{"id":2782,"date":"2019-05-22T09:14:51","date_gmt":"2019-05-22T13:14:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=2782"},"modified":"2019-05-22T09:21:25","modified_gmt":"2019-05-22T13:21:25","slug":"the-unforgettable-summer-of-1960-bunmahon-main-copy-part-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=2782","title":{"rendered":"THE UNFORGETTABLE SUMMER OF 1960…BUNMAHON (MAIN COPY PART ONE)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NOTE:  THIS IS  JUST A ROUGH INTRO TO BUNMAHON FROM MY OLD  JOURNAL\u2026NEEDS TO BE POLISHED\u2026HOPE MY BOSS DR. NORM PATTERSON<\/div>\n
IS NOT OFFENDED.  WE HAD A LOT OF TROUBLE ON THIS JOB. THERE ARE LOTS OF TYPOS.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

THE UNFORGETTABLE SUMMER OF 1960\u2026BUNMAHON<\/p>\n


<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
May 2019<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Flying in to Ireland in 1960 was like flying back into time.  Wonderful\u2026spellbinding.<\/div>\n
This  piece  of the story covers  my first month on the job in the tiny village<\/div>\n
of Bunmahon.   it was not always a village. At one point in the 19th cetury the <\/div>\n
population exceeded 2,000.  In 1960, when we arrived the population was 200 at <\/div>\n
best and  likely less than that,  Many were unemployed  and glad to see us.<\/div>\n
There was high hope that the ancient copper mine could  be reopened.  Our<\/div>\n
survey would help make that decision.<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n
Tuesday June 14, 1960<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n
At last our crates  of equipment have arrived in Bunmahon.  Long trip by rail then ship  to Liverpool, then trans shipped<\/div>\n
to Dublin and finally put on train to Waterford  then by truck to Bunmahon.  That trip took nearly a  month, two weeks<\/div>\n
of which I spent in Dublin trying to expedite things.  No matter. No surprise really.  The good thing is that  we are now ready<\/div>\n
to get the survey underway which means the pressure on me will increase exponentially.   I think I am ready.<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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<\/div>\n
HISTORY OF KNOCKMAHON COPPER MINE and TANKARDSTOWN COPPER MINE, BUNMAHON, COUNTY WATERFORD, IRELAND<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Once upon a time there were two big mines here.<\/div>\n
The Knockmahon abandoned mine site does not look as dramatic as  Tankardstown with its stone ruins stand high above the cliffs that far the Atlantic Ocean in<\/div>\n
County Waterford, Ireland.   Copper stained these cliffs for centuries so even the  most ancient Irish  people  were aware that there was<\/div>\n
something different about the place.  Mining began  in  earnest at the Knockmahon site in the1820\u2019s reaching peak production in 1840 <\/div>\n
 the copper seams were exhausted unless the miners decided  to tunnel under the sea.  A new mine was  found nearby at Tankardstown<\/div>\n
which thrived through the 1850;s when copper prices were initially high and then began to fall.  In 1879 the Tankardstown mine was <\/div>\n
abandoned.   In the glory days there were more than 2000 men using picks and  shovels and blasting powder to make a near starvation<\/div>\n
living wresting copper from the depths.  Some of their passageways  and  stopes extended far out beneath the sea.  (*Later I would get<\/div>\n
a chance to crawl on my stomach through these old mine adits and  shafts.  Stupid and dangerous but I was young and foolish.)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The rise and fall of the two mines occurred at the same time as the Great Potato Famine of the mid to late 1840\u2019s.  Where  did all these<\/div>\n
miners go?  Most were  present among the starving Irish families  who risked  their lives  on the immigrant ships  crossing the Atlantic  to <\/div>\n
Canada and the United States.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Today, in 2019, the whole 25 kilometres coast from Tramore to Bunmahon is a  walking trail and road  designed to attract tourists<\/div>\n
Called the COPPER  COAST.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
THE  1960 RECONSIDERATION OF THE IRISH  COPPER COAST<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Copper prices  jumped in 1960 largely due to a crisis in Africa where political instability threaened<\/div>\n
the world  supply of copper.   Big mining companies began to look elsewhere.   Denison Mines  decided <\/div>\n
to give another look at these two old  Irish  copper mines.  Had the mother load been missed?<\/div>\n
Were there still rich copper seams to be exploited?<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
JOURNAL ENTRIES OF ALAN SKEOCH, AGE 21, INSTRUMENT MAN<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
TUESDAY JUNE 14, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I guess I am nervous because I spent a terrible night in my new bed,  Body began twitching.  Nervousness<\/div>\n
I imagine.  Much is  expected of me.  Hope I can  deliver. Got up and wrote letter to Marjorie. I should be fine<\/div>\n
since I am now surrounded and I assume protected by quite  a  collection Roman Catholic icons. <\/div>\n
 My room is large but damn cold.  Meals<\/div>\n
cooked by  Mrs. Kenneday are good.  Before we started  laying out our base line and getting things underway<\/div>\n
we had to get our bearings so we went down to the sea, below the cliffs and then on top of the cliffs.  Then <\/div>\n
the three of us took a close look at the ruins of the old Tankardstown mine.  Several shafts. Dangerous.  One<\/div>\n
shaft has been used as  a garbage site by local people.  Noticed a great pile of old glass milk bottles\u2026antiques<\/div>\n
but worth your life to retrieve them as they are on the edge of a great black hole.  The mine operated here<\/div>\n
in the early to late 19th century\u20261870\u2019s it seems to have been abandoned.  Must have been a big community<\/div>\n
here at one time for locals say there were once 21 pubs and now there are only two.  Kerwin\u2019s is the Catholic <\/div>\n
