Alan Skeoch

Year: 2020

  • EPISODE 65 BUNMAHON IRELAND JULY 5, 1960 TO


    NOTE:  All jobs  eventually become routine.  Our job had many failures but those
    became routine.  Our enemy was not the weather or the IRA.  Our enemies were the cattle
    of Ireland.  

    Marjorie thinks some of these stories are too long…so I will shorten the Episodes…which
    means there will be more Episodes.  Lots of weird things happened that should keep
    your attention

    alan 


    EPISODE 65   BUNMAHON , IRELAND   JULY  5,1960 TO JULY 16, 1960


    alan skeoch
    June 2020


    Behold…THE enemies we had to face every single day.  Above.

    TUESDAY  JULY 5, 1960

    Stan Holmes is a very interesting man who has been to every corner of
    the earth.  

    We put in a long day today which included wading across a river.  Cold
    and depressing but still managed to do  6 lines…a record so far on this  job.
    A  long walk home…we really should have a car on this job.  Did you know
    that there are more cattle in Ireland than people?  4.5 million cattle and
    2.5 million people.  Supper was  very nice…food and  stories …tales
    of  Bombay and Casablanca.   John Hogan seems nervous with Stan
    Holmes…why?  Insecure?   

    Big tide is  coming which makes me  worry about our motor generator
    …too close to the sea.  No mail for past two days.

    WEDNESDAY  JULY 6, 1960

    Everything seemed to be going well today until 3 p.m. when we had
    another cable break…cattle chewing cable I imagine.  So I let the men
    off for rest of  day.   John Stam had  a  phone call from Waterford
    asking me to demonstrate the Ronka.  Hitch hiked all the way but
    had to walk  all 11 miles  back  to Bunmahon.  My feet were so  sore
    I could barely climb the stairs.

    Stan  Holmes entertained us with stories of the hill people of
    Tennessee.

    THURSDSAY ,  JULY 7, 1960

    Got up late.  Had one hell of  a  day…hot as hubs of hell.
    Cattle were running through our cable…broke it in 8 places which
    was damn  maddening . Result was we only completed  400 feet 
    of  line.    We saw plenty of rabbits.   I made an arrangement to
    rent Mr. Kennedy’s  van which looks  like a relic  of the 1930’s…floorboards
    gone in place so  we can see the road  go by under our feet.  John Hogan
    and  Stan Holmes left for Wales.  No idea  why.

    John Stam and I has long discussion  of  Catholic Church and
    bias in education.  Relaxed discussion   Mrs. Kennedy  arrived with
    tea for us  and she joined the discussion.

    FRIDAY,  JULY 8, 1960



    Herds of cattle were the biggest problem on the job.  Count these cattle.  They are likely
    carrying balls  of copper wire in their first stomach (cattle have two stomachs) which they
    will regurgitate.  They made work nearly impossible at times



    Got an early start but had mystery problem with our Base Line Cable.
    An  invisible break in the copper line but no brisk in the yellow insulation.
    We spent two hours tracing down the break.  Cattle did  it again.
    The ocean is  a beautiful blue today. Most of  our work was done
    on the hill that rises over Bunmahon village.  Stunning vista.

    Spent part of the evening repairing cable heading.  Then John
    and  I went to the pub for a Shandy.   Returned  and read a
    bit about World War II.   I hear stories about German bombers
    ditching in Ireland…one right on Bunhmahon beach.

    Mr. Kenneday asked for a demonstration of our Turam
    equipment.

    SATURDAY  JULY 9, 1960

    Got an early start.  But all in vain.  Hoped to finish part lines and
    get start on full lines but failed  as we had two breaks in the base line cable.
    It might be worth hiring kids to patrol the base line and keep herds of
    curious cattle away.  But that won’t happen.  

    Horse  drawn caravans like this  could be rented for a  leisurely tour of Ireland.  No danger of thievery in that case.  Real  gypsy  (Tinker)
    caravans were a different matter.    They look the same really.  

    A gypsy caravan moved into Bunmahon today.  The Irish  call the Gypsies
    “Tinkers” and  are a little nervous concerning them…thieves many think.

    In the afternoon I drove the Kennedy van into Waterford which
    was  quite exciting .  “When will the truck quit?” that thought was on
    my mind all the time we were moving.  “Keep moving”  When I stopped
    the truck ….it quit …snd each time I had to get out and start it again
    with the crank.  That happened at stop lights especially.  Maddening
    but also amusing.  Three features of the truck   1) quitting suddenly
    2) smoke coming from the engine.    3) wobbly steering.
    Managed to get the Ronka back from the possible client in
    Waterford…arrived home at 6 pm. and fell asleep immediately.

    We  rented this  panel van from Mr Kennedy occasionally.  It was not dependable.  Every time we stopped at a stop sign
    or behind a herd of cattle, the van stopped and someone had to get out and crank.  This is  John Stam’s turn.

    Heavy rain helped me sleep.  did not need to count sheep.

    SUNDAY  JULY 10, 1960

    The sea  is  very rough today.  Another of those so called  ‘soft’ Irish  
    days which means it is  pouring rain.   John Stam and I walked to St. Mary’s
    church in Knockmahon…on the east side of the Mahon River.  The church
    was full to capacity.   Funny how I have become immune to the stares of
    the local  people…probably the staring is  caused by the fact I do  not know
    when to kneel and when to sit back so I only sit back.

    My confidence in our cook was  somewhat shaken today when a
    rather large gray worm peeped  at me from a piece of pork.

    The new pub law came into effect today  and disrupted the social 
    life of Bunmahon

    I got the resistivity motor generator in operational  order today.

    Then I had my first bath in two weeks.


    MONDAY JULY 11, 1960

    The spring tide rolled in today flooding our grounding site …motor 
    generator got wet…caused  fluctuations in  the voltage.  Salt Water.
    But we still managed  to do 6 fill-in lines.

    We  found one good sized  anomaly in farmer Fitszgerald’s pig pen.
    Speaking of pigs  we also saw a boar with its  ears ripped  off  from fighting.

    In the afternoon I tripped and fell  into a thorn hedge.  Two thorns went through
    my pants into by knee.  About 1 inch deep.   Barney had to pull three times
    to get one of the thorns out of my flesh.   Gouged out.  Severe pain in
    the evening.  Mrs.  Kennedy applied a poultice .  I don’t think I will be
    able to work tomorrow.

    TUESDAY, JULY 12, 1960

    My leg  is  better as  I can now hobble around….but very slow going. To make
    matters worse we had many cable breaks.  Maybe copper wire and yellow plastic is
    tastier than it seems.  Cattle.  Job is getting routine now so we expect massive delays
    as just part of doing business.  

    We passed through an ancient fort today.   How ancient?

    John Hogan returned from London  with many stories and a few 
    goodies  such as a copy of the June issue of Playboy.  The cover passed
    censorship.   Confiscated other things such as  liquor.

    Today is  the twelfth of July…Celebrated in Northern Ireland but not even
    mentioned  down here.  

    I picked three ticks out of my legs this evening.  Nasty little things that are
    almost invisible going in the leg…but bloated with blood coming out  Thankfully
    these three did not get a good start so easy to remove.

    Line mileage covered   4,800 feet





    Picture 1 of 6
    This is the july 1960 cover of Playboy Magazine which John Hogan smuggled  into Ireland when
    he returned from London.   Not very revealing so the border censors let it through.  Collectors copy
    today.  


    WEDNESDAY  JUNE 13, 1960

    Started doing the short lines today…short because of obstructions such as a cliff.
    Covered all short lines on the west side in the morning then had lunch  with
    the boys on the sea  shore  Like a big tourist picnic.  Stunning beauty with no sign
    of any other living creatures.
    Brisk  offshore breeze made big waves.  I  wondered why  Barney sat on top of 
    the cliff during lunch.  “The girls are changing into bathing suits behind the rocks,
    Master  Skeoch…should have told you earlier….  I  gave them all a whistle.”
     Now that could have got
    me into serious trouble, glad Barney did not tell me.

    Just a fast note about my lunch.  Mrs. Kennedhy makes me an elaborate
    lunch each day, often she favour lobster meat sandwiches which I do not
    like.  Sounds great…lobster.  But hard to eat.  Ticklish situation but I
    asked her if she could  make peanut butter sandwiches  
    “Never heard of peanut butter”  So she ordered it from Dublin.  Today
    I had peanut butter by the sea shore while Barney ogled  the girls.

    The afternoon turned very stormy  bit we kept working which did not
    please the crew.  Managed  to get all west side of Mahon River completed.
    (more a creek than a river).   We vsisited the 1500 acre estate of Major O’Shea 
    which was  burned by the IRA in 1921.John.

