Buncrana GAA Fun Day

WISDOM OF THE WORLD - WEEK 75

A Most Important Question

A young woman worked hard at College. She was studying to be a nurse. During the second month of nursing school, her professor gave the class a pop quiz. The young woman was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until she read the last one:

"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

The student thought that surely this was some kind of joke. She had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark haired and in her 50s. “How am I supposed to know her name?” she thought to herself.

She handed in her paper, leaving the last question blank. Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward their quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello." The young student never forgot this lesson throughout her career.

She also learned the cleaning women’s name was Ruthie.

WEDDING OF FRANCES BOYLE AND PATRICK BARR

Burt Chapel

Patrick and Conail next to an engraving of their father's name. Padraig MCDevitt was told that the roof of Burt Chapel couldn't be built, he proved them wrong by building in in a shed in Buncrana.

Posing on the General Lee car supplied by Hollywood American Car Hire

Interested in Burt Geneaology?

The Burt page on The Donegal Genealogy Resources website has recently been updated to include extensive details of Burt Cemetry.

A large number of headstone inscriptions, including photographs, family links and also some links to the 1911 Census have been added.

Every effort has been made to catalogue and identify as many graves as possible in the Burt Graveyard, in an effort to help preserve the identities and locations of the people buried there for future generations and also to enable emigrants from Burt to find and see their family graves.

Go to their site...

LOCAL IMAGES

Photographic exhibition by Thomas “The Miller” Doherty

A unique photographic collection of Buncrana throughout the years is now on display at the Inishowen Art Gallery, Milltown Business Park, Ardaravan.

Thomas “The Miller” Doherty from Ballymagan Buncrana, has been snapping and collecting old images of Buncrana and local residents since 1944. It started when he worked for Neil Farren who was the chemist in the town. “Neil was also a professional photographer as well as a chemist and was a real inspiration to me.” Thomas explains, “He saw I was interested in taking pictures and bought me my first camera, a box brownie.”

“Neil and I would go out to the Plaza on the Main St and Neil would take photos of people dancing and enjoying themselves.”

“As the pictures were taken I would take the film to Neil’s wife and she would develop them straight away in the shop. It’s hard to believe now, but thanks to a state of the art Roll Head printer, those photos were ready by two in the morning when the Plaza closed. Neil and I would be outside the Plaza doors with the pictures ready for sale. We sold hundreds of them.” He remembers.

Thomas, who is a long time member of the Buncrana West Inishowen History and Heritage Society, explains how the exhibition came about.

“I was talking to Adam Porter who runs the Inishowen Art Gallery about this year being Heritage Year and we thought it would be a great idea to set up the exhibition to celebrate the fact. Adam is showcasing Inishowen based artists in his gallery so this exhibition complements it well.”

Thomas also hopes people will be generous and put some money in the donation box in aid of the Foyle Hospice. Copy of the prints will also be available and all of the proceeds from these will also go to the Hospice.

“There isn’t a family in Inishowen that hasn’t been affected by illnesses such as cancer so the hospice is a vital part of the community and is well worth supporting.” Neil reminds us.

The photos Thomas has in his vast collection are of people of Buncrana dating back over 100 years. There are also street scenes. “It’s amazing how many people who look at the images see someone that they know or are related to”

Thomas also takes his show on the road and has done slideshows in local schools and the Buncrana library and is keen to expand his collection “ If anyone has old photo’s of the town and people from the area I would love to see them.” He says. “I can take a copy instantly and give them straight back. Photo’s are very precious and they become more valuable over time, and I realise their value to families.”


Adam Ported is delighted to have the photographs in his new purpose designed art gallery in the HML complex at Ardaravan. “Thomas has gathered the most comprehensive collection of local photographic history and we are delighted to have it here at the Inishowen Art Gallery. I think it will be a real draw for local people to come in and is bound to awaken some old memories.

Thomas agrees “Photo’s are for sharing” he concludes.

The exhibition is on now at the Inishowen Art Gallery, Milltown Business Park, Buncrana. For more information please contact Adam on 086 3552500

WISDOM OF THE WORLD - WEEK 74

A Betting Man

A man and his wife went to visit friends in another part of the country and were taken to a racecourse. Fascinated by the sight of horses chasing one another around a track, the two of them kept betting all evening till they had no more than two dollars left.

The following day the man prevailed upon his wife to let him go to the course alone. There was a horse with a fifty-to-one odds on it in the first race. He bet on the horse and it won. He put all the money he won on another long shot in the next race and again he won. He kept doing this all evening and his entire earnings came to fifty-seven thousand dollars.

On the way back home he passed by a gambling den. An inner voice, the same that seemed to have guided him in his choice of horses, said, "Stop here and go in." So he stopped, went in, and found himself standing in front of a roulette wheel. The voice said, "Number thirteen." The man put the entire fifty-seven thousand on number thirteen. The wheel spun, and the croupier announced, "Number fourteen."

So the man walked back home with nothing in his pocket. His wife called out to him from the porch, "How did it go?"

The husband shrugged his shoulders. "I lost the two dollars," he said.

LORRAINE MCCONALOGUE AND CONAL DEVLIN GET MARRIED