Jim Terry's Home in the Hills

Jim Terry who lives in Mount Washington Valley, NH, USA we have been in touch with a number of years now, in connectiopn with his Terry family who came from Abbeyside.. My feeling on the Terry's is that they are all ;the one Terry's'...Anyway I am straying. These photo's that Jim sent to me will make you shiver in your boots....and for those of you who would love a 'drop of snow...have a look. Jim lives close to the Skii slopes...out his door actually!...he has a go himself...tough he is not a teenager any more!!

In relation to the photos he tells me..Eddie.....Now this is snow!...It's not funny any longer......Roofs are collapsing around town and the town fathers are asking everyone to somehow get their roofs shoveled! Easier said than done!
This is Jim's house one week ago






This is Jims house today..Jan 22.



Anyone with a terry connection...drop us an email....dont worry, we wont send you up to see Jim!

Ring & Where has all the irish Gone?

A View of Ring College (ec)

Remember ,if you click on the pictures you will get a larger and sharper image.

There were communities of Irish speakers in North America which survived generation-to-generation from the 17th to the early 20th century. It is hard to believe that about 30% of the Continental Army (1770s) was Irish-speaking. English spies reported back to London that "Irish is as commonly spoken in the American ranks as English." That 30% would actually make English a minority language in the Continental Army. The New Hampshire Navy, which started naval operations against Britain in 1774, was Irish-speaking, and believe it or not, the New Hampshire troops at the battle of Bunker Hill cursed the advancing Highlanders in Irish. The Pennsylvania Line which was regarded as the backbone of the Continental Army was half German and half Irish-speaking. Headstone in Irish St. Nicholas Churchyard (ec)

Not too many people know that when an official language for the new United States was discussed at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the Federalist Papers tell us that the candidate languages proposed included Irish, Dutch and French but not English. None of the candidates present would propose English. In the end, the idea of an official language was dropped because it was believed it violated the concept of Freedom of Speech.

Cannon Sheehan's headstone at St.Nicholas, Ring (ec)

The Montserratan Irish descended from 17th century Irish and African slaves. The island was amazingly Irish-speaking until the beginning of the 20th century. A British news sheet once reported the following ‘there lurks a tiny British dependency which not only boasts the normal West Indian complement of blacks (around 12,000 ) but where the ethnics are called by Irish names, where local hideaways include Cork, Kinsale and Sweeney's Well, and there is a shamrock carved over the door of the Governor's house...an island replete with such typically West Indian names as O’Gara, Riley and O’Connell, which prints stamps with the Irish harp on and whose funky inhabitants speak a charming Irish brogue, the like of which would do no shame to the hills and dales of Kerry.'

A view of helvic from the Oyster beds(EC)

The Montserrat was first settled by a group of disaffected Irish Catholics from the nearby St. Kitts in 1633 .The Arms consist of a shield featuring a lady in green representing Ireland. The lady is holding a golden harp a symbol of Ireland and her arm is wrapped around a cross which symbolises Christianity.

A view across the bay (ec)

What of Ring and the Irish?

Ten years ago, looking across the water to the Gaeltacht peninsula from the ‘Chapel wall’ at Abbeyside, a few flickering lights were observed in the distance. Today, it looks more like a town lit up at night. Gazing up at Helvic Peninsula recently from a vantage point out on the strand at Baile na nGall a colleague remarked

Where did they all come from? (ec)

‘Where did they all come from?’ There was no need to ask what he was referring to.

Almost overnight, and as if they had been dropped from the sky by some giant hand, the colorful patchwork of craggy fields and picturesque cottages had been replaced by ultra modern dwelling houses of various shapes and sizes.

The dramatic changes came swiftly on the tail of the Celtic Tiger and along with them, the inevitable invasion of new settlers. Who are they all?

I questioned him. ‘Where did they all come from?’ His answer was brief and had an air of desperation. The quietly spoken words swiftly snatched away by a sharp North Easter ‘No one knows boy!’ he replied, ‘Nobody sees them!’

As a youngster growing up, An Rinn was a distant mystic land full of strange inhabitants. Our teacher Tom McHugh tried desperately to teach us how to speak like these people, some of us did manage to retain the basics. It was years before I actually visited the wind swept area.

