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EPISODE 74 WHO WERE THESE MINERS? THEIR LIVES WERE “POOR,NASTY, BRIUTISH AND SHORT.”

episode 74    BUNMAHON AND  IRELAND     A  MINERS LIFE WAS ‘POOR, NASTY, BRUTISH  AND SHORT’ 1840 TO 1875




alan skeoch
June 2020

The adits  are empty.  The shafts are silent.  The stopes are as hollow as the tombs of
ancient Egypt.  And as  hidden.  AND AS EMPTY.

Well that is  not quite true.  We know quite a  lot about the miners of Knockmahon and
Tankarsdstown.   Several years after our survey work overtop the old mines
the area  suddenly became a tourist attraction calle the Copper Coast.  Much
credit for this goes to Des Cowman, an historian who delved  into the mines and
put flesh and  bone on the miners.   They were an  almost invisible lot of men since
few if any could read or write.  They had no time for such  a luxury.

They were an underfed unhealthy lot.   Poverty stricken.  The Bunmahon region of
County Waterford was described as wretched.  A place where life was short…
A miner would be lucky to reach the age of 50.  Some old men (i.e. 50 year olds)
were working deep in Knockmahon mine because the records identified three
kinds of  miners climbed the ladders out of the pit..or into the pit.

Young men first either up or down.   Then older men but physically fit would
go second.  And finally the old  men minters last.


THESE MEN ARE PUTTING ON A BIT OF SHOW WITH THEIR CANDLES. .. CANDLES
WERE THE ONLY SOURCE OF LIGHT FOR THE BUNMAHON  MINERS.



Climbing these ladders was dangerous.  Why?  Because there was  no light…no
lamp, no light at all.   The miners  had to feel their way  down.  depths of 800 to 1,000
metres.  In the dark…one man following the other.  Miners  At the level they
were expected to begin mixing there was some light but not much.  Each  miner
bought cheap  candles from the mine owners.  With flickering  candles the miners
drilled holes in the rock face with hammers and sharpened iron bars.  They paid  the owners
to sharpen the iron barts…just as they paid for the candles.  When a punched hole
was deep enough the lead miner of the six man crew would stuff the hole 
with gunpowder then seal it with clay in which a wick was inserted. A warning bell
was rung…the men moved back from the rock face…well back.  The gunpowder
exploded filling the stope with thick black smoke and pieces of rock dust.  The smoke
was so thick  that the candles light was reduced to a few inches.   The miners fanned
the smoke away to see what ore had been blasted.  They needed to be very
close to the facing wall to see if they had  loosened rich ore from the seam
or just rock.

Miners in the copper mines of Bunmahon  were lucky.  There was  no methane
gas to explode and  kill them like there was in the coal mines of Wales
and  Northern England  and Scotland.  But the luck was early worth noting
as they breathed in  the tiny shards  of rock dust which began to grind
their lungs into bloody pulp.


CORNISH COPPER MINERS IN 1912…THE BUNMAHON MINERS WERE A ROUGHER 
LOOKING LOT OF MEN…SOME OF WHOM CAME FROM CORNWALL.  THE KNOCKMAHON
MINE OPERATE FROM 1840 TO 1875.  THEE MEN LOOK HEALTHY.  THE MINERS OF
BUNMAHON LOOKED SICKLY.


TO BE  CONTINUEDIf you would like to learn more about geology in general, take a look at the website of the geological survey of Ireland which has lots of great information to get you started.
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Fwd: EPISODE 56 (NOW EPISODE 73) BUNMAHON IRELAND TO EYWOOD ESTATE HEREFORDSHIRE EYWOOD ALAN SKEOCH’S JOURNAL SEPT. 4, 1960 TO SEPT. 7, 1960

EPISODE 57 BECOMES EPISODE 73


Note to READERS:  EPISODE 56 IS REALLY  THE CULMINATION OF THE IRISH SO SOME OF YOU

MIGHT LIKFE THIS WRAP UP OF THE JOURNAL … EPISODE 56 THEN BECOMES EPISODE 73 IF  YOU

WANT TO KEEP THINGS IN A  SEMBLENCE OF ORDER.  REPEAT OF SOME OF THE PICTURES SHOULD
BE ENJOYABLE.

THE NEXT EPISODE WILL TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT THE IRISH MINES  WERE REALLY
LIKE BACK IN THE 19TH CENTURY…FUTURE EPISODE 74.

I AM SO GLAD THAT SOME OF YOU ARE READING THIS JOURNAL AND WOULD LIKE TO
THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSES.  IT IS A GREAT TRIP FOR ME TO TAKE ONCE AGAIN.

ALAN SKEOCH
JUNE 2020

EPISODE 56    BUNMAHON, IRELAND TO EYWOOD  ESTATE HEREFORDSHIRE  … ALAN SKEOCH’S JOURNAL SEPT. 4 TO SEPT. 7, 1960

alan skeoch
May  2020

THE IRISH JOB COMES FIRST:

IRELAND IN SEPTEMBER 1960…KNOCKMAHON MINE.  COULD IT BE REOPENED?   

RUINS OF THE MINE REMAIN TO THIS  DAY (2020) AS TOURIST DESTINATION  .  IN 1960 THAT WAS NOT THE CASE…IT WAS
A RUIN.

DR. JOHN STAM AND JOHN HOGAN…ON WAY TO MINE SITE
IRELAND  WAS CHARMING IN 1960…MUCH AS PICTURED IN THE FILM THE QUIET MAN.



What is that expression about ebb tide?  Shakespeare’s  Julius Caeser where  Brutus  says….

There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.

I know this  may sound silly but I have often thought of those words
when faced with an opportunity.  Either I grab the opportunity or I let 
it slip away.    In the summer of 1960 I had been trusted  to operate 
a Turam electromagnetic survey on an ancient mine site on the south
coast of Ireland.  A  place called  Bunmahon where copper had been 
mined in the19th century and there was just a chance the old mine could
be brought back to life. 

 I was  in the right place at the right time.

The previous summer four of us…called  ‘instrument men’ …who operated
a Turam job in south west Alaska near the Aleutian Chain.   One man,  Bill Morrson,
 knew how to set up
the generator, base line,  read the console, etc.  I was  assigned to be his helper.  Bill taught me all the
ins  and  outs of prospecting with the Turam.  The other two fellows,
Don Van Every and  Ian Rutherford also were instructed. That was
1959.  

[
POLICE KEPT WATCH  ON OUR WORK

The following year much to my surprise i was the only person still around who had
operated the machine.   The other three guys had gone God knows where.
I was on the ebb tide…riding high.  Entrusted  by Dr. Norman Paterson to
sleuth out the old  mine in Knockmahon,  County Waterford, Eire.  Dr. John
Stam,  a professional geophysicist would interpret the Turam Readings. 
John Hogan wold do the geology.  It
was  up to me to get the magnetic data…to make sure the Turam worked.

Ireland in 1960 was exactly as tourist  photos described.

Local newspaper arrived occasionally … as did police …even the village priest…all kept close eye on us.


“ALAN,  DO YOUR REALLY NEED ALL THOSE EMPLOYEES?”  Question raised by Canadian office.

MY BOSS IN CANADA, DR. NORMAN PATERSON WONDERED WHY SO  MANY MEN WERE HIRED.  THERE WERE GOOD
REASONS.  THIS IS  PAYDAY … PAID MEN WEEKLY AND GAVE BONUS OF CIGARETTES AND CHOCOLATE BARS.   YES,
I WAS CRITICISED FOR THIS LARGESSE.


MUCH MONEY WAS  SPENT IN KIRWIN’S PUB.  MOST OF  THESE MEN WERE EMPLOYED BY US.  TERRIBLE NEED
FOR JOBS.


I RENTED THIS OLD TRUCK A COUPLE OF TIMES.  NEEDED CRANK.  FLOORBOARDS HAD GAPS.


THIS IS THE TURAM…E.M. UNIT AT WORK IN AN IRISH WHEAT FIELD.



IF WE HIT HIGH READINGS  WE OCCASIONALLY HAD MEN DIG PITS DOWN TO BED ROCK.
LOTS OF MYSTERY AS A REJULT OF SOME OF THESE EXCAVATIONS SUCH AS  THE 
DEAD COW CAPER …LED TO DISCOVERY OF OLD MINE ADIT FROM 1850’S.

June, July and August…I did  my job.  Tried not to let anyone  down.
This  was  a big responsibility which  I took very seriously.  There was a
social side of the job as well like A pint   of
Gjuinnes  each night with Dr. Stam and John Hogan in Kirwin’s [ub
helped  all of us relax.  We hired the whole village. I will explain 
that in future episodes.  Perchance a  few readers of these episodes
saw the John Wayne, Maureen Ohara,  Barrie Fitzgerald  movie titled
‘The Quiet Man”…an  imaginary story about Ireland that was  damn
near true.  Surprised.  Joyful. 

When the job ended.  The Ebb tide came once more  I made a fast
decision without prompting.  After crating up the mining equipment
and  shipping it ask to Canada.  I set sail  on the EBB tide for
England.  This was my chance to see if EYWOOD  REALLY EXISTED.
Truth be told I had no idea where I was going.  Eywood was in Herefordshire
England.  First I had to get there.  If I failed I would  still fly home.  Just a few
days later than Dr. Paterson expected.  My job was over anyway.  Fast 
decision to catch that Ebb Tide to Eywood.

Perhaps my journal entries are the best way to describe this
adventure.  Remember I was going almost blind but not totally.
I had a name…Cyril Griffiths whose mother Polly had been in
constant letter writing contact with my grandmother from 1905 until
her death in 1954.  And I had  a name…Lower Wooten Farm somewhere
in Herefordshire, perhaps close to Eywood.  Eywood itself was
a blank.   The Estate, to my knowledge, had been put up for auction
and then demolished.  

 Why go there at all?  There was a sense of
mystery about the estate and just a chance that the estate gardens…
where Granddad was head gardener for a decade…just a chance 
that huge brick walled garden was intact.

JOURNAL

Sunday September 4, 1960
Bunmahon,
County Waterford,
Southern Ireland

Packing up the job.   Has been an exciting time.  Mr. and Mrs. Daye presented  me with two
figurines.  Mrs. Kennedy,  the village leader, gave me a fine tablecloth.  Tommy gave Me a nice
bottle of Guiness Stout.   


CRATED EQIPMENT … BIG RESPONSIBILITY FOR ME…FLATTERED TO BE TRUSTED.

In the afternoon I hired Barney Dwan to help crate up our equipment.  Very sad to leave.
Barney has been my right hand man.  Later Dr. John Stam and I drove to Tramore for a
fast game of mini golf and a meal of fish and chips topped off with a bottle of Bass Ale.

