I did the 11+ exam in 1969. The Troubles in the North had started the year before and widespread violence came in August 1969. To me the Troubles were something in the background. Academic selection and whether I would get to a grammar school or not was the thing that mattered. The primary school I … Read more
My great grandfather, John Noble, was born in 1817 in Maguiresbridge. He had at least 2 siblings – Ralph, born 1811, and Alexander, born in 1818. Their father’s name is unknown and their mother was Mary Haley. Ralph was married in Ireland circa 1835 to a Rachel ??. They all came to Canada with their … Read more
Grace Sweeney is getting ready to celebrate her 100 birthday on 15 December in her bungalow at Annagry in the Rosses in West Donegal. Born in 1909 she had a varied life. She went into service or, as they called it in Donegal, she went ‘on hire’ working for neighbours until she was sixteen. Then … Read more
Following the withdrawal of the British from the 26 counties in 1922 and the creation of the Irish Free State, many of those families who had relied on their presence as a guarantee of their safety found themselves in a vulnerable position. One such family were the Phibbses of Doobeg, Bunnanadden, Co. Sligo. The … Read more
The relative inertia of the Sligo IRA during the Anglo-Irish War did not prevent the county witnessing protracted violence during the Civil War. This illuminating study, providing both a chronological and thematic account, begins with an overview of the rise of militant nationalism in Sligo. The campaign of 1919-1921, denoted by minor skirmishes and acts … Read more