Duncan's Flow - an Ulster-Scots placename

I came across an Ordnance Survey map for east Antrim yesterday and was impressed by the number of placenames with Ulster-Scots elements in them, such as Moss Bridge, Blair's Moss, Rigg Moss, Burnside, White Brae, Brae Nook, Knowehead, Braetown, Glenburn and Braepark.

However there was one I was less familiar with and that was Duncan's Flow.  The word flow' appears in the Dictionary of the Scots Language as meaning 'a wet peat bog', 'a swamp' and 'a low lying piece of watery land'.

So what do we know about Duncan's Flow?  

Well back in 1876 it got a mention in the Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland., which carried a lecture that had been delivered to the Institute band had been written by G H Kinahan MRIA.

During a short stay in the co Antrim, my attention was called by J Wyley Esq, of Drumadarragh House, to an unrecorded ancient roadwaythat for centuries has been buried under an accumulation of peat, and only in recent years has been discovered while cutting turf.  The bog called Duncan's Flow, in which this road or cash (casan, a path) is buried, is situated near the west boundary of the townland of Ballyalbanagh, co Antrim (Ordnance Survey Map, sheet 39), and about four miles north of the small town called Ballyclare.

Before that it was mentioned in an article by Abraham Hume in the Ulster Journal of Archaeology in 1853 as 'Duncan's Flow in Glenwherry'.  The article also mentioned Mather's Flow at Dromore.

I assume that the Drumadarragh House referred to in relation to J Wyley was the house near Doagh, which is about ten miles from Glenwherry.

But who was the Duncan of Duncan's Flow and was it the surname of an earlier owner of the land?

Many of our townland names have their origin in Irish but there are also many placenames that have their origin in Ulster-Scots.

The GAA and the Secretary of State

The Northern Ireland Secretary of State attended the 2017 final of the McKenna Cup, a GAA trophy that was presented by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Clogher, Patrick McKenna, back in 1927.  The match took place on Saturday in Newry and the teams taking part were Tyrone and Derry.

Although the game was between two teams from Northern Ireland and took place in Northern Ireland the event included the playing of the national anthem of the Irish Republic, known as The Soldier's Song.

The McKenna Cup competition involves teams from the old nine-county province of Ulster, the six counties of Northern Ireland, and the three southern border counties of Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal, so it could be argued that there should be two anthems, The Soldier's Song and God Save the Queen, reflecting the fact that the participating teams are drawn from counties in both the Irish Republic and the United Kingdom.  However only The Soldiers' Song was played, as set out in the constitution of the GAA.

Irish version Amhrán na bhFiann	English version The Soldiers' Song
Sinne Fianna Fáil,[fn 1] atá faoi[fn 2] gheall ag Éirinn, Buíon dár slua thar toinn do ráinig chugainn, Faoi mhóid bheith saor Seantír ár sinsear feasta, Ní fhágfar faoin tíorán ná faoin tráill. Anocht a théam sa bhearna baoil, Le gean ar Ghaeil, chun báis nó saoil,[fn 3] Le gunna scréach faoi lámhach na bpiléar, Seo libh canaídh amhrán na bhfiann	Soldiers are we, whose lives are pledged to Ireland, Some have come from a land beyond the wave, Sworn to be free, no more our ancient sireland, Shall shelter the despot or the slave. Tonight we man the "bearna baoil", In Erin's cause, come woe or weal, ’Mid cannon's roar and rifles' peal, We'll chant a soldier's song

James Brokenshire arrived after the anthem had been played and has now been criticised for this by Labour MP Conor McGinn, who said his action was 'regressive'.  However this incident highlights the inherent Irish nationalism of the Gaelic Athletic Association and illustrates why it is an organisation that excludes unionists.

Back in December the GAA president Aogan O Fearghail was asked if the GAA would change its position on flying the Irish tricolour and playing The Soldier's Song at at home games and he was quoted in the Irish News (5 December 2016) as saying:

I replied we wouldn't, that it was very much part and parcel of our culture, it was very much valued by us and that it was a key part of our heritage, and it will remain.

He also went on to reaffirm the political stance of the GAA and spoke about 'the future we all aspire to, certainly within the GAA, to a new unified Ireland.'

Theresa May's tribute to a great Ulster soldier

Theresa May and Donald Trump

Theresa May had a very successful two-day visit to the United States of America.  She addressed senior members of the Republican Party and met with President Donald Trump.

She also went to the American National Cemetery at Arlington and I was delighted that, as well as laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown,  she also laid a wreath at the grave of a great Ulster soldier, Field Marshal Sir John Greer Dill (1881-1944), who was born in Lurgan.