I am going to miss all in the village.  Managed to hire quite a few of them so became a
major employer paying them one pound  a day plus free packs of Wild Woodbine cigarettes
and chocolate bars.   Back in Canada, Dr. Norman Paterson wondered why I needed so many
employees. 




THE SOUTH COAST OF IRELAND IS DOTTED WITH HISTORIC RUINS

HERE ARE THREE OF THE BOYS TAKING A REST.  THE CATTLE HAD TO BE PREVENTED FROM EATING OUR GROUNDED
CABLE…BUT COULD NOT BE STOPPED.  LITTLE BALLS OF COPPER WIRE WERE VOMITTED…OR PASSED.  

THIS YOUNG BOY WAS HIRED TO GUARD OUR GROUNDING RODS AND GENERATOR FROM
CATTLE AND SEMI WILD PIGS.   HE TOOK THE JOB VERY SERIOUSLY. CAMPED THERE.

 “Cost of labour here is so cheap…. ten men amounts to less than cost of 
one man in Canada.   And I need ten men to protect our base line for the cattle keep eating
chunks of the cable then regurgitating balls of yellow sheathed copper wire.  Try to stop
this from happening.   Also need a man to lift me over the stone and brier fences.  Sounds
stupid, I know but these fences are a nightmare.  Danger that a bull would charge and I cannot
get away with console, battery pack, copper coil, record book, etc.  Need another two men
to protect our grounding points and tend the motor generator.  Then need two linecutting
crews…etc. etc.  Want more Dr. Patterson”  

 Barney Dwan told me a story about a nun crossing
an open field.  All they found of her were her shoes with her feet in them.  Semi wild hogs
got her.   Not sure I believe this  story.”

I will miss all these men.  Just  getting to know all their names and meeting
their families and now we are packing up the gear.   I will also miss Kirwin’s pub in the
evenings.  Quite a  social hub.  It does not take long to develop at taste for Guiness.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 5, 1960

We finished  crating all  the equipment  and made arrangements with Frank Kirwin to 
transport the crates to Waterford. Seemed  like all was ready.  Not so.  I could
not find my return tickets home…flight.  Panic.  Mrs. Kennedy helped…no luck
so she called a great group of the villagers to her home.  Why?  Seemed  strange
to me as well.  “Master Skeoch has lost his tickets home.  He needs our help.”
There were about  a dozen people gathered in the sitting room. Some got down 
on their knees and prayed.  Others held hands in a circle.  Then Mrs. Kennedy did
the strangest thing. She reached in the pile of records, papers, graphs,
waste paper and pulled out my tickets…one reach only.  I know this sounds far
fetched  but it was real.  After that I took a family photo of the Kennedys.   Bridey, my
maid (yes, I had a maid) presented  me with an Irish handkerchief.  You remember
Bridey…she was the person who yanked the covers off me while inked and
announced “Time for Mass, Master Skeoch” and made certain I attended even if
I was a Presbyterian.  Because of her we did not work on Sundays as we did
on bush jobs in Canada.

THIS IS THE KENNEDY FAMILY.  MRS. KENNEDY RAN THE VILLAGE REALLY.  SHE HAD THE ONLY STORE IN TOWN.  HER SON
GERALD WAS  HANDICAPPED AS  YOU MIGHT NOTICE.  HE FOLLOWED ME AROUND AND WAS A JOY.  THEIR LABRADOR DOG
WAS TRAINED TO KEEP GERALD FROM WANDERING INTO THE SEA.  MR. KENNEDY WAS A  FARMER.

The boys all  came to see me off.  Very sad farewell, This  has been a big
adventure for everyone including me.  Would it mean the rebirth of the village?
That would remain to be seen.  (It did  not happen)

Tommy, Frank and  I drove to Waterford in the old truck.   Met John Stam
and John Hogan.  Picked up newspaper that had featured our crew and
the attempt to reopen the old  Knockmahon mine.  Then I  caught the
train to Dublin and road in the first class compartment…like John Wayne
did in the The Quiet Man movie. Seemed I had been reliving that movie.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1960

Woke early and  enjoyed the full tourist breakfast…several eggs, sausages, rasher of bacon,
fried tomato, marmalade and triangles of toast…then coffee.   Viisited Arbuckle, Smith
and Company to finalize arrangements  with KLM airline for my flight home.
Then went shopping in the rain.  Portable clock,27 shillings, sixpence;
Sweater for Marjorie, 3 pounds, 10 shillings; three fake shillalahs , 40 shillings;
2 pints of  Guiness, 2 shillings;  gifts for Kevin Behan and family, 10  shillings.
Rented a slide projector and showed slides of Bunmahon job to the Behan
family who had hosted me so well in Dublin.  Kevin became name of our first son
in distant future … named after Kevin Behan.
  Back to hotel late…deep sleep…too deep as it happened.

WEDNESDAY , SEPTEMBER 7, 1960

Late awakening.  Alarm clock did not work.  Had a hell of a rush to make the
ferry boat to England.  Miss that boat and  all my plans to visit Eywood Estate
would  be ruined.  “Can you get me to the docks fast?”, I asked the taxi and
we speeded through the streets of Dublin.  Made it by skin of my teeth.
Boat trip was  uneventful but nice.

Where was I going?  I really did  not know.  Caught a train out to Herefored which
seemed a good place to start since Eywood was in Herefordshire.  What to do
in Hereford? I looked  up the name of Cyril Griffiths in the telephone book.  Felt
lost really.  The train platform emptied.  I was almost alone.  Almost.
“Can I help you son?”, asked a well dressed older man.  

STRANGE EVENT HAPPENED:  “Yes, you can help maybe.  I am looking for
Cyril Griffiths who lives  at Lower Wooten Farm somewhere in Herefordshire.”
Just saying that made me realize this venture was really stupid. 

“I know Cyril
Griffiths and know Lower Wooten Farm,  perhaps  I can give you a  lift there…near
the village of Almely…some distance from here.  I am the local bank  manager
for Cyril.”

CYRIL AND NANCY GRIFFITHS.  NEAR RELATIVES.  THEY OPERATED OATCROFT FARM ON THE EYWOOD ESTATE UNTIL THE
ESTATE  WAS BROKEN UP.  THEN THEY OPERATED  LOWER WOOTEN FARM PICTURED BELOW.  WONDERFUL PEOPLE.

What a surprise.  The whole Grifiths family were expecting me.  Mom had sent them
a letter that maybe I would arrive in early September.  Shy greetings.  Cyril and
Nancy Griffiths, aunt Polly, and their son David who was about 14 years old.

HERE THE WHOLE GRIFFITHS FAMILY IS OUT FOR A FORMAL PICTURE.  OUR PATHS  WOULD CROSS MANY TIMES
FROM 1960 TO THE PRESENT.
THIS PICTURE IS BACKWARDS  BUT GIVES GOOD VIEW OF LOWER WOOTEN FARM.  PICTURE WAS TAKEN ON A SUBSEQUENT
VISIT.  MARJORIE IN DOORWAY.  ON THAT TRIP WE CAUGHT A HEDGEHOG ONE EVENING…IT CURLED UP LIKE A BOWLING BALL
SO WE BOWLED WITH IT A FEW TIMES THEN IT TRUNDLED AWAY TO THE FENCEROW.

Lower Wooten Farm was  a storybook farm.  Built in the 16th century and designated an 
historic building that could not be  changed.   The Farm was wonderful.  A bed was ready.
The floors were uneven.  The ceiling was held up by oak  beams.  The roof was ancient
slate.  (SEE PICTURE)

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 1960

Beautiful day in a wonderful  setting. Young  David took me around the farm where we
helped Cyril debeak turkeys so they would not cannibalize each other I assumed.
Then Cyril drove us into Eardislely, a quaint black  and white 16 th century village.
In the afternoon we  drove to a farm auction near Leominster.

VISIT TO EYWOOD …

EYWOOD AS IT REMAINS TO THIS  DAY…A RUIN.

“Alan, I expect you will want to see Eywood.  Not much to see anymore.  The great
house has been demolished…just a few brick walls  and the stone entranceway remain.
but your grandfathers place is intact…the gardens were bought by Henry Mills.
I know him well.  He will be glad to see you.”

END  PART THREE

PART FOUR 

EPISODE 57:  COMING  NEXT:     EYWOOD … WHAT REMAINS OF A GREAT ESTATE

































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EPISODE 72 BUNMAHON IRELAND ALAN SKEOCH’S JOURNAL WED. AGUST 24, 1960

EPISODE 72   BUNMAHON  IRELAND   ALAN SKEOCH’S  JOURNAL 


ALAN skeoch
June 2020

Well friends this will be the end of my personal experience in Ireland in 1960.  End of
my journal entries.   But it is not the end of the story.  After this Episode I would like
to take you back  to 1840 then to 1875.   Mining conditions…miners lives…women’s lives
Those years are described as wretched for people in Bunmahon.  I hope you have
enough Imagination to put yourselves in their shoes.


This  cottage could just as well be in 1870 rather than 1960.  Typical working class cottage.
Those living here had to look for work wherever it could be found.  And then begin walking
to get there.   The house was heated  with peat…cooking with peat that had to be cut into
blocks and  dried.   The air inside the homes was  mixed with smoke.  ‘


Roads  were used by sheep, cattle, people





alan skeoch
June 2020

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 1960

Rained  all morning so heavy that work was  pointless.
Andy Kiely’s father died at 9 a.m. He was 91 years old.  The lads
will need a half day off tomorrow for the funeral.  Why didn’t someone
tell  me Andy was trying to work for me and look after his dying
father at the same time.  God, I wish I had not fired him.

We  covered 6,900 feet of line in the afternoon.

John Hogan and Paddy (who has a serious  hunchback) went
down to the pub at 5 for a game of darts.

Barney and  I went exploring at 8 pm … up a glen and into adits  that
no one had entered for 40 years according to Barney. Ocean entry point. Water past our
waists for 400 feet then I was stunned with the beauty of the place…walls 
of reds,  greens, whites.  We found  numerous skulls at base of 
an  old shaft that had been closed in at the top after these animals 
had been dumped.   Waterfall inside gave a mourning kind of  sound…
sort of  frightening.






We passed by Andy Kiely’s house on way home  where the wake will
be going on all night.  I was a little nervous entering the house…unsure
I would be welcome for I  never knew the man.  My lads were all there…lots
of noise and stories.   And old Mr. Kiely was there as well…coffin vertical as 
I remember but unsure.  The house was tiny. Packed with people who
were happy to see me.  Some music on a violin. Glad I dropped in.
Pangs of guilt.