    Tomorrow John wants me to use the resistivity unit which is a new 
    one on me so I am studying the electronics  manual.

    I asked Mrs Kennedy to mend  my trousers that were torn after too
    many brushes  with the Gorse.

    THURSDAY JUNE 14, 1960

    AH, what a day…up early in morning, wrote some letters and then got
    the crew organized for the day.  Andy must overhaul the resistivity engine
    as there is rust in the fuel pump from just sitting around and not being
    used.  Perhaps problem in tank as  well.

    We finished the Turam statins  on the salt flats quicklythen Ilet the boys knock off
    until noon while I worked on the  resistivity  set up.   Motor is  not operational  so
    went back  to the Turam in the afternoon.  Not nice work as we 
    had three rainstorms.   I managed to sew up my pants in the evening.
    Got letter from home today.

    Tommy and  Andy took up to a pub in Ballyaneen…a singing pub.
    Delightful folk songs sung by everyone.  Andy wanted me to take
    one of the local girls  on a date…Anne Porter.   Not such a good idea.

    FRIDAY JUNE  15, 1960

    Slept Late in my nice warm bed while cold winds blowing from the sea
    We still cannot get the resistivity motor working.

    Mrs. Kennedy told us that there  were living ghosts prowling around…
    I am not sure if  she was a believer or not.  Then John Hogan said
    that ghost stories were told by local miners to disguise  places
    in the Knockmahon or Tankardstown mines where high grade ore
    had  been found.  Now that makes  sense.  Ghost stories were  
    profitable.

    SATURDAY JUNE 16, 1960


    Mahon River, County Waterford…flow through the centre of our survey area.
    I fell into the river once…but not from these high cliffs…much lower cliff
    face…not dangerous but wet.

    Started early today reclaiming base line cable.   Wire  got snagged
    in Mahon river bottom so Tom had to wade in to cut the snag…sounds
    simples but area was thick with Gorse (Brier) and Tom was bleeding
    by time job was done.    I slipped and fell headlong down
    cliff face  into the Main River.  Had to wade  down the river to meet the
    boys.

    A storm blew up in afternoon …violent wind.  at home we lit
    a fire in the fireplace…imagine that in mid July.   In evening
    Andy. Barney and I went to Bjuckley’s pub…the Anglican
    pub in Bunmahon.  We played game of  football ,,, Pub was
    nearly  empty.

    END  EPISODE 66   BUNMAHON, IRELAND   JULY 5 TO JULY  16, 1960

  • EPISODE 63: BUNMAHON JUNE18, 1960 to June 23, 1960

    EPISODE 63    BUNMAHON, IRELAND,  JUNE 18 TO JUNE      1960


    alan skeoch
    June 2020

    Dunhill Castle…I think this is the castle attacked by Oliver Cromwell in 17th century.  Ruins on way to Tramore from Bunmahon.
    (as told to me by Mrs. Kennedy)

    The Kennedy family who hosted us while we did the Turam survey in Bunmahon, Ireland.   Gerald in the foreground
    was a constant companion.  Mrs  Kennedy was  the town leader.


    Saturday June 18, 1960

    “Got up at 8.00 a.m. Late.  Out on job by 9, worked until 3 pm.  extending base line
    from 2400 to 7600 feet over and  through some very rough patches of Gorse  (Briar)
    and  Nettles.   Herds of cattle at various places in he open gulches.  Will cattle be
    a problem?  Unsure. John Stam and I had a discussion about the project.  We returned
    to the pub for lunch which  included  a 2 shilling bottle of Cidona (sparkling cider).
    Returned to our rooms for a bath and  also washed  some clothes.  Then changed
    quickly for a drive to Tramore for games  of miniature golf and an elaborate 5  course
    dinner not including our beer.  Cost 12 shillings, sixpence. Then carried on to
    Waterford for Creme de Menthe and  a movie (Carry on Nurse).  Big time Saturday
    night.  Quite a  contrast to my evenings  in Dublin.”

    One  of the men we hired.  Named John.    Look at the greenery.  Imagine trying to get through this with the Turam console.  Often
    these walls of green were made of Gorse  (Brier)…thousands  of needles.

    Sunday, June  19, 1960


    That is St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in distance….and ing line of row housing on the left.  Housing may  die back
    to time when Bunmahon was thriving mining community of 2,000 people.  Picture taken from ruin at back of Kennedy  home where
    we lived.


    “Today i  attended Mass for the first time in my life.  St. Mary’s Catholic Church in
    Bunmahon is a very simple kind of building that was once the Temperance Hall
    back in 19th century when a spirited reformer persuaded the poor paid miners
    to stop wasting their money on beer and whisky.  Stam and  Hogan are both
    practising Catholics.  We exchange points of view often in a friendly way.
    Going to Mass was not exactly my idea.  Bridey, our maid, arrived in my bedroom
    this morning…ripped off the quilt…and firmly said “Time for Mass!”  She would
    not take no for an answer.  The more I thought about the more I realized she
    was correct.  If we are going to work together in Bunmahon then Mass  on 
    Sundays would help a lot.  Not a very religious point of view I know that.
    Played cards all afternoon then went to Kirwin’s pub for a pint.  Stayed there
    for some time then went for a walk along the sea shore which
    comes right up to the back of the pub.  Startled to find a huge cast iron
    explosive mine that must have floated to the beach in World War I or World
    War II.  Empty of  course. But huge. 

    World War II floating mine … empty.   Sits on Bunmahon beach.



    Talled tp Mrs/ Kemnedy  about Dunhill castle which was stormed by
    Oliver Cromwell way  back in the 1660’s.  She  also got around to mentioning
    the MacPhare group, a Canadian mining company that she said set
    a bad example for Canadians.  I think she liked  us  better…not carousing
    around but spending spare time playing pinochle and miniature golf.
    When she discovered I was a Presbyterian she said “a Presbyterian built
    the new bridge across the Mohan river’  to which  John Hogan responded
    with “Christ that bridge will never last long.”

    I am getting damn tired  of  playing pinochle every free moment.
    But i guess that is better than spending time an money in Kirwin’s
    like most of the local drinkers do.  They really cannot afford it.
    Joke I was told tonight: “A visitor asked When do pubs close?”
    Irish response, “I don’t rightly know…think September”
    Not so funny.  The Irish do  like telling stories and jokes. I  rather
    enjoy that although the dialect is sometimes hard to understand.

    MONDAY JUNE 20, 1960

    “Arose early and wrote Marjorie.  Another Beautiful sunny day. We managed
    to cover 12,000 feet of line.  John Stam came with me.  We now have
    three local employees…Andy, John and Larry.  Tough land today so
    did not get as much done as we had hoped.  Took over with Brunton
    compass for first time.  Worked right through lunch for first time…stopped
    at 6 p.m.  Returned  to Bunmahon to get official notice from Arbuckle and
    company to say Turam would arrive tomorrow. Stopped at pub for a beer
    then home for a grand supper made by Mrs.  Kennedy. I think she likes
    having us in her house because we do  not carouse around although 
    we do visit the pub of which  I am sure she disapproves.  Back to Kirwin’s
    pub after supper and Mr. Kirwin  showed  me his collection of old
    weapons.

    A rather well off man arrived  with his dog and a  shotgun. Dog
    took a fancy to me.  Better the dog than the shotgun.
    Four girls sit on the bench  outside Kirwin’s each  night.
    They seem very interested..   We had another round  of pinochle.
    The village is  coming  alive as we are providing work for more
    and more men.  Terribly low wages.  Embarrassingly so.  How can
    a  man  earning only a pound (about $2.50 to $3) a day afford to
    drink a pint of  Guinness regularly at the pub?

    TUESDAY JUNE 21, 1960

    THE TURAM FINALLY ARRIVED…LOTS OF CRATES.

    Today I went to Waterford to get the crates of Turam equipment.
    Hired the local publicans, Frank  and Kevin, along with their
    ancient Ford panel van.  Picked  up everything including  gas and oil
    then  took the boys to a local pub for a drink.  Bad decision because
    the pub chosen  was a political  hangout.  Did not feel welcome.
    Strange  to call Frank and Kevin ‘boys’ since they are twice my
    age or more.  Of course the  word ‘boys’  here  in Ireland is not
    an age  term.  Unpacked the crates  in the back shed
    of the Kennedy store/farm (it is both).  Shed has become my
    office where the men meet every day before work.  Hired two
    men to help me clean  out the shed and set up a kind  of
    shipping clerks desk.  Andy Kirwin is so shy that he cannot
    even speak to me.  Tom Powell is the  reverse. Not sure
    which I prefer.   John (Irish employee) returned after coiling
    15,000 feet of  insulared wire we had just laid down. Tangled
    as  a result. 

