Curry- Moylough
PARISH HISTORY PROJECT
Our last meeting was held on Tuesday, April 25, thirty one members and guests were welcomed by the chairman to St Mary’s Community Hall Curry,
A presentation on the townland of Sandyhill was delivered jointly by Mary Rita Henry and Bill Swords. The townland, bordering Bellaghy, Co. Sligo is bisected by the N17 roadway, it takes its name from the once dominant Esker deposited there towards the end of the last ice age circa 20,000 years ago.
Bill outlined graphically the townland boundaries, major physical features, historic items including ring forts, spring- wells, lime kilns, passage ways, and described the land types of the area. Twenty eight households were listed for the townland in 1857, almost all depending on income from farming. They raised large families on a shared area of 308 acres. The rundale system of farming, allowing maximisation of available human and physical resources was practised at the time in Sandyhill. It was notable that households were grouped in clustered in two communities or clachans within the village. Today the population of the townland is approximately 160 and the housing is more dispersed.
Bill also demonstrated how a team of army engineers and ‘ Sappers’ used an elevated area in Sandyhill as one of its triangulation points while carrying out the first Ordanance Survey mapping of Ireland in 1837.
Mary Rita Henry, described social and cultural life and folklore of the area through the ages. Women in the households formed a central theme to her talk. They worked from dawn to dusk, completing household chores, tending fowl and farm animals and helping in the fields and in the bog at peak times. At times women toiled alone when the men sought out seasonal farm work in Scotland and England. Bunnacranagh the local national school where at times a solitary teacher managed to teach all seven or eight classes was a place of legend.
A favourite Saturday evening pastime for young children of the village in the 1950s was to sit on the roadside ditch watching the ‘ singles’ cycling in groups to the local dance hall, ‘ Andy’s’ in Charlestown or to Mulligan’s cinema. Ladies were occasionally carried along on a crossbar but in general, they cycled together in separate groups.
Olive Giblin reported on the heritage work in progress by members, at Drumakillen Cemetary. Montiagh. Gravestones have been mapped and images are currently being uploaded with inscriptions to a dedicated website, historicgraves. com. Siobhán Ryan, County Sligo Heritage Officer, commended the group on their work with the project.
Padraic Keane and his team displayed the ongoing genealogy research work from his Drumbane team. A notable feature being work on a Durcan family tree graphically illustrated on a sheet extending to almost four metres in length.
The next meeting will feature a talk by Tommie Grady and team on the townland of Rathmagurry, taking place at St Mary’s Hall Curry, on Tuesday, May 30, at 8 p. m., all are welcome.