THURSDAY AUGUST 25

Pushed the lads so that we finished base line #3 and checked set up for Base  Line
#4….Locatikon looks good, fairly flat.  No doubt the cattle are hiding.

Let the whole crew  off at noon to attend mr. Kiely’s funeral.  We joined the procession
to Ballaneen.  Coffin beng carried by a hearse (9ld truck?)  while the whole village of  Bunmahon and
others followed behind blocking the road.   Seemed dangerous and proved to be so
when a car with a load  of barley tilted aroound a corner and suddenly
tried to brake .  Managed to stop just a  few feet from the hearse.

Andy Kiely spent the night in Ballyaneen.  Not in the church where his father was
to be buried but in the pub.   Today , his dad was buried…vertically.  The graveyard
was full I assumed as this was the same graveyard used by the miners families back in the
1840’s,  1850’s, 1860’s and  1870’s.  Not much room left.  Or that is  the way I interpreted
things.  Could be wrong.


Final passage: Mourners join mother-of-five Mrs Graham on the last part of the journey before her burial
This is NOT The Kiely funeral…but it is similar…not as fancy but the roadway
full of  people following the hearse.  Hearse was aged as  opposed to new.


John Hogan  and I went for a walk along the seashore in the evening
as the waves lapped at our feet.  A seal  came in very close.  Then we 
climbed  to walk along the cliffs above the beach.  Quite a number of females
followed us  to get a good look at the “miners”.   Never in my whole career
as a mine instrument man  did I ever get such attention.  Rather embarrassing
but cute at same time.

FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 1960

Rained  all day but I took the lads out in the afternoon to do  two lines.
We worked over time just to get them done.  A normally small creek
became a raging torrent which we had to carefully cross…water above 
our knees…surging.  Sounds small but was  not so   
Earlier we waded  easily.


Farmer Welsh  approached me hysterically screaming that I had killed
one of his bullocks.   The animal was down unconscious.  His legs
were twitching and his mouth frothing.  After a while he came around
and seemed normal.  Farmer Welsh not satisfied.  Who is paying these
farmers?   I get the flak but have no idea about compensation.

SATURDAY  AUGUST 27, 1960

Another weather commpromised day but we went out anyway.
Managed to cover 6,000 feet after a few tense moments evading
Farmer Welsh’s bull.

John Stam sent letter from Amsterdam asking how job was going.
So I spent the afternoon drawing profiles and making  a quick reprort.

In the evening John Hogan, Barney Dwan and I explored  some old
stopes that Barney located.  Very exciting.  John Hogan seems to
enjoy penetrating these old mines as much as we do.  And the results
make sense when tied into the anomalies detected on the geophysical
instruments.




SUNDAY AUGUST 28, 1960

After Mass, John Hogan and I climbed the Cameragh Mountains…2500 feet high 
and found the so called Bottomless Lake.   Found a Ram’s Skull.  Beautiful
day in the heather.
Coumshingaun Lake, Waterford


Hit some chickens on way home…couldn’t be helped.  Then went to a
Civil Defence  demonstration in Bonmahon.   Drove to Tramore for
golf  (miniature with lots of  kids) , supper was fish and chips like 
everyone else.  Back to Bonmahon for a dance but found it was
a  closed dance for Civil Defence people only.  Town people got
angry and started breaking down the door  and fighting. One man
was totally out of control.  John and  I tried to calm things down.

MONDAY  AUGUST 29, 1960

Delayed  most of the morning with cable breaks.    Cattle.  Wonder 
how many are on the ground frothing for Farmer Welsh.  No joke…must
see  what is  done  to compensate.  At lunch I had
Willy drive me to Dungarvin to pick up expense check then wired
for more.

Afternoon was spent repairing  cable breaks but still managed
to do  12,000  feet off line.

I will try to finish the project this week and then pack  up and
head  for home…with a few side ventures.   Got a wire from
Amsterdam saying John Stam would arrive back in Ireland
at 4.25.  Glad to hear that for there will be some loose  ends
that only John can  clear up with Dennison Mines.

Spent rest of evening testing the Ronka.

TUESDAY AUGSUT 30, 1960

Holy Smoke…today we managed to complete
Base Line #4…20,900 feet.  One of our best days ever in
Ireland.  Cattle herds must be taking a holiday.
Base Line  #4 now done.


NOTE FOR THOSE CONFUSED ABOUT CABLE AND CATTLE

Below is a picture of our cable back pack with Barney laying a base line cable.  Usually the
Base Line was three miles or around 15, 000 feet with grounding rods at each  end and 
a motor generator at one of the terminal points.   The generator produced enough electricity
to create an strange loop…strange to  readers because the loop was completed  in the  ground’ 

The sensitive machine I carried could pick up electrical impulses in the ground.  If there was a
good conductor at some point….like a seam  of chalcopyrite…then the readings would differ
from the background readings which would  be flat.   To pick up these readings we used two
vertical  copper coiled  receivers that were kept 100 feet apart and joined by a rubber sheathed
electrical  cable.  Very complicated for me to describe since it was 60 years ago that I did
Turam work.

Look at Barney below.  The base line cable is  only a single strand of plastic sheathed
copper wire.    That cable breaks easily.   It is even easier to break if you are a cow chomping
on what looks like a long strand of unusual  hay.   

We did get breaks in the cable when doing a wilderness survey back in Canada or Alaska…i.e. from rodents chewing or
larger animals  getting their feet caught.  But those breaks occurred seldom.  In  Ireland
the breaks occurred regularly…often…and sometimes many breaks at a time.  The breaks
were repaired with electrical tape very simply.  Finding the breaks was a  different matter
when the cable was three miles long.



The roll of base line wire starts off heavy but gets lighter the more the wire is unwound.
My worst experience with this back  pack of wire was on the Alaska  job where we had
Sikorsky helicopters to reach distant tundra base lines.   I tried to jump from the pontoon
to the helicopter cabin without making allowance for the extra 70 to 80 pounds of wire
on my back.  I failed  to complete the jump and fell to the earth about 6 feet below as
the helicopter took off.   No harm done except to my ego.  Tundra in summer time is like
one immense sponge bed.


I set the staking crew  working on  Base Line #5.  Crew 
chief is John Fleming who takes the work seriously. 
I admire his grace and  natural  leadership of men.
Wonder why he is so poor.  I guess the only chance
of going up in the world is to leave Ireland which is
something he refuses to do.

Usual beer and darts then drove to Waterford to
pick  up John Stam.

WEDNESDAY  AUGUST 31, 1960

We set downBase  Line  #5 and managed 6,000 feet of line
although it rained a good part of the day. I put the staking crew
on overtime with Andy in charge this time.  

John Stam  told us about the Geological Congress
in Copenhagen.

John Hogan and I ent  to Waterford to see “Around the
World in  80 days” which I found quite boring.  Movies cost 25 cents. Waterford
was really beautiful on this last evening in  August.

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 1960

Worked  like the devil  (What an odd expression when I think of it?)
Finished  Base Line #5 (18,800 feet).  Had  a few tense moments with
killer bull and  a half baked farmer who seemed ready to run me through
with his pitch fork.  He is supposed to be a  dangerous man. Farmers
are a kind of gentry class here…contrast with the day labourers
who have 1 acre plots and small cottages.  Tension between the two
groups was very evident.

I was a little startled when doing a reading because a horse
lay his head on my shoulder.  Friendly.  




I took the lads out for overtime work at night and  we worked
until darkness fell.  My staking crew were working in the Gardenmorris  
bog where all four of them dropped into shallow sink holes often…wading
often as  well.   I had to go and find them at 10 oclock at night. They
were trying set straight lines in the dark using matches.  Impossible
work of course.  But they thought I needed them to finish.  What great
men.  What a poor labour boss I turned out to be.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 1960

A Long hard day…8 a.m. to 8 p.m. then office work to 10 p.m.
Laying out the loo[p in the morning , then drove to Tramore to get
my hundred dollars from home.  Would need that once job is
done and I try to visit Eywood Estate in Herefordshire.   Came
back and did part of  a line before  driving to Dungarvin to pick
up 300 dollars from our Company to cover estimated wages.
In Dungarvin a town drunk wanted an argument and fight for
reason I could not figure.   Returned to Bunmahon and took the
lads out for evening work doing Turam in pitch darkness using
flashlight to guide us through the Gardenmorris Bog.

I should send this note back to Toronto.  Hard to 
believe we did it all.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 1960

Up with the sun and recovered Base Line #6 then laid
out Base Line #4 again so we could do ‘in between lines’

Returned  home where the lads were waiting to be paid
off as  the job was  ending.  Very sad moment as we had
all shared an adventure.  We will never meet again.  This
feeling of break up  is common for anyone in the mining
exploration industry.  We arrive,  form friendships, pack
up and leave.  It takes  a toll psychologically.  Makes me
more sensitive I think.  Makes me value he present and a 
little wary of the future.

John Hogan and  I recovered the motor generator and then
drove on  to Ballycrasteen to visit a tiny church.  Unsure why.

Back home I asked the lads  to lay out our wire and cut
out the bad spots.

Then in the evening I did a really stupid thing.  We had
a few gallons of gasoline which we had mixed with 
oil.   What was  I do with it?  I should have offered it to
one of the lads but instead  I decided to set the sea on fire
at Bonmahon beach.   With quite a following i carried the
drum of perhaps 5 to 10 gallons of gas…and poured the
contents into the water.  Tommy handed me a lighter and
then Whoosh…the sea was on fire.   That gesture was rather
stupid.  No  second thought given.




My collection  of slides were good but we had no projector.
The lads  and Mrs. Kennedy scoured the village for a projector
but failed.  That was too bad. It would have been a nice ending
to have everybody down a Kirwin’s pub looking at our adventures.
A better ending would have been an announcement that the 
mines at Knockmahon and Tankardstown were to be reopened.

(P.S.  The long term results of mining exploration are rarely, if ever,
known by crews like ours.   Opening or reopening a mine takes
a lot of capital.  Raising capital takes time.  Unfortunately the
reopening was rejected because there were too many faults.,
 I was told much  later, .)



My fondest picture from the Bonmahon job was taken early in the job when the lads and our Canadian crew were 
enjoying each others  company assessed by a few brown bottles of Guinness.


In 1965 Marjorie, Eric and I went back to Bunmahon.   Things had changed.  Even less work available.   Other friends visited
the site in subsequent years.   One visitor reported  Kirwin’s  pub was closed  and up For Sale.”   Sad…

Now readers…you must arrange to see THE QUIET MAN with john Wayne, maureen Ohara and Barrie Fitzgerald.
It is romantic.  Maybe I should add a bit of  romance.  Give me some leeway.  


