sinnamon’s between 1846 and 1862. One of the tenants was John Ruddel ,who owned the Mill on the Ballybay Rive. He would appear to have named the house after his daughter Hannah. The rather sad story of John Ruddell and the mill will future in another edition. In the early 1900s Hannavale was sold and occupied by the Lind- say family. This family had a very famous astronomer , Eric Mervyn Lindsay, who had a crater of the moon named after him

The sites of the cottages and dwelling in Simmamon’s Lane. This map is an extract from Griffith’s valuation of 1864. To the South of the cottages you can see all the narrow strips of land which was mainly let to the occupi- ers of the cottages. The landlord was Henry Sinnamon but the owner of all land in the area was Louisa Bacon who before marriage was Richardson of Richhill.

Sinammon’s lane did not continue over the Ballybay river and proceed through Drumnasoo to the Armagh Road until after 1862

“The Night of the Big Wind” by Sharon Muir

Winter storms are very common across Europe but did you know that one of the wildest and worst storms in the history of Ireland occurred on the 6 January 1839.

It was known as “The Night of the Big Wind” (Gaeilge as “Oíche na Gaoithe Móire) and was the most devastating storm ever recorded in Irish history.

The calm before the Big Wind struck was particularly eerie. Most of the eight million people living in Ireland at the time were prepar- ing themselves for Little Christmas, the Feast of the Epiphany.

At approximately 3pm, the rain began to fall and the wind picked up. Nobody could possibly have predicted that those first soft raindrops signified an advance assault from the most terrifying hurricane in human memory.

By 6pm, the winds had become strong and the raindrops were heavier, sleet-like, with occasional bursts of hail. Farmers grimaced as their hay-ricks and thatched roofs took a pounding. In the towns and villages, fires flickered and doors slammed. Church bells chimed and dogs began to whine. Fishermen turned their ears west; a distant, increasingly loud rumble could be heard upon the frothy horizon.

By 10pm, Ireland was in the throes of a ferocious cyclone that would continue unabated until 6am. The hurricane had roared across 3,000 miles of unbroken, island-free Atlantic Ocean, gathering momentum every second.

It hit Ireland’s west coast with such power that the waves actually broke over the top of the Cliffs of Moher.

Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of the hurricane was that it took place in utter darkness. People cannot have known what was going on. The wind churned its way across the land, extinguishing every candle and lantern it encountered. The darkness was relieved only by the lightning streaks that accompanied the storm and the occasional blood-red flicker of the aurora borealis burning in the northern sky.

All across the country, hundreds of thousands of people awoke to the sound of the furious tempest, their windows shattered by hailstones, their brick-walls rattling, their rain-sodden thatched roofs sinking fast.

As the wind grew stronger, it began to rip the roofs off houses. Chimney pots, broken slates, sheets of lead and shards of glass were hurtled to the ground. Rather astonishingly, someone later produced a statistic that 4,846 chimneys were knocked off their perches during the Night of the Big Wind.

Many of those who died that night were killed by falling masonry. Norman tower houses and old churches collapsed. Factories and barracks were destroyed. Fires erupted in the streets of Castlebar, Athlone and Dublin.

It stripped the earth alongside the River Boyne, exposing the bones of soldiers killed in the famous battle 150 years earlier.

Roads in every parish became impassable. All along the Grand Canal, trees were pulled up by the roots and hurled across the water to the opposite bank.

Thousands of timber cabins were destroyed by the storm. Surviving in- habitants had no choice but to flee into the pitch-black night in clothes that were presumably soon utterly drenched by the intense rains and snows which accompanied that cruel, piercing wind. Many sought shelter amid the hollows and hedges of the land.

Farmers were hit particularly hard. Hay-ricks in fields across Ireland were blown to pieces. Wooden fences All families could do was to huddle up in their homes and hope the roof stayed on. and dry-stone walls collapsed, allow- Many dwellings caught fire when downdraughts down the chimneys blew the burning turf through the house. This was the middle of winter and in very cold ing fearful livestock to run away. weather Sheep were blown off mountains or killed by tumbling rocks. Cattle were reported to have simply frozen to death in the fields.

Day of Judgment

When daylight came next morning people could only observe the sheer devastation that the storm had left behind and had their own suspicions of the darker forces that may have caused it.