    Big rolls of single line insulated cable became our base line.  This  roll is mounted on a back pack.  Some 15, 000 feet needed. Unfortunately
    herds of cattle loved eating the cable.  When generator was working and a cow or steer bit into the cable there was enough shock to knock
    the animal down…or so I was told by local  farmers irate at what was  happening.



    Wrote letter home after trying a new drink called a shandy…lemonade
    and ale.  Nice to have clean clothes to wear thanks to Bridey  and 
    Mrs.  Kennedy.   Examined  that big explosive mine on the Bunmahon 
    beach.  Locals said it was from World War II

    THE TURAM  EXPLAINED
    (Some readers may want an  explanation)
    Bill Morrison  taught me how to set up and  operate the Turam when we worked together 
    in Alaska…summer 1959.   Once strapped into the Turam mobility was very limited.  The
    long white tube is  filled  with coiled copper wire…very heavy.  Note the cable.   My partner
    keeps a100 foot separation .  He also  has a tube like mine.  A heavy battery pack is attached
    to my belt at the back.  See if you can find my field note book.
     In Alaska it was hopeless to run from a bear.   In Ireland it was
    super difficult to climb the stone fences  covered with Gorse.  Neeldes by the thousands.


    Some readers may wonder “What on earth is a  Turam?”   I wondered the same thing when
    sent to Alaska in the summer of  1959 with a 5 man “Turam” crew.  That summer I learned
    how to conduct a  Turam survey which sounded very complicated.  The practical side of
    doing difficult tasks was easy.  I did  not have to know  everything about the physics of the
    Turam.   All I had  to do  was copy down the correct readings at hundred feet stations
    and then turn the numbers over to expert geophysicists who did the interpretation.  Even
    the interpretation was rather simple.  We were looking for anomalies.   High readings
    that were unusual when compared to the background readings.  In this way it was possible
    to find  areas of high conductivity as would happen if there was a big lump of chalcopyrite 
    beneath my feet.  The Turam could detect such at depths as much as  400 feet
    according to the manual.  

    There you have it.  You are now an ‘instrument’ man or woman.  (Not that simple…there
    were lots  of problems as you will see if you continue to read  my Irish journal).  Below
    is the Wikipedia explanation of the Turam.  It is a bit more complicated than  my explanation.

    No  doubt my former boss, Dr. Norman Paterson, will be sending me corrections.  He is
    thriving and  has recently written a fascinating book on our years of mining exploration
    in which I had a very tiny part. 

     Book:  MINING GEOPHYSICS: A  CANADIAN STORY,
    by Norman Reed Paterson, published by Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, 2019.

    alan

    Turam operating in an Irish grain field.  I do not know if we paid for damages.


    The Turam method is one of the oldest geophysical electro-magnetic methods used for mineral exploration, devised by Erik Helmer Lars Hedstrom in 1937.[1] Its name is derived from Swedish “TU” (two) and “RAM” (frame), referring to the two receiving coils.

    Method[edit]

    An insulated cable a few hundred meters to several kilometers long is laid parallel to the geological strike direction. The cable is either grounded at both ends or laid out in a large loop, and energized at low frequencies (less than 1 kHz). Two receiving coils are moved on lines outside of and perpendicular to the long side of the loop or grounded cable and two components of the resultant field are measured. The primary field generated by the large loop or cable interacts with the soil and subsoil and with a conductive body if present which could be a mineral and creates a resultant electromagnetic field. The electromagnetic field is measured according to two values: the Field Strength Ratio and the Phase Difference occurring between the two receiving coils . It is a fixed source horizontal loop method. Separation of the two moving coils is usually from 10 to 30 metres. Using an AC bridge (also called compensator bridge), Field Strength Ratio is measured in percent and Phase Difference in degrees. In-phase (Real) and quadrature (Imaginary) values can be calculated from these data. Observed field strength ratio readings are used to calculate reduced ratios using a formula determined by the loop size and shape or the grounded wire length and the position of the receiving coils relative to the loop or grounded wire. The Turam method is a frequency domain method and in a way is the precursor of the time domain fixed loop methods. It is claimed to have detected large flat lying conductors to a depth of 400 metres.

    Aside:  I can drive a car even though I do not know the ins and outs of the internal combustion engine.  Same as you.  I also  got to know that there was a master cylinder in our
    old 1953 Meteor.  This cylinder controlled the brakes.  It was  leaking so I had to pump the brake pedal a few times to get the car to slow down or stop.  One day  Marjorie was 
    driving the car as we headed for North Bay.  We were getting very close to the car in front of us.  “Better slow down now.”  Marjorie did not know about the leaking master cylinder so kept
    going.  When really close she softly touched the brake.  Nothing happened.  “Forgot to tell you … master cylinder leaks ..needs pumping a bit.”   Why tell you this?  Because there
    were always  practical  difficulties doing the Turam work.  Like suddenly getting no readings.  Was the machine broken?  Nope.  Problem was usually a  cow in the next field who had 
    decided our yellow base line cable looked edible.  Trouble shooting.  Instrument men like me always faced problems that had a simple answer.  Marjorie’s comment…”Why did  you
    not tell me?”   “Forgot…did not cross my mind…I thought you knew.”  Driving a broken down car and operating a 1937 invented  Turam required  practical skills.  Simple skills.

    WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1960


    ONE end of our base line.  Motor Generator behind the rocky  outcrop.  Not sure this was best place to drive in grounding rods but
    it worked fine.  Needed a man to make sure motor did not run out of gas while we were miles away with instruments.  Sorry the picture
    is backwards.  The Irish government insisted  we have that Danger sign made in both languages.


    Rose early and packed the cable in  our Fiat.  Drove to site we had chosen and then laid
    out our first base line…14,500 feet long…nearly 3 miles.  Very rough going at times.  Installed
    the motor generator near ocean located grounding rods.  Pounded  in grounding rods at
    both ends of the cable.  Them Moment of truth arrived.  Damn motor generator would not start.
    It was  the  gas.  Took some time to figure that out…needed  regular gas.  I did  not know
    what the hell was wrong but managed to bluff my way through while being watched  by
    our new employees lounging along the cliff top.  New men…Andy and Tom.  

    Today I saw my first Irish Hare.  Magnificent runner.  In the evening Hogan and  Stam
    discussed the issue of the local Catholic priest.  Do not know why.  Then back to pinochle.

    THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 1960

    Late getting up after stress of yesterday.  Drove to generator and  did a few tests
    with the tachometer.   Base line cable broken in three places.   Thousand  feet 
    from generator.  Why broken?   Likely cattle or foxes or rabbits.  Chewing the attractive
    yellow insulation.   Repaired.  Also  made repairs to switch  box operating at 660 c/p/s frequency.

    Spent whole day explaining jobs to new crew.  Not so easy. Discovered that Willy cannot count
    and  Larry can’t read.   Of course they did not tell me that.  Why would they?  Feared losing
    their jobs. We only managed to do  two lines.  Lines run at right angles  to the base line.
    Each line is marked with pickets every 100 feet.where readings are taken.  Our Lines
    can  extend as far as 3,000 feet out from the base line.

    Discovered  an old…ancient…bridge buried in a clothing of Ivy.

    Plotted  results in the evening.  We had located two anomalies.  Surprised to do so.

    Received a nice long letter from Marjorie who seems to be having a grand time in Canada.
    Then we went down to the pub as usual.   The owner insisted on treating us  Probably
    felt we were really good for his business.

    END EPISODE 63  BUNMAHON, IRELAND





  • EPISODE 62 BEGINNING THE JOB…ADJUSTING TO AN OLD WORLD

    Note:  It has  been a  long time since I did this job…61 years…so  I hope those of
    you who are professional geophysicists will forgive my memory and my ignorance.


    EPISODE  62:  BEGINNING THE JOB



    As early 1500 Danish sailors noticed blue, green and  pink  stains on the cliffs along the south coast of  Ireland.  Samples  from 
    the Knockmahon and Tankardstown mines show  the bright green and blue oxidized  minerals.  The boom years for mining
    were 1826 to 1877.   Around 1840 these mines  were of  world wide significance.  Since 1877 the area has been in decline…sadly so  for
    many local residents… fortunately Bunmahon and Knockmahon  have
    become a tourist attraction recently now renamed  the Copper Coast.   If you want a project see if you can find  holes in the cliffs
    through which two young men could crawl and thereby enter the century old Knockmahon mine.




    alan skeoch
    June 2020

    Tuesday June 14, 1960

    I spent a terrible night.  My whole body  twitched…nerves.   Got up and wrote a 
    letter to Marjorie.  I think the 13 days spent in Dublin waiting to get going on rhe
    job was the reason for the twitching.  In the morning all was fine.  My room
    in Mrs.Kennedy’s house is quite  large…big enough for three religious Ikons which
    did not help me sleep.   Above my bed there is large picture of Jesus with his
    chest opened  to his heart.   The picture must be comforting to some people
    but I found it made me uncomfortable.  Imagine yourself lying in bed and looking
    upward.