EMD  EPISODE  72

Next  Episode is  coming …














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EPISODE 59 BUNMAHON IRELAND ALAN SKEOCH’S JOURNAL SIDEBAR STORY OFGERALD AND HIS DOG

EPISODE 59   BONMAHON IRELAND    ALAN SKEOCH’S JOURNAL   


SIDEBAR STORY OF GERALD AND HIS DOG

alan skeoch
June 2020



GERALD AND  HIS DOG

Time passes. Sometimes  moments in time are captured and cherished.  This is one
of mine.   The story o fGerlad Kennedy and his dog.

This was  Gerald’s companion who I have named Fergus because I cannot remember his
proper name.   He was taken for granted.  He was also magnificent.  A dog I cannot forget



The little boy was named  Gerald Kennedy.   He loved having three Canadian miners at his home.  He would have loved  to be part
of  our mining exploration.  I realize now, 60 years  later, that Gerald was part of our job.  


That might be Gerald with his kiddy car heading for the ocean.  He would  not be alone for long.



There are so many stories  to tell about that Irish  job in Bunmahon, County  
Waterford.   One sidebar story touched us all  but was soon taken for granted
as a routine event.  Hard  ti  forget,  Better to be remembered.

So I would like to tell the story of Gerald Kennedy and his companion separately.   Gerald was
afflicted with Down’s Syndrome.   People sometimes try to pretend children so  afflicted
are not part of the give and take of daily living. That they Are present as an embarrassment.

Gerald  could not be treated that way.  He asserted himself wherever he could.  The sudden 
presence of three mining men from Canada was a great thing for Gerald.  So, when Mrs.
Kennedy got our meals ready, Gerald hung around.  But never alone.  Wherever Gerald
went his Companion, ‘Fergus’ wes rogjt beside him.  Fergus was a big rather aged black
Labrador dog.  To Gerald, his companion Fergus was an extension of himself.  

Sometimes he rode on Fregus’s back as if the dog was  a pony.  Fergus never
flinched.  Sometimes Gerald would even Bite Fergus on the ears.  Fergus did not
growl or indicate displeasure.  Fergus  did not try to avoid Gerald.  Where Gera;d
went. Fergus went. Simple as that.   

Loyalty of dogs to their masters is not unusual.  Common. Expected. Taken for granted.

But Fergus  took loyalty a good distance further as I witnessed one stormy evening on
Bunmahon beach.

Gerald came down the road with Fergus.  They walked right by Kirwin’s pub after crossing
the main road.  Was I wrong or did  Fergus look both ways before he let Gerald  cross.
Hard to say. They were pressed close together.  Was Fergus pressing Gerald?

Then they continued down to the beach where some good sized waves were
beating up the sand into swirls.


Ocean’s are dangerous places for little boys like Gerald.  His dog Fergus knew that and  kept Gerald safe.


Straight down to the water.  I began to get concerned lest Gerald drown.

Then a wonderful thing happened.  Fergus went into the water right away.
He was a  Labrador after all.. A water dog.   But that was not the  reason 
he preceded Gerald.  Fergus stopped when the water waves were lapping 
his legs.   He turned.  And Gerald  waded in immediately but Fergus would 
not let him get in much deeper than his ankles.  If Gerald  moved  along…Fergus 
moved along. 

And eventually they both came back and went home.

A minor incident that has stayed in my mind’s eye for 60 years.

We went back to Bonmahon, Marjorie  Eric  and I…but both Gerald
and Fergus were no longer there.

I met Gerald and Fergus in 1960.  My  wife Marjorie and I went back to Ireland on a  visit in 1965.  Neither Gerald nor Fergus
were still around.  

alan skeoch
june 2020



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EPISODE 71 BUNMAHON , IRELAND, ALAN SKEOCH’S JOURNAL MONDAY AGUST 15, 1960 TO

EPISODE 71  BUNMAHON IRELAND  ALAN SKEOCH’S JOURNAL   MONDAY AUGUST 15, `960 TO AUGUST 23, 1960

alan skeoch
June 2020

IRELAND  THE BEAUTIFUL

This I think is Mr. Casey proudly posing in front of his cottage (home).  Most of our men had houses like this…centre door, rooms
on right an left.  Very few were as well manicured as this was.  The income for workers was  $1.40 per day in 1960.

MONDAY AUGUST 15, 1960

This is a big holiday in Ireland…the day that the virgin Mary was automatically
assumed to have entered Heaven.   John and I drove to Tramore and then
on to Waterford to clean up our repair business.  Got a haircut and then went 
to the Tramore races in afternoon.  Lost on all my bets that were modest anyway.
Races…2 shillings entry fee
Betting…4 shillings
Golf…4 shillings for two of us
Meal…2 shillings, sixpence
Dodge’em cars…1 shilling
Darts….sixpence
Beer…3 shillings
Total cost of  $2 Canadian

The Tramore races…not my picture but accurate pic  of Irish wagerers…wit kids in arms.  Count the cloth caps.

People  back in Toronto must be shocked at our lifestyle here in Ireland…if
they even hear about it.  Normally our work in mining  exploration is seven days
a week no matter what the weather. A holiday  is the chance to stay asleep in
a tent where the bugs can’t get us.   So Ireland  must seem like a dream.
Best not mention the trip to the racetrack on a Sunday.  If you need a  laugh
just think of  two men playing Dodge’em against 10 year old kids.

The funniest thing today  was when a drunken woman went into the Men’s
washroom and stayed there.  The men carried on as if she was  not there.

TUESDAY  AUGUST 16, 1960

I had to fire my first man today when Andy Kiely did  not show up for work.
No explanation.  Sent day setting up  the base line (#3) Managed  to 
complete 12,000line feet after setting up the motor generator and the rounding
rods. (* FIRING Andy was a  mistake on my part.  I did not know his
91 year old father was dying and that Andy was the principal caregiver.
I  should  have asked.  Makes me feel bad.)

I put John Fleming in charge of the staking crew. He is our oldest 
employee and the most highly respected.   All of the men live on
one  acre lots with small houses.  John Fleming manages to keep
two or three cattle and other farm animals on his tiny plot.  Gathers
hay along road  allowance.  i do  not talk to him often but I’ve given him
the same respect that the men all do  A nice man scraping out an 
existence in difficult circumstances.  Grows  potatoes  as  well of 
course.  All the men seem to have gardens. 

Jo
John Fleming (left), Barney Dwan (centre)…forgot name of man on right.  I had feeling he disliked me on the job.  It is very
difficult for gown men to take order from a 21 year old like me.  The bridge is permanent…and inexpensive.


Willy arrived today with an awful hangover from yesterday’s celebration.
So hung over he could not keep up with us.

John Hogan made the front page of the Dublin newspapers…subject
of our Bonmahon mineral explorations.

WEDBESDAT AUGUST 17, 1960

The damn  cattle destroyed about 1,000  feet of our baseline cable
last night.  We are operating with a skeleton crew since Barney is
sick.  He does the work of two men.  i depend on him to get me safely
over the stone field walls tat are topped with gorse (brier). Sound  stupid
to say this but getting over these small fields with their high brier fences 
is a tough job.  And Barney has to check in case there is a bull loose
in next field.  

A photographer came here from Waterford to take pictures of our
crew in operation and get an interview.  The lads are quite excited
about their sudden fame.

Got a letter from the Scottish Forestry Commission today saying
that the Skeoch Wood is located on the isle of Bute…not too far
from Prestwick where my return flight to Canada is booked.  If I
can swing it I will try to find the Skeoch Wood.

THURSDAY AUGUST 18, 1960

Photographers were here again today.  Had a very successful 
day….due in part to the two new employees I hired to try and
protect the base line from cattle.  The young boys are really excited
about the job.  Joyful.  

Still no money sent from Toronto.  Must meet my payroll somehow.
John Hotan  phoned ,  He is stuck in Carlow as the Fiat broke down.

Barney and I worked our way into the old stopes (i.e. places
where the high grade ore was  found).   West of  Bonmahon

This was a hair raising experience.  The ladder  we used
just barely spanned a chasm at one spot.  And  a little 
further we were separated when a  rock slide pinned Barney
to the support wall on the edge of a shaft that went straight 
down to who knows where   Very tense.  But the air was good
as our candle lit without difficulty.  There must be other adits
nearby.  Somewhere in these adits, shafts and  passageways
the IRA hid from the British  Black and  Tans in the 1920’s.
Hard to imagine living in here.

Found nest of boby rabbits when we crawled out…missed them
on the way in.

FRIDAY  AUGUST 19,1960

The day looked foreboding but we got to work anyway  and  managed
to get 11,600 feet doe before the deluge struck.  Finally received a telegram
from Toronto that money was on the way.

We had a  nice warm fire in the fireplace.

The Waterford News and  Star gave us a front page spread with pictures.
The article quoted  me but that was not what I said that I remember.  The
whole village is excited as  a result of the story…especially the families  of
the lads.   I borrowed sixty pounds  from John  in order to make the payroll
tomorrow.  

Tommy told me that the caves  we explored yesterday were once the
hideouts of the IRA back in the 1920’s.  Confirmed what Barney said.

SATURDAY AUGUST 20, 1960

Only achieved 4400 feet today but did  manage to tie in the base line.
While working across the cliffs we encountered two young foxes.
Then Barney and I visited an  island where the Danes  lived in past
ages.   The Danish sailors  are reputed to have seen the mineral stains
on the cliffs at Knockmahon and may have  done some mining.

Returned to Mrs.  Kennedy’s shed where the men had gathered as
this  is payday.  Thankfully John Hogan had the cash I could borrow.
Then John and I drove to Waterford to get the Avometer fixed.
In the evening we amused ourselves  with a game of twenty questions.
i.e.  “I spy something that is orange.”  “Is it near me?” “Is it on me?”
“Is it on the table?” YES.  “Is it the left over package of Wild  Woodbine
Cigarettes?” YES.  “Now it’s my turn.”  “I spy something that is red.”
“Is  it the scar left by the tick that we had to cut out?”  YES.

SUNDAY AUGUST 21,1960

Typical  Irish soft day.  In other words it rained  all  day. Of course that
is why the countryside is so  green…lots of water.  Wrote letters
in morning then did  topographical in afternoon. Then we 
drove to Waterford  to see ‘A touch of Evil’ which featured  Orson
Welles.  All in all a  very dark,  dull and depressing day.

