Scott Fizgerald and Fermanagh


This woman looks at us across nearly two centuries. She links places, generations, and traditions of literature. Her great-grandson, Scott Fitzgerald, would become one of the writers who defined the 20th Century. This woman was born towards the end of the 18th: the picture was taken sometime in the later part of the 19th. Mary (Molly) Neeson was born in south Fermanagh. It is unsure whether it was Galloon, Clones, or Roslea Parish. From the age of her older children, we know she married into the McQuillan family as a young woman.

This is a picture of a a lucky woman. She left Ireland two years before the Famine was to destroy the population of Galloon Parish, where she lived. The death rate was similar to the worst areas of Mayo and West Cork. The population of Drumgallon townland fell 50% from 1841 to 1851. In 1843, she emigrated from Drumgallon, near Donagh to the USA with her sons, except John (we don't know if some stayed behind): her daughter (we don't know if there were other daughters who stayed behind): and her brother James Neeson. Of her husband, we know little. Did he die in Fermanagh, on the voyage, or in the USA? Philip was the youngest of the sons accompanying her.

Molly McQuillan's son John was already in Galena, Illinois. It was a lead mining centre on the Mississipi River, and a centre for immigrants from Fermanagh. These McQuillan emigrants were like the most Irish immigrants to the USA at the time: middling farmers, squeezed by the agricultural recession after Britain's wars against France.

The family settled in Galena. All except one didn't become rich, but the New World was better for middling farmers.

One son, Philip, die become rich. In his early teens, he began work in a shop. Half a dozen years after, he moved to the growing city of St Paul - and became one of its richest man. His daughter, Molly, was named after her grandmother.

This Molly's son was Francis Scott Fitzgerald, the chronicler of the USA in the 1920s. He wrote of the upper middle classes on the East Coast: then, when debt, drink, and literary fashion all conspired against him, of struggling screenwriters in Hollywood.

It was a life far different from the hill townland of heavy land three or four miles north of Newtownbutler where his great-grandmother raised his grandfather. A townland where his grandmother was part of the decision for the family to sail from Derry to the New World. That decision meant her youngest son became grandfather of the writer - rather than joining so many of his former neighbours in a Famine grave.

Training in social media

Today I'm at a union training course in Belfast on the use of social media.

The course is most useful. It is excellent that the trade union movement provides training for members. Currently, social media is a major way in which people interact. Trade unions have to use it to communicate with our members.

Importantly, as trade unionists we have to understant the pitfalls. What is online is public.

Employers use social media to spy on workers. So beware what you post about yourself. The phrase 'digital natives' is used about young people. Too often, they are digitally naive - in the extreme, blundering in cyberspace - ignorant they are being watched.

Broadcaster and writer is link in a long tradition

(This was first published in An tUltach, February 2014)

le hAnton Mac Cába

Bhuail mé le Diarmuid Ó Tuama sa chaifé ag an Chultúrlann i mBéal Feirste le leabhar agus sraith raidió s’aige ar Chogadh na gCarad a phlé. Tar éis cúpla bomaite ag ól caifé leis, thuig mé go raibh mé le nasc beo leis an stair. Tháinig a shean-athair aneas as Corcaigh go Béal Feirste. Bhí sé ag stopadh le Francis Joseph Biggar, ansin le James Connolly. Bhí athair Dhiarmuid, Seamus Twomey, ina cheannaire ar an IRA (Sealadach) i mBéal Feirste ag tús na dTrioblóidí, ansin ina Cheann Fóirne.

“Thaobhaigh mo mhuintir ar fad leis na hIrregulars (na Poblactaigh, nuair a scoilt an IRA i 1922 – A Mac C) agus bhí mo shean-athair amuigh i naoi gcéad déag is a sé déag,” ar seisean. “Agus bhí gliondar orm sin a chluinstin, nuair a chuir an Bureau of Military History an t-eolas ar an idirlíon.” Ní raibh sé ábalta teacht ar a sheanathair sna cáipéisí ón dtréimhse 1919-21 “agus shíl mé go raibh m’athair ag insint bréaga. Chuaigh mé siar go dtí naoi gcéad déag is a sé déag, agus ceart go leoir, b’shin ainm s’aige – Mary Street, Belfast, James Twomey - Séamas a bhí air ach scríobh siad ‘James’. Bhí mé iontach bródúil as sin. Thaobhaigh seisean leis na Irregulars. Chuaigh a dheartháireacha in éadán an Chonartha. Chuaigh a mhuintir ar fad i gCorcaigh – b’as Corcaigh dó – in éadán an Chonartha.”

