Turn back the years with Ballymoney U3A
Our monthly meetings are based around a talk given by a guest speaker, followed by questions and answers. These meetings are also an opportunity for committee members and group coordinators to pass on notices and announcements.
3rd September, 2019: George Murphy, yarnspinner
September main meeting: U3A Ballymoney
Ballymoney U3A was privileged to have George Murphy astheir speaker for the opening September meeting of the session. George, who is from Dungiven, is a well-known yarnspinner, comedian and musician. He regaled the memberswith jokes, stories and songs.
When not entertaining clubs, weddings and other groups George, who was a teacher prior to his retirement, is involved with a local school. He has interactive music sessions: with children sharing music, movement and poetry in a fun and imaginative way.
He is accomplished on guitar, bodhran and harmonica and used all three while singing.
In between jokes and stories, George sang : ‘What’s your hurry’, ‘My Bonnie lies over the ocean’, ‘Wild Rover’, ‘I’ll tell me Ma’ and ‘Girl from Belfast City’. Audience participation was encouraged with new member Muriel Jackson enlisted as his accompanist on the bodhran.
His performance was well received by the members. Pat Crossley gave a vote of thanks.
Report by Joan Shannon
Ballymoney U3A was privileged to have George Murphy astheir speaker for the opening September meeting of the session. George, who is from Dungiven, is a well-known yarnspinner, comedian and musician. He regaled the memberswith jokes, stories and songs.
When not entertaining clubs, weddings and other groups George, who was a teacher prior to his retirement, is involved with a local school. He has interactive music sessions: with children sharing music, movement and poetry in a fun and imaginative way.
He is accomplished on guitar, bodhran and harmonica and used all three while singing.
In between jokes and stories, George sang : ‘What’s your hurry’, ‘My Bonnie lies over the ocean’, ‘Wild Rover’, ‘I’ll tell me Ma’ and ‘Girl from Belfast City’. Audience participation was encouraged with new member Muriel Jackson enlisted as his accompanist on the bodhran.
His performance was well received by the members. Pat Crossley gave a vote of thanks.
Report by Joan Shannon
1st October, 2019: ‘Talking Trees’
David Bell was the speaker for the October meeting of Ballymoney U3A, a volunteer at the Woodland Trust. Hegave a talk entitled, ‘Standing up for Trees’.
His interest in trees began as a young boy iving near a large estate when he realised that each tree has its own special characteristics.
Trees have significant importance in our lives wherever we live. We are all familiar with the yew, which grows in graveyards symbolising life after death.
Trees are good for our health and wellbeing. We can enjoy parks and the countryside where we create spaces to play and refresh the soul. Trees alleviate air pollution by absorbing carbon dioxide and generating oxygen. In cities they help to cool the air and mask noise pollution.
They create a natural habitat for wildlife hence the need to introduce native species such as birch, alder and the thorns. Native species grow well. However over the years non-native species like sycamore were introduced by the Normans. Many of these brought disease.
Northern Ireland ranks badly as one of the least-wooded regions in Europe, with just 7% woodland cover compared with the European average of 37%. Additionally almost 60% of our woodland is in the form of recent conifer plantations. The overall tree cover in the UK is also low at 13% cover.
In recent years large areas of Fermanagh have been planted for commercial use but only 50% of this wood is useable. Technology has been developed recently and some wood has been turned into wood pellets. These are easy to handle, making them suitable for steam turbines to generate electricity.
About 30 years ago in Austria, a land locked country,they switched from sheep farming to growing trees.These they use for both heating and chilling processes. In Vienna they have a recycling plant that produces 5 mega watts to power 26,000 homes.
Trees are under threat from climate change, pests and diseases, the infrastructure and intensive agriculture.Since 1945 the UK has lost thousands of miles of hedgerows and many ancient woodland sites have been lost or damaged.
In 1972, concerned about the nearby loss of ancient woodland in Devon, Kenneth Watkins set up the Woodland Trust for the conservation of woods and trees. The Trust aims to plant 2000 hectares of new native woodland each year. They run courses such as hedge laying, arrange guided visits to woods, visit schools to instruct them in tree planting and attend shows and fairs. Free trees are available for schools and communities to plant.
In conclusion David encouraged us of the importance of visiting our local woods to walk and refresh our souls.Woodland Trust takes care of 50 woods in Northern Ireland including those in the Faughan Valley, Prehenand Glenravel. For more information check out www.woodlandtrust.org.uk.
Anne Steele spoke for a short while at the end of the meeting about the Open Door charity and shop in Main Street Ballymoney.
Report by Joan Shannon
His interest in trees began as a young boy iving near a large estate when he realised that each tree has its own special characteristics.
Trees have significant importance in our lives wherever we live. We are all familiar with the yew, which grows in graveyards symbolising life after death.
Trees are good for our health and wellbeing. We can enjoy parks and the countryside where we create spaces to play and refresh the soul. Trees alleviate air pollution by absorbing carbon dioxide and generating oxygen. In cities they help to cool the air and mask noise pollution.
They create a natural habitat for wildlife hence the need to introduce native species such as birch, alder and the thorns. Native species grow well. However over the years non-native species like sycamore were introduced by the Normans. Many of these brought disease.
Northern Ireland ranks badly as one of the least-wooded regions in Europe, with just 7% woodland cover compared with the European average of 37%. Additionally almost 60% of our woodland is in the form of recent conifer plantations. The overall tree cover in the UK is also low at 13% cover.
In recent years large areas of Fermanagh have been planted for commercial use but only 50% of this wood is useable. Technology has been developed recently and some wood has been turned into wood pellets. These are easy to handle, making them suitable for steam turbines to generate electricity.
About 30 years ago in Austria, a land locked country,they switched from sheep farming to growing trees.These they use for both heating and chilling processes. In Vienna they have a recycling plant that produces 5 mega watts to power 26,000 homes.
Trees are under threat from climate change, pests and diseases, the infrastructure and intensive agriculture.Since 1945 the UK has lost thousands of miles of hedgerows and many ancient woodland sites have been lost or damaged.
In 1972, concerned about the nearby loss of ancient woodland in Devon, Kenneth Watkins set up the Woodland Trust for the conservation of woods and trees. The Trust aims to plant 2000 hectares of new native woodland each year. They run courses such as hedge laying, arrange guided visits to woods, visit schools to instruct them in tree planting and attend shows and fairs. Free trees are available for schools and communities to plant.