pub and therefore the most active\u2026hub of the community it seems.  The other pub across the road is<\/div>\n
Anglican in clientele.  Few people.  John Hogan very wisely spent several hours in Kerwin\u2019s pub playing darts.<\/div>\n
The place is dark and rather decrepit.  But the bar is fascinating.   Good to show the flag here as it were.<\/div>\n
We  had a tremendous evening meal in our private dining room at Mrs. Kennedy\u2019s.  That was followed  by<\/div>\n
a religious discussion where I was odd man out.  Kept my mouth shut.  John Stam and John Hogan then<\/div>\n
set up a game of pinochle.  Never played the game before but won all the same.  I no longer need  worry<\/div>\n
about expense money as John Stam brought lots.  Wrote another letter to Marjorie.  I need some rough<\/div>\n
clothes.  Lucky that Mrs. Kennedy also operate the only store in the village or in the region.  She sells<\/div>\n
everything from clothes to cigarettes to hard goods and even food.  Her main floor store is big but very <\/div>\n
dark.   Business does not seem to be good.  Village empty most of the time.  Very little traffic on the<\/div>\n
main road.  One man approached us  about a job.  He would  be the first of many.  Seems the villafge<\/div>\n
is placing great hope in our work.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Wednesday June 15, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The Kennedy family of Bunmahon made room for us in their sprawling house above. <\/div>\n
Mrs. Kennedy ran the only surviving store in Bunmahon which  was a combined dry goods,<\/div>\n
hardware and limited  grocery store.  It was very dark inside indicating sales  were anything but brisk.<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n
The Kenneday family made us  feel very welcome.  Their handicapped son Gerald was especially enthused  about<\/div>\n
our arrival and he would have willingly followed me into the hills and galleys had not Mrs. Kennedy interfered.  She<\/div>\n
was the boss\u2026not only of the  family but also the leading matriarch of the whole community.   Mr. Kennedy was<\/div>\n
a genial man who loved his large farming operation.  Their daughter was shy but very happy to have us as tenants<\/div>\n
in rooms  that were abandoned most of the time.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Woke up and got dressed early.  Everyone else asleep.  Nice Irish Breakfast with all the trimmings<\/div>\n
including fried  tomatoes and Irish back bacon (like a steak).  The house is really a row of houses<\/div>\n
all  linked together and  lived in by the Kennedy family.  Sort of reminded me of Charles Dickens<\/div>\n
house where Miss Havisham lived her solitary magic life…A house that Time forgot filled with spider webs and very musty and sad\u2026<\/div>\n
 but that is an unfair comparison for the Kennedy house is very<\/div>\n
much alive.  Damp and dark though.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Now facing the big test.  I am supposed to be a veteran instrument man who has worked for HUNTEC<\/div>\n
for some time.  In other words  I bloody well seem to know what I am doing.  Got the Ronka E.M. unit<\/div>\n
and took it to the old stage road for a test.  I remembered much about it but took time to read and re-read<\/div>\n
the manual just in case I made a mistake.   When all seemed  correct I switched  it on and the  damn \u2018in phase\u2019<\/div>\n
did not register nor did  the \u2018out phase\u2019.  Tested again and  again on 60 odd stations at 50\u2019 separation.<\/div>\n
Gave up finally. Then visited the little lumber mill and bought 1,000 stskrd got 5 pound.  Needed to mark<\/div>\n
stations when things get working.  Then I spent the afternoon playing around with the Ronka.  Worried.<\/div>\n
Finally\u2026miracle of miracles\u2026I got the thing working.  Amazed at myself.  We are trying to keep John<\/div>\n
Hogan unaware of my ignorance.  Must Speak a kind  of pseudo professional mumbo jumbo.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I expect to be here well into the month of August.  Played  pinochle all evening.  Great meals.<\/div>\n
We drew up a grid for our test survey using the Turam as opposed to the Ronka.  But the Turam has<\/div>\n
not arrived.  It is the backbone of the job.   Bill Morrison taught me how to set it up and operate it<\/div>\n
on the Alaska job last summer.  My memory is pretty good\u2026not perfect\u2026but good.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Went down the sea for a few minutes.  Weather is changing and some huge waves are<\/div>\n
crashing into the stony beach.  There is  a huge iron ball on the beach.  A reminder of World War II<\/div>\n
\u2026a decommissioned floating mine about the size of a small car.  Holes now evident where once<\/div>\n
the detonators were.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Thursday, June 16, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Heavy fog this morning.  John and John planned  to attend a special mass being held  for them but<\/div>\n
heavy fog was a problem. The Fiat car would not start anyway.  I cannot understand why a special<\/div>\n
mass was being done for John and John.   Obviously they know I am a Protestant and are therefore left<\/div>\n
out which is fine by me.  Seems to make me the only Protestant in the village\u2026but that does not seem<\/div>\n
to be a problem so far.  Took the Ronka out for the whole day\u202662 stations, 3 lines, dual  frequency. We<\/div>\n
came across a  number of old mine shafts\u2026perhaps  air adits\u2026will have to be careful as little warning, false<\/div>\n
step and down we go\u2026lucky there is a cable joining the Ronka hoops at 50 or 100 foot separation.  Fall in<\/div>\n
a shaft and hang there until partner pulls me out.  Bad joke.  Now that<\/div>\n
is more of a joke than anything else but the open shafts  do  exist.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Hard to believe how cold Ireland is in June.  Should have packed heavy clothes.  Shivering. But the land<\/div>\n
is beautiful with wild poppies blooming in the lush green fields and stone fencerows.  Donkeys, horses, pigs <\/div>\n
