WISDOM OF THE WORLD - WEEK 24

The Great Wish Fulfilling tree



There was a man who wandered throughout the world seeking his deepest desire. He wandered from one city to another looking for fulfilment and happiness, but in all his wanderings never found it. Finally one day, tired from his search, he sat down underneath a great tree at the foot of a mountain. What he did not know is that this was The Great Wish Fulfilling tree. Whatever one wishes for it when seated underneath it immediately comes true.

As he rested in his weariness he thought to himself, “What a beautiful spot this is. I wish I had a home here,” and instantly before his eyes a lovely home appeared. Surprised and delighted he thought further, “Ah if only I had a partner to be here with me my happiness would be complete,” and in a moment a beautiful woman appeared calling him husband and beckoning to him. After a while the man thought, Gosh I’m really hungry, I wish there were food to eat. Immediately a banquet appeared covered with every kind of beautiful food. The man sat down to eat and began to feast on all the goodies. When he had finished he looked around at the mess and thought to himself, I wish I had a servant to clean up after me, and sure enough a manservant appeared.

The man sat back down to lean against this wonderful tree and began to reflect. “How amazing it is that everything I wish for has come true. There is some mysterious force about this tree. I wonder if there is a demon who lives in it? Sure enough a great demon appeared. “Oh my, this demon will probably eat me up and that is just what it did.

5 MINUTES WITH - CATHAOIR RUA Ó DOCHARTAIGH

Imaging if a well known, charismatic figure from Inishowen history could come back and answer the 5 Minutes with Questions…. Well imagine no more. This week Cahir Rua is (sort of) with us.

Cahir was elected taoiseach in May 1601 when he was only 14 years old. He was made the Lord of Inishowen between 1601 – 08. All was well until George Paulet, the governor of Derry, accused him of planning a rising when in fact he was only cutting down trees to repair his castle in Buncrana. When Cahir appealed to the Lord Deputy Arthur Chichester in Dublin they locked him up until he produced a surety of several thousand pounds. When he retuned to Inishowen he was so infuriated that he decided to rebel and, with his men, burnt down Derry. Cahir was killed for a reward and the gallant hero’s head was placed on a spike above the main entrance to Dublin Castle where it remained for many years. Meanwhile, his quartered body was put on display in Derry as an example to any would-be insurgent. All of his lands and properties were confiscated by Chichester who then became the new “lord” of Inishowen.

What music do you like?
Oh, my all-time favourite has to be The March of the Kings of Laoise. It’s such a rousing tune! Our pipers used to play it as we were marching into battle. Yes, what a piece!

What would you never throw away?
My trust. I trusted the English and they conspired against me. They goaded me into warfare when all I wanted was peace and stability for the people of Inishowen.

What book are you reading?
“The Last of the Name” by Charles McGlinchey. It’s all about my people and what became of them when I had to leave them. It’s a wonderful book! This is my third time reading it. I am also reading the new book out by Seoirse Ó Dochartaigh named Seven Races of Inishowen O’Doherty. It’s a great read. Check it out on www.seoirse.com.

What was your favourite childhood game?
Blind Man’s Buff with my little sisters in the castle at Elaghmore. You could hide in hundreds of places there!

Have you been to the cinema recently, what did you see and was it any good?
I see the odd DVD. I’m not a cinema person. Too tall. I’m 6ft 8”. Everybody behind me screams to lie down or something! I saw “The Fighting Prince of Donegal” recently. You know, Hollywood hasn’t a clue about historical accuracy. Red Hugh O’Donnell was a giant…like myself.

What section of the newspaper do you turn to first?
The political features, usually. But I despair at the quality of leadership in Inishowen sometimes. No teeth!

What is your idea of a good night out?
Oh, much the same as it always was: a good roast on a spit and a barrel of claret for me and my friends...and some nice harp music, of course.
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Most embarrassing moment of your life?
When Paulet, the Governor of Derry, struck me on the face in front of all those people. But he got his just deserts in the end. He actually gave my beloved Inch, which was legally mine, to some military upstart. That was the beginning of it.

Have you a favourite TV programme?
Don’t watch TV much, but I really enjoyed a series a few years ago on TG4 (Irish is my first language). It was about two Donegal undertakers – “C.U. Burn” I think it was called. I laughed till I cried.