In conclusion David encouraged us of the importance of visiting our local woods to walk and refresh our souls.Woodland Trust takes care of 50 woods in Northern Ireland including those in the Faughan Valley, Prehenand Glenravel. For more information check out www.woodlandtrust.org.uk.
Anne Steele spoke for a short while at the end of the meeting about the Open Door charity and shop in Main Street Ballymoney.
Report by Joan Shannon
5th November, 2019: Health Fair
LAST YEAR'S MEETINGS: PHOTOS AND REPORTS
5th September, 2017: Liam Beckett - A Life in Sport
At the September meeting of the Ballymoney U3A, Marie Hegarty, chair, welcomed all members to the third year of the group and also the speaker, Liam Beckett, local sports personality and BBC commentator. The hall at the Old Courthouse was again filled with members so that latecomers found themselves searching for seats.
Liam Beckett thanked the group for the invitation to speak and pointed out that Jackie Fullerton was the grammar and spelling expert of the two of them. Liam often let himself down. One story involved the plural of the word ‘colossus’, which cropped up in a commentary; whether the plural was ‘colossuses’ or ‘colossi’. They eventually discovered, after many hilarious texts and phone calls, that both plurals were allowable.
His talk was humorous and anecdotal mostly about his career as a footballer and a commentator. Some difficulty arose with Liam’s pronunciation in a broad Ballymoney accent, and also his use of Ulster Scots words that were often not recognised in some places. Another pronunciation problem occurred when commentating on foreign matches, typically FC Porto versus Manchester United: for example the pronunciation of Portuguese names such as ‘Hulio’ for ‘Julio’ and ‘Horge’ for ‘Jorge’.
Liam was proud of coming from Ballymoney but he said that growing up had been tough. His father died when he was two so his mother took two jobs. And yet last year he was amazed to find himself having dinner with the Queen!
Getting him football boots was a problem when he was young so that friends and family had clubbed together for him. Back in the 70s he served his time as a plumber and was signed for Crusaders. That year they won the League and the Carlsberg Cup.
Drogheda were signing several Northern players and signed Liam too for what was good money in those days. However when he went to Drogheda, he realised that his name Liam had led the club to believe that he was catholic. In fact he was the only one of fivetransfers who was not. It became a bit awkward when on the first occasion they were paraded through the town and ended up in the chapel. On the second trip they were singing Republican songs and on the third week he discovered that the coach was smuggling butter over the border under the seats. By the fourth week he was pointed out as: “Yer man in the corner’s a Jaffa!” He was the only Protestant ever to play for Drogheda and they treated him well, but after a while he was sold back to the North at Coleraine.
After he finished at Coleraine he started to ‘do a bit for the BBC’, where he found Jackie Fullerton a good tutor. Liam gave the U3A many anecdotes, too many to be recounted here.
He has worn many hats in his life – plumber, footballer, manager, pundit, broadcaster and Black Santa. He is also well known as Robert Dunlop’s mentor and mechanic. He offered young Robert the use of a workshop at his house back in 1988, the start of a hugely successful working relationship that lasted until Robert’s tragic death at the North West 200 in 2008.
At one time he went on a trip to Monza with the Dunlop brothers. They took two vans as they preferred driving to flying. They drove from Stranraer to Dover to Calais then through Belgium to Germany, Switzerland and then into Italy. Joey went home early because ‘he did not like going in circles’. Then Robert did not come back from the 125 warm up. Robert proved to have damaged his pelvis and was to be flown home by air ambulance so Liam found himself drivinguncomfortably in the grid lock of the Milan streets on the way to the hospital with a van full to the neck with red diesel.
Liam Beckett thanked the group for the invitation to speak and pointed out that Jackie Fullerton was the grammar and spelling expert of the two of them. Liam often let himself down. One story involved the plural of the word ‘colossus’, which cropped up in a commentary; whether the plural was ‘colossuses’ or ‘colossi’. They eventually discovered, after many hilarious texts and phone calls, that both plurals were allowable.
His talk was humorous and anecdotal mostly about his career as a footballer and a commentator. Some difficulty arose with Liam’s pronunciation in a broad Ballymoney accent, and also his use of Ulster Scots words that were often not recognised in some places. Another pronunciation problem occurred when commentating on foreign matches, typically FC Porto versus Manchester United: for example the pronunciation of Portuguese names such as ‘Hulio’ for ‘Julio’ and ‘Horge’ for ‘Jorge’.
Liam was proud of coming from Ballymoney but he said that growing up had been tough. His father died when he was two so his mother took two jobs. And yet last year he was amazed to find himself having dinner with the Queen!
Getting him football boots was a problem when he was young so that friends and family had clubbed together for him. Back in the 70s he served his time as a plumber and was signed for Crusaders. That year they won the League and the Carlsberg Cup.
Drogheda were signing several Northern players and signed Liam too for what was good money in those days. However when he went to Drogheda, he realised that his name Liam had led the club to believe that he was catholic. In fact he was the only one of fivetransfers who was not. It became a bit awkward when on the first occasion they were paraded through the town and ended up in the chapel. On the second trip they were singing Republican songs and on the third week he discovered that the coach was smuggling butter over the border under the seats. By the fourth week he was pointed out as: “Yer man in the corner’s a Jaffa!” He was the only Protestant ever to play for Drogheda and they treated him well, but after a while he was sold back to the North at Coleraine.
After he finished at Coleraine he started to ‘do a bit for the BBC’, where he found Jackie Fullerton a good tutor. Liam gave the U3A many anecdotes, too many to be recounted here.
He has worn many hats in his life – plumber, footballer, manager, pundit, broadcaster and Black Santa. He is also well known as Robert Dunlop’s mentor and mechanic. He offered young Robert the use of a workshop at his house back in 1988, the start of a hugely successful working relationship that lasted until Robert’s tragic death at the North West 200 in 2008.
