{"id":5005,"date":"2020-06-23T19:49:47","date_gmt":"2020-06-23T23:49:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=5005"},"modified":"2020-06-23T19:55:57","modified_gmt":"2020-06-23T23:55:57","slug":"episode-72-bunmahon-ireland-alan-skeochs-journal-wed-agust-24-1960","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=5005","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 72 BUNMAHON IRELAND ALAN SKEOCH’S JOURNAL WED. AGUST 24, 1960"},"content":{"rendered":"
EPISODE 72   BUNMAHON  IRELAND   ALAN SKEOCH\u2019S  JOURNAL <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
ALAN skeoch<\/div>\n
June 2020<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Well friends this will be the end of my personal experience in Ireland in 1960.  End of<\/div>\n
my journal entries.   But it is not the end of the story.  After this Episode I would like<\/div>\n
to take you back  to 1840 then to 1875.   Mining conditions\u2026miners lives\u2026women\u2019s lives<\/div>\n
Those years are described as wretched for people in Bunmahon.  I hope you have<\/div>\n
enough Imagination to put yourselves in their shoes.<\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n
This  cottage could just as well be in 1870 rather than 1960.  Typical working class cottage.<\/div>\n
Those living here had to look for work wherever it could be found.  And then begin walking<\/div>\n
to get there.   The house was heated  with peat\u2026cooking with peat that had to be cut into<\/div>\n
blocks and  dried.   The air inside the homes was  mixed with smoke.  \u2018<\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n
Roads  were used by sheep, cattle, people<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
June 2020<\/div>\n

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\n
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Rained  all morning so heavy that work was  pointless.<\/div>\n
Andy Kiely\u2019s father died at 9 a.m. He was 91 years old.  The lads<\/div>\n
will need a half day off tomorrow for the funeral.  Why didn\u2019t someone<\/div>\n
tell  me Andy was trying to work for me and look after his dying<\/div>\n
father at the same time.  God, I wish I had not fired him.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We  covered 6,900 feet of line in the afternoon.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
John Hogan and Paddy (who has a serious  hunchback) went<\/div>\n
down to the pub at 5 for a game of darts.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Barney and  I went exploring at 8 pm \u2026 up a glen and into adits  that<\/div>\n
no one had entered for 40 years according to Barney. Ocean entry point. Water past our<\/div>\n
waists for 400 feet then I was stunned with the beauty of the place\u2026walls <\/div>\n
of reds,  greens, whites.  We found  numerous skulls at base of <\/div>\n
an  old shaft that had been closed in at the top after these animals <\/div>\n
had been dumped.   Waterfall inside gave a mourning kind of  sound\u2026<\/div>\n
sort of  frightening.<\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n
We passed by Andy Kiely\u2019s house on way home  where the wake will<\/div>\n
be going on all night.  I was a little nervous entering the house\u2026unsure<\/div>\n
I would be welcome for I  never knew the man.  My lads were all there\u2026lots<\/div>\n
of noise and stories.   And old Mr. Kiely was there as well\u2026coffin vertical as <\/div>\n
I remember but unsure.  The house was tiny. Packed with people who<\/div>\n
were happy to see me.  Some music on a violin. Glad I dropped in.<\/div>\n
Pangs of guilt.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
THURSDAY AUGUST 25<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Pushed the lads so that we finished base line #3 and checked set up for Base  Line<\/div>\n
#4\u2026.Locatikon looks good, fairly flat.  No doubt the cattle are hiding.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Let the whole crew  off at noon to attend mr. Kiely\u2019s funeral.  We joined the procession<\/div>\n
to Ballaneen.  Coffin beng carried by a hearse (9ld truck?)  while the whole village of  Bunmahon and<\/div>\n
others followed behind blocking the road.   Seemed dangerous and proved to be so<\/div>\n
when a car with a load  of barley tilted aroound a corner and suddenly<\/div>\n
tried to brake .  Managed to stop just a  few feet from the hearse.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Andy Kiely spent the night in Ballyaneen.  Not in the church where his father was<\/div>\n
to be buried but in the pub.   Today , his dad was buried\u2026vertically.  The graveyard<\/div>\n
was full I assumed as this was the same graveyard used by the miners families back in the<\/div>\n
1840\u2019s,  1850\u2019s, 1860\u2019s and  1870\u2019s.  Not much room left.  Or that is  the way I interpreted<\/div>\n
things.  Could be wrong.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\"Final<\/div>\n
This is NOT The Kiely funeral\u2026but it is similar\u2026not as fancy but the roadway<\/div>\n
full of  people following the hearse.  Hearse was aged as  opposed to new.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
John Hogan  and I went for a walk along the seashore in the evening<\/div>\n
as the waves lapped at our feet.  A seal  came in very close.  Then we <\/div>\n
climbed  to walk along the cliffs above the beach.  Quite a number of females<\/div>\n
followed us  to get a good look at the \u201cminers\u201d.   Never in my whole career<\/div>\n
as a mine instrument man  did I ever get such attention.  Rather embarrassing<\/div>\n
but cute at same time.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
FRIDAY AUGUST 26, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Rained  all day but I took the lads out in the afternoon to do  two lines.<\/div>\n
We worked over time just to get them done.  A normally small creek<\/div>\n
became a raging torrent which we had to carefully cross\u2026water above <\/div>\n
our knees\u2026surging.  Sounds small but was  not so   <\/div>\n
Earlier we waded  easily.<\/div>\n

