Lisburn Exiles Forum
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We took an early walk down the line this morning with the dogs. It was a beautiful morning, around 8.30 am, but even so we met quite a few people out and about.
We got talking to a couple around our age. We didn't know them at all, but you know how people here just wander up and talk to each other. Well, the man was telling us that he has a neighbour aged 102. He lives alone and is fit and well for his age. He wears dentures top and bottom as they say here.
He began to complain of a pain in his left jaw. His family eventually took him to the GP who could find nothing wrong. The pain in his jaw went on and on and the poor oul crater was becoming quite distressed. He couldn't sleep either with the pain.
Fearing he might be missing something, the GP referred the man to hospital. After a thorough examination, they discovered - wait for it...
a new wisdom tooth coming through. Imagine a toothache at 102. Or could it be teething again?
It was removed and the old man is recovering well.
I thought the above would interest more people, but there y'ar.
This is "headless chicken" morning so only on for a minute. Have 2 chickens on roasting; after stuffing a pork fillet, I have it in the oven too. Also, have a beef casserole cooking slowly. Now I have to clear up the mess. MIGHT make a rhubarb tart with rhubarb from the back garden. JUST MIGHT.
Anyhow, I forgot to tell you all about another wee episode down the line yesterday morning. Nature is cruel but what can you do. We saw a seagull swooping down and lifting a baby moor hen in its beak. I suppose the seagull has to feed its young too but I couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor wee new born moorhen and its parents.
Right, back to the kitchen.
Ann,
Just saw your input as I have been away for a few days in Galway. Very interesting but maybe this can beat it.!
As you know the grandson is mad about cars & is always in touch with mountainy men, who seem to be great mechanics. Anyway he appeared here with what we though was a man about 50 or so, who immediately told him his clutch was going & took the 4-wheeed drive away to fix it.
Anyway, the grandson tells us that this man is only 22years old, lives in the middle of nowhere, never went to school IN HIS LIFE, worked on the farm always & is a genius with cars
He never had a Chinese meal either & loved the rice, which he also never tasted until yesterday.
I would love to talk to him about his life in the hills of Clare, but maybe next time I will get a chance. Never dreamt in this day & age such people existed.
I gather there is more than one in these parts, maybe all over rural Ireland.?
Pat
Donald, I know how you feel and I live here AND am down the line almost weekly.
I too spent my childhood down the line. While on the way to the wee pool, where we spent all summer, swinging on the bars was great fun too. We could swing backwards, forwards, hang on by our legs and goodness knows what else. We could all have become acrobats. AND we didn't care about our knickers being on show either - never even thought about that.
Funnily enough, I never remember any child being drowned even though we were never out of the water. 
Pat, I never heard the likes of that right enough. Imagine in this day and age someone living like that.
I feel sorry for the young man to tell the truth. I would love to hear more about him; his parents and how he managed to skip school. Has he ever had a girlfriend? The mind boggles at all the questions I would love to ask him.
I too spent my childhood down the line. While on the way to the wee pool, where we spent all summer, swinging on the bars was great fun too. We could swing backwards, forwards, hang on by our legs and goodness knows what else. We could all have become acrobats. AND we didn't care about our knickers being on show either - never even thought about that.
Funnily enough, I never remember any child being drowned even though we were never out of the water.
Ann
I remember my Uncle telling me about someone who drowned at McConnells hill. He was apparently collecting or delivering shoes and boots to be mended, had them tied on to the handlebars of his bike, one got caught in the wheel and he fell from it into the Lagan. Not being able to swim he drowned. I cannot remember his name
donald
Don,
The lad who drowned in the Lagan was Chuck Blaney whose family kept pigs and lived at the Spoil Banks,near Tullynacross. Remember the Mallon and Blaney family?. AFfter school, chuck delivered boots and shoes, remended by Fakey McCurley's brother who had a Cobbler's shop in Lambeg. On that fatal day, Chuck tied the laces of the boots and shoes together,slung them round his neck,saddled his bike rode to Lambeg Bridge, turned right and made haste up the towpath to deliver his burden in Canal St ,Hancock St and beyond. At apoint along the towpath, between the overfalls and the Point, somehow Chuck and the bike entered the water. It was late afternoon when Norman Graham and myself went down to prog goosegobs from Johnney Fynch,s garden,that backed onto the mill race, when the sight of 7 Policemen, an ambulance anda a crowd of onlookers on the towpath at the other side of the Lagan,scuppered our evil intentions for that evening. As we watched, the ambulance driver drove off and 5 Policemen repeated the same action in a Policecar. A short time later,the 2 remaining Policemen grabbed 2 bikes, that were leaning against the blackthorn hedge,jumped on and started riding in the opposite direction, towards Hilden. Wee men started whispering in my ear. Those 2 cops are going to ride down to John McPolins, cross over the 2 bridges to the back gate and cycle up the Mill Race path and nick us for being in Johnney Fynches field. We ran. NO Flew. Norman first into No26 in 2minutes dead. Me into No17 in 2minutes 10seconds dead. It was later that night, the news filtered up Grove St that Chuck Blaneys body had been pulled from the LAGAN. Only then did I think....Those 2 cycling cops had been given the job of informing the next of kin and were cycling to Tullynacross. To finish off..All the senior girls in Hilden School went to see Chuck being waked. They went to pay respect and say Good Bye, but, most of all,they went to see his long, long, black eye-lashes, one last time. Mary or Ellen Goan, if alive can confirm this. Cheers Don Brendan
Donald,
Names from the past too, I knew most of them in Hilden, the Goan girls were very goodlooking.
It was one of their sons I rescued from the Lagan years later, when the Mother was in hospital, having a new baby.
Lee Keery worked in the Balling Room in Hilden, Fred Mc Curley was another office worker & Bung Gallagher is still around, Leonard meets him often down the line.
Familiar places,familiar places. Pat
Brendan,
I never knew of that accident involving, of one of the Blaneys being drowned. The Lagan has claimed many victims.
Your description is vivid, you must have been good at English at school. You have a store of folklore of the Low Rd.
Glad to see you back on the Forum, variety is the spice of life. Where are all the rest.?
Pat
Donald,
I am probably confusing Peg with Lee Keery, I only knew them by seeing them in the Mill & hearing their names.
Tommy Keery & Sanley were also bosses there, maybe the same family. Fred mc Curley lived in the front row in Hilden in the 50's, later moving to "Scrub Row" (facing mc Cleneghans shop) up the Low Rd. Fred worked in the Yarn Office.
I don't know if Ellen Goan lived in the Low Rd. or not, after she married the Belfast man, only know her Mother, who lived at the bottom of Grove St. then (I think) was minding the litle boy who fell into the Race.
I know they lived in Belfast after that & the same little boy was killed on a motorbike, as a teenager. Very tragic.
Pat