At one time he went on a trip to Monza with the Dunlop brothers. They took two vans as they preferred driving to flying. They drove from Stranraer to Dover to Calais then through Belgium to Germany, Switzerland and then into Italy. Joey went home early because ‘he did not like going in circles’. Then Robert did not come back from the 125 warm up. Robert proved to have damaged his pelvis and was to be flown home by air ambulance so Liam found himself drivinguncomfortably in the grid lock of the Milan streets on the way to the hospital with a van full to the neck with red diesel.
3rd October, 2017: Keith Beattie - "The 1798 Rebellion Around The Causeway Area".
As many of us know, the speaker Keith Beattie was the popular former manager of Ballymoney Museum and lived in Ballymoney for over 20 years. We were pleased to see him back as our speaker.
His talk covered the background to the 1798 rebellion with particular reference tothe involvement of people from the local area. Keith spoke about establishment of the United Irishmen and their association with the Republican movement in Ireland.
He stressed that in the North, the supporters were largely Presbyterian and the campaign was drawn from a mixed religious background which also includedMethodists.
The population of Ireland in the 1700s was 80% Catholic, yet the Anglican Church, the Established Church in England, ruled in all areas of life. This led to much unrest and dissatisfaction against British rule. In 1791 the ‘The Society of United Irishmen’group was formed in Belfast with cross community support. Many of its supporters were from North Antrim withlocal area men like William Tennant from Roseyards among the first supporters. In 1795 a group was formed in Ballymoney. The local magistrate McNaughton Beardiville wrote to Dublin for help as the movement gathered strength.
There was support in France for the movement and, in December 1796, a fleetof 45 ships, carrying 15,000 men, sailed to assist the campaign, heading for BantryBay. The landing was hampered by poor weather and the ships returned to France
On 7th June 1798 the forces of United Irishmen in the North marched againstBritish rule. Larne and Randalstown were taken without difficulty. A battle for Antrim was narrowly lost. The rebel forces went on to capture Ballymena.
The Crown forces exacted a terrible revenge. They sought out supporters of the United Irishment for execution, after destroying their homes and property by fire. Some managed to escape and flee to Scotland or further afield. One young supporter was Richard Caldwell, aged 18,from Harmony Hill near Balnamore. Hetook refuge in Scotland and was cared for by local families before being betrayed by the local church minister.
The campaign was largely over in the North by mid-June, with the battle of Ballynahinch on 12-13th June ending in a victory for Crown forces. It continued in the South until September 1798.
Many United Irishmen were betrayed to the Crown forces who took a swift revenge. Alexander Gamble was executed at the Town Clock in Ballymoney and buried in that spot, as ‘traitors’ were refused burial in consecrated ground. In 1883, when renovation work was takingplace at the Town Clock, a body was exhumed and declared to be Alexander Gamble. His body was reinterred in the Old Graveyard with one of the largest funerals ever seen in Ballymony. Another supporter William Dunlop of Priestlandwas arrested and hanged in Coleraine. His family went to Coleraine dressed as ghosts and recovered his body, which is interred in Derrykeighan Churchyard.
Another notable at the time was George (Bloody) Hutchinson, a magistrate in Ballymoney, who is remembered for his harsh role in crushing supporters of the uprising. Family members still reside in Australia.
There are a number of items in Ballymoney including the sword of Captain John Nevin from Kilmoyle near Dervock.
He exercised his men in a field called Drilly Knowe at Derrykeighan, where a house and antique shop now stand.
After many exploits, he died in Tennessee in 1803.
A book covering the events in 1798 was written: ‘Northern Iron’ by George A Birmingham, which, although now out of print, can still be found in some second-hand book shops.
Rev. Frances Bach thanked Keith warmly for the interesting and illuminating talkand the meeting closed.
His talk covered the background to the 1798 rebellion with particular reference tothe involvement of people from the local area. Keith spoke about establishment of the United Irishmen and their association with the Republican movement in Ireland.
He stressed that in the North, the supporters were largely Presbyterian and the campaign was drawn from a mixed religious background which also includedMethodists.
The population of Ireland in the 1700s was 80% Catholic, yet the Anglican Church, the Established Church in England, ruled in all areas of life. This led to much unrest and dissatisfaction against British rule. In 1791 the ‘The Society of United Irishmen’group was formed in Belfast with cross community support. Many of its supporters were from North Antrim withlocal area men like William Tennant from Roseyards among the first supporters. In 1795 a group was formed in Ballymoney. The local magistrate McNaughton Beardiville wrote to Dublin for help as the movement gathered strength.
There was support in France for the movement and, in December 1796, a fleetof 45 ships, carrying 15,000 men, sailed to assist the campaign, heading for BantryBay. The landing was hampered by poor weather and the ships returned to France
On 7th June 1798 the forces of United Irishmen in the North marched againstBritish rule. Larne and Randalstown were taken without difficulty. A battle for Antrim was narrowly lost. The rebel forces went on to capture Ballymena.
The Crown forces exacted a terrible revenge. They sought out supporters of the United Irishment for execution, after destroying their homes and property by fire. Some managed to escape and flee to Scotland or further afield. One young supporter was Richard Caldwell, aged 18,from Harmony Hill near Balnamore. Hetook refuge in Scotland and was cared for by local families before being betrayed by the local church minister.
The campaign was largely over in the North by mid-June, with the battle of Ballynahinch on 12-13th June ending in a victory for Crown forces. It continued in the South until September 1798.
Many United Irishmen were betrayed to the Crown forces who took a swift revenge. Alexander Gamble was executed at the Town Clock in Ballymoney and buried in that spot, as ‘traitors’ were refused burial in consecrated ground. In 1883, when renovation work was takingplace at the Town Clock, a body was exhumed and declared to be Alexander Gamble. His body was reinterred in the Old Graveyard with one of the largest funerals ever seen in Ballymony. Another supporter William Dunlop of Priestlandwas arrested and hanged in Coleraine. His family went to Coleraine dressed as ghosts and recovered his body, which is interred in Derrykeighan Churchyard.
Another notable at the time was George (Bloody) Hutchinson, a magistrate in Ballymoney, who is remembered for his harsh role in crushing supporters of the uprising. Family members still reside in Australia.
There are a number of items in Ballymoney including the sword of Captain John Nevin from Kilmoyle near Dervock.
He exercised his men in a field called Drilly Knowe at Derrykeighan, where a house and antique shop now stand.
After many exploits, he died in Tennessee in 1803.
