Guth & Tuairim, Eanáir 1981

The Balmanus _Mina Disaster of May 11th~ 1943 (Part 2) (arleanuint on mh:r ·SE!O chait~), Eventu~lly the people were formed into groups of two, anc;l two by two they went into the hall to look at the ·shattered faces and broken bodies, to claim the corpses as their own kin. Hany fainted at the sight, were gently– tended by the Red Cross nurses, even as others stopped over the bodies, hysterically clutching at the rel!la;ins of brothers, husbands, ·sons. Even the usual aids to identification, clothing, height, feature, were in !!\any cases lacking, making the sight more gruesome, the reaction more cruel. By 4 a.m. the identification was practically complete - with two bodies unrecovered, those of James Rodgers, John Roarty. It was learned that t~se two boys had been leaning over the·mine when the explosion occurred. Coffins arrived in the morning from DUngloe - seventeen coffins - and they were placed in line in the hall. Later three more coffins were brought when the death roll mounted. Some of the boys who were kilTed were shortly to go to Britain. A dance-was to have been held to-night in the hall where their bodies lie. When daylight . . shone on the .strand caoining women were still searching, stooping and reaching their hands ~otesquely through the shallow water of the beach. They were the kinsfolk of the two missing boys, refusing to believe that the battered bodies in the hall were of those who were lost. 40 Homes Dama~ed The explosion had been heard for forty miles around, east at Letterkenny, north at Rosapenna, south at Killybegs. Forty homes above the fated strand of Ballymanus are damaged by the concussion. E)-eak of the explosion - shrapnel of the mine struck a youth in the hip, and coins in his pocket deflected the metal. He was practically uninjured. No one slept in Ballymanus nor it's three surrounding townlands last night. Light glo>red in the houses and groups gathered into them, commiserating and scarcely knowing with whom to commiserate. Working heroically in succouring the wounded were the gardai under Sergt. Frank Allen, the Red Cross, and the L.S.F. Priests fro~ the - Fathers J. O'Byrne, T. McGinley, J. Glackin, attended to the dying. Doctors D~ McDevitt, Burtonpo!t; H. Callaghan, Dungloe; C. Carr, Bunbeg, and Dr. MacDonagh of the Letterkenny Hilitary Barracks, worked throughout the night and morning. / . Uair roiDlhe I 1!\hean-ofche thug siad agha~dh ar An Lufpchin Oiche i Mfn Beapped u./111921 Hin Beannap. de shiul gear. D' iarr siad ar Phadraig 0 Gallchoir, 1-laistir-Staisi\in ~!h:fn Beannad Ta se trf scor blian .ftO dfreach o rinneadh lu:fochan Leitir Ceanainn a ringeal le fiosru an 11 fish train• oi'che ar thraen :iomlan de shaighdiuir! na Sasana i a. bhr ag teacht. Gearradh gairid eisean agus · nf M:fn Beannad ar an l41i'la de Eanair, 1921. Go mall sa tbabbairf'i fios 2r bith do. Ach bhf .HacSuibhne l&n- trathn6na an la ceanna thainig sreang;..sceal o Dhoire chir..11te gur sighdiuir! a bh.l ar a' bhealach .agus go .lilt a'Chorrain go raibh "fish train" ag teacht thainig se amach an bothar iarcinn le ionad lufochiin is teach an ofche sin. Cait N.f Dhonaill a bh[ ar, lfne a aimsiu. Thria11 s iad cull.ing sI againne ach nf raibh agus t hug sT sceala do She.osamh HacS_uibhne, Cea,ru;phort se f6irstineach. Chuaigh siad dha chead slat nfos an First Northern Division de na h-Oglaigh. faide amuigh agus shocr11igh s :i.ad go ndeanfadh Chruinnigh Seosamh cibe 6t; laigh a bhf lamh leis agus .FhHl' s culling gnoithe. choscair siad go Clochan Liath mar d'e'irigh se an- Fi'n Dm , seo bh:f se i bhfad i ndiaidh an mhe&n..;ofche amhrasach fan 11 fish train". Ba Clochan Liath rriornh-> de ofche dhorcha fhliuch. Bhf orthu .na scrbnnsaf' liir na n-ogl ach agus bhf ar an ceannphont gunnaf agus iar ainn ar dha thaobh an bhothair