Many believed that the hurricane occurring on the night of the Epiphany, was of Divine origin and saw it as a warning the Day of Judgment would soon be here. Some believed the Freemasons had unleashed the Devil from the Gates of Hell and failed to get him back in again.

Others maintained this was simply the night the English fairies invaded Ireland and forced our indigenous Little People to disap- pear amid a ferocious whirlwind. (Irish fairies, of course, are wingless and can only fly by calling up the sidhe chora - the magic The Big Wind inspired the Rev Romney Robinson of the Armagh Observatory to invent his world-famous Robinson Cup- whirlwinds). anemometer, the standard instrument for gauging wind speed for the rest of the 19th century . Winds of the ferocity of the big wind had never Police stations and churches opened their been recorded before doors for thousands of terrified citizens who brought their young and frail in for protection. Even churches could not be trusted on this night of Lucifer, many bell towers and steeples on churches throughout the country fell crashing to the ground.

Estimates of how many died vary from 300 – 800, a remarkably low figure given the ferocity of the storm. Only 6 years later from 1845 to 1849 Ireland suffered another catastrophe with the great famine taking the lives of around one million citizens.

This story by Sharon is based on an extract from an Irish Times article of 16 October 2017

The Community Pharmacy by Paula Morgan

HEALTHY EATING-IT’S NEVER TOO LATE There is always room for improvement! If your diet consists mainly of canned soup, pancakes and biscuits, these foods are of poor nutritional value. Eating the right foods can make a big difference to your health so that you can avoid illness.

We are all living longer but we want to live well! e.g. inflamed joints can be improved by a diet rich in Omega-3 fish oils and anti- oxidants in fruit and vegetables.

It is important to eat more protein, not less. Try to eat more homemade beef stew, fish, chicken or scrambled eggs to get more protein . Fats are needed in small amounts so Fibre plays a very important part of a include olive oil, salmon and flaxseed in your diet but go easy on butter!

Carbohydrates are sources of energy and fibre. Choose wholegrain bread, homemade wheaten bread, porridge, beans, lentils, peas and fruits such as apples, pears and berries.

Remember dehydration worsens constipation, confusion and risk of urinary tract infections so think about drinking more water, herbal teas and soups.

I hope you are all taking a Vitamin D sup- plement- not only is it important to take Vitamin D - the sunshine vitamin -many are deficient in this during Winter months when levels de- vitamin crease but evidence suggests that it lowers risk of Covid-19 infections and death. Vitamin D capsules are best taken with food at a dose of 800-2000iu daily.

Vitamin B12 is another important vitamin to prevent tiredness, sore tongue, pins and needles. It is found in eggs, dairy foods, meat, fish and chicken.

Calcium, like Vit D, is needed for healthy bones, so eat calcium-rich foods such as low- Turmeric: available as a fat dairy products. powder or tablets Why not try something new this year, turmeric, available as powder or tablet form, calms inflammation and benefits your brain function! Or apple cider vinegar with the “Mother” aids digestion, helps to lower Apple cider vinegar with mother still has the cholesterol and is good for joint pains. culture of beneficial bacteria which turned the cider into vinegar and is reported to have health benefits It is important to make sure you get enough to eat and take supplements if needed. Small meals eaten, little and often, may suit you. Always sit at the table to eat, shoulders back, chew your food well and don't drink too much with a meal. A well-balanced diet will help to keep you healthy. Make your food tasty, easy to eat and full of goodness. “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”

Wishing you all a very Healthy & Happy New Year ! Paula Morgan, Orchard Pharmacy, 23 Mandeville St., Portadown 02838 332 824

Activities for You These are available to everyone in our community and beyond (some tutorials may be available on DVD)

Traditional Arts &Crafts Project This £10,000 project sets out to explore our shared artistic and cultural history beginning with old Ireland right through to the present day. We will be using traditional craft tutors to teach participants how to create pieces inspired by the techniques and lifestyles of our ancestors. This will be an educational as well as an artistic process as participants will learn and explore our shared history to create their own individual artworks. The disciplines covered will be: Storytelling, ceramics, woodcarving, willow weaving and the making of musical instruments. The project will culminate in a craft festival in which artist and their students will showcase their work against a lively backdrop of music, food , storytelling and marketplace. Traditional craft demonstrations will be held to encourage the public to try a traditional art form . It is hoped this project will ignite interest

