My Brother Ted

I feel lucky to be alive at ninety two particularly because my brother Ted who was five years younger than me died of cancer in 2000.  Ted was a brilliant student and after his first two years at the secondary school in Letterkenny I advised him to join me in Dublin where I was in the middle of the veterinary course.  I got him enrolled at Caffrey's  cramming college in St Stephens Green where I felt he could pass the Matric in '43 and start on the veterinary course.  He would thus avoid the last three years at St. Eunans and be qualified earlier. 

Ted got medals in several subjects and qualified as a vet in '48.  A week later he got his first job as an assistant to Reid Marshall in Coleraine.  After a few months he was anxious to join me in Britain.  I got him a job in a horse practice with a famous Yorkshire Vet called Dick Hayes at Sherburn in Elmet.  Dick had graduated in London in 1903. After two years Ted moved south to assist Colm Mackenzie in a small animal practice at Rayleigh, Essex. 

In '51 he joined Jane and me for a weekend in Rugby.  We told him that we had longed to go to New Zealand when we married but our parents were unhappy about us going so far away.  Some time later Ted wrote that he had applied for a job there. Then one day we got a letter with a New Zealand stamp!  He had signed a contract with a group of farmers in the Mataura Valley near Edendale to attend to their cattle and sheep for three years.  In January '54 he sailed from Wellington to Sydney.  He got a job in Victoria with a vet called Greg Mallinson in a polo pony stud.  Then he bought an old banger intending to take short term jobs in different practises so as to see a bit of the big country.  Then he spent two months on a drive to visit Alice Springs and Ayres Rock.  Finally he did locums for Ray Chatham at Cohuna and Hogarth Scott at Dandenong.  Then one evening at Christmas '54 without warning he arrived with us in Rugby.  I introduced him to my friend Dr. Geoffrey Brook at Leamington Spa.  They were two of a special kind.  Geoffrey had been some time in Sweden working on the development of spinal anaesthesia and Ted

spent a fortnight with him using it instead of a general anaesthetic for procedures on a variety of animals.  Then he did locums for Claud Noble in Birmingham, Donal Underwood at Bramley, Davy Crooks at Cheadle, Hugh Frost at Sleaford, Maurice Rand at the Royal Stud at Hampton Court and  Dennis Heeley at Lewes. When he fancied getting experience of practice in Ireland  in '56  I told him of a vacancy with a Vet in Tipperary called Jack Powell who had qualified nine years before me -- in 1936.   The best known patient treated by Mr Powell while Ted was there was the greyhound Prince of Bermuda trained by Malacky McKenna and his son Ger.   After winning the McAlinden Cup in record time this dog won a match race against Duet Leader and Northern King at White City in London before a crowd of 25,000.

Because there was little demand for the services of vets in Ireland before the war Jack Powell came to Britain and joined a well established vet called Charles Townsend at Long Stanton.   When there was an outbreak of Foot & Mouth disease he joined the Ministry and earned £2 a day.  When war broke out Jack joined the RAF and was trained to be a pilot.  His dear wife Shelia became a driver of army vehicles in Northern Ireland.

On my visits to the annual coursing festival at Clonmel I always looked forward to meeting Jack.  The first thing he used to say to me was " How is Ted ?, I never had a better assistant. "  I telephoned Jack this morning  to congratulate him and to wish him a happy hundredth birthday. 

This is Ted on his final visit to Drumnatinney Strand in front of the Ray River

 with Horn Head away in the distance three months before his death in 2000.

With his Ph.D and Diploma in Bacteriology Ted was destined to spend the rest of his life in the laboratory.  After a few years at Weybridge his wife Pauline wanted to return to her native Dublin so Ted applied for a transfer to the Abbotstown laboratory where they were both happy.  At weekends he often spent a few hours studying the animals in the zoo in the company of his beloved children, Paul, Yvonne and Karen.  They also had a great deal of pleasure watching the deer in the Phoenix Park especially when after the fawns were born.  For a change he liked nothing better than a visit to the stables to Jim and Jackie Bolger.  After they moved to Carlow Ted occasionally continued to enjoy this great pleasure until he was struck by Cancer at the age of 74.