    The meals  prepared  and served  by the Kennedy
    family are very good. Mrs. Kennedy runs the show with grace
    and a bit aloof.  She also turned  out to be the moral  conscience of
    Bunmahon and she was not afraid to say so.  I  think she is also nervous.  
    Mr. Kennedya does
    not talk much.  He spends his time farming while Mrs. Kennedy
    operates the only store in the village selling essentials from clothing
    to non perishable canned goods and hardware.  The store is dark
    on the inside.  Not much business because most villagers seem to
    be unemployed.  Both their children are charming.  Especially Gerald
    who suffers  from Downs Syndrome which  makes  him very interested
    in our project.  There is  a fifth member of the household who is  exclusively
    Gerlad’s caregiver and  partner…their black Labrador dog.






    A GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST:  KNOCKMAHON MINE CIRCA 1900 (speculating the mine could  be reopened)


    Knockmahon Mine Test:  This photograph was taken around 1900.   Imagine you
    were down in the mine 30 years earlier, around  1970.


    1) What is  the difference between the men in white coats and the other men? 
      Why would those four men wear white jackets?
    2) No one seems happy but which group is distinctly unhappy?
    3) Why are they carrying candles that are lit?
    4) Can you find the basic mining tools?
    5) What is the purpose of that metal reinforced bucket?
    6) Where in the mine  would  you guess they are standing?  Stope, Passageway,
    Shaft?
    7) What do  the high rubber boots worn by the white coated men tell you about 
    conditions underground…and perhaps how deep in the mine the men are standing?
    8) What footwear are the others wearing?  Does this say anything?
    9) Notice the ladder.  How many ladders  would be needed to get here at
    the 100 foot level of the Knockmahon mine?  Miners descended  in the dark.
    10) What does the rope indicate about the Knockmahon Mine?
    11) How did miners find their way from place to place in the mine when there
    was no light other than candles (for oxygen test) and Kerosene lanterns (which
    were dangerous).
    12) No mine carts visible. Odd?
    13) Who  would take this  kind  of work?
    14) Feeling the way up, down and through  a pitch black
    mine is dangerous.  Also it could be fatal if a ladder rung
    broke. (which happened)  Who looked after injured miners?
    15) Did children  work deep in the Knockmahon mine.  Take a guess.
    16) What work  could  women and girls do in the Knockmahon
    mine operation.   Take a guess.
    17) Why were many of these men originally from Cornwall?
    Hint: What was special about the geology of  Cornwall.  Search
    and  find  out.

    One Fact:

    Did you know that the miners had to bid for their jobs?  i.e. If a miner wanted
    access to high grade ore, he had to bid  for the location. How did  this system
    of bidding function?



    Ladders were left in position when the mine was abandoned in 1877.  

    Main Streetupload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/Main_Street_Bunmahon_-_geograph.org.uk_-_708592.jpg/500px-Main_Street_Bunmahon_-_geograph.org.uk_-_708592.jpg 2x” data-file-width=”640″ data-file-height=”480″ style=”border: 0px; vertical-align: middle;” class=””>

    “Alan, what can you tell me about Bunmanon?”
    “Well, the village is at the mouth of the Mahon River…’ Bun Mahon’…located on the
    western edge of Waterford County,  Southern Ireland.  Overlooks the sea.”
    “Peculiar rock formations were noticed by Danish sailors long long ago.  Greens, blues, pinks…strange
    colours caused by oxidation of metal ores, principally  copper.  Some lead. Some cobalt…perhaps some silver.”
    “Tunnelling began from the cliff face… tunnels called adits are still there but hard to find.”
    “Not much left of the old  town. But once in the 1850’s and  1660’s there were 2,000 people live here.”
    “Hardly 100 in 1960.”
    “What happened?”
    “The Knockmanon mine thrived for a few decades then the seams of copper ore just
    petered  out.  And most of the miners boarded immigrant ships for jobs as  miners
    in the United States.”
    “Bunmahon is almost a ghost town.”
    “Not quite.  Kirwin’s pub is thriving and will do even better now  that you are here, Alan.”
    “Strange thing about Bunmanon is the strong presence of a Temperance Movement…the old
    Temperane Hall  is now the roman Catholic Church.”
    “But there were once 21 pubs.”
    “There would have been a  lot more if the Temperance people had not been present.”

    “Why are we here in 1960?”
    “World is  worried about copper reserves  because of  Idi Amin in Africa.  So Dennison Mines
    thinks maybe a good supply of copper ore  was missed  by 19th century mining methods.”
    “A lot of people are counting on us….dream of reopening the mine.”
    “Massive unemployment in Ireland.”
    “Wages of those working is as low as one  pound a day…about $2.50 Canadian.”
    “Maybe  we can help for a couple of months.:
    “And if we are successful Bunmahon may come alive again.”
    “What are the chances?”
    “Mining is a crap  shoot…win some, lose many.”



    THE CANADIAN TEAM:  STAM, HOGAN AND SKEOCH



    Dr. John Stam, John Hogan and  I had  our first glimpse of the old Knockmahon mine,
    The ruins are impressive  … not far from a hundred to two hundred foot cliff face that goes down  
    to the sea.  Stark.  Beautiful.  Intimidating.  Mysterious. All those and more
      John Stam  took over as leader of the project.   He has a phD in geophysics…knows
    how the earth works…the magnetic
    field that is an envelope around our world. It shields us from solar radiation
    Without that shield life could not exist.  At Least life as we know it.  The magnetic field is
    not uniform.  There are blips where minerals are concentrated.  These  minerals
    …copper in particular…elevate our lives.  Electricity…power to elevate us lowly
    humans from a brutal  dog eat dog existence to a life where books, romance, food,
    music…the finer things  in life are taken for granted.  Dr. Stam will spend his life in search 
    of copper.   

    What creates this magnetic field?  The molten core of the earth is a dynamo.

    John Hogan is a geologist employed by Denison Mines to sleuth out those pockets 
    of minerals concentrated  here and there in the earths crust.  Hogan deals
    in minerals he  can  touch.  Mmierals he can crack  with a hammer.  In truth, John Hogan
    does  not have that  specific job here in Bunmahon.  He really is  sent to
    oversee what we are doing.  He is a watchman.  I was instructed to pretend I was
    a permanent employee who had worked for the company for years.  Part of that
    was true.  But I was really just a summertime person.  Best to just button my lif.
    John Hogan is A nice guy.  Both Johns, Stam and Hogan, 
    spend a lot of  their time in the big drawing room we have rented.   They will take the numbers
    from my field book and  plot them on graph paper  looking for anomalies.   Looking for
    evidence that there  is something unusual  beneath our feet.



    My job is important.  I am not just a ‘hewer of wood and  hauler of water’.  At least I like
    to think that is  the case.  Professionals in the mining business might differ. My job is to
    use  sophisticated geophysical instrument called the  Ronka and the Turam that pump 
    electricity into the ground via a
    mile long grounded cable… an artificial electrical field … a loop cmpleted via the rock.  Electricity forced
    into the overburden  and rock  beneath my feet.  An anomaly is a blip.  ff the background
    readings are 20 let’s say…just an imaginary number.   And  all around the readings on my
    console are 20 then nothing is found.  If however the console readings suddenly  jump to 30 or
    40 or 50 over a particular location then we have an anomaly.  We have something odd…maybe
    we have a pocket of chalcopyrite.  Maybe we have a  mine. Maybe we have nothing which
    is true most of the time  Geophysical  prospectors are dreamers as much as gold  banners
    were in the Yukon.  Must ask Dr. Paterson how many mines he has found.

    But the area east of Bunmahon has already been a mine in the 18th and 19th centuries.  Miners from 
    Cornwall lived here.. .They blasted and dug their way down into the bowels of the earth extricating
    lumps of copper ore.  They blasted there way under the sea for hundreds of feet.
    When the ocean  leaked into the depths of the mine, pumps were kept going to
    keep the stopes  open.  Once down  deep they hammered chunks  of ore free from the rock 
    and  had these chunks hauled up to the light of  day where they were processed into copper
    post, pans, wire…mostly wire.   Copper wire carries that mystery of mysteries called electricity.