We would hope the story telling would lead to story telling around a campfire with perhaps a barbeque. The pottery willow weaving and drum making can be taught via Zoom with packs of materials sent to your home. With the willow you can make baskets or even create a willow structure in your garden. But we need you to take part:

If interested let us know

Our Path to Peace (Good relations project)

This project will trace events over the past 5,000 years which have led to where we are today in terms of good relations within the community. We can learn from the past and forge a brighter future. In this project we will portray our past though storytelling and visual arts. We are also planning to have a substantial fabric art creation displaying out history and the way forward. We will consider all forms of art in the project. The projecte will also include guest speakers on particular era of our past. A substantial amount of this can be covered via webinars or Zoom especially the storytelling or lectures and we would especially welcome people interested in the fabric art element. Please let us know if you are interested.

Heritage Project

This a £50,000 project which is ongoing. Considerable research has been completed on the heritage of this area and some of it has been covered in our editions of Richmount News. There is a lot more research to do but more importantly we want you in the community to get involved. We will be publishing a book based on the project but one of the things we have discovered is that there is a wealth of heritage in the area. This includes social heritage as well as the physical heritage.

Some people may view this as the pursuit of archaeologists and the professionals but it is not. You live in the area and you and the heritage is yours. What we need to do is uncover it , tell people about and preserve the stories or artefacts for future generations. We found the Giants Graves from Ballintaggart lying discarded, not labelled and we have to question had we not searched and found them would this important part of our heritage have been eventually lost for ever. We will be planning on line webinars / lectures / discussion on the project. However, in the meantime we would ask you to get involved. Tell us about your townland –stories you may have . We also need people to help compile our research material. Let us know if you are interested. There is Facebook page dedicated to this project see: www.facebook.com/groups/241843530059948

This poem was written by locals living in Drumnacanvey, Portadown in the aftermath of the Big Wind of 1939 - contributed by Sharon Muir

It came and it came and it came, Like all the devil's bellows loosed out of hell, Howlin' and screamin' and cuttin' an callin.' It came and came, and came upon Drumnacanvy.

The day a-fore was flat calm and quiet Not a rush or bush or wisp of smoke Either swayed or wafted, and words spoke in whispers. A grave foreboding' ta them that lived in Drumnacanvy

Just after the children were pit ta' bed The breeze first and then the wind started blowin' Tossing and gusting and comin' on steady. Soon all was a blur and a whirl around Drumnacanvy.

The fire was clamped doon and the lights pit out As that winter night's gale gathered in. Sinnamon’s Lane A storm they were sure off, but sure it might pass Pass bye and over the homes of Drumnacanvy. Where the hawthorn grows And the pink wild rose But nay sleep was had for ony that night, Through the hedges weave a chain As the devil's wind kept churnin' Where the long bank green Screechin' in over bog and field With its emerald screen Reaching and tearing at the very heart of Drumnacanvy Soft glories still retains Such the rustic place Fear gripped all like the devil's own grip With its homely grace As now this screeching terror bate them. My recollections claim Takin' the very thatch frae o'er their heeds One the eve that I Twain thrashed wi' the haggard com of Drumnacanvy Neath an azure sky Walked Sinnamon’s winding Lane

Who might say in this life he has ever met his maker, O, most grand the site Or indeed has ever crossed the path of Satan's works of evil. Of the dwelling white That night as terror took its stand Beset by the soft-eyed plain Both were met on common ground, by the people of And from the chimneys too Drumnacanvy Creeps the spiral blue Up to a vast domain At dawn of day when shaken men surveyed the scenes around Such the coloured place Only desolation, inhabitation, and sure starvation With its homely grace Was seen across the measured ground My recollections claim Where once stood the homes and barns and farms of On the eve that I Drumnacanvy. Neath a cloudless sky Walked Sinnamon’s twisting lane

Aye! Surely the devil fought that night wi' The God of heaven Double W And God stayed not his mighty hand in torrent, rain, and thun- The Ulster Poet der. Never again does common man want to see their titanic strug- gles, As he thinks upon the all forlorn, that plundered land of Keep sending in your poems and stories. Drumnacanvy All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored Let us record them for our future in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of generations the publisher: Richmount Rural Community Association