A book covering the events in 1798 was written: ‘Northern Iron’ by George A Birmingham, which, although now out of print, can still be found in some second-hand book shops.
Rev. Frances Bach thanked Keith warmly for the interesting and illuminating talkand the meeting closed.
7th November, 2017: Frances Bach - Humourous Tales From My Life As A Minister
At the November Main Meeting of the Ballymoney U3A, Reverend Frances Bach gave a talk entitled “Humorous Tales from my Life as a Minister”.
When she told people in 1991 that she was going to Dublin to train for a Church of Ireland minister, nearly everyone was very polite but negative about women’s ordination. An exception was her 14 year old daughter Helen who said vehemently, “Mummy, there will be 3 clergy parents in our class at school and two of them will be mine!”
Dublin was the only place that C of I students could train so you got all sorts of political and theological opinions. Very early in the 1st term, there was a party at which a huge Union Jack was unfurled followed by singing of the Sash, then someone rushed away and came back with a huge tricolour and the Soldier’s Song was sung. Some Northerners were amazed that Protestants could be loyal to the Republic. There were theological differences, especially about women, but the college staff were pro women clergy.
Frances was ordained in 1994 and went to Ballyclare and Ballynure. She was woman number 11 in the Church of Ireland so still a rarity, but the parishioners took to her very well. The first funeral consisted of a sea of men in black so something of a test. Later one woman said, “I wouldn’t want to be buried by a woman”. Frances thought but did not like to say, “Well, you wouldn’t be there to know, would you?”
Next she went on to Larne as a curate, a placed used towoman ministers as Ruth Patterson, the first Presbyterian minister had been there. The Non-Subscribing Presbyterian minister was a woman, Lena Cockcroft, and the rector’s wife was Katherine Poulton, the first woman deacon in the Church of Ireland (now in Kilkenny). Larne churches were also very ecumenical. The five denominations: R.C., Church of Ireland, Methodist, Elim and Cairncastle Presbyterian used to run Alpha Courses together.
In 1999, she was appointed rector of Armoy, Loughguile and Drumtullagh as their first woman rector. People thought she would be like a male rector’s wife and run the Mother’s Unionand bake cakes. She felt at all times that she had to prove that she was as good as a man. To look at the bells, she once went up a 24 foot ladder inside the tower and another time found herself standing on ridge tiles in stiff wind.
Frances told the stories of the three times she considers that she was kidnapped: expected to get into a vehicle with a man without proper explanation as to why. But one serious side of a woman’s ministry is that many people feel they can talk to a woman but not to a man. She had more than her fair share of child abuse cases. Every case is hell for everyone even remotely connected with it and it tears families and churches apart. But then the child abuse should never have happened in the first place.
Before women were ordained, a lot of clergy thought that we would be strident feminist heretics, but of course they have not been like that. There are lots of lovely, down-to-earth, jolly, middle of the road, caring, capable women clergy out there including Pat Storey, the first bishop. Without older role models, women clergy tended to just remain themselves.
While Frances entered the clergy her children were in boarding school in England, followed by gap years, then university and work also in England. Her husband John remained university chaplain in Coleraine, with a church house in Portrush. When Frances was in Dublin it was soon clear that John required help in terms of a microwave, an answerphone and a cleaner. Then he was okay. At Ballyclareshe was away 3 days a week, but once in Larne it was 6 days. John said, “Think of it this way: we have a 7-bedroomed house; it’s just that 3 bedrooms are 48 miles away from the other 4.” John tried to come to Frances at the weekends but neither of them commuted daily, which would have been far too tiring. As a rector’s spouse John was a total failure, he neither made traybakes nor run the Mother’s Union, but he is a superb preacher and can fill in at short notice like no-oneelse.
When you have a dog collar you become public property: people think they can say anything to you. One man in Belfast walked past and said loudly: “No such thing as a woman priest, darling”. Driving back from Carnlough a man with a flock of sheep said, “Ye Mrs Bach? You’ve a very fair complexion; tis widely known.”
Frances included many more anecdotes in her talk, which greatly amused her audience.
When she told people in 1991 that she was going to Dublin to train for a Church of Ireland minister, nearly everyone was very polite but negative about women’s ordination. An exception was her 14 year old daughter Helen who said vehemently, “Mummy, there will be 3 clergy parents in our class at school and two of them will be mine!”
Dublin was the only place that C of I students could train so you got all sorts of political and theological opinions. Very early in the 1st term, there was a party at which a huge Union Jack was unfurled followed by singing of the Sash, then someone rushed away and came back with a huge tricolour and the Soldier’s Song was sung. Some Northerners were amazed that Protestants could be loyal to the Republic. There were theological differences, especially about women, but the college staff were pro women clergy.
Frances was ordained in 1994 and went to Ballyclare and Ballynure. She was woman number 11 in the Church of Ireland so still a rarity, but the parishioners took to her very well. The first funeral consisted of a sea of men in black so something of a test. Later one woman said, “I wouldn’t want to be buried by a woman”. Frances thought but did not like to say, “Well, you wouldn’t be there to know, would you?”
Next she went on to Larne as a curate, a placed used towoman ministers as Ruth Patterson, the first Presbyterian minister had been there. The Non-Subscribing Presbyterian minister was a woman, Lena Cockcroft, and the rector’s wife was Katherine Poulton, the first woman deacon in the Church of Ireland (now in Kilkenny). Larne churches were also very ecumenical. The five denominations: R.C., Church of Ireland, Methodist, Elim and Cairncastle Presbyterian used to run Alpha Courses together.
In 1999, she was appointed rector of Armoy, Loughguile and Drumtullagh as their first woman rector. People thought she would be like a male rector’s wife and run the Mother’s Unionand bake cakes. She felt at all times that she had to prove that she was as good as a man. To look at the bells, she once went up a 24 foot ladder inside the tower and another time found herself standing on ridge tiles in stiff wind.
Frances told the stories of the three times she considers that she was kidnapped: expected to get into a vehicle with a man without proper explanation as to why. But one serious side of a woman’s ministry is that many people feel they can talk to a woman but not to a man. She had more than her fair share of child abuse cases. Every case is hell for everyone even remotely connected with it and it tears families and churches apart. But then the child abuse should never have happened in the first place.