iarainn a J:>hrjseadh buamaf a fhail a gus a chruinniu chomh maith le sfcs agus a leagadh cothrorn leis an tal~. , Bhf Oglai gh an Chlochan Leith a fhiosru. Deirtear nact crthu fosta clocba den uile chfneiil a thochailt agus bhfuair siad a leath den trealamh cogai dh a bhi a a · chruinniu. Chui r siad Oglach go drcJichead Sheimf dhith orthu mar bhi ail trathnona gairid agus an t-arn :;eillfn n::lle ar shiul agus gwma laJ.mhe leis agus bh! a rach:tail ama eh. Fosta, bhf an chuid is mo de seisean le urc.har a scaoileadh le Cinntiu gur sighdiuir! na gunna:f aii!Uigh i l"~chaire. r · a bh.l sa tr 11 en. Tharldgh rnar cinneadh. Tugadh an -~;+._.: ____ _::..._-==== :;;.;-·:-:;;.;--:;;;;;;=:=:;;;:.________ ~L comhartha, aeus bhi Ogldgh na Rosann reidh le cead / ss: ighdii.r mi Sasana a ghlacadh idi r ltiinh. Nuair a EARRAI COINCREID mhothui gh an tioman~~r traein an bac raoi thugs e ioml&n gall don inneal agus t hug se an traen leis leit~-chead slat frfd an cutting go dtf eur 'cuir_eadh de na ·raill! inneaJ agus carraistf. Thug na h-Oglaigh ar dha thaobh Gaoth Dobhair - -• Manufacturer of Pre-stressed Lintels r.,.· ··-- 1"1 'r;·"'i . an bhotblir iarann iomlan a rai bh acu duithe. Bhf an Window sills Garden Edging cAMA1 c •••<Aoio. · tSuibhneach e feir: i gcul cuaille agus a "Peter the Paving slabs Septic Tank Lids COT/£ EN. Painter" ag blazail. (Tuilleadh ar an mhf s' chuga)inn). Manhole covers Wall & Chimney Coping Dc:AP..yt:3£G. Le Seamus 3. o Donaill. Supplier of wrap around boilers APPROVED BY I.I.R.S. i.____ P_h~o~n~e ___ B__ UN_B_EG~~~9~0~~~ I For aooard the n·sa:(,lt Cecilia 11 , It suddenly went mad, I I FRANCIE FEGGIE 1 S GQJ..T You may talk of Rosie t--s Rooster And repe.at for evenrnore, How he scared away the foxes, From Croghey and Falmore. You InaY tell of the big turkey-cock, All white, and blue, and red, That's over there in Tubberkeen, And belongs to Andy Ned. And smashed the boat. t o pi eces, With all the strength it had. Fhil Ban cried out "I'm sinking boys And me wallet's in me coat, I ne 1 er thought I'd lose my fortune, To an Abyssinian goat. "I'll help you then," said Danny, "And keep your cash afloat, 3ut I don't want any dealings, With that oul buttin 1 goat. "He's shipped ten thousand tigers, And lions by the score, So for him it's but a trifling thing, To put a gos t on Arrarunore . 11 So the go11 t was safely landed, Upon old Aphort Pier, \Jhere he smashed peer Anton 1 s tractor, And a hundred crates of beer. 11 A hundred era tes ~ 11 said- Condy··Cook "That is an awful lot. A goat that does such damages, Sho\Ud instantly. be shot." The goa t did hear that last remark, And sprinted for the shore, "I'm safer far beyond the bar, Than here on A_rranmore. n You may speak of Jos i e Fhfopa And his monstrous Nars eilles duck, That shook the pride of C. I.E., And bogged their ten-ton truck. So the goat was hauled aboard 11 Ard But before you 1 s say 1 Eugene', He'd butted every crewman there, ~r.c1 knocked them off t!:t scene! Crone" Oh the ways of Evolution, Of which our God appro.vea, Soon gave the goat foUr flippers, Ins tead of cloven hooves. But you'll never beat the story, Which a Scribe in Arran wrote, or the day they took delivery, Of Francie Feggie 1 s goat. The goat arrived in Burtonport, Brought eafe b,y C.I.E., And cheerfully it chewed the cud, Until it saw the sea. '.:'Le men were in a quandary, And didn't know what to do. Even Garda )viick ¥1Sioney said, n! just don 1 t .'have a clue. n "Let's ask tge big South Af'rican", Suggested Eddie Vell, "He has a thousand tonner; It's called the "~ds•l"-. And i t thrived on dulce and seaweed Just like Saint Kilda sheep, Ti ll the goat from·Abyssinia , Became Nonarch Of The Deep. So if you see two periscopes, 'Tween Arran and the Port, It I a not a German aubturine.. But Francie Feggie 1 e goatt