    If  the Knockmahon mine  was mined out then  why are we here.  we are here in hope that the
    Knockmahon mine overlooked seams  of chalcopyrite.   Nineteenth century mining was less 
    sophistcated.  We could do better.  Arrogance.

    Bunmahon was once a boom town with 21 pubs and a population of hundreds, perhaps thousands.
    All  dependent upon the riches processed from seams  of  copper.  In 1960 only two pubs survived
    Kriwin’s was  the Catholic pub and across the road was the much  smaller Anglican pub.  It surprised
    me to discover that drinking beer and sipping whisky was considered a religious addiction.

    The social life in Kirwin’s was focused on a dart board.  But most patrons came to drink
    beer…pints of  Guinness principally.  Our social life initially centred  around games
    of pinochle played in our suite of  rooms.  Hogan and Stam  seemed content 
    playing cards.  I went along with them for a while but soon found that isolating
    ourselves  from the community was rather stand offish.   

    A man approached us first evening.  “would  there be any work I can do for you fellows?”
    And so began our hiring program.   Eventually we hired most of the villagers and many living
    in cottages on nearly forgotten gravel trails where once there were streets in better times.

    Wednesday June 15, 1960

    “Rose early for a fine Irish  breakfast.  The Kennedy house is cold.  Unpacked the 
    Ronka instrument and test operated it along the roadway.  The machine did not
    work!  What was I to do? Had that sinking feeling.  We have flown thousands of
    miles…sent crates equipment…made promises…and then find  the machine
    does not work.  My fault?  So I Spent afternoon checking connections and  found break  in 
    a cable connector.  Fixed it.  Amazed  at myself.  Went to lumberyard and ordered
    1,000 stakes  for linocutting crew.   Stake every 50 feet for readings.  We  planned
    a  grid  for Turam readings once equipment arrives.  Meanwhile we will use the
    Ronka.   Ocean waves are huge today.  Mrs  Kennedy laid  out a grand supper for us.
    Played pinochle all evening with Stam and Hogan.”

    Thursday  June  16, 1960

    “Heavy fog this  morning…damn cold without proper clothing. Poppies grow wild  
    everywhere.  John Hogan and John Stam wanted  to go to some kind  of special 
    Catholic  Mass today but the car would not start.  I took the Ronka and worked
    the whole  day  doing 62stations, 3 lines, dual frequency.   Surprised  by the 
    number of  old  mine shafts here and there across the fields.  Dangerous…open.
    One big shaft is being used as a garbage dump recently filled  with huge pile of
    glass milk bottles.  Strange they were not saved…risky to rescue  any. Lots
    of  donkeys and horses…thatched grooves. Bunmahon has two couches one
    of  which is closed and  cemented up.  Protestant.  For some strange reason  
    Mrs. Kennedy told me about a local author (female) who wrote ‘dirty’ books
    about Ireland but the books are banned in Ireland.  The Priest says ‘burn
    them!”  But she never said the book title.  People approach us everywhere
    for jobs.  I saw a badger today.  The brier patches  are nasty…thorny…pierce
    flesh.  After plotting results we played  pinochle all evening.  Seems we could
    be doing something more interesting.”




    Friday June 17, 1960

    “Oh what a beautiful morning…Oh, what a beautiful day!  Well, things did not
    quite work out that way.  T he morning, yes…beautiful. The afternoon…not so great.
    While  busy staking the intervals I fell headlong into a six  foot deep briar (gorse)
    patch filled gully.  Ripped  skin on arms  and tore my pants.  Lay there for
    15 minutes swearing…every word I knew and then some.  Face down surrounded
    by thorns making each  move torture.  Survived.  A learning situation.  Managed
    to get 2,400 feet of survey data from the Ronka.  Later I phoned Timlin in Dublin.
    The Turam crates  have arrived but is currently getting customs clearance. Who
    knows how long that will take.  Got letters from home but none from Marjorie.
    Drove to lumberyard at Kill to order long pickets…short ones no use.  Then drove
    on to Waterford to make insurance was in place. Bought socks at 50 cents a pair.
    Then dropped in to Doolan’s Bar.  Doolan himself was there.  Doolan’s was 
     100 years old…current Doolan must be son.  Noted many beggars on the streets
    of Waterford.  Drove back to Bunmahon to meet the local police  officer just to
    let him know what we would  be doing.   Herds of  cattle on the road…sheep as
    well…then donkeys and  wagons.   Made it back to Kennedy’s  in time for supper
    and pinochle.  We are being approached by men needing work constantly.”

    END PART TWO:  BUNMAHON JOB IN IRELAND


  • Fwd: EPISODE 61: UNFORGFETTABLE SJUMMER 1960….13 days in DUBLIN, IRELAND THEN SOUTH TO THE KNOCKMAHON MINE SITE




    EPISODE 61   SUMMER 1960…SENT TO IRELAND TO SEE IF AN ANCIENT MINE COULD 
    BE REOPENED.  

    alan skeoch
    June 7, 2020

           Too Long?  I know that.  Stick with me…the job will get interesting.

           I was 21 years old when I wrote this journal.  I am now 81.  Please  keep that in mind and try to imagine
           yourself at that age.  Dr. Norman Paterson, geophysicist with Hunting Technical and Exploration
          Services put a big responsibility on my shoulders.  The Irish contract…to see if  an ancient copper
          mine at Knockmahon, County Waterford, Southern Ireland, could be reopened.  Why me? Simple
          answer was the I knew how to operate the Turam, a sophisticated instrument in the search for
         copper mineralization.  I was just a kid…as you will see.  A lonely kid in Dublin.
         They gave me 200 pounds expense
        money never expecting I would have to live  in Dublin for 13 days.  But I managed…thanks to
        the Guinness Brewery, meat pies and the generosity of the Irish. I was lonely. I worried that I would cost
       the company too much so lived as frugally as possible. Some of the entries
        you will read may seem humdrum.  That’s because  you are no longer 21 years old.


    This is my journal…the beginning  of a great adventure.

    IN DUBLIN’S FAIR CITY

    alan Skeoch
    Journal June 1 to June 13, 1960
    (No one predicted I would have a two week holiday in Dublin)

    This is the ancient Knockmahon copper mine on the south coast of Ireland.  That
    was my destination in 1960 but it would take 13 more days to get there. Meanwhile
    I lived in Dublin.


    Dublin, quite a city.  Circumstances prolonged my stay in Dublin so let me give you a short impression.
    First thing is the city smells…Jacob’s cookie factory, Guinness 62 acre brewery, Tea shops and horses. The
    smell is intoxicating.  The main street, O’Connell Street is wide and busy and for the most part happy in spite
    of bullet holes deliberately left to remind Irish people of the ‘time of the troubles’.   The people are super
    friendly…policemen who paid my bus fare, citizens who helped me find my way, and one family…the Behan’s,
    who sort of adopted me.   Lots of pubs to visit.  Lots of meat pies and sweet rolls to eat.  Trees!! Lots of them
    and a huge 700 acre park near the city centre.  Problems?  Of course.  Some obviously deranged people
    here and there.  Violence?  Never had trouble except one incident that I foolishly precipitated myself.
    To top the visit off, I was able to see The Quiet Man, the charming John Wayne, Maureen Ohara, and’
    Barrie Fitzgerald movie about an Ireland that seemed mythical but turned out to be true.  Some Irish might
    resent the stereotypes  but I thoroughly enjoyed them with no expectations they would be part of
    my experience on the Bunmaahon job.  But so much happened that was similar.   Not that I  felt I
    was  John Wayne.  I was however a North American stepping into a cultural milieu of which I was
    unfamiliar.

    MYJOURNAL:  I thought it was lost until by good fortune in April, 2018, I found it among some old  books in the cellar.  Quite amazing detail.


    JUNE 1, 1960


    Smooth flight across to Ireland with Air Lingus.  No one there to meet me so I can do whatever I please I guess.
    Dublin is  a beautiful city with throngs  of people on OConnell Street.  Friendly.  Girls are very pretty.  Visited
    the art gallery and then the museum like a normal  tourist.  Had to remind myself that I was not a tourist .
    Found offices of Arbuckle – Smith and Company only to discover our Turam shipment had not arrived yet.
    Called Barrie Nichols in Toronto to let him know there will be a delay then went shopping for shirt and shoes.
    Supper was no good. Toured Gresham Green.  Called  Mrs.  Behan who  invited me out to their house 
    tomorrow when Kevin Behan gets back from Italy. Very tired.  Fell to sleep three times during the day. Being
    alone is not that enjoyable.  Need other people to make life really interesting but it looks like I will
    be stuck here in Dublin for some time.  No point in heading south the County Waterford and  village of
    Bunmahon without all our crates of instruments. Toured Gresham Green.