Before women were ordained, a lot of clergy thought that we would be strident feminist heretics, but of course they have not been like that. There are lots of lovely, down-to-earth, jolly, middle of the road, caring, capable women clergy out there including Pat Storey, the first bishop. Without older role models, women clergy tended to just remain themselves.
While Frances entered the clergy her children were in boarding school in England, followed by gap years, then university and work also in England. Her husband John remained university chaplain in Coleraine, with a church house in Portrush. When Frances was in Dublin it was soon clear that John required help in terms of a microwave, an answerphone and a cleaner. Then he was okay. At Ballyclareshe was away 3 days a week, but once in Larne it was 6 days. John said, “Think of it this way: we have a 7-bedroomed house; it’s just that 3 bedrooms are 48 miles away from the other 4.” John tried to come to Frances at the weekends but neither of them commuted daily, which would have been far too tiring. As a rector’s spouse John was a total failure, he neither made traybakes nor run the Mother’s Union, but he is a superb preacher and can fill in at short notice like no-oneelse.
When you have a dog collar you become public property: people think they can say anything to you. One man in Belfast walked past and said loudly: “No such thing as a woman priest, darling”. Driving back from Carnlough a man with a flock of sheep said, “Ye Mrs Bach? You’ve a very fair complexion; tis widely known.”
Frances included many more anecdotes in her talk, which greatly amused her audience.
2nd January, 2018
Entertainment: Karen Diamond and the Singing for Health Choir, Zara Hegarty on violin
Speaker: Lord Lt Joan Christie
Declan Donnelly (CC & Glens Council): ‘Recycling in the Scheme of Things’ and Jean Philps: ‘You can make a Silk Purse out of a Sow’s Ear’
SPEAKERS: Dr Jean Philp, member of Ballymoney U3A and
Declan Donnelly, Causeway Coast and Glens Council with
Kathleen Owen, Ballymoney U3A, who gave the vote of thanks.
The topic for the February meeting of the Ballymoney U3A was recycling. The first speaker was Declan Donnelly from the Causeway Coast and Glens council. Declan started by assuring us that his talk was not going to be about blue bins! He was more interested in the question, “Why on earth should we care?” He pointed out that the earth is a beautiful place and that we are not here alone: we have to share with other people and other animals. We should look at the planet as our home and as such we should care about it and take care of it.
The earth provides us with Food, Water, Air, Energy and Materials for shelter. By destroying trees for example, especially in the tropics, we are damaging our own home and bringing on Global Warming. We look for good value and the cheapest price, which often leads to pollution. David Attenborough’s programme the Blue Planet has recently highlighted the problem of plastic pollution especially in the sea, rivers and seashores. Waste on beaches includes a lot of plastic, polystyrene and things like nappies and wet wipes. Pieces of fishing nets and line are also common, and very dangerous for the fish and birds that get caught up in them.
In forty years it is estimated that there will be two billion more people on the planet. Although we currently produce enough food for our present population, problems of politics, storage, distribution and waste leads to hunger in many areas. Our large supermarkets insist on ‘perfect’ fruit and other produce so a lot of items, particularly vegetables, do not make the grade and often go to waste.
Food waste collections will be coming to houses in Ballymoney (and the rest of the council area) hopefully before September. Declan pointed out that nowadays food can come from a considerable distance: eg blueberries from Peru: 3,500 miles; rice: 7,000 miles; bananas: 5,000 miles, with resulting transport costs and pollution. In the UK a lot of food goes bad in the fridge, millions of slices of bread are thrown out and we all use far more water than we need: estimated at 150 litres per person per day! We are urged to think about our choices of food and materials; about what is going to form non-degradable waste and what can be recycled.
Much of our blue bin waste goes to a factory in Newry, although from the UK as a whole, much is still sold around the world. Food waste can now be made into energy in England. Items like bicycles are being repaired and renovated then sent abroad by charities.
U3A member Jean Philp was our second speaker. Her topic was, “Yes, you can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear”. She considered recycling, up-cycling, Make do and mend and being Thrifty; all terms for making use of something out of something else. Brought up in the country in a fairly spacious house, she was used to having somewhere to store many items until they were needed again. This included jam pots, fabric, newspaper and other paper and cardboard, all of which had their corner, cubbyhole or shed.
Jean showed us many ‘crafty’ items that she had made out of waste materials: Christmas cards or decorations out of old Christmas cards, envelopes and notebooks and the old fashioned way of concertina-ing newspaper into fire lighters. She had made a decorative hedgehog out of a paperback book, a bag out of old denim jeans, a peg bag, a quilt made out of children’s clothes, a rabbit toy from a tea towel, yarn for knitting or rugs made out of cut up old tea shirts and tights. All items made out of ‘a load of old rubbish’.
Kathleen Owens gave votes of thanks to both speakers.
The earth provides us with Food, Water, Air, Energy and Materials for shelter. By destroying trees for example, especially in the tropics, we are damaging our own home and bringing on Global Warming. We look for good value and the cheapest price, which often leads to pollution. David Attenborough’s programme the Blue Planet has recently highlighted the problem of plastic pollution especially in the sea, rivers and seashores. Waste on beaches includes a lot of plastic, polystyrene and things like nappies and wet wipes. Pieces of fishing nets and line are also common, and very dangerous for the fish and birds that get caught up in them.
In forty years it is estimated that there will be two billion more people on the planet. Although we currently produce enough food for our present population, problems of politics, storage, distribution and waste leads to hunger in many areas. Our large supermarkets insist on ‘perfect’ fruit and other produce so a lot of items, particularly vegetables, do not make the grade and often go to waste.
Food waste collections will be coming to houses in Ballymoney (and the rest of the council area) hopefully before September. Declan pointed out that nowadays food can come from a considerable distance: eg blueberries from Peru: 3,500 miles; rice: 7,000 miles; bananas: 5,000 miles, with resulting transport costs and pollution. In the UK a lot of food goes bad in the fridge, millions of slices of bread are thrown out and we all use far more water than we need: estimated at 150 litres per person per day! We are urged to think about our choices of food and materials; about what is going to form non-degradable waste and what can be recycled.
Much of our blue bin waste goes to a factory in Newry, although from the UK as a whole, much is still sold around the world. Food waste can now be made into energy in England. Items like bicycles are being repaired and renovated then sent abroad by charities.