MONDAY AUGUST 22, 1960

Started  early in morning and worked in spite of heavy rain.
Managed to only cover 3,000 feet. 
Called  off the job…pointless as we were all  soaked.



In the afternoon John Hogan drove me to Tipperary in
a rented car
where we saw the famous Cashel Rock.   

The Rock of Cashel (Irish: Carraig Phádraig), also known as Cashel of the Kings and St. Patrick’s Rock, is a historic site in Ireland’s province of Munster, located at Cashel, County Tipperary. The Rock of Cashel served as the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years prior to the Norman invasion. Few remnants if any of the early structures survive; the majority of buildings on the current site date from the 12th and 13th centuries. Cashel is reputed to be the site of the conversion of the King of Munster by St. Patrick in the 5th century AD. The buildings which crown the Rock of Cashel present a mass and outline of great complexity, rivalling for picturesque qualities other sites in western Europe. The complex has a character of its own, unique and native, and is one of the most remarkable collections of Celtic art and medieval architecture to be found anywhere in Europe. 

According to local lore, the Rock of Cashel originated from Devil’s Bit, a mountain 30 km north of Cashel when St. Patrick banished Satan from a cave, resulting in the Rock’s landing in Cashel. 





Buildings on the Rock

The earliest and tallest of the Cashel edifices is the very well preserved round tower (28 metres, or 90 feet), which dates from c.1100. Its entrance is 12 feet from the ground, necessitated by a shallow foundation (about 3 feet) typical of round towers. The tower was built using the dry stone method. Modern conservationists have filled in some of the tower with mortar for safety reasons. 


Then we toured through central and southeastern 
counties  to Carlow where John’s Fiat was being repaired.
Glad  to get back home…long day.  Spent evening planning
how to wind up and recover Base Line #3 and  begin
layout of Base  Line #4.

TUESDAY  AUGUST 23, 1960

What a great day.  We worked hard and managed to cover 
15,000 feet of line…i.e. 3 miles.

Tommy brought over a skin book…i.e. book with sexy  pictures.  Censors
do not allow such books in Ireland so they are highly valued.

John Hogan is very easy to  get along with…in other words  he does not
seem  like he is scrutinizing everything I do.   He is Irish and  tries to
get as much  touring in  as possible.  Often he wants company such as our
visit to Cashel Rock which was  wonderful.  Built of stone.  Towers had
entrances that were very high off the ground so that Monks and people
could barricade themselves  in event of attack.  Inside the towers must 
have been claustrophobic … extremely so.  The towers must have
been built overtop a source of water otherwise the protection provided by
the tower would  be pointless.

We had  the usual beer and dart game before supper then
spent evening planning  tomoorow’s work day.  Mrs. Kennedy
came up to say  I had  been quoted in the London Daily Mirror
about the Postman mystery.  Then she told us the full story
of the Postman.

Larry Griffin was a popular postman who just disappeared into thin air on December 25, 1929.   He was last seen
at the local pub in Stradbally…not farm from Bunmahon.  He was thought to have been murdered…then again
he may have died from a fight…or from falling down stairs at the local  police station.   His  disappearance is still
a  matter of heated controversy to this (2020).   There are people in Stradbally who know what happened but
they do not want to talk about Larry Griffin.

WhenI was in Bunmahon the postman mystery was guaranteed  to trigger arguments.  That is still the case.
A reporter visited the Stradbally pub in1986  intending to make a movie about the case of Larry Griffin.
To start a conversation he said to a  local Stradbally citizen.

  ‘Was it upstairs or downstairs that it happened?”

The response was quick

“I think it might be a good idea if you fuck  off out of here.”

So the mystery remains.   The mystery is not too difficult to solve think most people.  Larry Griffin was drinking in the Sradbally pub on Christmas Day.  He got into a
fight with someone and got knocked down.  The local  police hauled him over to the police station where for one reason  or
another he died.  The problem was that Larry Griffin was drinking on Christmas Day  If the publican was caught serving beer on that day he would lose his 
licence and Stradablly would lose its pub. Worse still, the local police were part of the cover up and they would be charged.  Someone or some group
in Stradbally thought it best that Larry Griffin disappear otherwise they would lose both their pub and their police station.  Larry’s body has
never been found.   Sadly, Larry’s wife became instantly poverty stricken.  No body, no pension.

That is my interpretation of the evidence.  I would advise you say nothing if having a pint of Guinness in Stradbally. 
Ignore my advice and you will be told to ‘Get the fuck out of here’

When Mrs.  Kennedy told me the story she left out the word  ‘fuck’ but that was in 1960 when 
the word was not used quite as much.  Mrs. Kennedy  was  taking a big chance just telling
me her interpretation of the mysterious disappearance of Larry Griffin.  

Below is the Stradbaly pub as you will find it today.


 

End episode 71


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A ride down the fifth line in June 2020…NO BIG DEAL…JUST RELAXING


NO BIG DEAL…JUST RELAXING SERIES AS  MARJORIE DROVE…CLOUDS (THINK OF THE SONG )

BY JONI MITCHEL

alan skeoch
June 2020

Take a  load off … sit down … dream … It is  possible even in
the terror of Covid 19 to see that life is  good.


Joni Mitchell – Both Sides, Now Lyrics

from album: Clouds (1969) 
www.lyricsfreak.com/static/images/txtstripes_large.gif); font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; min-height: 598px; position: relative;”>Bows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
I’ve looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way

I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It’s cloud illusions I recall
I really don’t know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real
I’ve looked at love that way

But now it’s just another show
You leave ’em laughing when you go
And if you care, don’t let them know
Don’t give yourself away

I’ve looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
It’s love’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say “I love you” right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I’ve looked at life that way

Oh but now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I’ve changed
Well something’s lost but something’s gained
In living every day

I’ve looked at life from both sides now
From WIN and LOSE and still somehow
It’s life’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know life at all

I’ve looked at life from both sides now
From up and down and still somehow
It’s life’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know life at all 




Posted on

EPISODE 70 BUNMAHON IRELAND ALAN SKEOCH’S JOURNAL AUgust 8,1960 to sunday august 14, 1960



EPISODE 70   BUNMAHON  IRELAND    ALAN SKEOCH’S JOURNAL  AUGUST 8 TO AUGUST 

alan skeoch
June 2020

“A GERMAN BOMBER CRASHED HERE, THE PILOT CAME BACK FOR A HOLIDAY  THIS SUMMER.”

I have a lot of trouble with Irish  stories.  Are they true?  Are they false?  Are they half true?
Are they meant to entertain?  Are they meant to test gullibility?  Are they told to mislead?
Are they told just for something to say?  Are they legends from the deep past that no one
really knows what they mean?  Are they spliced  together to make a boring story better?

As you may have noticed if you actually read some of my Irish  stories
they are often based on fact.  Like the story of the cow that got lost in the
mine…a story which turned out to be true.

The lads told me a story about a German bomber that crashed  near Bunmahon and
the crew survived.  Did it crash in the bog we surveyed?  Maybe.  How could I find
out?   One way was to check on German planes  that ditched or landed in Ireland
which was neutral  in World War II.  Well a German bomber was  shot down over Waterford 
and tried to land but hit a  stone wall near Kilmacthomas killing all the crew. 
Maybe that was the one the boys  were talking about.

And not so  far away another German bomber made a solid landing and the
crew survived.   

German and Allied planes that landed or crashed in Ireland are numerous and
all seem to have been recorded.  So many that I am  too tired to continue 
trying to find  if the story of a German plane landing on Bunmahon beach is
true or false.  I can find  no record of it.  And the beach  is not very long.

“Master Skeoch, a  German bomber landed in a farmers field near here and
the pilot and  his  family  came back this summer on a holiday.”  That may
have happened.  I did not see any German wreckage.  If you have the time
please feel free to go through the records of crashes  in World War II…they are all
documented.

Date:  10th June 1941

Location:  Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford

Aircraft Type:  Fighter

Crew Members:  (1)

            Pilot Officer Maurice Motte

Notes: Pilot Officer Motte was part of a Free French Unit operation out of England. He had been involved in an attack on a German Bomber in the sky over Ireland. The German Aircraft a Heinkel Bomber with a crew of five tried to make an emergency landing near Churchtown, Co. Waterford, but burst into flames after hitting a stone wall, killing all crew members.  Officer Mott aircraft was also damaged in the skirmish and had to make an emergency landing not too far from Kilmacthomas Co. Waterford. 

 


Date:  1st April 1941

Location:  Dunbratten Head, Co Waterford.

Aircraft Type:  Heinkel 111 Bomber

Crew Members:  (5)

            Leutnant Heinz Grau (Pilot)
            Feldwebel Georg Fleischmann 
            Oberfeldwebel  Ernst Lorra
            Unteroffizier Otto Jaegerr      
            Unteroffizier Ernst Gensen  

Notes:  The Heinkel Bomber had been shot up in an attack on some ships in the Bristol Channel. An engine had been knocked out and there was no question of their being able to return back to their base in Tours, France, so decided to make for Ireland. After landing successfully they quickly se

Belligerent aircraft would end up on Irish soil for one of two reasons:

1.    The allied pilots would land, mistaking Eire for Britain. This was quite common considering that aircraft navigation systems then were very basic compared to today’s standards.

2.    Aircraft would either be damaged during battle or run low on fuel, forcing the pilots to crash or emergency land. In the case of allied pilots they sometimes could not make it to Britain or Northern Ireland. Luftwaffe pilots would land in Eire in preference interment in Britain. 

When a warplane was forced to land in Eire, the crew would destroy all documents, maps and as much of the aircraft as possible, before they were captured. Allied pilots, on realizing where they had landed would attempt to travel to the North of Ireland, although not usually with much success.

Escape from K-Lines for German internees would prove undesirable, as France was the nearest axis occupied country to Ireland and travelling there, especially via England would prove very difficult. On the other hand, if British internees succeeded in escaping they would only have to travel little over one hundred miles in order to cross the boarder into Northern Ireland. However, the practice of breaking parole in an attempted to return home was condoned by the respective governments as it was seen as an abuse of privilege. Each internee had a duty to affect his escape but this would have to be done legitimately in the form of a break out from the camp. It was also the duty of the military guard in K-lines, to the escape or rescue of the internees. The guards were armed with rifles but ordered not to fire at internees who attempted escape. Even if an internee successfully effected escape from the compound, the Curragh Camp and surrounding towns were populated with off duty troops stationed in the Curragh. It was not long before Irish authorities had a good intelligence network known as G2, to counter escape attempts. Yet many pro British people were willing to aid the allied internees and an organization known as the “Escape Club” was formed. It was headed by Dr. Hugh Wilson who was a veteran of the First World War and established by M19, British Military Intelligence. The “Escape Club” would organize and aid many British internees to attempt escape during the war. 


alan skeoch
June 2020


Ireland has lots of wild land…places where nothing can grow but heather.


the mountains  are treeless but not empty…lots of low heather and lots of sheep although this picture shows only one.


