Yesterday Barry ‘Brad’ Crawford took me along to visit Perry’s Mill at Belmont. There were two mills in operation when it was in production – the Flour Mill and the Oat Mill. Our hosts Tom Dolan and Sandy Lloyd gave us a warm welcome and allowed us time to look around at the many interesting items on display in the Oat Mill which has been adapted for use as a visitor center. Brad noticed a sign outside where the petrol pump that was used to supply the lorries was located. The name was Pratts and Tom Dolan told us that it once had a globe. Recently one of the globes was put up for auction in Ireland and Tom and Sandy put a reserve bid of 150 Euros on it. It was sold for 160 Euros. So if you have an old spare Pratt about the house bring it along to Perry’s Mill and give it new life.

In one room there is an interesting display of old invoices. One of them was for 3,000 Gallen or Gillen bricks bought on 12^th November 1855 for £2 – 17 from the nearby producer.

Another invoice was for 1,000 Gallen bricks purchased in 1913 and costing 16 shillings. On this reckoning bricks had reduced in price by 3 shillings / 1000 over 58 years. It pays to wait.

In November 1937 the cost of 6 gallons of petrol was 9 shillings.

When in production at one time they produced two different grates of flour and Groato Flaked Oatmeal and pinhead oatmeal. Brad was telling John Price today about our visit and he remembers going to the mill with his father Leslie and Tom Coleman. He remembers Tom Coleman chewing little white grains and telling John that they were babies teeth.

There are a number of photographs on display. One is a photo pf Phil Perry and his father and some womenfolk at David Perry’s christening in 1948. Another shows over twenty men and boys that worked in the mill all wearing caps. If you visit the mill and recognise any of the faces let Tom Dolan know.

They turned on the water which gave power to the grinding stone and Tom poured in some grain to demonstrate how it worked.

Canal boats used to transport grain to the mill and the returning boats took on a load of Gallen bricks. Last night Jimmy Spollen from Ferbane was telling us that an old Gallen brick today is selling for 1.50 Euros each.

The stables have been converted into studios for artists to work in and display their wares.

Before leaving I noticed the clocking in when they went modern. Also two scoops that were part of a mechanism for moving the grain.

Pat my sister remembered Perry’s lorries as the first transport from Shannonbridge. Drivers such as John and Jim Horan, Paddy Devery, Tommy Murphy, Kieran Connolly and others often found room to give a person a lift to Ballinasloe and with luck would give they a return lift after they had delivered their loads in Mountbellew, Moylough or points west.

Certainly worth a visit and do it soon.

Brad took the long way home via Cloghan to have a look at the River Brosna and weir and the Grand Canal. We went north at Clononey bridge along the canal for a ways. There is an amount of heavy looking underwater weed to be seen and Brad saw a fish jump. When we got nearer to the jumping location it jumped once more but this time it flew away. One of those canal flying fish no doubt. At the point where we turned the car we noticed some lovely Rockets in bloom in the hedge – white and pink and purply blue. There were millions of buttercups and other yellow weeds like pissybeds and their taller cousins. And the sun shone. What more could one ask?. One thing might be that the weed-cutter boat reaches this area soon and allow people like Brad to fish the canal in comfort.

More a family matter. The cousin John Toher was telling me the other morning that the family headstone in Taughmaconnell graveyard has our grandparents deaths recorded. Our grandfather John Killeen died in 1896 and our Grandmother Ellen Kelly died on 26^th December 1942. It is only a record as John Killeen was buried in Clonburren graveyard. Notice that Ellen died 46 years later.

Met John and Kathy Werning from Mundelein Illinois on Wednesday. Kathy nee Spain told me that they were over for a cousin’s wedding on Inch Island off Donegal. I asked them if they had heard any corncrakes and when I made the sound Kathy said yes that they had heard it. She told me that her family had emigrated to America in the early 1900’s and she was looking for information on the Spain family and the origin of the name. I recommended the phone book. Later that evening I rang a Spain and he told me that Tipperary seems to be their base. He thinks the name originated from a Spaniard coming into Ireland, maybe Armada era, and being known as Spain.

The Sullivan travel people had directed John and Kathy to visit Knock and call in on their way to Clonmacnois and stay at Kajon House. Thought they might show up for the Paudge Show later.

Yesterday at 01.48 John Wilson wrote –

Was just having lunch at my desk and had a look at the blogspot.

Glad to see the remaining half of Frater and Gunn still going.

Your two birds feeding on the Italian scraps were almost certainly

An adult starling feeding its young. Young starlings are uniform grey / brown colour

Developing the glossy black / spotted plumage as they mature.

It got me thinking of the birds I used to come across when I visited Shannonbridge in the 80’s.

I certainly remember hearing corncrakes call, particularly around the Clonmacnois area.

I also remember a large colony of house martins under the Bord na Mona bridge, by the hot water.

Are they still coming there to rest.

Regards. John

Searching for something on Google recently I came across a reference to the famous John Weaving photographed for National Geographic November 1978 by a London photographer, as he made his way up the Woodford River off Lough Derg with his two faithful dogs looking left and right and their heads in the wind. The dogs names were Brocky and Twiggy. Some years ago I contacted the photographer and he kindly send me a print which now hangs in the dart / TV room at Killeens. A marvellous photo I hope you agree if your Google finds it for you.