U3A member Jean Philp was our second speaker. Her topic was, “Yes, you can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear”. She considered recycling, up-cycling, Make do and mend and being Thrifty; all terms for making use of something out of something else. Brought up in the country in a fairly spacious house, she was used to having somewhere to store many items until they were needed again. This included jam pots, fabric, newspaper and other paper and cardboard, all of which had their corner, cubbyhole or shed.
Jean showed us many ‘crafty’ items that she had made out of waste materials: Christmas cards or decorations out of old Christmas cards, envelopes and notebooks and the old fashioned way of concertina-ing newspaper into fire lighters. She had made a decorative hedgehog out of a paperback book, a bag out of old denim jeans, a peg bag, a quilt made out of children’s clothes, a rabbit toy from a tea towel, yarn for knitting or rugs made out of cut up old tea shirts and tights. All items made out of ‘a load of old rubbish’.
Kathleen Owens gave votes of thanks to both speakers.
Some of Jean's crafty recycling ideas.
6th March, 2018
Speaker: Maurice Mc Henry
‘The Wonderful World of Potatoes’
Potatoes
Our speaker, Maurice McHenry, at the meeting of Ballymoney U3A on 6th March spoke about a subject close to all our stomachs: “Potatoes, Potatoes, Potatoes – the Wonderful World of Potatoes”.
Maurice McHenry is a sheep farmer and retired head teacher who lives close to White Park Bay. He was asked by Channel Four to do five science books. One of them is about his uncle, John Clarke and potato breeding. Clarke was an orphan at 8 and left school at 11. He married a local school-teacher and lived nearMoss-side.
Potatoes originate from the Western Hemisphere, in the high Andes and were discovered there by the Spanish. It is the biggest non-cereal crop in the world. Because it can adapt to short and long days, it is grown in 100 countries. The Northern Chinese are the world’s biggest potato eaters. Both India and China are increasing their crop.
Four empires grew on the back of the potato: The Spanish; the Incas; the Prussian and the British. There are numerous stories about how the potato was brought to Britain and Ireland, eg by Sir Walter Raleigh; most of them untrue. The Spanish certainly used them as food on ships. They did not do well in England initially because the contorted seed tubers were thought to be affine to leprosy. And they were not a plant mentioned in the Bible so were not trusted. In France in 1745 le parlement even banned the cultivation of potatoes for anything other than pig food. This did not last however.
As a food they contain all the essentials: Vitamin C, Protein, Fat, Fibre, Carbohydrate, Phosphorus, Iron, Niacin and Thiamine. In North Antrim they were eaten boiled with either butter or buttermilk. More than a source of food, this vegetable became the cause of population explosion, in Ireland and elsewhere. 75% of the plant can be used and varieties can grow even in salty water. The largest number of potatoes grown here were in North Antrim and North Derry. The floury potatoes favoured here are not popular in England where waxy potatoes, like the King Edward, are preferred.
In 1600 a family could be fed on one acre of land producing an average of 14lb a day. In the Irish Famine in the 1840s 1 million died and 2 1/2 million emigrated. The cause, the fungus blight, came in July. The cropfailed for four years. The variety grown at the time was called the Lumper.
Many potato breeders were Scottish: Finlay: the British Queen and Majestic; McKelvie: the Arran varieties; Spence: Dunbar potatoes; McGill and Smith: the Home Guard. John Clarke was responsible for the Ulster varieties. There were also Plant Breeder centres in Cambridge and Carlow. John Clarke wrote, ‘The History and Social Influence of the Potato’ (1949). He was awarded an OBE for his 33 varieties. John Clarke was also honoured with a blue plaque with his dates (1889 to 1980) on a house near the Causeway.
For the past five years the National Trust have held a potato festival in October at the Giant’s Causeway.
John Pinkerton gave the vote of thanks.
At the April meeting on 3rd April, John Pinkerton will be speaking about ‘The Pinkerton Family and the Law’. Monthly meetings are held at the Old Court House in Charlotte Street from 11am (refreshments from 10.30am).
Our speaker, Maurice McHenry, at the meeting of Ballymoney U3A on 6th March spoke about a subject close to all our stomachs: “Potatoes, Potatoes, Potatoes – the Wonderful World of Potatoes”.
Maurice McHenry is a sheep farmer and retired head teacher who lives close to White Park Bay. He was asked by Channel Four to do five science books. One of them is about his uncle, John Clarke and potato breeding. Clarke was an orphan at 8 and left school at 11. He married a local school-teacher and lived nearMoss-side.
Potatoes originate from the Western Hemisphere, in the high Andes and were discovered there by the Spanish. It is the biggest non-cereal crop in the world. Because it can adapt to short and long days, it is grown in 100 countries. The Northern Chinese are the world’s biggest potato eaters. Both India and China are increasing their crop.
Four empires grew on the back of the potato: The Spanish; the Incas; the Prussian and the British. There are numerous stories about how the potato was brought to Britain and Ireland, eg by Sir Walter Raleigh; most of them untrue. The Spanish certainly used them as food on ships. They did not do well in England initially because the contorted seed tubers were thought to be affine to leprosy. And they were not a plant mentioned in the Bible so were not trusted. In France in 1745 le parlement even banned the cultivation of potatoes for anything other than pig food. This did not last however.
As a food they contain all the essentials: Vitamin C, Protein, Fat, Fibre, Carbohydrate, Phosphorus, Iron, Niacin and Thiamine. In North Antrim they were eaten boiled with either butter or buttermilk. More than a source of food, this vegetable became the cause of population explosion, in Ireland and elsewhere. 75% of the plant can be used and varieties can grow even in salty water. The largest number of potatoes grown here were in North Antrim and North Derry. The floury potatoes favoured here are not popular in England where waxy potatoes, like the King Edward, are preferred.
In 1600 a family could be fed on one acre of land producing an average of 14lb a day. In the Irish Famine in the 1840s 1 million died and 2 1/2 million emigrated. The cause, the fungus blight, came in July. The cropfailed for four years. The variety grown at the time was called the Lumper.