and  cattle. Really old Ireland, some of the buildings even have thatch grooves while others have no rooves<\/div>\n
at all\u2026derelict cottages testify that the population is shrinking.   Hundreds of miners, many of them from<\/div>\n
The copper mines in Cornwall, left Ireland  when the rich copper seams could no longer be found.  Became<\/div>\n
miners  in Montana and Canada.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This is the Mahon River that flowed from the hills deep in the interior.   <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Bunmanhon has two churches\u2026Catholic and Anglican\u2026but only one is ;used\u2026i.e. the Catholic Church<\/div>\n
 The Anglican church  was abandoned and is  now cemented at the doors and windows. Mrs. Kennedy<\/div>\n
regaled  us with stories of a  local authoress who wrote \u2018dirty\u2019 stories about Ireland. The books  are now banned<\/div>\n
here in  Bunmahon.  The priest has burned  any he finds.  Our ears perked up at this story so we will<\/div>\n
keep our eyes  open for dirty books as we assume they concern sex.  Then again the books could be about<\/div>\n
politics  which is  less interesting.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Now  that we have settled into the village the local men are approaching us for jobs.  We will do some hiring<\/div>\n
of course.  I will need someone to help me get through the brier fences\u2026thousands  of sharp needles have<\/div>\n
already ripped my shirt and punctured my skin.   I saw a badger today\u2026seems  bunch of them have burrow<\/div>\n
in a  brier patch.  After we plotted the results John and john got the pinochle  game ready. Hogan told the<\/div>\n
funny biblical story about Jacob tying his ass to a tree then walking three miles into Jerusalem\u2026:That\u2019s<\/div>\n
stretching it,\u201d he concluded.  We get silly at times which is a very good sign.  Maybe I will  not need<\/div>\n
to keep up the bluff that I am a very experienced field man and let John Hogan know i learned how to<\/div>\n
run the Turam last summer on the barren lands  of Western Alaska.  That would make it easier on me.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Friday, June 17, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Got up with the sun and  wrote letters then heard Mrs. Kennedy getting breakfast ready downstairs.  Beautiful<\/div>\n
day today\u2026warm, sunshine.  Today was spent setting up stakes on our new  survey lines.  Pickets every<\/div>\n
hundred feet on the lines running at right angles from our base line which is one long line of  shielded  copper<\/div>\n
wire grunded at both ends with iron rods and hooked to our motor generator.  We pump electricity into the<\/div>\n
ground in search of possible mineral conductors.  Seems weird but it works.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Sounds like an  easy job putting in pickets every hundred  feet on our survey lines.  I thought it would ve a<\/div>\n
piece of cake compared with doing so in the Canadian boreal forest with its thick btush and  millions  of biting<\/div>\n
insects of varying sizes but all on a blood diet.  Not so fast, Alan.  Problems  here as well.  I fell headlong<\/div>\n
into a six foot wide gulley of brier.  Did not see the dip and  in a  microsecond  I ripped  pants and skin and<\/div>\n
lay there with the brier needles  all  around.  Dared  not move for a few minutes  so spent the time swearing<\/div>\n
using fine sentences taught to us by our dad\u2026\u201dGoddamn son of a bitching bastardly brier,\u201d etc. etc.  Not sure<\/div>\n
if  Irish swear like that.  Slowly and carefully I moved backwards  and snaked  my way out of the needle trap.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cThese  gorse bushes are trouble\u2026big time trouble, John.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThe are impenetrable.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo worse than a cedar and tag alder swamp in Canada.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cFar far worse\u2026each branch  of gorse is covered with needles\u2026rip my clothes and puncture my skin.\u201d<\/div>\n
and to make matters worse the damn gorse lines these tiny Irish farm fields. Today I could not get<\/div>\n
through from one field to the other without shedding blood.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSurely we can cut holes with axes or machetes.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCan be done but it will be difficult and slow. And then there is going to be another problem\u2026the stone<\/div>\n
fences under the gorse.    How will I be able to climb these fences when strapped to the Turam console,<\/div>\n
receiving coil and battery pack\u2026ear phones  and field notebook as well.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat do  you suggest?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI suggest we hire a man to help me get over the fences.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThere going to laugh at you back in Canada.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMore worried that Norm would see me as a bit of a baby.\u201d<\/div>\n

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\u201cNothing worse than gorse in your pants  and shirts\u2026needles  that could reach through almost<\/div>\n
any material to make a person bleed.  Hence gorse made excellent fences.  In May and June<\/div>\n
the gorse is deceptively beautiful.”<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n
WHEREVER we experienced beautiful yellow flowers in June we also found thousands a stiff sharp needles  capable of<\/div>\n
penetrating clothes, boots and flesh.  Good and evil on the same branch.<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n
Saturday June 18  1960<\/div>\n

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Both E.M. units, the Ronka and the Turam, are designed to pick up signals from  an artificial electrical impulse forced into the ground<\/div>\n
by s motor generator attached to a base line of yellow shielded copper wire.   Barney Dwan (above) is setting down this three mile long<\/div>\n
