Link with Napper Tandy severed with 1954 death of 'Grand old Man of the Rosses'

Another eclectic dip into the archives of the Democrat ranging from “the ban” a century ago to a bit of smuggling, the last living link to Napper Tandy and Donegal speakers being found to have the best brogue in the land.

1954 - 70 years ago - March 20

Death of Grand old Man of the Rosses - Link with Napper Tandy severed

With the death on Tuesday at his residence, in his 90th year of Mr James F O’Donnell, the last living link with Napper Tandy has been severed and a lifetime of service to the people of the Rosses and indeed the country generally has ended.

The late Mr O’Donnell lived to recount the story of Napper Tandy’s armed raid in the Rutland Island area when he held up the mail boat and seized the government mails from the postman Harry McNelis.

Mr O’Donnell, when he was seven years old was told the story first hand by McNelis, who at this time was 92 years of age.

The many who knew or read of this grand old man will regret his passing and there will be widespread sympathy with the bereaved widow and family including his son, Mr Patrick O’Donnell T.D. the well known Rosses solicitor.

1924 - 100 years ago - March 28

Donegal County Board - The Ban on Foreign Games

At a meeting of the Donegal County Board GAA, in Donegal Town on Sunday, under the presidency of Mr Sean Cassidy, N.T. Vice President, the question of the deletion of the rule, banning foreign games was discussed.

Mr Terence Fox - This debars you from even going to see a foreign game. If I was in a city tomorrow, and an international coming off, I would go to see it. He added that there were as good nationalists as could be found anywhere in Belfast, and they went to see soccer matches.

The Secretary (Mr Sean Curran) - The Belfast delegates are the strongest for the retention.

Mr McManus opposing the deletion said that all the forces of those who favoured soccer - and it was the game they were mostly up against - were engineered to smash Gaelic football.

There was absolutely no fight in the south, because Gaelic football had been played there for years, but so soon as they get soccer in there would be unlimited resources for the support of it and once those rules were deleted, the GAA was finished in the Six Counties.

ABOVE: The Democrat from March 27, 1964

Mr Chas. Henry said no man could play soccer and Gaelic at the same time.

The Secretary said that the deletion of the rule would cause an influx of members of the GAA who never played soccer to play that game. There were youngsters now playing football at schools that never saw a soccer game played. He was opposed to any deletion of the rule

(Suffice the say, the rule was not voted on to be deleted and remained in force within the GAA until 1971)

1934 - 90 years ago - March 29

Woman on visit to Enniskillen

When crossing the border at Belleek on 7th March, by rail into Northern Ireland, a Kinlough woman was found to have in her possession by the Preventive Officer 22lbs. of bacon, half pint poteen, a quantity of bisto, jelly squares, alarm clock, box of semolina and tea.

She was taken into custody and was released on payment of £5.

She was bringing the articles to her father who resides near Enniskillen.

ABOVE: Ballyshannon branch of the Harps Supporters Club from March 1974

St Jonston Man’s overcoat ‘A Sprint across the Border’

An allegation that the defendant left a Customs hut and suddenly ran over the border into the Six Counties before he could be intercepted was made at Newtowncunningham Court on Friday when a young man named Jackson, of St. Johnston was prosecuted for, as alleged, being knowingly concerned in a fraudulent attempt to evade payment of Customs duty on an overcoat.

Customs Officer Butler said that on the night of December 23rd, the defendant was a passenger on a bus which came to the Carrigans frontier post.

Defendant had a wet wireless battery with him and took it into the hut.

Customs Officer Short said that the defendant stated that he had got the battery on loan and protested against paying duty on it.

Witness noticed that Jackson was wearing what was obviously a new overcoat.

ABOVE: A notice to Flaxgrowers in March of 1944

When asked to produce any evidence as to where he got out, he hesitated and then admitted purchasing it in a Derry firm.

When asked to make a written statement to that effect Jackson suddenly grabbed the battery and sprinted out of the office and into Northern Ireland.

(The case was adjourned after the Judge said it would have been easier just to provide some written evidence to that effect, which his solicitor said he would on the next occasion).

1964 - 60 years ago - March 27

How to choose a play

Speaking at Ballyshannon Drama Festival, adjudicator Hilton Edwards had this advice for amateurs:

“If you want to do a certain play and have some of the cast for it, it would be far better to choose a play for the actors, rather than choose the actors for the play”

(Edwards was a famous English-born Irish actor, who co-founded the Gate Theatre with Micheál Mac Liammóir. He was a drama legend of his time and a real coup for the Drama Festival).

1994 - 30 years ago - March 31

Aye, it’s official - Donegal has the finest accent

Forget the elocution lessons - the Donegal accent has emerged as the most popular accent in Ireland, according to the Linguistic Institute of Ireland.

Publishing the results of their ‘93 survey, they concluded that of the 50% who expressed a preference, 13% said they found the Donegal accent attractive, while nobody found it unattractive.

Professor Padraig O’Riagain, Institute researcher said that it was an open ended question, “we didn’t suggest any area or accent”.

He agreed that the Donegal brogue had emerged as the most popular, with none of the 1,000 people surveyed saying they disliked it.