Fancy Dress Parade 1967

It is a picture of its time: part innocent fun, part cringe-worthy hindsight. A reminder that Moy had its own Saturday night variety show long before colour television reached our living rooms.

The picture is not the best quality, but anything from newspapers back then was not great. Anyway, these are some of the entrants in the Fancy Dress Parade. There appear to be quite a few pirates and Black and White Minstrels.

The newspaper caption says the following are in the picture

Betty White, Angela Murray, Anne Hamill, Marion Kerr, Billy Faulkner, Eileen Grimley (I suspect that might be Aileen Grimley!), Margaret McKinney, Francis McKinney, Patricia McMahon, Gai Murphy, Patricia Kelly, David Reaney, Fiona Faulkner, Stephen Reaney, Carmel Kelly, David Brown, Donna McCall, Jacqueline McCall, Colin Brown and Valerie Brown. Although not mentioned I think one of the two ladies back right is Mrs Faulkner.

Talk on Charlemont and its fort by James Kane at Benburb Priory on 25th September at 8.00pm

 If you think history is little more than dates and dusty old ruins, James Kane will change your mind. On Thursday, 25th September at 8 pm in Benburb Priory, he will bring to life the remarkable story of Charlemont Fort and the village that grew around it. tracing its fortunes from the 17th century right up to the present day.

As chairperson of the O’Neill Country Historical Society, James has spent decades unearthing and retelling the stories of this area. He is the author of Your Lordship’s Estate: A General History of the Moy and Charlemont and joint editor of Dúiche Néill. His many published articles and talks for historical societies across the country have earned him a reputation as one of the finest interpreters of local history.

If you have ever crossed the Blackwater at Charlemont or strolled through the village square, you will leave with a fresh sense of the layers of story beneath your feet, so do not miss this evening. Come along to the Priory, settle into your seat, and let James Kane guide you through centuries of intrigue, conflict and community.

Two new books coming out for Christmas

Well, well, well… look who’s wandered back after 22 months away! I’ve dusted off the cobwebs and found my way back to this little corner of the internet. You may have thought I’d emigrated, locked myself away in my studio with my watercolours, or simply forgotten my password. The truth is I’ve been spending my time writing a book – in fact two books with plans for a third in the pipeline.

And it’s not just any old book either. It’s a 220–page collection of short stories from Moy, Charlemont, Benburb, Blackwatertown and all the little townlands scattered in between them. The years I’ve covered run from 1880 to 1960 – those halcyon days of fairs, feuds, sports days, concerts, tragedies and triumphs. 

And now that the first book is finished, I’ve been thinking this site might be the perfect place to share some extras like photographs, forgotten scraps, and stories of local people from the 1960s onwards. Because why should the past stop at 1960?

With a fair wind and no further distractions (other than the usual ones) I hope to have both books out before Christmas – in time to sell them for £15 at the Craft Fair in the Church of Ireland Halls, in Moy, on Saturday 6 December. If you’ve nothing better to do, come along as there will be stalls selling all manner of goodies, and there’s always the chance of a good yarn.

And if you live too far away there will be an opportunity to buy both books online. 

So yes, I’m back. Twenty–two months older, possibly wiser, and certainly armed with more stories than I left with. Stay tuned. This time, I promise not to disappear quite so long.