History of the horse in Glebe, Co. Tyrone by Annette Mc Namee

When my ancestors first came to live in the Glebe the horse played a big part in their lives and to this day it is the horse that is very important in my life.

In the early 1800's and 1900's they were used to cultivate the ground by pulling a plough, turning the soil so seeds for a crop could be planted and later when the crop developed the horse would pull machinery used to harvest the crop. The horse delivered milk around Glebe and Sion Mills. They were shire or draft bred and as far as I know there were always three hardworking, faithful horses on the farm. In the 1940's the tractor was introduced which overtook the horse and by the middle of the 1950's the horse was not needed. My father still kept a horse only to breed from as he could sell the foals.

I also grew up with horses and started to ride when I was two and my daughter (who is now 20) has also been riding since she was two. My son also bought a thoroughbred mare to breed from.

The horse is very important in agricultural and social history. Throughout the years we can see how the horse was so important to the farming industry, but now the horse is mainly used for leisure purposes although there is still money to be made e.g. training racehorses, showjumping etc. Many people are now turning to these sports and there is a steady increase in sport with horses.

History of Manorcunningham by Elma Mc Clean

Manorcunningham was originally named 'The Manor of Fort Cunningham', the name taken from James Cunningham, the first proprietor. James would have built his home there and from that the village was gradually built up.

As the area was growing farm life began, also land would have been reclaimed from Lough Swilly. Manor then became a farming area of flax, wheat, potatoes, pigs, hens and cattle in small numbers to start with.

Manorcunningham is the principal village in the parish of Raymochy. Raymochy takes its name from the old Ray Abbey that is half a mile south of the village, no longer a meeting place but still used today as a burial place.

The Church of Ireland parish was built in the village in 1792. The first Presbyterian Church was built in 1746 in the town land of Errity. Also a number of years later a second Presbyterian Church was built in the village, due to a fallout in the congregation. A Roman Catholic church is also in the area in the town land of Drumoghill.

Elements of History - Farming and Social

Land farms would have been of a small holding with a few animals, mainly pigs and hens. Wheat was grown and used to make bread for the large family holdings. Social skills would have been low as the primitive lives of the settlers did not allow for much socializing. Hard work was done by men, women and also small children.

Transportation by Margo Mc Ghee

The wheel, believed to originate in the Near East around 3500 BC, was one of man's most useful inventions. Animals and water vessels were previously the only means of transport, but with this discovery enormous progress was now being made on land and sea. Then, with the advent of mechanization in the 1800's transport would be changed forever. Steam engines now powered both ships and trains until the diesel engine came into widespread use during World War II. However, the single most important development since the invention of the wheel was the creation of the automobile. Carl Benz came up with, and patented, the first gasoline car in 1885. With land and sea conquered, transportation took on another dimension, when brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright took to the air in their 'Flying Machine' on December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Man now looked beyond the sky and Russian Cosmonaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon.

The technological progress that was made from the invention of the wheel until man walked on the moon was immeasurable. Not only did transportation profit from these inventions, all aspects of life benefited. Wheels are used to this day in almost all everyday objects, from tiny watch mechanisms to enormous jet engines.

With the advances made in transportation the world has also opened up economically - people learned different ways of dealing with business, finance and government. Employment and education also changed and our means of communication has surpassed anything we could have envisaged.

Maud Gonne, fighter for Women's Equality and Irish Independence by Nettie Gillespie

Maud Gonne Mc Bride was born in December 1865, into a privileged English family. Her mother died when Maud was six. Her father was a colonel in the British army and spent a large part of his career in Ireland before dying in 1885.

Maud reputed the political ideals of her family in favour of fighting for the 'Irish Cause'. In doing so, she played a pivotal role in fighting for women's rights also and was one of the founding members of organisations fighting for Irish Independence and the oppression and exclusion of women in Ireland. Among her many achievements were the Women's land leagues in the 1800's and the foundation of Inghinidhe Na hEireann which not only impacted Ireland's political history but also Social and Cultural history.

During Ireland's early history, women were very much oppressed and largely excluded from all Nationalist groups and organisations. Maud's commitment and persistence led to an Ireland where women's views were taken into account and subsequently played a major part in Ireland's fight for freedom and advocating for the oppressed in Ireland.

In the 1800's, during the women's land league, her aspirations to fight for the Irish cause brought her to Donegal, where evictions were taking place. Her work here included building land league huts, nursing the sick and the dying, raising funds and writing letters to the press. The Donegal tenants called her 'The Woman of the Sidhe' after the mythical fairy guardians. However she was forced to flee to France after a warrant for her arrest.