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

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

<\/div>\n
SATURDAY  AUGUST 27, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Another weather commpromised day but we went out anyway.<\/div>\n
Managed to cover 6,000 feet after a few tense moments evading<\/div>\n
Farmer Welsh\u2019s bull.<\/div>\n

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

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

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SUNDAY AUGUST 28, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
After Mass, John Hogan and I climbed the Cameragh Mountains\u20262500 feet high <\/div>\n
and found the so called Bottomless Lake.   Found a Ram\u2019s Skull.  Beautiful<\/div>\n
day in the heather.<\/div>\n
\"Coumshingaun<\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n
Hit some chickens on way home\u2026couldn\u2019t be helped.  Then went to a<\/div>\n
Civil Defence  demonstration in Bonmahon.   Drove to Tramore for<\/div>\n
golf  (miniature with lots of  kids) , supper was fish and chips like <\/div>\n
everyone else.  Back to Bonmahon for a dance but found it was<\/div>\n
a  closed dance for Civil Defence people only.  Town people got<\/div>\n
angry and started breaking down the door  and fighting. One man<\/div>\n
was totally out of control.  John and  I tried to calm things down.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
MONDAY  AUGUST 29, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Delayed  most of the morning with cable breaks.    Cattle.  Wonder <\/div>\n
how many are on the ground frothing for Farmer Welsh.  No joke\u2026must<\/div>\n
see  what is  done  to compensate.  At lunch I had<\/div>\n
Willy drive me to Dungarvin to pick up expense check then wired<\/div>\n
for more.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Afternoon was spent repairing  cable breaks but still managed<\/div>\n
to do  12,000  feet off line.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I will try to finish the project this week and then pack  up and<\/div>\n
head  for home\u2026with a few side ventures.   Got a wire from<\/div>\n
Amsterdam saying John Stam would arrive back in Ireland<\/div>\n
at 4.25.  Glad to hear that for there will be some loose  ends<\/div>\n
that only John can  clear up with Dennison Mines.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Spent rest of evening testing the Ronka.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
TUESDAY AUGSUT 30, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Holy Smoke\u2026today we managed to complete<\/div>\n
Base Line #4\u202620,900 feet.  One of our best days ever in<\/div>\n
Ireland.  Cattle herds must be taking a holiday.<\/div>\n
Base Line  #4 now done.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
NOTE FOR THOSE CONFUSED ABOUT CABLE AND CATTLE<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Below is a picture of our cable back pack with Barney laying a base line cable.  Usually the<\/div>\n
Base Line was three miles or around 15, 000 feet with grounding rods at each  end and <\/div>\n
a motor generator at one of the terminal points.   The generator produced enough electricity<\/div>\n
to create an strange loop\u2026strange to  readers because the loop was completed  in the  ground\u2019 <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The sensitive machine I carried could pick up electrical impulses in the ground.  If there was a<\/div>\n
good conductor at some point\u2026.like a seam  of chalcopyrite\u2026then the readings would differ<\/div>\n
from the background readings which would  be flat.   To pick up these readings we used two<\/div>\n
vertical  copper coiled  receivers that were kept 100 feet apart and joined by a rubber sheathed<\/div>\n
electrical  cable.  Very complicated for me to describe since it was 60 years ago that I did<\/div>\n
Turam work.<\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n
We did get breaks in the cable when doing a wilderness survey back in Canada or Alaska\u2026i.e. from rodents chewing or<\/div>\n
larger animals  getting their feet caught.  But those breaks occurred seldom.  In  Ireland<\/div>\n
the breaks occurred regularly\u2026often\u2026and sometimes many breaks at a time.  The breaks<\/div>\n
were repaired with electrical tape very simply.  Finding the breaks was a  different matter<\/div>\n
when the cable was three miles long.<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n
Usual beer and darts then drove to Waterford to<\/div>\n
pick  up John Stam.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
WEDNESDAY  AUGUST 31, 1960<\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n
John Stam  told us about the Geological Congress<\/div>\n
in Copenhagen.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
John Hogan and I ent  to Waterford to see \u201cAround the<\/div>\n
World in  80 days\u201d which I found quite boring.  Movies cost 25 cents. Waterford<\/div>\n
was really beautiful on this last evening in  August.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Worked  like the devil  (What an odd expression when I think of it?)<\/div>\n
