Historic taste of Celtic ancestry
THE rich Celtic history of some of the region’s first settlers and pioneers was celebrated at the first Royal Bull’s Head Inn opening of the year.
A steady line of interested visitors toured the historic inn yesterday and took in the rich, and largely unknown, history and stories of how the Drayton and wider Toowoomba area was settled.
The contributions of three of the region’s earliest settlers were showcased as part of the historic site’s open day.
Among them was the Irishman Stephen Meehan who contributed to the early development of Drayton and Toowoomba, and would later employ the city’s first mayor, William Groom.
Another was Scotsman Benjamin Glennie who is regarded as the founder of the first four churches on the Darling Downs with St Matthew’s in Drayton, St Mark’s in Warwick, St Luke’s in Toowoomba and St John’s in Dalby.
Royal Bull’s Head Inn volunteer Helen Moloney said the exhibit included displays from the three Celtic countries of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
“We are open on the first Sunday of every month and we try to have a different theme,” she said.
“We decided that we would offer a Celtic theme and celebrate the local ancestors of those cultures.”
The day had originally been planned to include Celtic dancers but one of the performers broke their arm and was unable to attend, Mrs Moloney said.
It didn’t put off keen visitors, however, who took in the well-preserved history in the Heritage-listed inn in Drayton.