The Richmount Archers Club in action. Robert Tiffney and Edition 8 Thomas Wilson getting ready to shoot their arrows. We have a full December 2013 range of archery equipment at the Richmount Centre. Anyone interested Richmount News in joining may have 3 free trial sessions after that they must become a member of the Northern Ireland Field Archers Association which costs Published by Richmount Rural Community Association £30 per annum. There are concessions for family membership. For de- Working together for all in our community tails on joining the Archery Club please contact Keith Sharpe on 07546272774 In this issue: Richmount Elders : A great success After some 10 weeks of our Richmount Elders project it has exceeded all expectations. We are nowLoneless almost packed to capacity with upwards of 50 people attending our Thursday sessions which are open from 11.00 am to 3.30 pm. Morning and afternoon tea/coffee is provided together with a substantial lunch. These lunches are cooked by our volunteers with the men and women cooking on alternative weeks. The men are winning hands down in the competition on who can put up the tastiest dishes ( The editor must declare his bias in this ). The feedback from our elders has been excellent and the quality , variety and presentation of lunches and entertainment has brought universal praise. This is a tremendous achievement for our Association and credit must go to our volunteers who give up their time to make all this happen. More volunteers are welcome as we don’t want to tire our existing ones out. As well as lunch we have provided a variety of games and competitions together with talks on depression, keeping fit, home insulation and music and dance sessions. We have had a good response for people to volunteer as befrienders and this will be developed in the New Year with bespoke training provided . Our Christmas party will be held on Thursday 19 December starting at 11.00am with seasonal food and refreshments , fun and games. Then Photography at 1.00pm we will have Aidan Taaffe along to provide the music . The Richmount Elders project is sponsored by the DARD Rural Club Challenge Programme There has been a great interest The first Richmount Elders session with lunch just in this with some 20 people declaring an interest. underway. The menu was: Leek and potato soup with A great night’s entertainment from Nandi Jola with her talk on wholemeal rolls. Roast gammon with a honey and NWP sponsoring Christmas party What we need now is someone to coordinate this apartheid . Wilson Magwere who kept everyone in rhythm with marmalade glaze, cabbage and turnip with mashed and NWP has very kindly offered to sponsor the Christmas and get the club set up. Then we can organise his music , singing and audience participation percussion ses- roast potatoes. Dessert was deep filled apple pie with Party for our Richmont Elders . We really appreciate training if needed , go on photo shoots and mount sion . Steve Lally gave us his particular brand of story telling and custard/ice cream followed by tea/coffee. (The men this. Thank you. displays. Norah who joined in the dance routine with Nandi. Pictured L-R : prepared this one - of course !! ) Please let us know if you would be willing to get Steve Lally, Nandi Jola, Wilson Magwere, Norah Jimba and Joe involved in this. Please complete the form below. Garvey , Chairman Richmount Rural Community Association Orchard Richmount Rural Community Association is run entirely by volunteers who receive no payment for their Framing services. We do this for the good of our community. We always need more volunteers to help us. Do not be afraid Over 30 years experience. to come forward; every hour you give to your community is precious. We would particularly welcome people to Old & new customers come in to help us with some new projects such as the photography club, our Yarn & Darn club and of course our welcome. Hay Days Heritage project. We would also need someone to keep our website updated. You do not have to be a member of the committee to do these things. Football Jerseys, watercol- ours and photographs. In this section we ask you for your feedback on any of the subjects raised in this publication or if you wish further Oil paintings cleaned and COLOUR for your garden information . varnished WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Wide choice of frames and Честита Коледа C HRISTMAS AND A ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… mounts available. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… EW EAR No job too big or too small. boldog karácsonyt plantiful NEW YEAR ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Contact Niall Lamph : baskets & blooms ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Linksmų Kalėdų 07899675172 or 28a Cannagola Beg Road ………………………………………………………………………........................................................................... счастливого Рождества Portadown BT62 1RP Name :………………………………….Address………………………………….. Tel …………………………… Benny Marley: Tel: 028 3885 2168 Email…………………………… Please return to : RRCA, 2 Derrylettiff Rd, Portadown . BT62 1QU 07712869587 mutlu Noeller Mob: 077 9531 4801 16 Email: [email protected] щасливого Різдва 1 Trip to the Maiden City Church of Ireland Parish of Drumcree Christmas Message On 21 August we had a very memorable trip to the maid- Drumcree which means "Ridge en city. We had a tour of the Bogside and Free Derry of the Branch" (of Branchy Tree) May the spirit of Christmas Corner. We had a very tasty and economical lunch in the may well in days of old have Gasworks Restaurant. Our tour guide for the day was been a centre for Druid worship. bring you peace, However it would appear that Adrian Callan whose wealth of knowledge and presenta- The gladness of Christmas give Drumcree became a Christian tional skills were outstanding. We had a walk along the city walls whilst you hope, centre in Celtic times. The getting the history of the City. We visited the very impressive St Colm’s Culdees of Armagh who were And the warmth of Christmas Cathedral and we had a conducted tour of the Apprentice Boys Hall spon- formed in the sixth century to grant you many blessings. sored by a Craigavon Borough Council’s Community Relations grant . oversee the worship of the The lesson from the day was that we found a city which had a turbulent past Cathedral also had responsibility but the present communities have found relative harmony in their different for Drumcree. When parishes were formed in the Irish Church traditions and cultures and have decided to work together for all the in 1110, the parish of Drumcree community in the City was defined as having sixty-six townlands. These townlands lie Left: Our group progress west of the River Bann, north and along Derry’s Walls . Below: south of the church. Shortly Can’t take them anywhere.!! afterwards the Irish Church came Letty decides to rule the under the control of the Church of Rome. That was in 1172 at the roost in the Apprentice Boys Synod of Cashel. The Papal Hall while Derek takes a Taxation documents of 1296 and more relaxed stance with the 1302 list the Parishes of Kilmore “Christ the Saviour is born to us this day” Sharpes and Robinsons at his A winter scene in this painting of Drumcree “Church of the Ascension” and Plebs Varren (Ballyoran), the feet !! latter being Drumcree. David Macralagen was the name of the first recorded Vicar. He died in 1414. It is most likely that the parish church was on the very This Christmas may we extend site of the present church. It should be mentioned , however, that Kilmore, Co Armagh was the major ecclesiastical centre at that the hand of friendship to all in time. When the Reformation took place in the mid-sixteenth century, the Irish Church became Protestant like the Church of England our community whether they and independent again. Nothing is known about the Reformation years, except that Henry Iharran was appointed Vicar of the be of a different faith, culture Parishes of Kilmore and Drumcree on 5th January, 1505.A map of 1609 shows that there was a church in ruins in Drumcree Churchyard. Shortly after the Ulster Plantation in 1610 a church was built on the site of the present church. In the or colour. Parliamentary Return of 1776 it stated that there were 514 Protestant families in the parish. The Rev John Wesley had a great We are all God’s children. influence upon the parish and visited it six times between 1769 and 1785. An entry in his diary dated 15th April 1769 describes his visit to the parish that day. He says that he ''rode to Derryonvil, a little village out of all road, surrounded with bogs ... The congregation, however, was exceeding large and exceeding lively''. When Portadown began to grow at the beginning of the nineteenth century, thirteen townlands were separated from Drumcree, to form the Parish of Portadown. It was decided in 1854 to build a new church at Drumcree which is the present church. The foundation stone was laid on Richmount Rural Ascension Day, Thursday, 17th May, 1855, and that is why the church is dedicated "The Church of the Ascension". The church stands on almost the site of the previous church. In 1867 five more townlands were separated from Drumcree to help form the Community Association. Parish of Grange O Neilland or Diamond. These townlands are Corglass, Annagora, Ballymakeown, Coharra and Cushenny. Joe Garvey , Chairman & The Church of Ireland had been supported by the State prior to 1870, that is, it was the Established Church. But the Irish Church editor Richmount News . Act of 1869 brought the Disestablishment and Disendowment of the Church of Ireland from 1 st January 1871. This meant that John Wilson, Vice chairman & the Church of Ireland lost millions of pounds and a great deal of property.