Cuireadh an Seamus Twomey seo go Béal Feirste le h-eagar a chur ar na Fianna. Gabhadh agus cuireadh faoi ghlas i 1910 é as postaeir a chur suas in éadán earcaíochta san arm Ba Seán Mac Diarmada a shínígh bannaí dó. “Bhí sé ag stopadh le Francis Joseph Biggar,” arsa Diarmuid. “Nuair a fuair Biggar amach go raibh sé gníomhach, chuir Biggar amach as a theach é, agus bhí air dul a stopadh le James Connolly.” Bhí an Seamus Twomey seo sna lár-déaga ag an am.

Fuair an sean-athair bás agus Diarmuid ina dhéagóir. Is cuimhin le Diarmuid é  i 1966. “Nuair a bhain Sasana i gCorn an Domhain, thobair nár chuir sé a bhróg fríd an teilifís,” arsa Diarmuid.

Agus é óg, bhíodh Diarmuid ag dul thart chuig comórthaí i dteannta a shean-athair, gur bhuail le cuid mhór sean-óglach. “Casadh Stephen Fuller orm, a pléascadh ag Ballyseedy (mar ar dúnmaraíodh ochtar cime poblachtach le linn Cogaidh na gCarad – A Mac C),” ar seisean. “Bhí fhios again ar tharla i mBallyseedy sula raibh fhios ag an chuid eile den phobal. Tháinig an scéal amach go hoifigiúil i naoi gcéad déag ochtó’s a sé, sílim, nuair a chuir RTE an clár sin ‘Ballyseedy’ amach.”

Ba mhinic Uinseann Mac Eoin, a scríobh ‘Survivors’, tí tuismitheoirí Dhiarmuid, nó gur cairde iad. Bhain sé úsáid as ‘Survivors’ sa leabhar s’aige féin, mar leabhar tagartha, nó tá an scéal oifigiúil “i bhfad ró-fhada ón fhírínne.”

Beart a spreag é le scríobh faoi Cogadh na gCarad, ná go raibh náire ar an stát ó dheas as. “Ní raibh i gCogadh na gCarad ach an dara leath den chéad cogadh (an Cogadh Angla-Éireannach),” ar seisean. “ Sílim go raibh an sos cogaidh  míle naoi gcéad déan fiche’s a h-aon ina chinéal leath-am ag an rud.”

Sa sos cogaidh tháinig daoine amach “agus bhí fhios ag achan duine cé rinne cad é, agus eile.” Cúpla mí den sos agus bheadh “achan duine ag ceoil, ag ól” agus ag pilleadh ar an saol a bhí acu mar shibhialtaigh. Ba chuid sin den phlean ag na Sasanaigh go mbeadh saol arais acu, agus nár mhaith leo dul arais ag troid.

“Ins an chéad leath den chogadh, buaileadh Sasana go h-olc,” arsa Diarmuid. “Ins an dara leath, bhain Sasana.

“Bhí Collins agus Duffy agus Griffith iontach cliste. Chuaigh siad thart mar a rinneadh inniu, agus dúirt siad ‘Look, ní seo an deireadh, ná bí buartha, beidh mo dhuine arais ag troid.’ Agus bhí fhios acu go rí-mhaith nach mbeadh siad arais ag troid.

“Bhí baicle daoine a tháinig chun tosaigh le linn an sosa cogaidh, leithéidí Cosgrave, Desmond Fitzgerald, na leaids sin ar fad, agus sin na daoine a bhunaith rialtas an Saorstáit.”

Agus Collins ag troid, bhí siadsan ag bailiú cumhachta. Taobh thiar díobh, feiceann Diarmuid Andy Cope, an Leas Fó-Rúnaí na hÉireann deireannach ag na Sasanaigh. Bhí dlúth-teangmháil aige le polaiteoirí seo Shinn Féin. B’eisean a leag síos polasaí s’acu “ ná glac príosúnaigh, maraigh achan duine. Deir siad gur mharaigh siad seachtó’s a seacht, ach mharaigh siad na céadta.”

Dar le Diarmuid go raibh sé suntasach nár tharla seo go dtí gur maraíodh Michael Collins.

“Sílim gur ghlac muidne go ró-fhada leis an chraic gur na hÓglaigh a rinne é,” arsa Diarmuid. “Ní creidin gurb iad na hÓglaigh a rinne é. Scríobh fear ar pháipéar i mBaile Átha Cliath – ní cuimhin liom anois a ainm – nuair a bhí (An Maor-Ginearál Emmet) Dalton fós beo, dúirt sé gur scaoil Seirbhís Rúnda Shasana Michael Collins: an fear a rinne é, gur tugadh jab dó i rialtas an tSaorstáit ina dhiaidh, agus ina dhiaidh sin d’fhág sé rialtas an tSaorstáit agus chuaigh sé arais le Seirbhís Rúnda Shasana, agus bhí sé ag obair san Éigipt agus san Eoraip ina dhiaidh sin. Agus ní raibh i gceist ach duine amháin ansin, Emmet Dalton.”