Finished  Base Line #5 (18,800 feet).  Had  a few tense moments with<\/div>\n
killer bull and  a half baked farmer who seemed ready to run me through<\/div>\n
with his pitch fork.  He is supposed to be a  dangerous man. Farmers<\/div>\n
are a kind of gentry class here\u2026contrast with the day labourers<\/div>\n
who have 1 acre plots and small cottages.  Tension between the two<\/div>\n
groups was very evident.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I was a little startled when doing a reading because a horse<\/div>\n
lay his head on my shoulder.  Friendly.  <\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n
I took the lads out for overtime work at night and  we worked<\/div>\n
until darkness fell.  My staking crew were working in the Gardenmorris  <\/div>\n
bog where all four of them dropped into shallow sink holes often\u2026wading<\/div>\n
often as  well.   I had to go and find them at 10 oclock at night. They<\/div>\n
were trying set straight lines in the dark using matches.  Impossible<\/div>\n
work of course.  But they thought I needed them to finish.  What great<\/div>\n
men.  What a poor labour boss I turned out to be.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
A Long hard day\u20268 a.m. to 8 p.m. then office work to 10 p.m.<\/div>\n
Laying out the loo[p in the morning , then drove to Tramore to get<\/div>\n
my hundred dollars from home.  Would need that once job is<\/div>\n
done and I try to visit Eywood Estate in Herefordshire.   Came<\/div>\n
back and did part of  a line before  driving to Dungarvin to pick<\/div>\n
up 300 dollars from our Company to cover estimated wages.<\/div>\n
In Dungarvin a town drunk wanted an argument and fight for<\/div>\n
reason I could not figure.   Returned to Bunmahon and took the<\/div>\n
lads out for evening work doing Turam in pitch darkness using<\/div>\n
flashlight to guide us through the Gardenmorris Bog.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I should send this note back to Toronto.  Hard to <\/div>\n
believe we did it all.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Up with the sun and recovered Base Line #6 then laid<\/div>\n
out Base Line #4 again so we could do \u2018in between lines\u2019<\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n
John Hogan and  I recovered the motor generator and then<\/div>\n
drove on  to Ballycrasteen to visit a tiny church.  Unsure why.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Back home I asked the lads  to lay out our wire and cut<\/div>\n
out the bad spots.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Then in the evening I did a really stupid thing.  We had<\/div>\n
a few gallons of gasoline which we had mixed with <\/div>\n
oil.   What was  I do with it?  I should have offered it to<\/div>\n
one of the lads but instead  I decided to set the sea on fire<\/div>\n
at Bonmahon beach.   With quite a following i carried the<\/div>\n
drum of perhaps 5 to 10 gallons of gas\u2026and poured the<\/div>\n
contents into the water.  Tommy handed me a lighter and<\/div>\n
then Whoosh\u2026the sea was on fire.   That gesture was rather<\/div>\n
stupid.  No  second thought given.<\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n
My collection  of slides were good but we had no projector.<\/div>\n
The lads  and Mrs. Kennedy scoured the village for a projector<\/div>\n
but failed.  That was too bad. It would have been a nice ending<\/div>\n
to have everybody down a Kirwin\u2019s pub looking at our adventures.<\/div>\n
A better ending would have been an announcement that the <\/div>\n
mines at Knockmahon and Tankardstown were to be reopened.<\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n

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

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

<\/div>\n
\n
In 1965 Marjorie, Eric and I went back to Bunmahon.   Things had changed.  Even less work available.   Other friends visited<\/div>\n
the site in subsequent years.   One visitor reported  Kirwin\u2019s  pub was closed  and up For Sale.\u201d   Sad\u2026<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Now readers\u2026you must arrange to see THE QUIET MAN with john Wayne, maureen Ohara and Barrie Fitzgerald.<\/div>\n
It is romantic.  Maybe I should add a bit of  romance.  Give me some leeway.  <\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n
EMD  EPISODE  72<\/div>\n

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Next  Episode is  coming …<\/div>\n

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

EPISODE 72   BUNMAHON  IRELAND   ALAN SKEOCH\u2019S  JOURNAL  ALAN skeoch June 2020 Well friends this will be the end of my personal experience in Ireland in 1960.  End of my journal entries.   But it is not the end of the story.  After this Episode I would like to take you back  to 1840 […]<\/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-5005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5005","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=5005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5005\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}