The unfortunate boating casualties of War

Donegal people became very much aware of the war in 1940.    Britain suffered a terrible blow  with the sinking of the luxury liner  "Arandora Star" converted to a troopship.   Eight hundred and five  lives were lost.  The ship bound for Newfoundland sailed from Liverpool  with 1673 people -- German and Italian Prisoners of War, military guards and crew although designed to carry only 450.   Next morning, on July 2 she was struck  by a torpedo west of  Bloody Foreland a few miles from where I was born.   She began to list immediately and went down in half an hour.  Two of the twelve life boats were wrecked.  A Canadian destroyer arrived and spent five hours picking up survivors.   During the following weeks  two hundred and thirteen bodies were washed ashore.   I remember our local Gardai arrangeing  for buriel of some in Kilult graveyard .   They had their names carefully inscribed on head-stones so that  loved ones could trace them and have them re-interred back home. 

On the 28th of August 1940  another liner the " Dunvegan Castle" was torpedoed and sunk  by a U-Boat.    Four Officers and 23 Ratings were killed.  The ship stayed afloat until help arrived and Two hundred and fifty people survived.   The guilty U-boat also sank the RMS Corinthia.

On 26th October 1940, as the" Emperess of Britain" - Britain's largest merchant ship-- approached our

Arranmore Island a German aircraft dropped four bombs on it.    The Captain felt obliged to order "Abandon ship" and call for help from all neighbouring vessels in the rescue of survivors from his lifeboats.  Two tugs were sent by the British Admirality to tow the liner ashore so that it might be repaired and returned to service.  Early the next morning a German U-boat spotted the Emperess  under tow and fired three torpedoes at it.  Two were on target and doomed the liner.  The 42,500 tonne ship went down in ten minutes .  Just two days later the U-32 was sunk  a short distance further west .  It's Captain Hans Jenisch was reported as having survived the sinking and met the survivors of the Emperess of Britain after the war was over.   Residents near the coast on hearing or seeing explosions were tempted -- particularly when the wind was from the north  -- to walk along the incoming sea hoping to find wreckage that might be useful.   I knew a few who picked up beds, chairs, tables and other furniture.

On June 7 1940 the cargo ship "Francis Massey" when 15 miles off Tory island was torpedoed and sunk with the loss of  thirty four members of the crew.   There was one survivor.    He was rescued by  HMS Volunteer of the Royal Navy.

In October three more ships were sunk when along our coast.   Fortunately from the "Caprella"  only one member of the crew was lost -- the other fifty two were rescued by  "Angle" and "Lady Elsa"  of the Royal Navy.  From the tanker "Janus" four of the crew were lost -- the other thirty three were rescued by  HMS "Hibiscus".  From the cargo ship  "Loch Lomond" one crew member was lost -- the other  thirty nine were rescued by HMS  "Jason".

On November 3 when passing Bloody Foreland  HMS  "Lamentic" was sent down with forty nine unlucky men.   Four hundred and seventeen  were rescued by HMS "Beagle".

On November 8 the Swedish cargo ship "Vingaland" was bombed and set on fire.   Six of the crew were killed.   Next day the damaged vessel was torpedoed and sunk.   Nineteen  survivors were rescued  by the British "Danae".

On November 13  the cargo ship "Cape of Andrew"  got straggled behind the convoy passing Tory.   It was torpedoed and sunk with fifteen unfortunate men.   The other fifty three crewmen were rescued by  HMS "Salvonia".

On November 17 the cargo ship "Saint Germain" was damaged by a torpedo  but remained on the surface until next day.   As she slid down all eighteen members of the crew were  picked up by  HMS  "Mallow".  But seventeen of the crew of the torpedoed Swedish "Veronica" died.    The three survivors were rescued byy a local fishing boat.

On November 21 two cargo ships "Daydawn" and "Victoria" were torpedoed and sunk.   Two members of the crew of the former were lost but  the remainder were all rescued  by the Royal Navy's "Castleton" and "Rhododendron".