She was a major influence in the 1900's founding the Celtic Literary Society and the Patriotic Children's treat committee. She hoped to entertain a large part of the 30,000 children they believed would be eligible. Following this, Maud Gonne founded Inghinidhe na hEireann in an effort to form a permanent National Women's Committee with its aims of re-establishing the complete Independence of Ireland, encouraging Irish language and discouraging English Literature. Had Inghinidhe na hEireann not existed, a whole generation of women would never have developed the self confidence to enable them to stand on their own as a voice among men. Through Inghinidhe na hEireann and the Celtic Literary Society and Irish theatre evolved which led to the formation of the abbey theatre.

Throughout her lifetime, many men were to fall in love with her. She married John McBride in Paris in 1903, had their son Sean in 1904, separated in 1905 where McBride returned to Ireland. She remained in France until 1917 as she was afraid the McBrides would sue for custody of Sean if she were to return to Ireland. Her most famous admirer was W.B. Yeats who based many poems and plays on her and who indeed himself had dreams of setting up and Irish theatre. She refused his proposal of marriage but remained good friends.

Maud died in April 1953 after devoting 60 years of her life to Irish causes during which she had many achievements, culturally, socially and politically.

Castlefinn Bridge by Sam Gallagher

Castlefinn Bridge, which spans the River Finn on the Castlederg side of the town was built by Mr Mason in the 18th century. The bridge is built from stones taken from the ruins of O' Donnell's Castle that stood close by. In the ordinance survey of 1836 mention is made of repairs carried out on the bridge in 1774 costing £47. The bridge consists of six water arches and six dry arches and provides the main access route into Castlefinn from the Castlederg/Enniskillen area. In recent times the bridge has been in the news headlines for the wrong reasons, notably, in the mid eighties when a car plunged into the swollen river near the bridge culminating in the tragic loss of four young lives, and even more recently when it was closed to traffic due to the poor state of repair it is currently in.

Castlefinn bridge is of great historical significance to Castlefinn and the surrounding area given the fact that it has links to the O' Donnell era and to O' Donnell's Castle that stood on the banks of the River Finn and was the scene of many battles in the 14th and 15th century. Architecturally, the bridge is one of the few remaining bridges with six water arches and six dry arches and as it is totally built of ancient stone, shows a craftsmanship and a skill that is slowly dying out. Economically and socially, the bridge plays an important role in the accessibility to Castlefinn from that side of the river, and without the bridge, business in the town, already hard pressed, would suffer and schools and churches would be cut off from the growing population on the Castlederg side of the river. This bridge, that has stood and served the people well for over 500 years, cost £900 approx. Could you hazard a cost of replacing it today?

The History of Castlefinn by Eoin Catterson

Castlefinn is in the parish of Donaghmore, barony of Raphoe, 4.5 miles from Lifford. Its name translates from the castle on the banks of the River Finn, the stones from the castle were used in the construction of the bridge that still stands today, and at the close of Elizabeth's first reign it belonged to Sir Neil Garbh O'Donnell. It is situated on the river Finn, which is navigable to the River Folye for vessels of 14 tonne burden, is on the road from Strabane to Stranorlar and in 1837 consisted of a single street, with a Roman Catholic Chapel.


Castlefinn railway station opened on the 7th September 1863, but finally closed on 1st January 1960. A number of buses pass through Castlefinn on a daily basis going to Letterkenny, Derry, Strabane, Dublin, Sligo and Galway.

'Old Bulli' and worker suppression by Ann Kavanagh

With the global village, much of our world is changing. Big business is hijacking the hoi polloi. We see today how bank and financial institutions have almost brought democracy to its knees, sometimes with the help of governments like the Conservatives in England under Margaret Thatcher who brought the Unions down.

Major companies suppressing their workers is nothing new. The song 'The Old Bulli' is about a mine in Australia in the 19th century where miners went on strike due to methane gas killing its workers. The song does not tell the whole story where outside labor was introduced and having tried to negotiate, the women and children lay on the rail tracks and were crushed by the wagons as they ran over them

Time went by and in the 1960's there was still methane in the mine and the song 'Old Bulli' was recorded and played on the airways, once. People hearing the song, naturally asked about its origin etc. However a curtain was quickly drawn and most people involved denied any knowledge of the song.

Today, I understand, there is a mine in Canada, the major source of it is, potash to world, whose acquisition is under negotiation, by of all people, the owners of the 'Old Bulli'.

Augers well for our future as a global village.

This piece demonstrates Social and Economic History, past, present and possibly future. It shows how big business is running the world whether we know it or not. It also shows our social history and how individuals and small enterprises are subsumed, bullied, maneuvered, and driven by large concerns with no social conscience.

However, the piece particularly shows how from a political perspective, it is important that our governments are composed of upright citizens, who are leaders and freely elected, and how imperative it is for each of us as individuals to stay vigilant and use our voting franchise and use it wisely.

*Note: Check back on this post for the music and lyrics to 'Old Bulli' by Gary Shearston.