Many potato breeders were Scottish: Finlay: the British Queen and Majestic; McKelvie: the Arran varieties; Spence: Dunbar potatoes; McGill and Smith: the Home Guard. John Clarke was responsible for the Ulster varieties. There were also Plant Breeder centres in Cambridge and Carlow. John Clarke wrote, ‘The History and Social Influence of the Potato’ (1949). He was awarded an OBE for his 33 varieties. John Clarke was also honoured with a blue plaque with his dates (1889 to 1980) on a house near the Causeway.
For the past five years the National Trust have held a potato festival in October at the Giant’s Causeway.
John Pinkerton gave the vote of thanks.
At the April meeting on 3rd April, John Pinkerton will be speaking about ‘The Pinkerton Family and the Law’. Monthly meetings are held at the Old Court House in Charlotte Street from 11am (refreshments from 10.30am).
3rd April, 2018
Speaker: John Pinkerton
‘The Pinkerton Family and The Law’
John Pinkerton at the BU3A
John Pinkerton, well known retired local solicitor, gave his third talk to Ballymoney U3A at the main meeting on 3rd April, this time talking about the Pinkerton Family and the Law.
He gave a brief overview of the British legal system where the Parliament makes the law, the law courts apply the law and the police force enforce the law. He discussed the roles of judges, barristers and solicitors. Solicitors mostly interface with the public while the barristers and judges are largely involved in court cases. He described the roles of the various courts from magistrates through county and high courts to the courts of appeal and the new Supreme Court, formerly the House of Lords.
John could tell us that the Pinkerton Family left Scotland after 1680 at a time when Covenanters were persecuted in the reign of Charles II. They took a tenancy at a farm at Seacon growing flax for linen and farming generally. When the owner of the tenancy died, they resisted attempts at eviction.
One Adam Pinkerton was the first source of money in the family as he helped the surgeon on convict ships, which was well paid. His money was left to the family. John’s great grandfather stood as a Liberal for North Antrim, where he was not returned, but then later was elected for a seat in Galway. He was active in tenant’s rights and land reform. He was also a JP in the local courthouse in Ballymoney.
In 1904 the first solicitor set up his plate in Ballymoney. In 1933 John’s father went to Queens to study for a general degree, which included eleven subjects. He could not take law as he had no Latin. In 1936 he was apprenticed to his father and admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in 1938. During the war he was rejected for service with a heart defect but as a radio operator became one of the Secret Listeners (MI6) who listened to enemy radio messages and sent intercepts to Bletchley Park. He also trained with the Home Guard. Later, as a solicitor, he was very up to date with electrical equipment and was a member of the Society of Computers and the Law.
The speaker, also one of many Johns in the family, took a Business Studies course at Magee University College. He joined the Territorial Army and worked for a while as a legal clerk. After applying for jobs in industry, he worked for Sherwoods as an engineer for five years and then for the Northern Ireland Electricity Service. He married Joan Mitchell, who lost her job when their son John 9 arrived. She decided to go into law and was admitted as a solicitor in 1976. In 1980 John also decided to become a solicitor. He passed his exams in 1985. He was elected a president of the Law Sociey, the first ever third generation president. John retired in 2012. The eldest son, John, has just spent 20 years in the PSNI, which means that the family have been involved in making law, dispensing law and the application and enforcement of law.
Words524/11th April/Joan Shannon/see below for meeting report.
John Pinkerton, well known retired local solicitor, gave his third talk to Ballymoney U3A at the main meeting on 3rd April, this time talking about the Pinkerton Family and the Law.
He gave a brief overview of the British legal system where the Parliament makes the law, the law courts apply the law and the police force enforce the law. He discussed the roles of judges, barristers and solicitors. Solicitors mostly interface with the public while the barristers and judges are largely involved in court cases. He described the roles of the various courts from magistrates through county and high courts to the courts of appeal and the new Supreme Court, formerly the House of Lords.
John could tell us that the Pinkerton Family left Scotland after 1680 at a time when Covenanters were persecuted in the reign of Charles II. They took a tenancy at a farm at Seacon growing flax for linen and farming generally. When the owner of the tenancy died, they resisted attempts at eviction.
One Adam Pinkerton was the first source of money in the family as he helped the surgeon on convict ships, which was well paid. His money was left to the family. John’s great grandfather stood as a Liberal for North Antrim, where he was not returned, but then later was elected for a seat in Galway. He was active in tenant’s rights and land reform. He was also a JP in the local courthouse in Ballymoney.
In 1904 the first solicitor set up his plate in Ballymoney. In 1933 John’s father went to Queens to study for a general degree, which included eleven subjects. He could not take law as he had no Latin. In 1936 he was apprenticed to his father and admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in 1938. During the war he was rejected for service with a heart defect but as a radio operator became one of the Secret Listeners (MI6) who listened to enemy radio messages and sent intercepts to Bletchley Park. He also trained with the Home Guard. Later, as a solicitor, he was very up to date with electrical equipment and was a member of the Society of Computers and the Law.
The speaker, also one of many Johns in the family, took a Business Studies course at Magee University College. He joined the Territorial Army and worked for a while as a legal clerk. After applying for jobs in industry, he worked for Sherwoods as an engineer for five years and then for the Northern Ireland Electricity Service. He married Joan Mitchell, who lost her job when their son John 9 arrived. She decided to go into law and was admitted as a solicitor in 1976. In 1980 John also decided to become a solicitor. He passed his exams in 1985. He was elected a president of the Law Sociey, the first ever third generation president. John retired in 2012. The eldest son, John, has just spent 20 years in the PSNI, which means that the family have been involved in making law, dispensing law and the application and enforcement of law.
Words524/11th April/Joan Shannon/see below for meeting report.
1st May, 2018
AGM and Anna Lo MBE: ‘The Place I Call Home’
Anna Lo talks to Ballymoney U3A
Anna Lo was the speaker at the May AGM Meeting of the Ballymoney U3A this year. Her talk was based on her book ‘The Place I Call Home, from Hong Kong to Belfast’ which was published by Blackstaff Press in 2016. She brought 14 copies with her and sold all of them.
(They are for sale at £9.99. Amazon says it only has 8 left in stock.)
It was no great surprise that she sold them all as the hall was packed to capacity at the Old Court House in Charlotte Street, as was the car park.