During the Second World War he had an important role with the Chief of Staffs committee, which included members from the UK and the USA and supported unity of action between the Allies.  

President Roosevelt described Field Marshal Dill as 'the most important figure in the remarkable accord which has been developed in the combined operations of our two countries.'

Her action was a tribute to the memory of the Ulster soldier and also highlighted the 'special relationship' that was so important in the war against Hitler and the Nazis.

There is a blue Ulster History Circle plaque at his birthplace in Lurgan as well as a Dill Avenue and one of the seven tower blocks in the New Lodge area of North Belfast was formerly named Dill House but has been renamed.  

There may be some other modest reminders and memorials Field Marshal Dill but surely, as we approach the 75th anniversary of his death, it is time to consider how we might better honour a fine Ulster soldier.

Gerry Adams - 'extra tax credits for learning Irish'

Should parents get extra tax credits if their children learn Irish?  Well Gerry Adams thinks so!

On 18 May 2016 Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams TD spoke during a Dail debate which followed a government statement on the Irish language.

Here is a short extract from that speech which contain's one of Sinn Fein's proposals for promoting the Irish language.  Gerry Adams said:

In Sinn Fein’s budget last year we put forward some recommendations at a cost of €10 million in total which could have a positive influence on the Irish language. Among those actions, was an increase of €5 million of the capital fund of Udaras na Gaeltachta and an increase of €0.75 million in the fund for community schemes and a tax credit for parents whose children were attending Gaeltacht courses.

This related to a budget they had proposed for the Irish Republic but Sinn Fein are a cross-border party.  We can only conclude therefore that Sinn Fein envisage extra tax credits for parents in Northern Ireland who send their children to Gaeltachts to learn Irish

At present children from Northern Ireland can visit Gaeltachts in the Republic but Sinn Fein's demand for an Irish language Act included the creation of Gaeltachts in Northern Irelan.  When she was asked about this on a Talkback programme, former Sinn Fein culture minister Caral Ni Chuilin said that they were developing a Gaeltacht in West Belfast. 

So will Sinn Fein be demanding tax credits for parents who send their children up the Falls Road to learn Irish?

And if you lived in the West Belfast Gaeltacht and sent your child to an Irish medium school, would you be able to get the tax credit as well?

John Ralston Clements

This is the story of an Ulsterman who wrote  more than 5,000 hymns.

John Ralston Clements (1868-1946) was born in Newry on 28 November 1868 and he was the son of John Clements and his wife Elizabeth Mains.

The Clements family emigrated from Ulster to America in 1870 and settled in Liberty, New York.

John was converted to Christ in 1886, at the age of eighteen, through a sermon preached by the famous evangelist D L Moody at the First Baptist Church in Binghampton, New York.

Clemens went on to write many hymns and the first was Man the Life-Boat.  The music for this hymn was composed by Daniel Towner, the song-leader for D L Moody.

He was the first president of the Practical Bible Training School in Lestershire, now Johnson City, New York, and he held that position for from 1900 to 1914.  The school had been founded by his friend Rev John A Davis and in 1914 Davis succeeded Clements as president.  It was later renamed the John A Davis Memorial Bible School and is now Davis College.

His hymns include No night there, If thou shalt confess, Jesus leads, Lord send us forth and Service is our watchword.

He also published Songs of Redemption and Praise and was co-editor, with Ira Allen Sankey, the son of Ira D Sankey, of Best Endeavour Hymns, which was published in Chicago in 1907.

J R Clements died in Johnson City, New York, on 1 January 1946 and he was buried in Floral Park Cemetery.

When we come to consider the literary heritage of Ulster, it is important not to forget our hymnwriters, including John Ralston Clements.

Michelle O'Neill and the Loughgall ambush

The eight members of the IRA gang who were killed at Louggall

Sinn Fein have posted a video of their new leader in Northern Ireland', Michelle O'Neill, and in it she refers to Loughgall.  'The Loughgall ambush happened and eight people lost their lives.'

On 8 May 1987, thirty years ago this year, a gang of Provisional IRA terrorists set off to attack the RUC station in the little village of Loughgall.  Their intention was to blow up the station and murder any police officers and they came well armed.  That's the background to Michelle O'Neill's 'Loughgall ambush'.


Weapons used by the IRA gang

However the security forces were aware of the impending attack and members of the SAS were waiting for the terrorists to arrive.  There was an exchange of fire and eight IRA men were killed - Patrick Kelly (32), the IRA commander in East  Tyrone,, Declan Arthurs (21), Seamus Donnelly (19), Michael Gormley (25), Eugene Kelly (25), James Lynagh (31), Patrick McKearney (32) and Gerard O'Callaghan (29).  It was the IRA's single greatest loss in the Troubles.  Sadly a civilian, Anthony Hughes (36), was also killed and his brother badly wounded when they were caught up in the crossfire.