How do you relax?
Now? Well, I just kind of float around up here. It’s heaven, you know! I don’t think I was too relaxed in my earth days. Do you know any 21-year olds who relax?

What job did you want to do when you were a child?
I was fortunate. We had lots of servants and maids in the castle. But when my father and I were taken hostage by the O’Donnell in 1593, they made me sweep the dungeon.

Where would you like to go for your holidays?
Scotland! I have relations in the Western Isles and haven’t seen them for ages. It’s a home from home over there!

Your idea of heaven?
Where I am right now! But I suppose I’d love to be riding on my horse over the hills of Inishowen and taking it all in. That’s heaven too.

Your idea of hell?
I suppose, it would be to see Inishowen - which used to be teaming with poets and storytellers and musicians – become an urban concrete jungle where people imitated the worst aspects of foreign ways and turned there backs on all things Irish.

What famous people would you invite around for dinner and why?
Pádraig Pearse: for his poetry and romantic outlook. Gráinne Mhaol, the female sea pirate: for a bit of craic. Paganini: to enliven us all with his magic fiddle!

Favourite animal?
The horse! I was reared in the saddle. I love horses!

What couldn’t you live without?
The company of my darling wife Mary and our beautiful daughter Onóra.

Biggest fear?
Dark, mysterious figures in the woods.

Biggest thrill?
Burning Derry to the ground! But we only killed a couple of soldiers who resisted us. We let the rest go. You should have seen them run in their long nightshirts!

The world’s most irritating invention?
I think it’s that little squarish thing you see people with all the time, stuck to their ears – mobile phones, I think they’re called. Hate them!

What is your idea of a good night in?
Me, Mary and Onóra, sitting around a big log fire in our castle with one of our best story-tellers telling us about the legends of Aileach!

Do you have a hobby?
I used to be a great letter-writer – in Irish. I loved the sound of the quill pen on dry parchment. They told me I was a great letter-writer.

Biggest disappointment?
That we didn’t save Inishowen as an independent country. We could have gone alone, trading with Spain and France. They were crazy about out fish and our poteen. A salmon washed down with a drop of old “Inishowen” was something hard to beat.

Which period in history would you most like to have lived through?
I think the Irish War of Independence in the 1920s. Despite all, we did it! It’s not all that we dreamed of, but, hey, we are fairly independent now!

World’s most useful invention?
It must be the wheel. But the man who invented tar for the roads deserves to be knighted!

What do you have for breakfast?
In my youth we had hot, wheaten farls with butter. We usually drank buttermilk with it. Hmmm…scrumptious!!!

What is the best/worst piece of advice you have been given?
The worst was, undoubtedly, when one of my men in the swamp near the Rock of Doon, told me that it was safe to go forth. But it wasn’t. That’s when the assassin’s bullet pieced my skull and left my people without their chieftain.
The best was the day, my friend Feidhlimí Riabhach Mac Dáibhid introduced me to my future wife, Mary Preston. “Marry her, Cahir, or I’ll marry her myself!” he said.

Personal philosophy?
My philosophy is simple: despite my military experience it would always say “live and let live!”

CARNDONAGH

The Main Facts

Nestling in the heart of Inishowen lies the town of Carndonagh (Carn Domhnach), the fastest growing town in Inishowen. Carndonagh is a busy farming town and its focal point for shoppers and youngsters alike is the central diamond, which was designed by a local architect, Gary Doherty. From this diamond with its seating areas and greenery, four roads meet from North, South, East and West. The traffic around the diamond used to be a nightmare but the one-way system and new ring roads have made it much easier for the motorist. The architectural designs of shops and offices in the centre of the town are varied, interesting and colourful. The buildings hold an old world charm that tourists love. Also, according to last weeks Sunday Times, Carndonagh is one of the most popular places for the English to move to in Ireland.

The surrounding area has a lot of historical standing stones and places of ancient archaeological history. The most famous structure being the Donagh Cross, a rare ancient relic that belonged to an early Christian monastery that is reputed to have been founded by St. Patrick in 442AD. It is said that the saint consecrated his churches on Sundays, hence Donagh (from Irish Domnaig - Sunday). The cross is now protected by a dry cover, on the road to Clonmany.

Due to its central location in Inishowen, Carndonagh is within a short driving distance to many beautiful sandy beaches such as Lagg and the Five Fingers Strand in Malin, Culdaff, Pollan Bay, Tullagh and Kinnegoe Bay.