These were terrible months for British and lovers of freedom all over the world.  My Dad used to say we would never have survived withiout the defiant voice of Churchill.  Sadly he died three months before he had led us to victory.  What I never understood was why he was rejected at the next election.

None of the losses I have mentioned equalled that of the "Lancastria" at St. Nazaire on June 17  1940.    This Cunard liner launched in 1920 had a crew of 300.    Her captain was ordered to bring as many as were able to get on board back to a  British port.  When ready to leave he was worried about sailing without an escort while there were enemy submarines in the vicinity.   So he decided to delay in the harbour.   But German planes arrived, dropped their bombs and made three direct hits.  2,477 were lucky to survive.  The great ship went down in twenty minutes with the loss of 6,500 lives.  It was regarded as the heaviest loss from a single ship.   One night while I was taking a walk before going to bed a noisy bomber--possibly looking for Belfast --flew low over Dublin.  Our Defence Force were not amused and took aim at it.    Probably trying to lighten its load the crew dropped a big bomb which made a hole in Amiens street  --about a mile away.    I felt lucky during the rest of the terrible war that was as near as I got to it.








 

Warwick's Photography

MONUMENTAL BRITAIN

My son Warwick has always been interested in the local and world environment.  He has displayed this passion in the medium of photography.

"When assessing how man affects the world it can help to relate his short existence to geology. For eons weathering has created magnificent geological monuments that compel us to recognise that mankind's interests are best served by a healthy and slowly evolving environment."  

For further thoughts and examples of Warwicks work please visit his website www.warwicksweeney.com/pagePhotoCatList.php?pid=2&cat_id=32 

My School Days

As a schoolboy my big interest was in dogs and horses.  On our little farm we also had a donkey, about twenty cattle, forty sheep, as well as some geese, ducks, turkeys and hens.  In the summertime my Dad used to take the sheep to the mountain called Larricas which is the lower one across the road from Muckish.   He left them there until the weather turned cold.  We also had a few goats because our Mamma

thought their milk kept us immune from colds and coughs.  Dad had another reason for keeping them.  He 

arranged for them to have young about the same time as the ewes.   If after giving birth a ewe had no milk ...he would put a new-born kid to sleep ...then skin it and put the skin on the lamb so that the goat would adopt it.   Such lambs usually thrived well and grew rich wool.  They also copied the foster mother in climbing trees and jumping to the top of walls.

 

  As well as milk we had eggs every day.  Mamma churned cream to make butter and baked wonderful brown bread.   At weekends we had chicken, turkey or duck for dinner.  Dad trapped rabbits who lived in the sand dunes and sometimes shot a curlew or a wild duck.   We caught the odd trout in the Ray river or in the lakes between the mountains ; we were never short of food !  There was always a fire in the kitchen for cooking, drying clothes and to keep us warm in cold weather.  For fuel we used turf although it involved laborious work.  It came from the bog which was five miles away.  Cutting it meant two days work.  After lying on the ground for a week or so in dry or sunny weather every four sods would be able to stand up against each other.  After a further fortnight they would have shrivelled to half their size and be ready to put into eights.  After a further week they could be ready to be put into the two baskets on iether side of the donkey and carried out of the bog to the side of the road.   I still remember enjoying the job of leading the willing donkey.

There was little profit in farming at that time.  Prices for the fat bullocks, lambs, oats, potatoes and eggs we had for sale were low.   There were not enough animals reared to justify a monthly auction being held.  There was a fair in Falcarragh on the last Thursday of every month.  Cattle and sheep were the main exhibits but there were also some horses, ponies, donkeys and fowl and also geese and turkeys at Xmas.  There were rarely more than two purchasers interested in more than five or six cattle or sheep with the result that they had an advantage over the vendors.  I also remember  an "economic war" with Britain which hurt the Irish economy.   I cannot forget one depressing day when Dad had to accept £22 for seven cattle. !  The poverty we experienced made my three brothers, two sisters and myself work hard at school  and get into positions where we would not be dependent on poor land.