strand of  wire across an open field section.   Our \u2018lines\u2019 were set out at right angles on both sides of  this base line.   NOTE: We <\/div>\n
had big problems with this yellow wire base line\u2026BIG PROBLEMS. In Alaska I had a roll like this strapped to my back once when jumping<\/div>\n
from the helicopter pontoon to the cabin as we took off.  I did not make it but fell between pontoon and cabin as we lifted.  Unhurt because<\/div>\n
of the melted  bed of sloppy summer muskeg above the permafrost.  Our problem with the wire in Ireland was much different.  WHAT PROBLEM?<\/div>\n
You will see.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Saturday June 18, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Base Line #2 North west 30,<\/div>\n
Up a little late\u2026.8 a.m\u2026.on job at nine, worked until three extending the base line from 2400 to 7600feet over some very rough patches of brier (gorse) and<\/div>\n
nettles.  Lots  of cattle in  the small  fields which could be a problem if they get curious about our yellow electric base line cable.  John Hogan joined me in<\/div>\n
the field as  he is quite curious about the project naturally.  Had lunch in the pub\u20262 shilling bottle of corona (apple cider\u2026hard kind) Then back to our rooms<\/div>\n
took a bath, washed clothes then we drove to Tramore for a game of miniature golf on the strand after which we found a pub for 3 beers and a five course supper<\/div>\n
(12 shilling, 6 pence) then carried  on to Waterford for a glass of creme de menthe and the movie \u2018Carry On Nurse\u2019.  Wish there was more to do other than drinking<\/div>\n
and pinochle in evenings.  Must keep client happy however and John Hogan does love touring and socializing.  An  easy life except when doing the dirty work<\/div>\n
crawling through gorse fences and bleeding.   Saturday is a day of rest in the normal world.  It has never been such doing Geophysical surveying\u2026seven day week.<\/div>\n
But 7 day week does not work here in Ireland.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Sunday June 19, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Bridey woke me.  Who is Bridey?  She is our caregiver\u2026gets  us up in mornings, makes our beds, and  supervises our spiritual lives.  Today she entered<\/div>\n
my room and hauled off my covers commenting, \u201cTime for Mass, Master Skeoch\u2026out of bed.\u201d  I am not sure if she knew I was Protesant or not.  Did not matter<\/div>\n
 to Bridey for she was determined I go to mass, perhaps to make me into a better person.  That posed a dilemma.Should I conform and go to mass or should<\/div>\n
I just take the opportunity to sleep in on Sundays?   I chose mass\u2026with Bridey\u2019s encouragement.  Glad I did as our presence at Sunday mass made us part<\/div>\n
of the Bunmahon community.  John Stam and John Hogan are both Catholic.  Spent the afternoon writing and playing pinochle then we went down to Kirwinn\u2019s<\/div>\n
pub where the village drinkers gather.  Only stayed  briefly as I decided to take a long walk along the cliff footpath above the ocean. Looked  down upon that <\/div>\n
huge cast iron land mine on Bunmahon beech.  Reminder of World War II..  Later in the evening I quizzed Mrs. Kenneday about Dunhill Castle. \u201cStormed by<\/div>\n
Cromwell,\u201d she said.  Then she casually mentioned that a previous Canadian mining crew (McPhare Group) set a bad reputation for Canadians.  The inference<\/div>\n
was that they did not go to church and raised  hell in the evenings.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
It was only 15 years earlier that floating mines like this were floating submerged along the Irish coast.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWhen Mrs. Kenneday found out I was Presbyterian she commented \u201cthe new bridge over the Mahon River was built by a Presbyterian\u201d .  John Hogan respnded<\/div>\n
\u201cChrist, that bridge will never last long.\u201d  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Sad to see so many local people spending all their money in the pub.  None of the Kennedy family go to the pub though so there must be others who avoid<\/div>\n
drinking.  Perhaps the expression that Guiness is a \u201cmeal in a glass\u201d makes  sense.  Someone told <\/div>\n
us a local joke about a visitor to ireland asking: \u201cWhen do the pubs close?\u201d \u201cSeptember, I think.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Monday June 20, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Rose early\u2026beautiful sunny day. Did 12,000 feet of line with John Stam and our Irish employees (Bandy, John and Larry).  The going is very slow\u2026obstructions<\/div>\n
everywhere, especially those gorse covered stone fences.  Nightmare. Used the Brunton Compass to try and keep lines straight.  Worked steadily with just 20<\/div>\n
minutes for a fast lunch.  Returned to Bunmahon at 6 p.m.  Letter from Arbuckle arrived saying the Turam E.M. unit would arrive tomorrow.  About time as the<\/div>\n
Turam is our key unit.  The Ronka is our back up. Stopped at Kirwan\u2019s pub for a beer then home to Mrs. Kennedy\u2019s for a grand supper.  Did some writing before<\/div>\n
going back to the pub where I was shown a collection of old weapons, some from \u201cthe time of the trouble\u201d, an” expression meaning the 1920\u2019s and gaining of<\/div>\n
Irish Home Rule.  Just as I was looking at the weapons a gentleman arrived  with a shotgun and his hunting dog.  Dressed like a lord.  The dog befriended me<\/div>\n
although the hunter said \u201cthat was not his habit.”  Four girls seem to congregate in front of the house each evening.  Seems vain to say but they seem to be<\/div>\n
interested in me.  Played another game of pinochle which is becoming very tedious.  I am really getting to enjoy the village life of Bunmahon which has a lot<\/div>\n
of similarities  to the John Wayne and Maureen Ohara film \u2018The Quiet Man\u2019 even down to the friendly toleration of a Church of Ireland (Anglican) minority who <\/div>\n