As she said, Anna actually starts her story in the mid 19th century with her family in China. She gives some fascinating details about both her mother and father’s families at a time when members of the family were emigrating to Hawaii, Hong Kong, Malaysia and other places in the Far East. It is a story of businessmen, herbalists and concubines. Anna was born in Hong Kong in 1950 and moved to England then Northern Ireland in 1974. Not the best of times to be moving to Northern Ireland even if it was to get married.
She soon became a champion initially for Chinese immigrants, many of whom could not speak or read English, not even road signs. She took a party in convoy to the Giant’s Causeway with five cars following hers. Her work extended to more general race relations for all immigrants as she became politically active, finally being elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly. She received an MBE in the year 2000. As the book cover says, “this is the brilliant, inspiring and frank story of the life of an extraordinary woman.”
Anna Lo was the speaker at the May AGM Meeting of the Ballymoney U3A this year. Her talk was based on her book ‘The Place I Call Home, from Hong Kong to Belfast’ which was published by Blackstaff Press in 2016. She brought 14 copies with her and sold all of them.
(They are for sale at £9.99. Amazon says it only has 8 left in stock.)
It was no great surprise that she sold them all as the hall was packed to capacity at the Old Court House in Charlotte Street, as was the car park.
As she said, Anna actually starts her story in the mid 19th century with her family in China. She gives some fascinating details about both her mother and father’s families at a time when members of the family were emigrating to Hawaii, Hong Kong, Malaysia and other places in the Far East. It is a story of businessmen, herbalists and concubines. Anna was born in Hong Kong in 1950 and moved to England then Northern Ireland in 1974. Not the best of times to be moving to Northern Ireland even if it was to get married.
She soon became a champion initially for Chinese immigrants, many of whom could not speak or read English, not even road signs. She took a party in convoy to the Giant’s Causeway with five cars following hers. Her work extended to more general race relations for all immigrants as she became politically active, finally being elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly. She received an MBE in the year 2000. As the book cover says, “this is the brilliant, inspiring and frank story of the life of an extraordinary woman.”
5th June, 2018 Marie Curie Nursing and Members’ Lunch
Ballymoney U3A held its now annual members’ lunch,at the end of the U3A’s third year, on 5th June in the Holmes Memorial Hall in Charlotte Street. Food was supplied by the Iris Catering.
The Photography Group put an impressive photography display for the members and there was a running video show from the Local History Group. The Creative Writing Group announced that they are planning a group publication of their ‘jottings’.
There was a speaker Emer McCooey from the Marie Curie Charity. Its nurses work with patients who have cancer or that have another terminal diagnosis. Marie Curie herself was born in Poland in 1867 and moved to the Sorbonne University in Paris in 1891. There she met and married her husband Pierre and became naturalised French. They were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903 with Henri Becquerei. Pierre died shortly after in a road accident (horse and carriage). Hersecond Nobel Prize for Chemistry (1911) concerned radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and to become a professor at the University of Paris. She was also the first person and only woman to win a Nobel Prize twice and the only person to win in two different subjects. Marie herself died at 66 years of a blood disease (aplastic anemia) that was almost certainly related to the radioactive materials she worked with.
The Marie Curie charity was founded in 1948, at the time of the set up of the NHS. It was recognised that cancer patients in particular needed more than the medics could provide in the community. It was originally run using NHS nurses. The first hospice was founded in 1952 at Cupar in Fife, Scotland, but the core service remains nursing within the community. Although a big UK wide charity, it provides a very locally based service. Presently there are 250 nurses in Northern Ireland. The aim is to keep people at home for a long as possible. There is also an out of hours Rapid Response service with drivers. Nowadays people are living longer with more complex needs.
A volunteer with the Marie Curie Helper Service assistsby going into the house for up to 3 hours a week. This service can allow a carer to get out of the house for shopping or going to the hairdressers or doctor’s appointment or whatever is needed.
A Marie Curie Support Line is available to help in any way to make people feel better. This could include many subjects such as nursing at home, benefit advice, how to break bad news to grandchildren, making wills and funeral arrangements. It is based in Pontypool in Wales and is used a lot by people in Northern Ireland, especially by men. The advisors and clients have all found that not talking about difficult subjects makes everything harder.
Despite the serious subject matter, members enjoyed the talk and lunch very much and were looking forward to seeing each other again after the summer break.
The Photography Group put an impressive photography display for the members and there was a running video show from the Local History Group. The Creative Writing Group announced that they are planning a group publication of their ‘jottings’.
There was a speaker Emer McCooey from the Marie Curie Charity. Its nurses work with patients who have cancer or that have another terminal diagnosis. Marie Curie herself was born in Poland in 1867 and moved to the Sorbonne University in Paris in 1891. There she met and married her husband Pierre and became naturalised French. They were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903 with Henri Becquerei. Pierre died shortly after in a road accident (horse and carriage). Hersecond Nobel Prize for Chemistry (1911) concerned radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and to become a professor at the University of Paris. She was also the first person and only woman to win a Nobel Prize twice and the only person to win in two different subjects. Marie herself died at 66 years of a blood disease (aplastic anemia) that was almost certainly related to the radioactive materials she worked with.
The Marie Curie charity was founded in 1948, at the time of the set up of the NHS. It was recognised that cancer patients in particular needed more than the medics could provide in the community. It was originally run using NHS nurses. The first hospice was founded in 1952 at Cupar in Fife, Scotland, but the core service remains nursing within the community. Although a big UK wide charity, it provides a very locally based service. Presently there are 250 nurses in Northern Ireland. The aim is to keep people at home for a long as possible. There is also an out of hours Rapid Response service with drivers. Nowadays people are living longer with more complex needs.
A volunteer with the Marie Curie Helper Service assistsby going into the house for up to 3 hours a week. This service can allow a carer to get out of the house for shopping or going to the hairdressers or doctor’s appointment or whatever is needed.
A Marie Curie Support Line is available to help in any way to make people feel better. This could include many subjects such as nursing at home, benefit advice, how to break bad news to grandchildren, making wills and funeral arrangements. It is based in Pontypool in Wales and is used a lot by people in Northern Ireland, especially by men. The advisors and clients have all found that not talking about difficult subjects makes everything harder.
Despite the serious subject matter, members enjoyed the talk and lunch very much and were looking forward to seeing each other again after the summer break.
It's good to talk.
Eat up your pasta.