    Huntec had booked  me into the high class Gresham Hotel expecting my stay in Dublin would be short.
    But our crates of equipment did not arrive for nearly two weeks.  The Gresham was fancy and expensive
    .  NO one told me the breakfasts were included in the room price.  I skipped breakfast
    for a week to save the company money as my expense check was only 200 pounds…not enough
    for me to stay at the Gresham so after a week I found a  cheap hotel in Clontarf, the Hollybrook, where
    I seemed to be the only guest and the staff made it clear my breakfast as  included.  Even then by the
    end of my stay in Dublin the money was  almost gone.









    June 2, 1960

    I woke up late so  skipped breakfast and walked to the Department of Justice to get my work clearance.  Had to prove I was doing
    a job that nn Irish person could not do.  Lots of unemployment here.  Looks like my training on the Turan E.M. unit has put me in a
    special  spot.  Few people know how to run it…and it is quite complicated…motor generator, base line a mile or so long, two receiving 
    coils with 100 for separation,  a console, picketed lines running 3,000 feet from the base line at right angles, etc.  Had to explain
    this  to an official.  Tough situation.  Never expected to be grilled.



            


    After that I took a bus to the the Guinness Brewery at St. James Gate, Since I had no bus fare the chap beside me paid my fare.
    Guinness is the national drink of Ireland, unless you are a non-drinker.  What a rare privilege to see this massive brewery in operation.
    They even have big draught horses harnessed to wagons loaded with barrels of Guinness to be delivered to pubs in Dublin.  The smell
    of the horses and the Guinness is wonderful to me.  The tour included a pile of Guinness post cards featuring men lifting bull dozers
    or pulling beer wagons with the horses as passengers. Humourous.   And the end of the tour was best. We all got a full pint of Guinness…
    my first.  I wasn’t to struck on the black liquid at first but soon overcame that problem.  Seems a tourist can have as much as he or she
    wants but I stuck to one pint.  I should have eaten breakfast. Felt a bit woozy…warm and woozy.  Not staggering.

    Ah, yes, Guinness is the national drink of Ireland… made from barley, hops, yeast and water.  That does not sound complicated.  
    Why is the beer black?  Roasted barley rather than malted which makes a thick creamy head on the pint.


     The thickness of the head is achieved by passing the beer through
    nitrogen…smaller bubbles result.  Guinness is so thick that each pint needs  time to settle.  
    Is Guinness really ‘good for you’ as the advertising says on billboards across  Dublin?  Some call Guinness ‘a meal  in a cup’ …198 calories
    per pint …less than a pint of milk.  Drinkers  of Guinness get an ‘enhanced feeling of well being’ , an advertising statement frowned
    on by the government.  Created in 18th century by Arthur Guinness
    and apparently one of the most consumed beers worldwide.  Guinness does seem to be good for drinkers though…lots of healthy 
    antioxidants…like fruits and vegetables…slow deposit of bad  cholesterol on artery walls. Or so the story is told.  My ‘meal in cup’
    certainly replaced breakfast and gave me an enhanced feeling that the world around me is good.  So there you have it…obviously

           I took the tour to heart.


    This  is  high tea at the Gresham Hotel where I stayed for the first week.  I did not know
    Breakfast was included in the room rate so  skipped  breakfast for that week.  Fancy
    hotel but very unfriendly.



    Bought some tomatoes  and meat pie to eat in my room while reading a book. Sort of lonely feeling…needed
    a pint of Guinness I guess but afraid to go into a pub alone.  Not fear just felt being solitary would be uncomfortable.
    Contacted a sign painter as Ministry of Justice insisted I have a road sign saying Danger in both English
    and Irish.  This will take some time to do…will pay extra to get faster work done.  Decided to go back to
    the Guinness factory , now have bus tokens, but found place closed.  Got some good pictures though.

    I was startled by a crazy woman in middle of the cobbled street near St. James Gate.  She was covered in
    blood while singing and dancing and jumping around.  Very sad.  She even relieved herself by lifting her skirt
    and pissing without care.  Most on lookers did not stop…treated  her as if a normal situation.  I kept walking 
    as well.  Returned to my room to finish off the meat pie.

    Phoned down to The Kennedy’s to see if  gear had arrived.  No luck.  Our crew of three will be staying with
    the Kennedy family in Bunmahon.  

    Then I bought some flowers and took a bus to the Behan home.  Mrs. Behan poured tea and a little later
    Kevin Behan came bursting on the scene.  He had just landed from Italy.  Grand fellow.  He took me to a
    pub for another Guinness.  Driving back he tried to run over a ‘teddy boy’…or at least to scare him.  ‘Teddy
    boy’s are street gang members I assume.    Then he drove me home to my hotel room.

    I Was quite surprised at Kevin’s hatred of these Teddy Boys.  Seemed just like rock and roll kids to me…couple 
    of my friends had the greased  down haircuts although most of them had brush cuts and  were not nearly as 
    fancy  dressed as the Irish Teddy Boys who tried to wear the fancy clothing of Edwardian England.  Some Teddy
    Boys did run in tough gangs though.   I think Kevin Behan’s hatred was triggered by the Notting Hill race Riots in
    London where some 300 Teddy Boys targeted black people using iron bars and butcher knives.  That was really bad
    but most Teddy Boys were just mild rebels like a lot of kids in my high school days back in Canada.  I kept my
    mouth shut.  Maybe Kevin had a bad experience. To me those Teddy Boys and Teddy Girls wereThe kind of kids  that loved 
    the movie Blackboard Jungle.  I did not tell Kevin that I skipped school one afternoon just to see the movie.
    Gutless.




    Teddy Boys, so names by their Edwardian dress, were seen as rebels.  Really they looked
    much like the Rock and Roll kids so common in Canada  in 1950’s and 1960’s.


    June 3, 1960

    I woke up at 9 and made my so called breakfast…crumpets and Quosh, an orange  fizzy drink.  Then went to see Mr. O;brien about maps
    and he in turn sent me to the Ordinance Survey Office in Phoenix Park.  What an immense place… with so many cattle I could
    not count them.,,and a herd of wild deer that had been there since the 17th century Got maps of old mines in western part of County Waterford. 
    Not sure they will be of any use at all. 
    Spent rest of  day
    walking through PhoenixPark. A bunch of soldiers were lawn bowling at one spot.  Then visited the Dublin Zoo.  Wish I hadn’t because 
    when I put the lens of my camera  close to the monkey enclosure one big monkey jumped  at me with sexual intent.  

    What generous people…an off duty policeman paid my fare back to my hotel.  Bought sausage rolls, buns and tomatoes
    for my supper…alone in my room…saving company expenses.  Phoned  Mr. Timlin, our shipment of crates from Canada have arrived in Liverpool.  Went to a movie after which
    I was cornered and badgered by a family of beggars on a side street…five them…really dirty.  Dangerous.  My nice feeling of independence is turning into
    loneliness.  Wrote letter to Marjorie and went to bed.



    Phoenix Park has large herd of semi wild deer that have been there from the 18th century




    Streets of Dublin, in 1960, still had presence of horses.  This man was just leading four of them casually
    down the street…note evidence of Horse manure indicating this was not an unusual sight.  a hundred years
    ago these horses numbered in the thousands.  i.e. There were 100,000 horses  in London in 1850 and  Dublin
    would have about the same.  Dung abounded.  Human escrement was eventually linked

            to outbreaks of  Cholera because water supply was contaminated with manure.


    June 4, 1960

    Got up late, very late…around noon.Went to bakeshop for my  breakfast (tomatoes, meat pie, crumpets). Spent most of the day absolutely bored.
    Phoned  Kevin Behsn and went over to his house in the evening.  Their daughter Yvonne was very cute showing me her pictures.  Kevin and Mrs Behan
    took me on the rounds of the local pubs.  Made me feel like home. One pub hd  a creek running through the middle of it, another pub was a castle…ended
    evening in fish and chip  store.  I was startled to see so many Presbyterian churches in Dublin…thought all churches would be Catholic.  The I.R.A. had
    a rally on O;Connell Street.   Met Joe Malone.  This is a strange summer…first prospecting job with so many people
    around me.  Not the usual  wilderness  of black flies  and endless  boreal forest. All the Catholics I have met so far have been quite wonderful.
    I expected hostility but found none so far.