visited the pub across the road from Kirwin\u2019s. (seemed empty most of the time though).<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Tuesday June 21, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Today we drove to Waterford to get the Turam.  We?  Hired the local owners of Kirwan\u2019s pub (Frank and Kevin) and their aged Ford truck.  All was ready and soon<\/div>\n
loaded then we retired to a local pub where I bought the boys a  glass of Guinness and lunch.  Quite a different atmosphere in this pub\u2026very political\u2026had to be very careful<\/div>\n
cautioned Kevin and Frank.  Sort of interesting.  No smart remarks.  We drove back to Bunmahon and began unpacking while cleaning up the Kennedy garden shed<\/div>\n
which would be our workshop and paymaster shop.  Hired two men\u2026Andy Kirwan who is very shy and will not talk unless forced to do so and Tom Powell who talks a<\/div>\n
lot\u2026perhaps too much.  John came back and assisted another man to coil 15,000 feet of shielded  copper wire.  All set for tomorrow with the Turam.  It has been a long wait.<\/div>\n
Tried a new drink called a shandy\u2026ale and  lemonade\u2026probably I will stick to Guinness as most do.  Nice to have clean clothes to wear thanks to mrs. Kennedy and Bridey.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Wednesday June 22, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Wrote home then packed cable on the back reel for our first Turam baseline of 14,500 feet\u2026nearly three miles. Very rough going.  We set up our generator base down by the<\/div>\n
Atlantic Ocean.  Cranked motor\u2026held my breath.  It would not start.  Gas was  wrong\u2026put in regular gas and the motor purred. I know that sounds simple but it was not so<\/div>\n
simple.  I was  supposed to be the expert on the Turam but I had no idea what was  wrong and just changed the gas on impulse.  Floyd told me years ago that all problems are<\/div>\n
usually simple to solve.  \u201cAl, do not make things difficult.\u201d   Floyd was my first real wilderness scholar and teacher back in Canada.  He nicknamed me Fucking Al for some <\/div>\n
twisted reason.  It was not used as a hateful term. I think he liked me.  Maybe he spoke in opposites.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We hired two new men, Andy and Tom.  Today I saw my first Irish hare\u2026big speedy creature.  At night John Stsm and John Hogan got into a religious discussion with me.  I am<\/div>\n
not really up to speed on religion\u2026never will be\u2026although I stood my ground as a Protestant and they took theirs.  No hostility.  Very Canadian.  I think most Canadians  are<\/div>\n
really Humanists.   Then we got down to another serious game of pinochle.  I would rather be out walking the cliff trails at sunset.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Thursday June 23, 196-0<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Now our real troubles began.  Started the motor generator but not generating.   Took a long time to figure out why.  Again the problem was simple\u2026the base line<\/div>\n
wire was broken in three places along one thousand foot stretch.  Some creatures had nibbled\u2026foxes? rabbits?  Simple to repair.  Looks like we  will spend hours<\/div>\n
and hours repairing our base line each day.  Did not know which  creature was doing the damage but as usual it was simple and should have been obvious right from<\/div>\n
the start.  The fields had herds of cattle.  Cattle like to munch grass but they also liked to munch yellow copper cables.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Three of our employees are resting after lunch.  Bandy, on the right, became my right hand man.  We were good friends in not time<\/div>\n
and he shared some wonderful adventures with me.  More of that later.  Behind the men are the cattle\u2026peacefully chewing up ou<\/div>\n
grounded cable.  Then ruminating and vomitting balls of copper wire about the size of baseballs.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
 the Turam operated perfectly on 660 cox frequency so the rest of the day was a success. We had data for Dr. Stam at last.  Began training more men as instrument <\/div>\n
helpers.  I was surprised to discover that one our new men, Willy, could not count.  He never said so.  Wish he had as that would have made my job easier.   I would not have asked<\/div>\n
him to mark the pickets.  Larry on the other hand cannot hear which makes things difficult.  Not their faults.  All and all things went well today and we found two anomalies which<\/div>\n
were plotted on graph paper in the evening.  Surveying in a country as old as Ireland brings lots of discoveries such as the stone bridge we found today covered in ivy but no<\/div>\n
sign of ever been connected to a road network.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Got a long letter from Marjorie.  She is a wonderful writer\u2026better than me for sure.  She seems to be enjoying herself back in Canada.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
John Hogan and I went down to Kirwan\u2019s for cider and the owner bought us each a pint of Guinness.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
There is an old black Labrador dog that belongs to the Kennedy\u2019s and has a special job.  He is trained to keep Gerald from drowning in the sea.   Gerald is Mrs. Kennedy’s disabled son.<\/div>\n
Mongoloid little boy who is sure friendly and good natured although severely handicapped.  When he strolls down to the sea the Labrador dog goes  with him.  He is allowed to wade<\/div>\n
a bit but never deeper than his ankles before he is pushed back out of the water by the dog.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Friday June 24, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
New gas for the generator.  Expected a fine day with lots of distance covered.  That did not happen as a serious of small disasters tumbled out.  First, the cable was broken in three<\/div>\n
places none of them close\u2026had to cover 8,000 feet to find them.  Second, something wrong with the gas again.  Suspect water got in somehow as rain is regular occurrence.  Third,<\/div>\n
there were two broken instrument cables and some kind of short circuit.  Fourth, the motor itself broke down once we got clean gas. Why?  Fifth, another  cable broke just as we<\/div>\n