MacAneelys beheading and William Wilberforce.....and my Birthday!

Our Warwick came from London for the joint celebration of my ninety second birthday and the sixty fifth anniversary of my marriage to Jane.   In the house belonging to Walter & Nuala and their ambitious girls Siobhan, Lucy & Hannah we had a delicious meal.   Unfortunately Warwick’s dear wife Fiona and their lovely girls Eleanor and Rebecca could not get time off to be with us.  Simon and Lyn came from Sheriff Hutton with Judith and Neil our only grandson.    We missed seeing Ruth; she is in Germany.   We were however delighted that Warwick had a passenger / friend called Denis who had flown across from Donegal.    He is a son of Josie one of the major sponsors of the Donegal football team.  Josie is of course one of the noble Doohan family.   There were fifteen of them --eleven brothers and four sisters.  Their mother Birdie was ten years older than me and wheeled my pram to the sea shore.    My Mamma told me that without Birdie's help, she could not have reared me.   She was one of the three daughters of my aunt Maggie who was a sister to my Dad.   Our saddest visit back there was in '66.  We found this really good kind lady terminally ill from consumption. 

I attended the reunion that this family held over three days where they grew up in north Donegal during the summer of '05.  Unfortunately only Warwick was free to join me.  It was the greatest party I had the pleasure of attending with a hundred and thirty one Doohans.  There was a golf tournament in the picturesque grounds of the Ballyconnell estate which belonged to the Olphert family in the late 17th century.  There was an interesting lecture at the scene of the Cloughaneely stone.  History tells us that there was a war between MacAneely the Chief on the mainland and the Fomorian Chief called Balor on the Island of Tory.  One day Balor and his soldiers landed at Ballyness pier.  The soldiers seized MacAneely and laid him on the marble stone for Balor to behead him with his axe.  The red streak on the stone to this day is a remnant of MacAneely's blood.  The stone was raised on to the present plinth by the wife of the Landlord Mr Olphert in 1774.   This is it.  

Afterwards we visited what had been the churchyard at Tullaghbegely where there is a stone with my Grandfather's name carved on it over his grave.  The next stop was to the remains of an old monastery at Ray just across the river from where I was born. 

Our lecturer told us that one day in 1652 while the Bishop was administering confirmation Cromwellian soldiers came and massacred two hundred people and burned the building. 

Jane, Charley and Buster at the remains of the Ray monastery.

Those of us interested in horse riding assembled on the strand at Drumnatinney and rode through the waves to Ballyness pier.  On one evening the younger Doohans entertained us with a production of  "High Noon ".  Denis who came here for my birthday acted the part of Gary Cooper who played the Sheriff.   On the final evening of the memorable event we had a wonderful meal with musical entertainment until early morning at the Loch Altan hotel in Gortahork.

When Warwick arrived for my birthday he invited me to Hull where he wanted to photograph me at the William Wilberforce monument.  Wilberforce (1759-1833) had been MP for Hull and used his position to draw attention to the cruelty of the slave trade and also of the abuse of animals.  He was a devout Christian and a force for good.  Despite poor health he worked passionately to encourage all parliamentarians to join him in abolishing slavery.  Sadly he died three days after hearing that the bill to end it had been passed through the Houses of Parliament.  The population of Hull felt sympathetic and grateful to him and were generous in contributing to the cost of the erection of his statue on top of the imposing 100 ft column in the grounds of Hull college.  A memorial school for the blind was established in 1833.  The University of Ohio was named after him and recently the film 'Amazing Grace' commemorated him on the 200th anniversary of the anti-slave legislation.  I was glad to see that my favourite politician William Hague wrote a biography of him.

I must mention our special friend who telephoned early in the morning to congratulate me on reaching 92.  He is the amazing Alan Staveley.    He himself is 96 -- not out -- and his mind is as active as it was when   teaching our Walter at Lawrence Sheriff school in Rugby fifty years ago.   He was shattered by the loss of his wonderful wife Joan  until he found the grit to adapt to a new life in a comfortable home in Rutland.