    June 5, 1960

    Rose early and phoned Dr. John Stam in Holland. He will join me in Bunmahon once our crates get here.  Went to the Gresham  Green Unitarian Church
    where Rev. Hicks was quite funny and very British.  Then he spoke about the absence of national Birth control as a cause of war… citing the Irish lady who had 24 children and 
    her daughter who had 15.  I suppose that could be a criticism of Ireland’s Catholic majority and the church influence.  But I think his real point was that
    overpopulation of planet earth would lead to the three horseman of the apocalypse…famine, plague and war.  

    Caught a bus to Kevin and Ronnie’s house where Yvonne was very friendly crawling all over me.  Then we went for a very nice drive in the country.
    Many old  castles.  Had ice cream. Mrs. Behan had a nice supper during which Yvonne gave me a carnation.  Yvonne is 6 or 7 years old.  Then Kevin
    took me to a pub where we discussed the Irish Republican Army…kevin concluded that “the poison is being drawn out’.  But there are still machine guns
    on the border.  I took a picture of the family.  Kevin informed me I would be wise to find a better hotel.  Why? Because my fancy hotel had never informed
    me that Breakfast was included in the bill…I had been skipping breakfast or just having another meat pie just to save Huntec and Dr. Paterson some 
    money.  My stupidity I guess.  Hotel was so high class  that nn one spoke to me at all.  ‘Snob hotel’


    What wonderful people…Kevin and Ronnie Behan.  They sort of adopted me for my stay in Dublin.  Their oldest, Yvonne, was  really
    a little charmer.  She was so glad to see me each visit that her greetings made me feel embarrassed.  The Behans made such
    an impression that Marjorie and I named  our first born Kevin.

    June 6, 1960

    Today is a national holiday in Ireland.   Took a bus to Malahide and walked back to hotel.  A farmer struck up a conversation in which he said
    “Irish people are the laziest people on the earth”…strange comment, perhaps  made as a joke or maybe to draw out an anti-Irish comment from me.
    Got caught in deluge of rain while walking to Kevin’s house.  Soaked.  Yvonne and family very glad to see me.  Sincere.  Took a drive to the North Harbour
    which was charming except for the fact some man committed suicide there.  Went to a pub then returned to the Behan  home for ’tea’ which  is a misnomer
    for a full supper…then watched BBC television for a while before taking whole family to the movie ‘Who Was That Lady’

    On Kevin’s advice I made plans to move to the Hollybrook Hotel in Clontarf…cheaper, friendly, with full breakfast.

    Picked up a strange fact…Ireland has the lowest marriage rate in the world.

    June 7, 1960

    Received word  from McNabb and  Timins that the Ronka has arrived but no sign of the Turam.  Moved my bag to the Hollybrook Hotel
    on the Howth Road … had  a nice pastoral setting and comfortable old pub kind of registration desk.  Decided to tour the Guinness  Brewery
    again.  “Will you be wanting another pint, lad?” said  the man who joined the tour but did not drink.  “Temperance…call us Pioneers over here.”
    Later I decided to line up at Dublin University to see the Book of Kells, an illustrated manuscript.  

    The BOOK OF KELLS…

    An unfortunate event happened while standing in line to see the Book of Kells.  Mostly my fault. I tapped the shoulder of the man in front of me and asked:

    “Are you Irish?”
    “No, Scottish…visiting.”
    “Is this University secular?”
    “What do  you mean by that?”…  he said  in rather angry manner
    “I mean is it attached to the church or the state?”
    “What do you mean by that?”…  he got more angry, I could not see why.
    “Just wondered.”
    “Are you Catholic?”… now he was really angry, perhaps disturbed. 
    “Born Catholic but not so any more.”  Bad  comment on my part…a mistake…like waving a red flag in
    front of a charging bull. 

    At that remark the guy went wild.  Seemed to want a fight.  I decided best course of action was to get
    the hell away from him but he followed me yelling who knows what for his accent was thick. A policeman
    rescued me and advised I take a  long ride on the bus and  keep  away from throwaway comments about
    religion.

    Why did I say that remark…Why trigger animosity?  It was  a  mistake, of course, but I was thinking back
    to the St. Skeoch legend.

     Our Skeoch relatives, ancient kind, were Catholic.  Most Scots were in the early centuries.  And there was 
    a  connection with the Book of Kells and the Scottish Isle of Iona.  A misty connection…likely  false.  A connection even more ancient than
    the 10th century Book of Kells.  At some point I had heard or read that St. Skeoch was one  of the 12 disciples
    of St, Columba  when he left (fled?) Ireland  in the sixth century for the Scottish Island of  Iona.  At that time
    the use of the term saint was loosely interpreted…i.e. without the approval  of Rome.  Was St. Skeoch one
    of the twelve?  Rome had no records but there are places  in Scotland where this St. Skeoch is mentioned.
    Maybe our family legend about the rescue of two boys on the Bloody fields of Bannockburn was true.  And
    the St. Skeoch convent could have been a St. Skeoch monastery.   All perhaps nonsense since much relies
    on hearsay.  All this was in my mind as lined up to see the Book of Kells.  Were our roots  as much Catholic
    as Presbyterian. So there are the  roots of my throwaway  comment that I was  ‘born Catholic but gave it up.’

    What was I really doing?  Just putting in time awaiting our high tech survey equipment.  The Book of
    Kells was fascinating…a  masterpiece of art that survived the Viking raids.

    The Book of Kells is one of the finest illustrated manuscripts in the world. 340 folio pages. Written in Latin and illustrated
     around 800 A.D.  when Most people could  not read.   Sometimes called the Book of Columba 
    because St Columba and  subsequent Columban monks did much of the work between the sixth and ninth centuries.









    Back to my Journal:  June 7, 1960

    Bad weather barreling in from the sea.  Wrote a  letter to Barrie Nicholls and John Hogan.  Hogan is a geologist
    representing our client. I am worried that the delay in equipment arrival will  cost the  project a lot of money.
    Maye I am the only one worried…hope so . Hotel resident  Joe and Moira invited me to have a drink with them
    which made for a perfect evening.

    June 8, 1960

    Arose late after the party last night with Joe and Moira.  Went downtown and bought field books, electric tape and signs
    to alert local people to dangers of our project, particularly the base line wire and generator.  Surprised when a  cyclist
    fell off his bike into the Liffey canal.  Ambulance came fast. The German sailors and officers from the Graf Spee are
    in  Dublin. Since I am the only guest in the Hollybrook Hotel I feel like the lord of this ancient manor house and get
    treated as such.  Nice. The expense money if going awfully fast.

    John Hogan made a surprise arrival so we finally got to discuss the project.  I phoned Mrs. Behan and then went to  show
    and a dance with John Hogan.  One girl at the dance must have crossed herself 40 times while praising the I.R.A.
    An interesting evening.  Washed my clothes and went to bed.

    June 9, 1960

    UP early and had first breakfast wince I arrived in Ireland…hotel dining room.
    Sent most of the gear with John Hogan who was driving down to Bummahon … the project site in western
    part of County Waterford… Gave Mr. O’Brien a quick briefing the Turam operation.  Checked with Arbuckle but
    Turam has still not arrived.  

    John Hogan and I toured the Guinness Brewery … my third visit.  Then we had a lousy meal at the Temperance
    Hotel. Then visited head office of Irish National Sweepstakes and bought 5 shillings tickets for Marjorie.  Walked
    back to hotel then walked to the Behan home where kids were really cute.  Yvonne and Denise kept bringing me
    corn flakes on the dog’s plate.  Yvonne  seems to like my lap.  Other kids Anella  and Murial also cute.  Then Kevin.
    Ronnie (Mrs. Behan) went to Houth for a drink.  A drunk woman was entertaining if a little pathetic.  Ronnie ironed
    my shirt afterwards then Kevin drove me back to the Hollybrook.

    June 10, 1960

    Had  big breakfast … bacon, eggs, fried tomatoes….topped off with a rack of cold toast and marmalade.  What should
    I do for the rest of the day now that John Hogan has gone south?  Tour!  Dublin is a  city of wonderful smells.  Guinness
    Brewery covers  over 60 acres making lots of beer.  But there is also a strong smell of cookies being baked at the Jacobs
    factory.  So I followed my nose and had a tour.  250 employees mostly girls who gave me plenty of attention…including
    whistling and touching.  Good time if a bit intimidating.  


    The Quiet Man is great entertainment…surprised me that much of the 1920 Irish stereotypes turned  out to be real in our little world  of Bunmahon in 1960.
    The Dark Time of the Tourbles was downplayed.


    “Alan, do not miss the chance to see “The Quiet Man” while here in Ireland,” said Kevin and  Yvonne Behan.
    So I went alone to see the film featuring John Wayne, Maureen Ohara and Barrie Fitzgerald.  What a grand movie.
    My work site in Bunmahon could not possibly be as joyful and humorous as the movie but I wish it were so.