Léigh Diarmuid ráitisí a scríobh beirt shaighdiúr a bhí in éineacht le Collins nuair a maraíodh é. “The IRA could not possible have killed General Collins as he had not come round the corner and he was in no line of fire,” arsa fear amháin. “Dúirt an fear eile go bhfaca sé Dalton ag scaoileadh Collins marbh,” arsa Diarmuid. “Dúirt sé go bhfaca sé Dalton ina sheasamh ag corp Collins agus gunna ina lámh aige, fear taobh leis, an tiománaí a bhí ag Collins an lá sin ná fear darbh ainm Corry, iar-shaighdiúr Shasanach, agus bhí Collins timpeallaithe acu.”

Bhí Cope den bharúil nach dtiocfadh leis brath ar Collins, bhí sé chomh taghdach sin, agus ina ‘Thadhg an Trí Thaobh’. “Bhí sé ag rá leis na Státairí ‘We’ll fight these Republicans agus gheobhfaimid an bua orthu’,” arsa Diarmuid. “Bhí sé ag rá leis na Poblachtánaigh ‘Stop an cogadh, agus rachaimid ó thuaidh’. Agus bhí sé ag rá leis na Sasanaigh ‘Troidfidh mise an cogadh’.

“Chreid cuid mhór de na hóglaigh i mBéal Feirste é, agus chuaigh cuid mhór acu le hArm an tSaorstáit, rud a chuir iontas orm, cé nach ndeachaigh mo mhuintir féin leo.”

Briseadh go tubaisteach ar na hÓglaigh. “Bunaíodh dhá stát, ar an dóigh go dteipfeadh ar an rud a bhí acu,” arsa Diarmuid. “Bhunaigh siad an stáitín ó thuaidh a bhí seicteach, ciníoch, Albanach, salach, agus ar an taobh eile chuir siad stáitín ar shiúil a bhí lofa ón dtús, a bhí Caitliceach, a bhí i gcoinne na feirmeoirí beaga, a bhí ann do lucht an rachmais a bhí go mór i bhfách le Fine Gael, nó Cumann na nGael mar a bhí ag an am.”

Léiríonn ar tharla ina dhiaidh go raibh ciall le Cogadh na gCarad. “Bhí na daoine seo ag troid ar son poblachta,” arsa Diarmuid. “Ní raibh siad ag troid ar son dhá stáitín lofa.”

‘Cogadh na gCarad’ le Diarmuid Ó Tuama. Coiscéim, €10. Na cláracha raidió ar an idirlíon @ https://www.rte.ie/rnag/fuinneog-feirste/programmes/2013/0730/465472-fuinneog-feirste-d-mirt-30-iil-2013/?clipid=1278818

Legendary footballer

by Anton McCabe

(a slightly different version was published in the Irish Times of March 8th 2014)

Jimmy Jones – born 25^th July 1928, died 13^th February 2014

Jimmy Jones, who has died after a long illness, was a legendary Northern footballer, and at the centre of one of Irish soccer’s most infamous incidents. Belfast Celtic withdrew from the Irish League after Linfield fans attacked him following a match on Boxing Day 1948.

That infamous 1948 match was played at Linfield’s ground, Windsor Park in Belfast. Linfield was perceived as a Protestant team, Belfast Celtic being perceived as Catholic – despite Jones being Church of Ireland. During the first half, a Linfield player suffered a broken leg when tackling Jones. At half time, a Linfield official announced the injury. When the game ended, Linfield supporters invaded the pitch. Jones was kicked unconscious, then a Linfield fan jumped off a wall onto his leg, breaking it in five places. A friend saved Jones’ life by lying on top of him. Afterwards, surgeons considered amputating the leg.

Jones recovered, to become the Irish League’s top scorer ever, hitting 646 goals in a career that continued at Glenavon, Larne and Newry Town. He was capped three times for Northern Ireland. He was a strong centre-forward with legs like tree-trunks, who defined his function simply: “I am there to score goals.” An opponent broke his jaw in one match: he was back playing in a fortnight.

As well as being a footballer, Jones was a motorcycle racer. He won the Skerries 100, among other races.

Jones was born in July 1928 in his maternal grandparents’ house in Keady, Co Armagh, only child to Thomas Jones, a police sergeant, and his wife Ellen (née Wilson). When Jones was days old, his mother returned to Lurgan. He spent the rest of his life in or near that town.

After education at Carrick Primary School and Lurgan Technical College, he served his apprenticeship as a mechanic – while making an impact as a footballer. While playing football, he became a salesman for dairy products, briefly ran a pub - and married Cecily, a nurse from Co Kilkenny.

At the time of his death, he was President of the Belfast Celtic Society. When his death was announced at a Glasgow Celtic home game, the crowd applauded him. They knew who he was, though most were not born when his career ended.

Jones is survived by his wife Cecily, children Jennifer and Trevor, and grandchildren.