Guth & Tuairim, Nollaig 1981

Leis na ceadtha blJain bhf ar OUean Thora:f amuigh ansin I san ofharraige fhuar Atlantach, 9 mile amach 6 chosta Thfr Chonaill, troid le maireachtail, Ta stair fada dian ag an oilean agus ~g a muintir, Sheas siad an fOd go E) dtf seo, fiu nuair a treigeadh oilean i ndiaidh oilean thart ar chosta na h-Eireann. Ach anoia ta an chontuirt is mo go foill ag st§.nadh ar Thoraf. Ins:fonn an t -alt seo diiinn cad chuige. TORY'S HORROR In 1978 the Donegal County Council sat down to map out a plan of destruction for the largest of the offshore Islands, Tory Island. Why they did this is not easy to understand, People may think this is -- ~aring public body, No way, In this case they set their sights on the identity of the individual and with inical precision drew up their master-plan to destroy just this, Not alone were they aiming their sights at one o the most ancient sources of folklore and tradition in the country but they were apparently determined to dest~oy one of the most independent-minded living Gaeltachts in the country, So they went into a huddle and pooled their ignorance, And this is evidently what resulted, _ A three-point plan for the speedy elimipation of Tory included firstly, cutting off services, even if they were essential, secondly, refusing to develop the place ~nd thirdly, this was the carrot, coaxing the people into a brand-new house on the mainland. It looked as if it couldn't fail, They were the masters and they called the tune, &t Tory has if anything a very long uemory, And it is still remembered on the Island how the Islanders were· savagely slaughtered in the infamous massacre of Tory, Dr Russel, in the calendar of State papers 1608-10 in the Library of the Royal Irish Academy gives us this account. "Shane O'Donnell fled to Tory with the remnant of the army that fought umer Sir Cahir O'Doherty in 1608. Sir Arthur Chicester, having broken the main strength of the insurgents left to three officers the task of completing their destruction. Their first step, after the fugitives had been driven into Tory was to break up the boats of the Islanders to prevent their escape. A ruthless slaugh– ter followed, some being hanged and others hacked to pieces. " With horrors like these in mind the elimination of Tory 1981-style comes as a shock, or does it? The county Council are _supposed to be a caring body stretching their resources to help the common good of those under their control,i Forget that they are Irish, forget they have a responsibility to foster the Irish language by developing a living Gaeltacht, Forget all this and it is still difficult to come up w}th an adequate answer to their inhuman policy. · And then the acting-Manager says there was no duress used, Don't make me laugh. This is a bare-faced lie and he knows it. A ~old-blooded policy to eliminate Tory and all it stands for was ruthlessly put into operation by this Council. He has a very heavy responsibility to bear. On Friday, loth. December 1981, ten families were uprooted from the community when the Council presented them with brand-new houses on the ~~inland, This was almost enough to sound the death-knell of t~e community of 200, now reduced to 150, There is no violence, vandalism, drug-taking or drunkeness among the community on the Island, and they are forced, yes, ruthlessly forced to swell the violence and vandalism prevalent on the mainland, This is the tragic and sad 13nding to their foul conspiracy. &t thank God Tory has recovered from other savage atrocities and with or without the Donegal County Council's help they will pull through this one. The sheer and utter waste of public-money on new houses when people were living in fairly adequate accomodation is hard to understand in 1981. _ Exce~~~_fol" . the one_t_hing that emerges, that even if it cost the earth Tory must go, An coiste o Phobal Scoil na Rosann a d 1 eagraigh la mor R.A.Y. ar an Chlochan Liath ar na mallaibh. An Conbhuaidh n6 "American Wake" (ar leamlint 0 I n !Dhf seo caite. ) ,., Ard Na ·gCeapaire 'TAKEAWAY · 110·30 am to 12·00pm , . Fresh Fish -available· ............ :: ..... Anseo1 AnsiO.d Nuair a rachfadh an la a ghlanadh agus a thoiseachadh solas an lae a theacht isteach cbuirfidh dallaga:fdubha ar na f\J.inneogaf le dall na mullog ,a chuir orthu ·feinwnach raibh se 1 na U: na baol ar mhaidin'! Ach nr choinneochadh dallogaf dubha an la ar gcUl agus sa deireadh thiocfadh dath liath-bhin ~-an lampa a bh:fodh crochta ar thaobh an· bhalla agus bhf maidin na h-imirce druidthe leis an chomhluadar, Bhfde{readh leis an sp~rt agus an griollsa agus bh! sllll'iid ar fud an tf. Bhf daoine ina suf agus a gcloigne crom acu agus iad ar tf scaradh le sean ·chara da gcuid- bhtheidir go deo na ndeor, Rachfadh na fir amach fa na h-irdain ag caint agus ag caitheamh tobac agus ba mhinic · iad ag card8il na treithe speisialta a bhf ag an te a bh:f ag imeacht, Bhf' s€ de ghnis fosta ag an imirceoir dul amach ar an mhaidin sin agus cuairt dheireanach a thabhairt ar na sean fhoide uilig agus slan a fhiigail ag "an ghleann in8r togadh me 11 • I bhfad siar bhf se de ghnis ag an chonbhuaidh dul go bruach Loch an Ghainimh (soir o Dhiin liiiche) ach ins na blianta deireanacha ba go dtf an staisiun traenach a ba deise daofa a rachadh siad. Is ioma:fdeor ghoirt a sileadh ar bhruach Loch an Ghaini.mh agus ar an phlatform ag Stiiisiun Chroichlf agus St!isiun Ghaoth Dobhair, Nuair a the.inig am scaradh sa teach ba choscaireach an t-amharc ~ an t-athair agus an mhathair crochta as mac no in:fon i ngreimeanna cruaidhe, craite ~s iad uilig ag gol go gear goirt. Ach bhf an t-arn tagtha agus an scaradh ann agus d'imigh an comoradh ag tarrairig-ar an Staisiiin. De ghnath bhfodh melodeon leis an chuideachta agus is iomafport brei a seineadh ar an aistear bhronach sin agus ar phlatform an staisiun. Sa deireadh chualas fead na traenach thiar i n...Ailt Mhfh na Scamhaill agus seo chuca an "mhuc dhubh" a bh:f ag dul a scaradh athair o mhac agus mathair 6 infon. Bh:f an teaghlach f!isge ina cheile arais, ach mar duirt an fear fado, "time or tide waits for no man", agus_b' eigean doibh scaradh d6 1 n uair dheireanach. Is ioma:f athair agus mathair a fuair an t-amharc dheireanach ar an t-saol sec ar a nduine clainne~ag dul soir an Coillfh Darach, crochta amach ar fhuinneog caraiste ag crathadh haincearsan ban agus is iomaf imirceoir a fUair an t-amharc deireanach ar a muintir 'na seasamh ar phlatform staisiun chroichl:fmar bheadh deilbh ann. Da mbeadh cead cainnte ag Cloch ~~or Leim an tSionnaigh ba iomaf sceal truacanta a bheadh le h-i~se aici.