This picture was taken on same mountain five years later when Marjorie (by them my wife), Eric (my brother) joined me
in a nostalgic Visit to Bonmahon.   Eric is pretending tp push Marjorie into the water.  

The local pipe band marched through town heading towards  some
special celebration.  Went to pub of course. Discovered  the newspaper
has  madde our outdoor crew into celebrities…pictures.   The lads like
the notoriety as they do  not get much in their regular lives. 

John and  I then visited the seventh annual Bonmahon dance and  had a wonderful 
time.   Met the local belle of the dance, Ren … Nice person
to talk to but no romance.  Marjorie would  like her.

MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 1960

Really tired today as  we did too much on week end.  Took  out the resistivity 
outfit and spent entire day puzzling out its operation.  Just will not work.  is
this my fault…i.e. ignorance?  Hate to let our company down but this machine
just wil not perform. 

This could be our last day of work.  Fellows spent day kidding me about 
the day before…

Got nice letter from Marjorie with a picture. Also letter from Bob and Anita
Taylor wnich was a  surprise.   They are now married and less inclined
to socialize…seems marriage puts up a kind of wall.  

The evening was magnificent with bright sunlight bouncing light off the
rain covered leaves and verdure…Rainbow over the Atlantic Ocean.

TUESDAY , AUGUST 9, 1960

Tested resistivity agan.  Then began reclaiming our base line cable…badly
beaten up by cattle.   

Sadly I had to lay the crew off at noon.  We all felt bad about it.  Pile of
mail and exam results…some good , some not so good…but all on positive
side of things.  In the afternoon I drove to Waterford  with John Hogan to
get more 35mm film and  phoned Toronto to see if project was about
to be extended.  Affirmed extension.  (phone call $47.60)  This means  I will
be here another month or so.   The lads are happy.  Fantastic  sunset
…all the clouds were blood red.


END EPISODE 69   



WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1960

Spent the day doing the calculations and then drafting results.  Pleased
with myself as I was not clear about the job…puzzled it out.
Huntec may have assumed I  know more that I do know.  Studying
manuals and previous notes helped  

Beautiful sunlit day.  Reminded  me so much of John Wayne’s film
The Quiet Man.   So similar to film here in Bunmahon.  our job would
make a great sequel as all the elements are present including the 
humorous rather than hate filled relations between the Anglicans 
and Catholics.  

We drove to Tramore in the evening to see ‘ Some Came Running’
… played golf first though…using word golf sounds more athletic than 
the truth that we played miniature golf.  Little kids play the game better’
than we seem to do.  Lots  of little kids. The movie was sensational.





THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 1960

I spent most of the day  drafting Turam results then I got the lads organized for
work tomorrow.  All happy we have got job extension.  We have made the 
Bonmahon community come to life. 

Nice to walk along the cliffs in the evening before sunset.  Lads  told me all 
about Willy O’Meara and his immorality.  No woman, married or single,
is  safe if alone and Willy is nearby.  Does not change my opinioon of
him for he has helped me a lot.  Always  willing.   Do notice the lads
treat him differently though.  Seems more  of the gossip is being shared
with me.  I suppose that is a sing of acceptance.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 1960



A  Tinker (Gypsy) caravan invaded town today making locals  a
little anxious especially  when one wagon broke an axle and
whole caravan  had to stay a while.  Their horses follow the wagons
without halters or harness.  Quite a  sight to see.

The profiles are nearly finished.  Not bad  job. 

Took a walk along cliffs with John Hogan and Barney Dwan…lots of women 
and girls walking as well.

A strange thing happened  later when Mrs. Kenneday wanted to ‘
talk to me privately.  Concerned  local  scandals.  Rena’s “family is
renowned  as  thieves.”  In other words be careful.  “Barney is illegitimate
…his mother was 16 years old”   I take it this was some kind of
warning.   Revealed nature of the Bonmahon community that I
did not know.  She was giving me advice.  I am  not sure I wanted
this kind of advice.  Sort of a warning that things are not what they seem.
A warning that I should keep things more at arms length. Must think
about that.  Mrs.  Kennedy  might be well intentioned.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 1960

Sent lads  out to work on new lines while I began listen the anomalies
on an overlay.   Got a drive out to where some of the lads were digging a
trench   22 feet down to bedrock just in case the seam of chalcopyrite 
reached  he surface.  Walked  home.



Got telegram from Toronto concerning the project extension.  










In the afternoon Barney, Billy and I went fishing using a small boat.
We caught lots of mackerel.  Easy.  Just drop in the line with hooks
spaced along it and then haul in the Makerel.  A huge basking shark
swam under our boat…looks like a whale to me.  Baksing sharks  are
not dangerous Barney assured  me   Not so sure…it was bigger than
our boat.

Then we explored two more old mine adits  as deep as we could go.

A  seal followed  us some distance.  The sea  is  not nearly as  nice
as our freshwater lakes in  Canada in my opinion but the adventure
was exciting.  Flattering that Barney included me in the fishing trip.

At night we went to Buckley’s pub, across the road from Kirwin’s 
pub…we played table top football again.   My social life is  tending
to eclipse the business  life.

SUNDAY AUGUST 14, 1960

Rain  again…another ‘soft’ day using Irish parlance.  Spent morning trying to
interpret my results…assured John Hogan this was not professional  opinion.
Then did more expense accounts … i.e. wages  to the lads.  Late in the afternoon
John and I drove to see a movie in Waterford.   Sillhy waste of 25 cents..cost of show.

Posted on

EPISODE 69 BUNMAHON IRELAND ALAN SKEOCH’S JOURNAL WEDNESDAY AUGUST 3 TO AUGUST 7, 1960

EPISODE  69   BUNMAHON IRELAND 


ALAN SKEOCH’S JOURNAL  1960  AUGUST 3, 1960 TO AUGUST 7, 1960


Part of our crew.  John Hogan on the left…Dr. John Stam on the right.  Tommy, second right,  Barney, fourth right, Andy, fifth right.
The staking crew is not in the picture nor are the men and boys that guarded the base line.


Farmer Casey wanted payment for the damage done to his barley crop by our crew. He was very angry and very drunk when 
he confronted  me for the second time..I have forgotten how
he was reimbursed.   Perhaps  paid by John Hogan.  Other farmers were equally irate..


This very pretty hedgerow is made of Gorse…thousands of thorns that cut the flesh  when given a chance. We had to get through
these thorn fences dozens of times a day.  We never knew where the blood sucking ticks hid while waiting for a warm blooded
creature but i suspect many were here.

alan skeoch
June 2020

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 3, 1960

Finished expense account before breakfast.   Then had very successful
day in the field…18,000 feet which kept the lads  moving.  Passed two
dead  steers (cows?) in advanced state of decay.  The smell was terrible…
suffocating.

In evening John Hogan  and I went down to Kirwin’s for a game of
darts and a Guinness

All evening I worked  with our completed  lines…plotting results.  Then planned 
tomorrow’s adventures.  I expect to finish the Turam this week if
the weather and the cattle behave.

THRUSDAY  AUGUJST 4, 1960

This cut in the fields  led down to the cliff face and then down to the sea.   It was in such steep place that an Irish family
raised nine kids while living in a cave.  Believe it?  Maybe.  Sometimes i did not know what was fact and what was fiction.

Spent very full day finishing the base line near the ocean…12,000 feet finished
which  leaves  3,000 feet for tomorrow.  I  will have to close up tis Saturday
unless there is to be an extension.

Saw ruins of a house  half way down a cliff … not really a house.  It is a cave
where an Irish family lived and raised nine children.   Don’t know how they did it.
Barney and I explored the “seven  drifts” …a mine shaft that goes in from the
ocean.   Two great chasms within … including much  loose rock  at a 45 degree
angle…we got part way across the loose rock and the whole face began to
tumble.  We froze.  Then carefully retreated. A dog howled  all the time
we were in the drift.  Was the doge  worried about us?  When we came out
the moon was glowing in an empty sky.  I wonder if that is why the mackerel
are jumping tonight.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 1960

Rose early and wrote my weekly report to the Toronto office.  Then planned
a full day of  work with Turam, Resistivity, Ronka.  The Turam was soon 
finished (5,300 feet).  The resistivity unit was  a disappointment as the motor
will not start.  Then the Ronka was a failure as well.  I decided to let the boys
have a half day holiday with pay  of course.  A very sad day as the lads now  know
the job may come to an end soon. Barney was  close to tears.  Johnny, always
the leader and  senior person, accepted things  passively.  No one was glad
and that includes me.  

The Bally Inn: Ballyaneen, Ireland:  IN this tiny 2 roomed pub gathered a  huge crowd  for a night of music and  dance.  Lots of beer as well.  The music was terrific but
the lyrics of the songs were even better.  Nostalgic music designed to make a grown adult weep.  Absolutely wonderful.  

I took the engine to Ballyaneen in the evening. Then  John and I went to Tramore
and  drove the Dodgems.  then tried the rifle range shooting corks, then 
played  the slot machines…had  a beer, played golf and  then went to a dance.
Bet the boys back in Toronto will not believe this.  Part of my job description as 
told by Dr. Paterson: “Make sure you get along with John Hogan…he is the rep of our client.”

SATURDAY AUGUST 6, 1960

Had trouble  getting out of bed this morning…too much done yesterday..
Did manage to get the lads and the resistivity unit on the job but the
cattle played havoc with the spread wire.  Got some mail from Marjorie
today.  

John Hogan and  I drove to Waterford where I bought a bottle of
Hennesey’s Cognac for the folks back  home.  I do  not even know
what Cognac  is…nor did I know it was French…thought iii was Irish.
Then we went to the afternoon show  “They Came to Cordura”…disappointing
Somehow I managed to spend 97 pounds this week…270 dollars.
I like being in charge…feel confident I know what i am doing.
Getting job done.

Payday…cash based on rate of one pound per day…about $1.40 Canadian per day.  Toronto wondered why we needed  so  many men
but we did.  Everything had to be guarded  from the cattle and other nibbling creatures. I needed help getting over the Irish thorn bush fences
and  to try and avoid long grass where the little ticks were waiting to suck our blood.  Each man got a bonus of cigarettes  and chocolate bars.
Extravagent.