finally got started.  Suspect cattle.  Solution is to hire a man to walk the cable each day and make repairs.  Even with all thsse problems we managed to get 3,000 feet of survey line<\/div>\n
completed.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Good news when we got back to Bunmahon.  My university results arrived.  I passed.  I would like to have had higher marks but word I was getting that a number of my friends did<\/div>\n
not pass.   John Hogan came back after a short visit to Killarney.  I think he rushed back just to play $%^%$ pinochle.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I made up the pay checks for our employees and they lined up outside the garden shed office.  Got cash through Mrs. Kenndy.  I bet the boys back in Canada are wondering why we need<\/div>\n
so many men on the payroll.   I have an answer.  \u201cThe wages here are 1 pound per day\u2026about $2.50 a day\u2026so we can hire a lot of men for very little money and they need it badly otherwise<\/div>\n
Kerwan\u2019s pub will go bankrupt.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Here is our crew, most of them, lining up on a Friday evening for their weekly pay.  John Hogan<\/div>\n
is the man  on the left.  He  represented  our client Denison Mines.   Dr. John Stam is<\/div>\n
our company geophysicist (far right).  His job was the most important for he would interpret<\/div>\n
my survey results and write a report that would either support the idea of a new mine in <\/div>\n
Bunmahon or state there was nothing worth retrieving.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Payday in the Kennedy Garden Shed.  The wage was one pound per day\u2026about $2.50<\/div>\n
Canadian.  Not much really.  Some days the men  worked overtime though for more money.  And as<\/div>\n
my job as paymaster proceeded I got a bit carried away and gave each man a<\/div>\n
pack of cigarettes then added  a  chocolate bar.  Dr. Norm Paterson would be amused back in Canada<\/div>\n
if he saw  this picture..which he will  never see..<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cALan, just who do  you think you are\u2026some kind of philanthropist using other people\u2019s money?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cRight, I guess I made payday a  little excessive.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhere did you get the idea of adding cigarettes  and chocolate bars?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cJohn Wayne!\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDo you mean  you were beginning to think you were The Quiet Man?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u2018Suppose it looks that way.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat did they think  back in Toronto?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI think Norm Paterson\u2026Dr. Paterson\u2026used the term precocious applied to me.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd  Floyd?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHe continued to call me Fucking Al.”<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
We became quite the community celebrities as the local police constable kept close eye on us as did<\/div>\n
the local priest who was  often seen standing along the road as we crossed nd  criss-crossed.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Saturday June 25, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
“Why hire so many local people?\u201d  The answer is not so simple.  I am not trying to run a charity on<\/div>\n
Huntec money.  We need people that we never needed in Canada.  We need a  man to check our grounded <\/div>\n
cable and make repairs.  The cattle chew chunks regularly\u2026must taint the milk a bit but they regurgitate<\/div>\n
the balls as they ruminate.  A bigger worry is cattle biting into the live cable.  One farmer claimed a cow was<\/div>\n
knocked down and out by the electric charge.  That my or may not be true but we want to assure the local farmers that<\/div>\n
we are being careful.  The government of Ireland made me paint a danger sign in English and irish and place <\/div>\n
that sign where our generator is located.  We have hired a local handicapped boy to guard the motor generator site.<\/div>\n
Then there is the problem of the fences and the gorse.  We need a man to help making a path and lifting me over<\/div>\n
these places and there are many of them as the fields  are small.  We also need a linecutting crew of three men<\/div>\n
to survey and mark with pickets the 50 and 100 foot spaces for readings to be taken. We are lucky that so many<\/div>\n
men are available and willing.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This young handicapped lad just loved his job protecting our base line.  He set up his campsite wherever we moved<\/div>\n
the motor generator and took his job very seriously.   The first job he ever had  and perhaps his  only job.  The other <\/div>\n
employees covered for him so that I  would not notice he was mentally handicapped.  I  knew.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Drove to check cable as usual with Bandy as helper.  Today I discovered his real name was  Barney Dwan but<\/div>\n
the local  dialect was so hard for me to understand that \u201cBarney\u201d became \u201cBandy\u201d much to the amusement of<\/div>\n
everyone who started calling him Bandy.  I wondered  why the men laughed so much. <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The instrument failed again.  Wasted three hours trying to find the problem. Narrowed  it down to the amplifier which<\/div>\n
I could not fix so gave the men half a day holiday while I took he Turam to Waterford for repairs   Very depressing.  Spent<\/div>\n
some time in a Waterford  pub waiting then drove back west to Tramore for supper.  Saw  the movie \u201cSirrocco\u201d after playing<\/div>\n
a round of miniature golf with John Hogan who accompanied me on the trip.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We  were all startled at bed time when John Hogan found a tick buried  in his thigh.  Gorged in blood so the damn<\/div>\n