    Dublin has an under class.  I noticed  and felt sorry for an old one-eyed woman who was  having bread snd tea while
    I had a steak with all the trimmings.

    I am picking up the Irish lingo.  Today  was described as a ‘soft’ day which means it was pouring rain.

    Got an urgent message from Arbuckle, Smith and Company saying the crates had not arrived in Liverpool yet. What the
    hell is going on?  They told me the crates were there the other day.

    June 11, 1960

    Getting better sleep now that I am having big breakfast.  Afterwards I went down to Arbuckle to pick up the part of shipment
    that has arrived…i.e. the Ronka E.M. unit.  I will take it south on Monday. Sent telegram to Dr. Stam in Amsterdam and wrote
    a long letter to Barrie Nichols in Canada.  My money is very short…less than 20 pounds left. Kevin asked me up to tea (i.e.supper
    in Irish lingo) then Kevin took Ronnie and me to movie “Once More with Feeling” (no  good). After we took girls home Kevin took
    me to meet his mother snd father…all  are in the car business.

    June  12, 1960

    Wind is blowing from the sea…smashing windows.  I walked to Clontarf Presbyterian Church where Rev. Moore greeted me warmly
    and  asked me to join him for s few minutes in the vestry  Guest speaker was a methodist, Rev. Livingston who spoke about ‘Happy 
    Harry the Hare” which sounded weird at first but made sense in the end. 

    Then another day with the Behan family.  I would not intrude normally but they really made me feel so welcome that to refuse
    would  be an insult.  Ronnie prepared another great meal. Yvonne was full of beans as usual…crawling all over me.  We drove
    to Houth and stopped at Claremont for a couple of draughts of Guinness…back for ‘tea’ and then to the movie ‘sweet smell of success’
    This was my last day in Dublin.  Sad farewell to the Behan family.


    Brendan Behan

    Brendon Behan and  Kevin Behan were not related.  Two very different people who shared one common wonderful trait.  They loved  people and
    an afternoon in their company was an  honour.  

    Kevin Behan was my host for the Dublin interlude.  He and his family opened their hearts  and doors to me.  I cannot explain why they did this except to say
    the they loved people, loved Ireland and waned to share this love with a young 21 year old  kid like me.  One result was the naming of our first born child, Kevin,
    in honour of Kevin Behan.  Sadly, we never told that to the Behan family.

    Brendon Behan

    Brendon Behan was a man of the 1950’s snd 1960’s.  He had strong opinions even as a teen ager joining
    the Irish Republican Army at 14 years of age.  He was an ardent republican. Regarded the English
    monarchy with disdain.  That said, he became very popular and his quick wit amused not just the Dublin Irish 
    but the literary world in general.   His most famous play is titled “The Quare Fellow” which is set
    in a  prison in the heart of Dublin.  “Quare” is Irish for “Queer.”   Brendon  Behan’s one liners
    were quoted again and again by people with both a sense of humour and a knowledge that there
    is a dark side to the human condition.

    “I am a drinker with writing problems.”

    “Ah, bless you sister, may all your children be bishops.”

    “When I came back to Dublin I was court mortised in my absence
    and sentenced to death in my absence
    So I said they could shoot me in my absence.”

    “There  is no such thing as bad publicity
    Except your own obituary.”

    “The most important things to do in the world are to
    get something to eat
    get something to drink
    and get someone to love you.”

    Monday June 13  LAST DAY IN DUBLIN

    How can I best describe this day?   Like a dam that has suddenly broken free…like  A clock that is out of control  and time spins free …like a race begun once the gun is fired.
    Suddenly everything speeded up and I would be gone before the sun set.
    This was  be my last day in Dublin.  I did not know that.  I did not know that events would move so fast that by evening I would be in the villsge
    of Bunmahon nestled  in an ancient place with the ruins of the Knockmahon mine brooding black and foreboding as the sun set.



            

    My first view of Knockmahon where i would have adventures not forgotten in 60 years.



    Events of that fine Dublin day:

    Began packing at 8.30…then phoned Arbuckle…our shipment had arrived. Dr. Stam coming by air…Hogan ready to pick us up in Waterford.
    time to get s haircut then caught bus to the airport…watched  KLM flight land and Dr. John  Stam cleared  customs. Briefed  him on Irish  officials I had
    met…back to hotel for dinner and beer. Back to American Express…then over to see Mr. O’brien.  Took luggage to train station…first class tickets to Waterford
    where John Hogan met us with his Fiat…drove to Bunmahon on the edge of the sea..passed the ruins of the Knockmahon mine standing alone on the
    edge of steep cliffs that fell down to the sea.  Empty.  No  houses.  No  living things.  Then road  dipped down to the Mahon River and the village of Bunmahon
    where we were to be based for the duration of the survey.  Met Mrs. Kennedy who would be our landlady and Irish ‘manageress’ … an expert on the inner
    workings of this sliver of Irish  society.  Very Catholic…My room has three Christian statues and  a large picture of  Jesus with his heart showing…hangs above my bed.
    Surprised to get my mail…letters from Marjorie and  some.  Jan Stam said he was pleased with my handling of the situation.  He would  be in charge from now 
    on and would do the interpretation of the notes from my field book each day.  John Hogan was a geologist and the Denison Mines company.  Three of us.  But
    many more will be hired.  Eventually I hired the whole village.  More of that later.



    “





  • EPISODE 60 FROGS…THOUSANDS…AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. WHAT HAPPENED. HOW DID THEY KNOW?

    • EPISODE  60:  FROGS BY  THE HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS…THEN THERE WERE NONE.  WHAT HAPPENED?

    • SETTING:  JULY 1980…SKEOCH FARM PONDS


    IN 1980 when I took this photo there were so many young frogs that my camera could not
    focus.  Then in 1981 most were gone, never to return

    alan skeoch
    June 2020

    “Never seen anything like it, Marjorie…come over and take a look?”
    “Are those baby frogs?  Must be a thousand  of them.”
    “I’ve  witnessed big frog populations here all 
    my life but never this many.  Thousands
    sitting there looking at us.”

    SKEOCH  FARM PONDS 1981

    “We have no frogs.”
    “A  few  are still in the ponds but very few.”
    “What is  happening?”
    “Something bad…very bad.  A whole
    pile of creatures depend on those
    frogs.”
    “Snakes, Blue herons, fish, sapping
    turtles, painted turtles, other frogs
    (frogs are cannibalistic).”
    “They will all disappear.”
    “What is happening?”

    SKEOCH  FARM PONDS  2020

    “I have not seen a leopard frog yet this
    year..”
    “A few may be there though…something
    splashes  and  wiggles away among the
    weeds.  Must be a  few frogs.”
    “But there were thousands”
    “What is  happening?”
    “Some scientists say we are in
    the midst of the sixth mass extinction
    and that the extinction are best noticed
    with frogs”
    “Do you believe that?”
    “I do not know what to believe…but
    what I  like to believe is that the 
    disappearance is some kind of
    natural cycle.”.
    “Something is definitely wrong down
    at the bottom of the food chain.”
    “Can we do anything to help the
    Leopard Frogs?”
    “What can we do?”

    “You want to hear something weird?
    Back in 1980…when those thousands
    of little frogs sat there looking at me…
    I had the distinct feeling they were
    trying to tell  me something..a kind
    of  plea for help.”

    “What did you do?”
    “Nothing.  the only help given
    was  by Marjorie when she pulled
    a still living Leopard  Frog  from
    the gaping mouth of a big garter
    snake.”
    “Lots of snakes, are there?”
    “Not anymore.  They used to 
    breed  in the greenhouse big
    time.  Not any more.”
    “A single blue heron landed in
    the pond this year…and then 
    took off.  No frogs to eat.”
    “What can we do?”
    “That is a very good question.”


    • WHAT HAPPENED  TO THE LEOPARD FROGS?

    • Although not recognized at the time, this event is thought to portend the worldwide amphibian decline that began about 1970 and continues to the present day. While many leopard frog populations have survived and returned to near normal levels, the leopard frogs of the Upper Midwest have a high incidence of developmental malformations.
    upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Northern_Leopard_Frog.JPG/440px-Northern_Leopard_Frog.JPG 2x” data-file-width=”2816″ data-file-height=”2112″>


    Why is the northern leopard frog endangered?
    • The northern leopard frog is experiencing threats from habitat loss, disease, non-native species, pollution and climate change that individually and cumulatively have resulted in population declines, local extinctions and disappearance from vast areas of its historical range in the western U.S. and Canada.