For years, the people of St Columb’s Wells annually painted and decorated with quasi religious regalia the outside walls of their little houses to mark the feast day and were foremost in the religious procession to the Church on the feast day. There was a street well to whose waters were attributed healing powers ; when it ran dry during the long hot summer of 1976, under cover of darkness, a pipe was furtively rigged to the mains and many the following day proclaimed it a miracle.
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Christie Hennessy whose life ended so tragically and prematurely; an undiagnosed dyslexic, Christie left school at twelve years old and worked with his father around Tralee before taking the well trodden road to London building sites and demolition work where he spent the next twenty years. He was always interested in words and melody and wrote his songs by recording them with a tape recorder
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In the first couple of weeks after training, McCann managed to mislay his ticket machine, clippers, uniform jacket and money bag. For the most part, these were dismissed by his supervisors , the inspectors as youthful carelessness. The regular driving force were often dismissive of the students’ mistakes with a shrug about the waste of education.
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There are some similarities in their early childhood and school days in Derry but the differences are much more remarkable. A policeman’s son, Coulter grew up in the modest comfort of a terraced house on the perimeter of what became Bogside in the late sixties ; Cassidy’s father was a successful publican who bought an elegant mansion , complete with tennis court, landscaped gardens and stables on the outskirts of the City. The purchase was controversial since the area was designated a Unionist fiefdom but crafty, old Cassidy bought it in a sealed auction.
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The illegal movement of cattle (to benefit from the different agricultural subsidies) was common practice. We lived a hundred yards from the actual border and a Derry man called Miah often arrived at our house in a highly agitated state having had a close a shave with the Excise man from St. Johnston who patrolled what was known as the back road between Derry and Carrigans.
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We’ve truly transformed into a land of opportunity, still flawed, not perfect, but improving.
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The Camera Club has resumed in blended form – attendance for some and Zoom connection for the rest. I viewed online a first class presentation by Ken Lindsay of Eastwood last night. While interaction with other members has gone, there are bonuses – no travel and home comfort.
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African skies, the rhythms of the pupils, their villages and celebrations were glimpsed and relived as old images appeared on the screen. Zambia will always be precious to us; our first child was born there.
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At the end of our detailed submission, Liddell glanced at Osler and the officials; a look which read , ‘that’s not what you bastards are telling me upstairs’; the scenery collapsed and we got a rare glance at the inner workings of the machine.
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he was the politician whose principles remained intact , whether tackling local situations in Derry or travelling the World as an international statesman.
It is unlikely that we shall see his equal again in these islands.