   
My payday arrangement occurs weekly.  the men line up beside the
little shack…a  kind  of  office…I get cash from Mrs. Kennedy and pay
her…then pay the men at rough rate of 1 pound per day ($1.40) which
seems awfully cheap  but that is he going rate in Ireland.  I also give each
man a pack  of cigarettes (10 to  pack, Wild  Woodbine) and  a chocolate 
bar.  Seems sort of silly but I  do  it anyhow.


SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 1960

Woke up to heavy rain on my window…so will have to postpone our
planned trip to the mountain north of us.    Spent morning writting.
Then sky  cleared  so John Hogan and i drove to the mountain
and  had a  grand time stalking mountain sheep and enjoying the
grandeur of  the heather covered  barren land.  Stopped for a look
at a peat bog which was being harvested as blocks of peat for fireplaces.

END   EPISODE 69  BUNMAHON IRELAND JOURNAL OF ALAN SKEOCH             TO AUGUST 7, 1960
Posted on

EPISODE 68 BUNMAHON IRELAND ALAN SKEOCH’S JOURNAL July 23, 1960 TO AUGUST 2M 1960

…HERE IS THE JOURNAL CONTINUED
NOT A LONG PIECE THIS TIME…KEEPS ME GOING
TO GET A STORY DONE EVERY DAY BUT SO FAR
I HAVE MANAGED TO DO IT.  THIS IS MY GIFT TO
EVERYONE SUFFERING FROM COVID 19 ISOLATION
JUNE. 2020


EPISODE 68  BUNMAHON,  IRELAND    JULY 23,  1960  TO AUGUST 2, 1960


ALAN SKEOCH’S JOURNAL


If you look closely you will see a fairy ring…an old  enclosure , maybe a village as old as 2,000 years.   I did not see any fairies.


alan skeoch
June   2020

SATURDAY JULY 23, 1960

Raining heavily…John Hogan sent word he would stay in bed.  Wish I had that
luxury.   Worked  in pouring rain all morning, soaked…the boys are a bit
perturbed.   We only managed to get one moraine done in the Killmacthomas forest.
returned  home for  lunch and got lots of mail.  My slides are good …35mm.
Eric sent nice letter about trip to Manitoulin Island .  Marjorie always  nice to hear
from.  Don Van Every who I worked with in Alaska last summer is now working
at secret radar sites in Arctic for far north.

In the afternoon, Barney, Andy and I entered entered the Knockmahon mine via
an old adit on the face of the cliffs…we spent several  hours in old tunnels…could
not stand up but had to crawl on stomachs in places.  In other tunnels we were
waist deep in water.   We had  to jump over a  shaft…or use old  ladder to crossit. 
Walls are covered with beautiful blues and greens…some pink.




SUNDAY  JULY 24, 1960

Skipped Mass today.  Then had to play pinochle for another few hours…boring.
Then in afternoon John Hogan drove us to Tramore to see movie with Stirling Hayden…
there were 3 adults and 100 kids there  (estimate) in the ‘pit’ which was cordoned off
for them.Then played  miniature golf and had a great fish and chip  supper. 
Visited a pub where bar maid seemed quite interested in me.  then back  home
to more pinochle…damn.

MONDAY, JULY 25, 1960

Finished the long lines in the Kill forest and then entered the big bog.
The boys cut line as I followed with the Turam.  paid Mrs. Kennedy for the
rent of their vans…10 shillings = $1.40 more than reasonable.   Spent 
evening working on the instrument.  Then pinochle.

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 1960

We got a good early start and  managed to cover 18,000 feet of line.  Bitten and
scratched. 

We  passed over a  spot where a German bomber came down in World  War II and
all  escaped  alive.   Barney told me some of the crew visited Bonmahon recently.
Returned home to get mail from Alaska, Florida, Lake Louise and Toronto.  Marjorie
seems in a quandary about next year which is  disturbing.  

The boys  took me down to the pub for a Guinness.  Then one of the farmers
came in raising hell about his barley field which  we had trampled.

Letters from Jim Romaniuk and Mom.

WEDNESDAY  JULY 27, 1960

Rose at 6 a.m.  Pouring ran outside…a soft day in other words.  No chance
of taking day  off.  The boys are grumbling about conditions.  By noon we
were all thorooughly drenched so cancelled afternoon.

The boys  did not like working in the pouring rain.  I was used to doing that in Canada.

The staking crew revolted  when they saw I was gone and they also went home…
can’t blame them really.   In the afternoon John and I drove to Waterford to fix 
his car…Fiat.  I bought mom a  sweater … most expensive I could find at 61 shillings.

In the evening I tried to save as much cable as possible from the cattle.

Got word that job may end  in mid August.

THURSDAY   JULY 28, 1960

 rain again…Steady drizzle all day…but must work…boys grumbling as  rain soaked us.
Managed cover 10,000 feet of line even after the cattle had destroyed a large
section of your base line that had to be repaired first.  We are working in an
Irish  bog…kind they get peat from…ancient ..huge area.   Willy went up to
his waist in bog water on one occasion.  Nasty place.

FRIDAY JULY 29, 1960

Rose at 6 am and wrote for an hour or so.  Began my expense account.  Then
took the lads  out and finished the northern section.   Then we wound up the
base line cable which disappointed Tiny Tim who had to break up his camp
at the grounding rods.   Tim was hit on the head with a sickle … split his
head…made him limited in ability.   Nice kid but so shy he could not look
at me or talk.  Unsure if he can  speak.  Loves job though.  Moved  his
tend into new forested location.  

Had lunch overlooking the sea.  John Stam leaves  This Monday for
Amsterdam  which mean  I will be in charge.   So we went to Kirwin’s
and celebrated sort of with with Guinness as usual. All in good spirits.

SATURDAY JULY 30, 1960

Arose at 6 a.m. and began working at expense account again. Then  John
Stam  and I had a private discussion about the project.  By nine I was
on the job and covered a  fair bit of ground  by 1 p.m.

A bull nearly did  me in from behind but I heard him roar and was
able to dodge his charge.    The boys thought this was a safe field.
No damage but must be careful.  Once I am  harnessed  there is
no chance of  running.  Wonderfujldayh for working.   In  late afternoon
Barney and I visited  an  old adit that had been closed  for the past 50  years
or more.  Mystery legend  told to me by Barney. “Farmer lost a cow
up this  boreen…an old adit.  The cow went in and  could not get out.
died there.  Hidden under that patch of Gorse.   We hired a  man
to clear the spot just incase the legend was true.  We had high readings
over the spot.  Pressure of walled up water caused a minor
explosion of ancient mine water.  Man we hired fled. We let it drain
and  then walked in….yes,walkedin…and there about 60to 70 feet
inside was the skeleton of the cow.  We all shook Barney’s hand.

Cattle are curious  just like people….also omiverous just like  people

SUNDAY  JULY 31,  1960

Awoke at crack of dawn.  Writing.  Skipped church  much to the dismay
of  Bridey, Mrs.  Kennedy  and the boys.  I think I heard  the word Pagan
used in jest.  In the afternoon we drove to Tramore for miniature golf Then
to the pub to celebrates  John’s golfing victory before he left for Amsterdam.
We had  another lousy  greasy fish and chip meal in Tramore.

Another game of pinochle beside the fireplace. 

Tomorrow I will be in charge of the project.  Flattered to be trusted.
Big shoulders.  

MONDAY  AUGUST 1, 1960

Dr. John Stam…off to Amsterdam

Saw John Stam off to Amsterdam.  Braidy cried…hated to see him go.
Got good  start on the job…mended a number of cable breaks.  Everything
seemed to be going well until noon when we were stopped dead by
five farmers who refused to let us on their land.   Tense situation.
Lasted for two hours.  Stand off ended when they realized I was
willing to pay damages.  Farmers…O;Sullivan brothers,  Casey, Welsh,
Fling, Magnar.   Managed  to get some work done in the fields.
Then at night I  started to do  the calculations and plotting.

Farmer Casey came around  drunk and demanding money.

Would YOU expect to be paid if a  mining company came and dug up your farm?  Of  course you would

TUESDAY, AGUSUT 2, 1960

Spent very busy day…10,800 feet of line…had four cable breaks
….cattle…no end  to it…they eat cable everything day then regurgitate
balls of copper wire and plastic.   Little wonder the farmers are upset.
Must plan a way to pay them same amount … big mistake if one farmer
gets more than others.

Washed  and shaved quickly then John  Hogan drove me to Killmacthomas
to see a travelling circus…the John Duffy circus…We sat in the 6 shilling
special reserve  seats.  I felt more like a  spectacle than the circus performers
as people in the unreserved seats stared at us  a lot. The circus was
great….clowns, jugglers, a grizzly bear, horses and  lots of girls.

Below are two pictures of Tom Duffy’s circus…John Duffy might have been  a relative.


www.dochara.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/duffy-340×230.jpg 340w, www.dochara.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/duffy.jpg 1181w” sizes=”(max-width: 691px) 100vw, 691px”>


END EPISODE 68
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Fwd: EPISODE 67 BUNMAHON, IRELAND “WE CSN CRAWL INTO THE OLD MINE THROUGH A HOLE”





EPISODE 67   BUNMAHON , IRELAND” “WE CAN CRAWL INTO THE OLD MINE THROUGH A HOLE”


UNDERGROUND WITH BARNEY DWAN


alan skeoch
June 2020

BARBET  DWAN…”I KNOW HOW  TO GET INTO THE OLD MINE”


THE  RUINS OF THE KNOCKMAHON MINE


THE HOLE BARNEY FOUND…LED INTO THE OLD MINE

“I know where there’s a hole.”
“A hole ?”
“Yes,, a hole in the cliff.”
“So?”
“So we can squeeze through the hole and get into the old mine.”
“You must be kidding, Barney”
“No,  I’ve crawled  into the hole many times.”
“Why?”
“Curiosity.”
“Can you take me there?”
“Sure, this Saturday if you want.”

SATURDAY JULY 23,1960

Note:  Saturday July 23, 1960, I was told  by Barney Dawn that it was
possible tp squeeze through an old adit (an air vent) and actually enter
te Knockmaon mine.   This event was a climax point in the Bunmahon
adventure.   I had a choice.  Take a risk and enter the mine.  Or
play  it safe and  do  nothing other than our surface work.  I chose
the risk taking venture.  Why?  Because I was 21 years old…young
and foolish.  Adventure seeking.  Crawling through that air vent
was not part of my job so, at first,  Barney, Andy and I did  it on evenings
or Sundays.  Later both John Hogan and Dr. John Stam decided
to get involved in underground exploration when we were made
aware of a legend lost cow in an old mine entrance inland from
the sea.   The results of that venture were startling.

