During the mid-1970s I used to correspond with a lovely old lady named Mrs.Mary Hamill from Belfast. She was a retired nurse and had originally lived for a period in Emyvale. She had also corresponded with Sir Shane Leslie of Glaslough, who recorded so much of the history of ‘McKenna Country’ in his many brilliant writings. The following letter, written in 1965, from Sir Shane to Mrs. Hamill, was passed on to me by her, sometime around 1973, and is surely worthy of re-printing here as it recalls many of the wonderful people who lived in the area during his earlier days.
January 23rd, 1965
5 Mespell Mansions
(London) SW.
Dear Mrs. Hamill,
Thank you for your interesting letter recalling much in the past which still interests me concerning my memories of Glaslough and Emyvale. Poor little Corlatallon School, which I last visited for a Xmas party under Mrs. Atkinson. It has gone like Ballinaman (school) on the other end of the estate. I visited Billis School (where no doubt the children can now go) this last Autumn and found it going well. The parson, Canon Cotter, has collected his children from several parishes and we had a fine Xmas party for them. My son Desmond revived the Xmas tree at the Castle for all children connected with the estate.
Emyvale looks very smart now without a thatch, whereas it was all thatched when I used to drop in when shooting in the bogs. The shop was occupied by the Clows, followed by the McCluskeys. Do you remember McCullagh, the agent, and Skelton his clerk, who went out to the Sessions? I believe the Leslies lost the village of Emyvale two hundred years ago in one night of card playing!
You do not tell me what years you lived in Emyvale? You must have lived a noble life as a hospital nurse and I hope you have settled down comfortably in Belfast. So many of our retainers have retired there – McCormick and Nesbitt out of the Gardens; and Percy from the steward’s lodge; Gillanders, the soldier son of Dr. Stewart’s coachman; Rev. Clare Stewart., etc., etc.
Do you remember the Glaslough PO, the Knews family and Lonie Simms ? There was a good congregation at Carrigans in the time of Byrne and Cunningham, you may remember as clergymen. One of the Wrights now runs Pattons stores in Glaslough.
You have travelled in Ulster around the hospitals and I was interested to hear your stories. I hope you are holding up in this hard weather. My cousin Winston (Churchill) seems near his end and the whole world is writing and cabling to us. My mother was his favourite aunt and used to bring him up (to Glaslough) as a wee boy, in Dublin days. Thank you for your kind thoughts and let me know if I can ever do anything for you.
Shane Leslie