thing looked big.  Got it out using a cigarette and careful work with tweezers.  Mickey offered  us his bicycle for our<\/div>\n
use if we needed to get a doctor.  We slathered the wound with rubbing alcohol and hoped for the best. From now<\/div>\n
on we will examine our bodies  after work as the area is infested  with ticks.  A close look at the cattle herds show that as<\/div>\n
most of their noses have ticks hanging there like little sacks.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Ticks Were something new to me.  At first I dismissed them as creatures of no consequence to me personally for they<\/div>\n
seemed associated with sheep.   Surely in Canada the hords of black flies, moose flies, deer flies,<\/div>\n
mosquitoes and midges were far worse than ticks.   Ticks cannot fly and if  sheep or cattle or horses were carrying ticks I <\/div>\n
was unlikely to pick them up for petting domestic animals was not part of the job.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Ignorance is no excuse.  Irish  ticks may not fly but they do know how to leap from a  waving piece  of long  grass to<\/div>\n
a piece of exposed flesh and then begin their burrowing and  do so  painlessly.  Once engorged with blood the female tick<\/div>\n
just drops off and continues its\u2019 life cycle.  It is possible to be a tick host and never know it.   Ticks are not themselves dangerous<\/div>\n
The serous problems arise from the bacteria the tick transfers to the human or animal host.  Ireland in 1960 had  lots of ticks but<\/div>\n
most were not too dangerous.  Hedghog ticks  were the most likely to grab us  as  we climbed over and t through gorse covered fencerows.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
NOTE:  TODAY, 2019, Black Legged ticks are spreading through Ontario perhaps  aided by global warming.  These ticks  are<\/div>\n
extremely dangerous for they transmit Lyme disease to humans. People die.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Sunday June 26,1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
An uneventful day.  Went to mass at the Ballyaneen RC church.  Then we played  pinochle until noon, had  nice lunch,  read <\/div>\n
part of  Forster\u2019s Passage to India and dosed off until evening,  Repaired  cables and switches and then went to the dog<\/div>\n
races where I lost three beers to John and John.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Monday June 27, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Bandy (Barney) had  long ground  cable repaired from cow damage by 8 a.m.  Worried about Turam but took it out on wild<\/div>\n
hope it would work but once again it let us down.  John Stam is very depressed and  even considering giviing up the contract.<\/div>\n
So I took out the Ronka for the day.  On our first set up disaster happened when a car drove right between us tearing the <\/div>\n
connecting cable apart.  Could have dragged  us along the road if  cable had  not snapped. We made rough repairs  and continued. <\/div>\n
 At four p.m. the Ronka stopped working, likely the rough<\/div>\n
connection reoair.  No matter because John Stam  arrived from Waterford with the newly refurbished Turam which  seems <\/div>\n
OK now.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Andy offered to buy me a beer\u2026very generous as his income is close to poverty level.  I bought a bottle of cider for John and  John<\/div>\n
to drink at our pinochle game where, as  usual, we discussed religion.  I  was  surprised  to learn that Catholics actually believe<\/div>\n
in Adam and  Eve.  Maybe they were putting me on. <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Got nice letters from Marjorie and Russ Vanstone.  Spent sleepless night worrying about the Turam.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Now here is an interesting  pair of photos.  On the left we are working across an Irish grain field in 1960 while<\/div>\n
the right I am doing the same kind  of survey in Alaska in 1959<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Tuesday June 28, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Got up early and soldered some cable heads in our little shed.  What a beautiful  day and even the Turam seemed to notice<\/div>\n
the sun on the irish greenery.  The Turam worked perfectly until noon when once again our cable was severed by some cow<\/div>\n
located somewhere along the three mile base line.  Sure enough.  A cow had bitten the live wire and got knocked out.  \u201cShe<\/div>\n
fell like a  stone!\u201d  We are lucky that the local farmers have not launched law actions if we have been stunning or knocking out<\/div>\n
their cattle.  I wonder if the knock out story is true?  The Irish  are good story tellers after all.  Some farmers are after us according<\/div>\n
to my Irish crew who are not too concerned.  There seems to be a cultural division between the largely unemployed cottagers<\/div>\n
and the distinctly better healed farmers.  They do not like each other.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
John Stam is more cheerful today since our expense money arrived in Dungarven. My day was terrific because the Turam  worked<\/div>\n
perfectly.  We crossed over some old mine shafts which  are hardly guarded or protected,  Some seem to be used as garbage pits.<\/div>\n
\u201cSome animals fall down them but not many\u2026no worries.\u201d Some comfort!  I did my washing in the evening, wrote home and <\/div>\n
as usual did some light repairs this time to the voltmeter connection.  Mrs Kennedy served us tea while we played yet another<\/div>\n
game of pinochle.  Outside the night was stunning with Golden clouds and a crescent moon.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
How can  I say to John and  John that i am getting to hate pinochle.  Bunmahon is so interesting.  I would rather walk the cliffs <\/div>\n
and have a pint of Guinness  at Kerwan\u2019s.  I would  like to have a pint at the Anglican pub but fear that would cause trouble.<\/div>\n
It would be interesting to hear what the Anglo Irish minority have to say.  Perhaps they would say nothing.  Amazing how close<\/div>\n