If it’s more animated events you like then Carndonagh has a lot to offer. Irish dancing, modern dance, speech & drama, scouts and music are all in Carn. It is also the home of the Inishowen Gospel Choir and Inishowen Carnival Group.

Historic Carndonagh
Driving into Carn (as the town is locally known), especially from the Malin road, you will see the magnificent Italianate Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart. This imposing building was built between 1942 and 1945 at the cost of ₤100,000. Each stone for the granite-built building was hand carved and laid by master Stone masons from all over the country. It is the largest ecclesiastical building in the peninsula and can seat up to 1500 people in its enveloping structure. On the dome stand four statues designed by Albert Power R.H.A. and carved from Dublin granite.

Walking up to the church is an experience in itself with the grand pathway leading up from the diamond. When on the top of the hill you get a great vantage point to see the glorious surrounding countryside. Diarmuid Gavin, the Dublin based garden designer is putting together a plan for a new park to be built on the hillside near the church. This it is hoped will be a main tourist attraction for the area and a great resource for the local community.

Driving in from Buncrana you will pass the Carndonagh Community School (one of the largest Secondary schools in Ireland) and just past this is the Protestant Church whose belfry is said to house a bell taken from the ‘Trinidad Valencera’ one of the ships of the Spanish Armada which sank off the Inishowen coast at Kinnagoe Bay in 1588.

On the main road to Quigley’s Point at the bottom of Chapel Street is the Colgan Hall, a local parish Temperance Hall named after John Colgan a renowned scholar and member of one of the chief families of Inishowen. He was born in 1592 at Priestown near Carndonagh and was ordained into the priesthood 1618. He later joined the Franciscan Order at Louvain in 1620 and wrote a series of works on the lives of the Irish Saints. Up until his retirement (due to ill health in 1651) he held the influential position of Commissary of the Franciscan Colleges of Louvain, Vielum and Prague.

Did you know?
Carndonagh GAA - the local Gaelic football club, won Donegal Club of the Year in 2006

Carndonagh is also the location of the studios of Inishowen Community Radio (ICR FM), one of three radio stations in the county and the only community station in the north west of the Republic.

Famous Carndonagh Folk

Frank McGuinness

Hazel McKintyre http://www.hazelmcintyre.com/ (Culdaff)

John Colgan

The Michael Galbraith Orchestra



Things to do.
Carndonagh is within a short drive of many fine golf courses, the most famous of which is Ballyliffin Golf Club

Horse riding along the nearby beaches makes a welcome break from high speed travelling in cars.

The Culdaff and Clonmany Rivers are noted for substantial runs of spring salmon (a licence is needed though) and sea fishing is not far away. The Inishowen 100 runs through Carn, so there are plenty of opportunities for scenic cycling journeys.Hill walking on nearby Slieve Sneacht is also a very popular day out.

Carndonagh has a long tradition of agriculture and fairs. The annual Inishowen Agricultural Society’s Show is held near the Inishowen Co-Op every year and is where farmers and exhibitors show their animals and livestock. The show has grown over the years to incorporate cooking and floral skills, children’s entertainment, a dog show and a vintage car rally.


Transport Networks
Carndonagh railway station opened on 1 July 1907 but finally closed on 2 December 1935. Swilly bus service runs regualrly from the town and takes you to Buncrana and Derry. As with most places around the peninsula, private motor cars are the main means of transport. Cycle paths have been suggested for the Inishowen 100.

And the shopping
Carndonagh is a busy town with a large catchment area and there are plenty of shops to get all your provisions both in the Diamond and the shopping centres on the outskirts of the town. New commercial developments are still being built to cope with the increasing demand for shop space. The Diamond is still a vibrant place and has a fantastic choice of shops.

Places to visit
Carndonagh is ideally positioned to get to loads of attractions.

Doagh island visitors centre. Check out the history of the area.

Carrickabraghey Castle. A ruined castle situated on Friars rock in the Isle of Doagh.

Glenevin Waterfall. The well maintained walk up a winding path through woodland is rewarded by the cascading fresh mountain water of the waterfall pouring over black rock from a height of 30ft. The basin at the foot of the waterfall is called Pohl-an-eas - this comes from the foam which lies on the surface of the pool

Culdaff Blue Flag Beach. Back again after a short absence. Catch those waves…
The recycling centre. To process all of your household waste… (When it opens again…)