So I have decided to give these ventures special consideration…and
a special heading.   A question for you to think about: Would you crawl
through that hole in the cliff face?   Would you do it when you were 21?

GOING UNDERGROUND WITH BARNEY 

That’s Barney Dwan relaxing on the cliffs he knew so well.  Just above him, almost invisible, is the entrance to our first underground

mine adventure.


“See the hole up there?”

“Looks like a break in the cliff face.”
“We can crawl in there quite a distance but
we’ll need flashlights.”
“And  maybe candles just in case the air turns bad.”
“And hard hats in case of trouble.”
“Trouble?”
“There are places  where the ceiling has collapsed..we may  
have to crawl over the rubble…some might be loose.”
“Barney, let’s just keep our options open…if we find  a collapse we can
back our way out.   If we crawl over a collapse then escape is less likely
in case of trouble.”
“Fine.  Only one touchy area and I’ve squeezed over it several times.  Safe
I would  say.”
 

Initially John Stam and john Hogan were not aware of  the mine adits.  When  they discovered we could check  out anomalies
easier than digging trenches they became interested.  Which  led to the legend of cow (still to come).


(And so it began.  Exploration of a different sort.  I did not make a big deal  of our
plan to Dr. Stam or John Hogan.  Sort of a casual mention about an old mine adit
perhaps…”halfway  up the cliff  face directly below the mine ruins”.  Working underground
in abandoned  mines was not a new experience.  I spent a couple of weeks  underground
at Can Met uranium  mine at Elliot Lake.  That was exciting especially when our
flashlights were turned off.   Darkness like I  had  never seen before.  “Seen” is the wrong
word.  We got down deep in the mine using an elevator though.  In mining parlance the term
is ‘cage’ which has a foreboding ring to it. a stope as ceiling bolts gave way and a ceiling
collapsed.  Never close to us though. The pillars had been pulled as the mine was vacated.
Yes, disconcerting.  But Underground at Can Met there gave us
lots of room.  Room enough for mining machines to move along the passageways.  Like a 
highway.

In the Yukon we found some old mine workings that were hand dug but never really deep.
Inside the walls were protected from collapse because the  overburden was frozen deep enough.
That job was exciting in its own way.  Gold dust could be panned  and a few specks I sent
to Marjorie on strips of black electric tape.  More interesting to me on that job was the presence
of mastodon or hairy mammoth tusks and  bones.   The owner of Dublin Gulch had a pile of them leaning against his
cabin.  He gave me a mammoth  tooth about the size of a baseball glove.  Somebody stole it my first
year teaching at Parkdale C.I.

Underground at Knockmahon was considerably more intimidating because we could not stand up.
At times we walked hunched over.  At other times we crawled on all fours.  And, one, just once,
we squeezed on our stomachs through an area where the tunnel (the adit) had collapsed.  Squeezed is the 
right word as  you can see in the picture.  Just enough room to get to the other side.

I am not sure how far we got.   Perhaps to one of the vertical shafts.   At least I think that
was what we found.  We  were crawling along the horizontal adit and came upon a larger
shaft that went straight down vertically.   There was an old mine ladder lying across 
the shaft which we crawled over.  Sounds dangerous but the danger was minimal because
the shaft was filled with water.  The water was clear as  daylight in Our flashlight beams.

I think this shaft went down deep.  Perhaps 300 meters.  A long way down.  At the bottom
there would be passageways  that went under the Atlantic Ocean for some distance according
to mine records  at neighbouring Tankardstown Mine.   Pumps were installed to try and
keep the mine dry.  Sort of dry.  When mining was abandoned in the 1870’s the ocean
flooded all the deep workings.   (P.S.  A video has been made of the passageways and stopes
of the Tankardstown mine.  Just search he internet.)

This  ladder crosses the deep  shaft in the mine that bottomed  out about 300 meter below.  We used the ladder to cross
the shaft.  It was not as  dangerous as  it looked because the shaft was filled with crystal clear water.   We could swim across if
we so desired.


Barney, Andy and I crossed he shaft and continued deeper into the mine where we found
some abandoned  mine tools…shovels I seem to remember.  I think we reached the main
shaft through which the ore was lifted but I cannot be sure.  That was a long time ago.
Five years later, in 1965, I brought Marjorie and my brother to Bunmahon and  we crawled
back in this adit for a short way.  I think we stopped where the roof had collapsed.  By then
Marjorie had backed out remarking “This is crazy,” or some similar remark.  She climbed
down the seashore and waited for Eric and I to emerge.  There was one terrible stink
where Marjorie sat on a rock.  A big dead pig had floated in from the sea  or fallen off
the cliff.   Marjorie did not smell a thing because she was so worried  we would  never
emerge.


Below the cliffs were the broken bodies of  animals that fell.


This adit was remarkably beautiful inside.  In many places the walls were green from
Oxidized chalcopyrite    In other place a deep  dark blue.  And  still others were pinkish.
Samples have been removed  and photographed by the Copper Coast tourist promoters
and displayed today (2020) since the site has become attractive to the general public.
It is even possible to go deep in the mine on escorted tours that must provide access  from
the main  shaft area.  I am not sure if the mine has been drained but doubt it.  That would
cost too much  money for the limited  number of people that might be interested.

In 1960, when Barney and I got out of the adit, I told Dr. Stam  and John Hogan
about the colours on the adit walls.   They tried  to see if the old adit linked up with
some of the anomalies  we found.   We were already hiring crews to dig surface
trenches to check  out anomalies.  Barney’s ‘secret’ tunnels did the same thing with
less effort.

“Any more adits along the coast, Barney?”
“Yes.  There are two big ones almost directly behind  Kirwin’s pub.”
“Safe?”
“Think so…people once hid out in one of them.”
“Hid?”
“Time of the Trouble in the 1920’s…IRA men  lived there…stored
their weapons in one of them.”
“Who knows about them?”
“Everyone knows but they do not tell strangers.”
“Let’s take a look.”




Can you find the adit holes here?



This was an entrance at sea level.



Almost beside Bunmahon beach there was a huge gouge
in the rock.  Sort of a cave.   At the end of the cave was a
hole about five feet from the ground.  Small hole.  Smaller than
the other adit.   Not far inside it opened into a larger
room and then continued horizontally.  We did  not go
much  deeper because the second  adit was  much  more
interesting according to Barney.So  we moved along to
another, larger hole, about 6 feet above the ocean.  High enough that
the storm waves would not be a problem.


Here are three entrances.  The second  from bottom was the entrance we used lest the
sea tide flood the other while we were inside.


“Wow!  The adit leads  into this  large open room”
“Angled room…piles  of broken rock…with some kind
of iron machinery at the bottom”
“What’s down there?””
“May have been an ore crusher…not sure what is down at the bottom.”
“Is the place stable?”
“Don’t know.  Want to try to cross over….the adit continues on the other side.?”
“Sure…but slowly/“

(We had entered to large room about midway up the wall.  In front of us was
jumble of rocks with a 45 degree slope.  To reach the adit on the other side
we had to cross this talus  slope.  We did  so  carefully.  But not careful enough.)

“Damn…damn…damn…the rocks are moving…the whole
slope is tumbling down…”
“Stand still…do not move.”
“Trouble. Can we turn around?”
“Movement is slowing down.”
“Turn around…see if we can get back to the adit.”

(We made it back.   The rock  slide had taken us  down a few
feet before the ricks  got hung up. )

“Let’s get out of here.  Is this the IRA  hideout?”
“So I was  told.”
“On the other side of the loose rock.”
“Maybe.”
“is this your first time in here, Barney?”
“No.  But first time I tried to cross the boulders.”
“Are you putting me on, Barney?”
“Just saying what I was  told.  Apparently they 
lived here…even had  a stovepipe hole to let smoke
of  cooking and fireplace out above.””
“On the other side of the rock slope?”
“Apparently.”
“How did  they get across  when we could not?”
“Beas me.  I do not know.”

(That was  the end of seascape explorations.    Are the holes
sealed  up  now?  Probably. But I do not know. Tourists who want to 
enter Knockmahon mine must have an escort and  prior booking.
Barney Dwan is no loner available.    But Barney’s influence on
our project was not over yet.  His  biggest contribution came one
day when I mentioned we had a big anomaly up a boreen (valley)
about a mile or two North West of Bunmahon.)



Trenches were done at several locations just to check out the geology beneath anomalies
we discovered with the Turam.



“Well. Master Skeoch, there is a story about that place.. Once
around 1900 there was a mine opening dug into the hill.  But
it’s not there anymore because the farmer lost a cow in the
mine so he had the opening covered up with dirt and rocks
Now it’s overgrown with gorse and brush but I can show you
the spot.”

“John, we got big anomaly over there, Barney
says there was once a min opening.  Legend  about
a lost cow.  Is it worth checking out.”
“May as well. “
“Chasing a legend?”
“Let’s do it…Get one of the boys to dig there…will take
a few days…may prove nothing.”

“Dig here…clear the brush and dig straight into
the hill for few feet…see  what you can find.””
“Just me?”
“yes,  you will likely find nothing…then again you
might find a mine opening…maybe even a dead cow.”

(We all found this venture quite amusing.  But there was an 
anomaly … and  a  legend.   We did not hear anything for
two or three days.  Then one of the men came to the Kennedy
house.”


Legend had it that a  cow disappeared in this  old  mine adit (horizontal mine opening).   The legend
led us into one of the great adventures  of the job.


After 3 or 4 days the mine had  drained enough for us to enter.  John  Hogan and Barney Dwan with flashlight.




Other animals seemed to have been trapped here as well.  But where was the cow?

In the still air of a century, crystals had time to form.


Timbering was OK…not great, but OK.


Most of the legendary mine was slathered  with this material.


“He hit something big.”
“Who?” Where?”
“Digging job up he boreen…explosive.”
“Explosive?” 
“He was  digging when suddenly a river of water blasted  out…scared
him badly.  He ran.”

“When will he show up for his
money yet.”
“He will.”
“Must have been quite a scene…shoving the shovel blade into
the slil … then a blast of water under pressure.
“What will we do?”
“Let the shaft drains for a day or so…then we’ll all  go up there
and take a look.”


(Everyone was interested  in the discovery.  We walked inside a few
days  later.  A lot of muck.  Deep rust colour.  Some crystals that had
formed in the stillness of a century.  And best of all, we found the cow.  She
had got wedged in the tunnel…her hips.  She could  not get
out and there she was. Her bones told the story…confirmed the legend.)



And, sure  enough, there was the cow.  Her hip bones must have got caught.  And there she died.  


END EPISODE  67    UNDERGROUND WITH BARNEY DWAN