to the stereotypes created in the Quiet Man fit the local social dynamics of Bunmahon.  I am sure, however, that such a comment\u2019<\/div>\n
by a newcomer like me would be resented so I try to take everything in but keep my mouth shut.   The men seem to like me.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This is  Kirwan\u2019s pub on every Friday evening when a percentage of income was  spent<\/div>\n
on a few pints of Guinness.   We joined as often as we could.  Sometimes the fellows<\/div>\n
wanted to treat us to pints of Guinness.  Without insulting we thanked them but<\/div>\n
avoided these \u2018free\u2019 pints.    John Hogan is lighting up a Wild Woodbine cigarette on<\/div>\n
the far left.  Mrs. Kerwan is presiding over the bar on the far right.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Kerwan\u2019s pub has a  dark sitting room featuring slabs of pine nailed to the walls  and stumps tables.<\/div>\n
In this case John Hogan and  I are relaxing.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Wednesday June  29, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
John Hogan took off early to drive to Dublin for some reason.  I had a successful day with the Turam finishing 2.5 lines in the morning<\/div>\n
then Andy brought me a quart of Cidonia (hard cider) for lunch in an Irish field before finishing line 4400 and  finding a very large<\/div>\n
anomaly.   Then the motor stopped and we had another two hour delay.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
In the evening Willy and Bandy took me to a hurling match in Dunhill.  The game can be rough if they hit each other<\/div>\n
with the curling sticks that look like shortened  hockey sticks.  Clubs if you will.  The outdoor washroom was  interesting.<\/div>\n
A few sheets of corrugated iron were anchored  in place by steel posts and that was  a washroom.  I do not know what<\/div>\n
women used.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Hurling is an Irish brute force kind of game.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Thursday June 30, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Got an early start today which was spoiled as usual by a broken base line cable.  We are now getting used to finding baseball<\/div>\n
sized rolls of  our base line wire here and there in farmers fields.  Farmers are getting more and  more concerned that our wire is<\/div>\n
endangering their dairy herds.We did 4 lines today working from 8.30 to 6.30.  A long day here in Ireland.  In Canada I would cover<\/div>\n
much  more territory doing Turam work pushed on by the millions of flies f<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Willy had to be sent home when his lumbago began acting up.  Then the console connection broke and had to be soldered.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Today we saw an old fort\u20262,000 years old according to Bandy.  \u201cSupposed to be filled with fairies, you know.\u201d \u201cThere are ghosts<\/div>\n
in this valley.\u201d \u201cThen there is the mystery of the postman that just disappeared one day.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Bandy alerted me to another danger today when we crossed a field dominated by two huge boars.  Big tusks and angry <\/div>\n
demeanour.  \u201cBe careful with the herds  of pigs, Maser Skeoch, a nun disappeared around here once when she crossed<\/div>\n
a field with pigs.  All that was found was her boots with her feet inside.\u201d  The men love telling me stories.  Maybe some of the<\/div>\n
stories are true or have a kernel of truth.   Enjoy them immensely.  Today we worked  until 7 p.m. and then I spent the evening<\/div>\n
trying to fix the Ronka with no luck.   The men are all good workers and I hate pushing them but we are expecting Holmes to<\/div>\n
arrive any day from India.  He is a top man with the company.  Needs to be impressed.   Tired tonight\u2026\u201dToo tired to <\/div>\n
climb the stairs,\u201d as my grandmother used to sing to us on winer evenings at the farm.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Small thatched  roof cottages  were located here and  there on the outskirts of Bunmahon.  Small  holdings<\/div>\n
of an acre or less.  Some of these cottages turned most of their land over to potatoes.  Others  managed<\/div>\n
to keep a few animals, even a  horse or two.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Friday July 1, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cMass! Master Skeoch get out of bed\u2026time for mass.\u201d  Bridey hammers on my door then enters the room<\/div>\n
and rips of my covers  reminding me all the time that  I must not miss mass.  She even carries a BELL that <\/div>\n
she rings with gusto.if I am not out of bed fast.   Lucky I wear in a bIg night shirt because Bridey  <\/div>\n
rips off the blankets to speed me up.  Mass is very important to Bridey and she  has made mass feel<\/div>\n
important to me\u2026a Protestant\u2026a  Humanist.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Quite amusing\u2026nice really.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
STOP FOR A REST<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
END OF THE INTRODUCTION TO BUNMAHON\u2026LOTS MORE TO COME<\/div>\n
SUCH AS AN INTRODUCTON TO THE BOYS WHO  MADE THE SURVEY <\/div>\n
SUCCESSFULL.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
AND THEN THE PRIZE OF PRIZES WHEN BARNEY SUGGESTED \u201cMASER SKEOCH<\/div>\n
DO YOU WANT TO GO UNDERGROUND IN THE OLD MINES\u2026.I KNOW THE SECRET<\/div>\n
ENTRANCES.”<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
alan  skeoch<\/div>\n
May 2019<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NOTE:  THIS IS  JUST A ROUGH INTRO TO BUNMAHON FROM MY OLD  JOURNAL\u2026NEEDS TO BE POLISHED\u2026HOPE MY BOSS DR. NORM PATTERSON IS NOT OFFENDED.  WE HAD A LOT OF TROUBLE ON THIS JOB. THERE ARE LOTS OF TYPOS. THE UNFORGETTABLE SUMMER OF 1960\u2026BUNMAHON alan skeoch May 2019 Flying in to Ireland in 1960 was like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2782"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2782\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}