Loughgall RUC station was destroyed by the IRA bomb

It was often alleged that the SAS had opened fire first but then some new information emerged in 2011 when it was reported that an HET investigation had concluded that the IRA men had opened fire before the SAS.

In January 2016 Peter Corrigan, a solicitor for the families of the IRA men, claimed that the SAS should have arrested the terrorists when they were entering the village and he called for a reopened inquest to be held speedily.  This would be one of the so-called 'legacy inquests'.  He said: 'The reason for the promptness and expedition is so that there is no perception in the public that the state are colluding or acquiescing in an unlawful act.'

Now no one doubts that the Army had prior information about the attack, otherwise why would the SAS men have been waiting for the gunmen to arrive.  Moreover that information could only have come from a source or sources within the Provisonal IRA and that brings you into a murky world of informants and IRA double agents.

The leader of the IRA gang was Patrick Kelly who was a member of the IRA Army Council and in 1986, the year before the ambush, he had crossed the Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, Kelly had attended the IRA Army Convention where the main topic of discussion was the old republican principle of abstentionism.  It was the point where the republican movement was being edged toward abandoning that principle and Gerry Adams and others argued that they drop the rule and move into constitutional politics.  Kelly voted against the rule and a rift with the majority of the IRA Army Council ensued. 

So could there be a connection between that rift and the death of Patrick Kelly the following year?

The IRA was riddled with double-agents in its ranks, right up to the highest levels as illustrated by the case of Denis Donaldson, who was exposed as an informer and then murdered by republicans.  Indeed in September 2016 a BBC Spotlight programme reported the claim that the murder of Donaldson had been sanctioned by Gerry Adams.

Was it one of those double agents who passed information about Loughgall to the security forces and if so why?  

Could it have been a way of removing someone whom the Sinn Fein leadership might see as a threat?  Loughgall certainly got rid of Patrick Kelly and removed someone who might have become more problematic, a thorn in the side of Gerry Adams and the anti-abstentionists.  So who passed on the information about the planned attack and for what reason did they pass it on?



Michelle O'Neill's 'republican pedigree'

Michelle O'Neill MLA

Sinn Fein MLA Michelle O'Neill was born in Clonoe in county Tyrone on 10 January 1977 and was educated at St Patrick's Academy in Dungannon.  Afterwards she became a constituency worker for Francie Molloy MLA.  She was elected to Dungannon and South Tyrone Council in 2005 and then elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in March 2007 in the constituency of Mid Ulster.  Michelle comes from a family with a strong republican pedigree but it is something about which very little is written, except in the pages of An Phoblacht.

She was born Michelle Doris and was a daughter of the late Brendan Doris and his wife Kathleen.  Brendan Doris, who died in January 2006, was a Sinn Fein councillor and member of the Provisional IRA.  At the time there was a tribute to him in An Phoblacht by Francie Molloy, for whom Michelle worked, and it helps to explain what is meant when some journalists refer to her 'republican pedigree'.

Brendan like many other joined the IRA.  He was arrested and spent time in Crumlin Road Jail on remand, Armagh Jail for a short time, Long Kesh and Magilligan.  Brendan was not easily deterred and was regularly involved in confrontations with the screws.

Brendan was released in 1976 and returned to the struggle.  He married Kathleen and had two children, Michelle and Brian, of whom he was very proud.

He was elected to the Dungannon Council along with Volunteer Martin McCaughey. 

So as well as being a Sinn Fein councillor her father was a member of the East Tyrone Brigade of the Provisional IRA, which was one of the most active units of the terrorist organisation.

Paul Doris - NORAID

For many years her uncle Paul Doris was the chief-fundraiser for NORAID, the Irish-American support group for the IRA.  He became national president of NORAID in 1996 and in 2016 he was chief marshal for the St Patrick's Day parade in New York.

On 26 March 1997 a member of the Provisional IRA threw a bomb at the RUC station in Coalisland. During the attack Gareth Doris was shot and then taken to hospital where he was arrested.  He recovered and was sentenced to ten years in prison before being released in 200 under the Belfast Agreement.  Gareth Doris was a cousin of Michelle's father Brendan Doris.

Tony Doris, another relative, was a member of the Provisional IRA.  On 3 June 1991 he was a member of a three-man IRA murder gang on its way to shoot an off-duty member of the UDR.  However the three terrorists were killed by the SAS at Coagh while they were on their way to shoot the part-time member of the UDR.

Yes I think we can agree with Eamonn Mallie when he wrote that 'Michelle O'Neill comes from a pedigreed republican Tyrone family'.