July 2009
Our second Field Day of 2009 was in Carrigart and well over 100 people turned up for this event. The first venue was Holy Trinity Church of Ireland, Parish of Mevagh, a very fine building dating back to 1895. The President of the Society, Mr. Declan O’Carroll, welcomed all present and extended a particular cead mile failte to some fellow historical society members from Armagh – Seanchas Ard Mhacha. Also welcomed were those from other countries, e.g. the USA and Austria.
Declan then introduced our guide for the day, Mr. P.J. Boyce. Mr. Boyce began by extending a very cordial greeting to everyone, adding that it would be his pleasure as a native of the area to act as our guide and he hoped that the weather would be in our favour for the afternoon. He went on to give us a summary of the history of the church and informed us that it was built on the same site as a previous one which had been built in 1675.
From there it was on to Manorvaughan House, home of the Hon. Hedley Strutt, who is also a member of the Historical Society. Now in his 94th year, he began by expressing his delight at seeing members and guests of the Society at Manorvaughan, adding that as a member of the Society, it was an occasion that meant so much to him, having the Society in attendance. He gave us some of his own biographical information and how he came to live in the house, his formative years had been in England.
Driving from there around Rosguill peninsula, we parked the cars and made a short dander down a narrow lane to Mevagh graveyard to see the old cross there. This cross fascinated the early Victorian photographers, such as R.J. Welch. Sadly, the wishing stone that used to be close to the cross in those old photos has disappeared.
Old Mevagh Cross
There is no rule saying that something new cannot be on the itinerary, and that came next. We were taken to see the Harry Blaney bridge over scenic Mulroy Bay, and it’s hard not to sing John Kerr’s song lauding the magnificence of Mulroy. No doubt about it, this new bridge is a landmark in the locality; there are footpaths on the bridge allowing visitors the chance to view the splendour of the bay and surrounding countryside.
The new Harry Blaney bridge at Mulroy Bay
And to finish the day, some levity. On second thoughts, that’s not quite accurate, because we were taken to see a 13 ton glacial lump of granite. The joy of a Field Day is the opportunity to see some of the hidden gems of Donegal and there it was near Lackagh bridge, on its own, a complete unknown…a rolling stone.
This is the shuggling stone of Lackagh, which can only be described as being like a rocking chair. Its unique feature was discovered in 1834 by Ltnt. Lancey during the first Ordnance Survey of Ireland. He noted that it could be rocked back and forth with one finger. On Sunday’s field day, there was a queue to verify his observation, thus ending the occasion on a note of mirth.
Even better, the weather did indeed stay dry for us. A wonderful day and thanks to all involved. Next Field day is in Portnoo on August 9th.