I had just left school and I was assisting in the delivery of beer to Murray’s Public house in Ring. I was mildly surprised to discover that Mrs. Murray and the lorry driver communicated in English. At that time nearly everyone living in An Rinn spoke the Language of their country with pride. Today, a handful of Natives are trying to hold and promote a part of our heritage that is fast disappearing and prove that the Irish language has not ‘lost its relevance as a useful language other than an academic or cultural interest’. Young people living in Ring, some who have roots stretching back to the 12th century and beyond are now faced with the dilemma of moving from the Gaeltacht.

They cannot afford to build on the land of their ancestors, and with them will go their native tongue. Now with the coming invasion and the inevitable increase in population it will be interesting to see what will develop there over the next ten or twenty years

Just a few houses from this angle (ec)

It is rarely now that you see a letter addressed with ‘A Chara' or indeed ending with 'Is Mise le Meas’. Looking through the 1901 & 1911 census for Ballinacourty; it was interesting to note the number of families that spoke the Irish language. All entries in the attendance book at Ballinacourty School from its opening and up to the 1920s were in English.

Church of St. Nicholas, Ring , Co. Waterford

Irish entries began shortly after 1922.Like Ring; Ballinacourty was also an Irish speaking area.

In 2004, there were 1,570,894 speakers of Irish in the Republic. However, these statistics are often disputed by Irish language activists. 65,000 people have been quoted as the number of people who use the language as their first daily language. Interestingly, it is believed that nearly 26.000 speak Irish in the United States.

Old burial ground at Ring

I do know that the American film director, John Ford was a fluent Irish speaker. As an added interest, in 2002 the traffic management system for Dublin revealed that the majority of signs would be in English only. This caused a public outcry. The justification offered was that the English lettering should be large enough to be easily read by motorists from a distance, and there was no space left to include Irish. Believe it or not!

This picture (below)shows another new arrival in Ring, unfortunately this particular behavior is widespread and illustrates the alternative means of rubbish disposal for those caring people who refuse to pay for recycling.

Text & photos (EC) 2007

The following is a comment on the Blog by Jim Terry of New Hampshire. It will be of interest to people connected with the Terry , Buckley & Harty Family ...and of course myself...who he heaps praise on .keep it Coming Jim...read on...just one thing, Jim likes to address me as Homes and himself as Watson...Obviously, I'm a step ahead of him!

Thanks Watson

Holmes, Your Ring blog occupied me for most of the morning.....I especially enjoyed the fotos of the coves and the sea...beautiful! You seem to improve your artistic 'picture taking' with each new subject you write about........Obviously, I was 'taken' by the foto of Nicolas Terry, although I realize his relationship to my Abbeyside Terrys, if there is one, would certainly be distant......I did know some Buckley girls here in the States whose forebears were from Ring. At one time I traced back their family for them. Actually, I did this for their aunt Elizabeth Buckley who lived in Toronto, Canada...Over the past several years we sent emails back and forth re our families......Elizabeth, was quite elderly and she may not, I fear, be still alive....Anyway, their roots traced back to Nicholas Terry and Ellen Terry nee Harty who gave birth in 1864 to Mary Terry, in 1869 to Brigid Terry and in 1871 to Thomas Terry....My records matched some of Elizabeth's and we concluded it was definitely her family. Another interesting fact was that her family was related to the famous singing family, The "Clancy Brothers"!

Unfortunately, when I lost my address book last Spring, her address and the Buckley girls of Boston were gone forever. I also had found a living relative of theirs in this country and was able to get them together...They shared a number of family stories about their mutual relatives and Elizabeth was thrilled with my efforts.....All my back and forth emails with her also went down the tubes! They were filled with quite detailed 'family records and stories'.....It's a shame!

Now, Holmes, you're not getting away without sleuthing a bit for me!......The next time you're in Ardmore...check out the Church for me...I read in a story "Ardmore- Memory and Story" from the Dungarvan Museum Society....the following: "The Terry family has a burial plot and headstone at the back of the Church, near the sacristy and Mick Terry was buried there in1998." ...I'm curious what other Terrys are interred there and the dates of their burials. I know you are the curious one Holmes, but every once in a while 'ol Watson gets a curious jag on!....I have another spark of genius gleaned from your latest book re Mary Terry and her daughter, Bidget...pub owners!.You showed a picture of the pub..but that will have to wait.........Hope all is well! Watson

Watson, dear chappie...I will certainly check out the Ardmore thing for you..mind yourself on those slopes
outside your house...you are getting a little old now for skiing

The following comes from Jim Wall who dwells in the USA, Jim is chasing the Wall family of Dungarvan, so anybody out there....get in touch if you think you have a Wall in your family tree from this Area.

Hey, Great blog, I clicked on Ring, love the history lessons you give ref. about the Irish in the Continental Army. The English must of "Loved" them speaking Irish. I read somewhere, that back about 260 ? years ago, the English let the Irish enlistees in their Army here in America, have a St. Patrick's Day parade. Well, every year since, in New York City, they have been having that parade , The Largest parade in the U.S.A.

I see your brother is on there also , Kieran Cantwell. You never told me about him. I'm not really into Art, but I really like the Ring blog. I usually check your blog every week or so.Keep up the good work, I really like to read about the early Irish history. This is probably a stupid question, but do you speak Gaelic ? (did I spell it correctly ? ).

Good to hear from you again Ed, slan go foil ......Jim .

God Jim there is no stopping you.
Eddie

Emigrants to Ring.

A Russian in Ring

Valera, A Russian Ambassador promoting what is good in Russian culture in the Gaelic speaking community. Don't be fooled by the cunning smile...behind the mask is an iron - like determination . He likes nothing better than to sing Russian operatic song while taking a bath. He also has a great love for the Italian operas and quite often he is accompanied by his good friend Arnie (pictured)

singing such favourites as ...La donna e mobile, Nessun dorma, Libiamo ne' lieti calici y, O solo mia, and, Santa lucia, Or the very dodgy, Arrive derci Roma... Much to the dismay of local neighbor Michael Burke who does not at all care for opera, whether it is Russian or Italian...'Give me a song with a gun in it, any day' he says...' 'This thing will have to stop, sure there is no sleep in it and the cow's are gone mental!
Despite his protests, The arias of Pyotr LL'ych float from the bathroom window at Helvic ...Like Chaliapin & Mirhailov...the duo of Valera singing in the high 'C' moderately followed by Arnie singing the A - Flat can be heard floating across the bay from Helvick. Quite often old ladies are observed in the throes of delight as they recline against the retaining wall which fronts the cottage, listening intently, oblivious to the clouds of suds which fly overhead from the bathroom window and drop on them like a soft snow fall as Valera directs an imaginary orchestra within the confines of his bath-tub.

A Romanian in Ring!

In contrast to the Russian philosopher, and his singing partner, we here have Sebastian. I know!....I know!... you are wondering about the head wear? It is a complex story. The young man was hat less and indeed without cap when he arrived in Ring ...''I am heah! he cried, on arrival at his place of work. After much debate concerning the complexities of communication with MD Clíona, and the difficulties posed with instruction as to his duties, she advised him on numerous subjects through an unorthodox form of sign language and, on parting advised him to 'keep it under your hat'... This of course, was ill advised and the literal translation of the parting comment was pursued with great urgency in the local library where several staff members came to his rescue. The young Romanian took his boss at her word, deciding that the placing of certain objects under ones hat or cap was an Irish practice and therefore out of respect of her instruction, he has happily followed her advice. The cap is changed periodically as the overhead burden increases...but one wonders where it will all end! Sebastian is quite content with what he believes is a great Irish practice. Fellow workers tough are not too keen to follow the practice. Speaking recently ,local spokesman Mr. Barny Coben said 'I dunno boy!, sure what would we put under it?' personally, I could think of a number of things!

An Abbeysider in Ring

Well now this is Eileesh Sheehan and I know that you are wondering what she is doing in this picture Well quite a lot of people are wondering the same thing.

So, here we pose a question for all surfers out there, if you think that you know what the lady is doing, just drop us an email.