New publication chronicles 70 years of island living
John James Reihill lived a truly remarkable life on the picturesque Inniscorkish Island in middle of Upper Lough Erne for 70 years and he has chronicled those experiences in a new book called Friday’s Child.
John, who now resides in Lisnaskea with his wife Sheila, is now looking forward to the launch of his new book in the Donn Carragh Hotel in Lisnaskea by Peter Quinn on Friday evening, December 3.
The book is a wonderful social history of the life and times of a farming family residing on an Island which they owned, and the joys and tribulations encountered along the way. It features no less than 230 stories, all beautifully capturing the very essence of the events and circumstances under focus by the writer.
It ranges from the early days, right through a myriad of happenings and encounters with storms, ice, fog, to transporting animals in cots as well as being alone on the island. There are also very informative stories about the war years on the lough, getting married, the long 52-mile row from Belturbet to Belleek to raise funds for the Share Centre. The Late J.C. Brady, then Lord Mayor of Belturbet, saw him off from Belturbet and was the first man to greet him on arrival in Belleek. They got a lot of business at the restaurant over the years from people setting out in their boats from Belturbet and there was a link between the Island and Belturbet going back centuries.
Apart from farming, the Reihill’s also ran a restaurant on the Island and people from all over the world enjoyed the meals and entertainment and wrote very complimentary notes in the various visitor books over the year. A cross-section of these personal notes and comments have been reproduced in this unique and superb book, which is also further complemented by the wonderful selection of photographs throughout.
They say a picture paints a thousand words and many of the pictures take the reader on a journey through seven decades in smooth parallel with John’s words and vivid descriptions of every move on the island. The chapters also feature wonderful outlines of moving to the mainland, the thriving restaurant business and Irish coffees.
The curtain comes down with the last farewell: The fourth-last paragraph in the book encapsulates some of the reasons decided why he decided to sell the Island and move to the mainland.
“An island is an expensive place to live. You have to have a boat and engine and in our case, we had no mains electricity so we had to generate our own power. This meant having a reliable generator and keeping it in oil and diesel. This had to be transported across the lough, which led to more expense. Then there was the thought of either of us getting sick during the night and no neighbours to call on to get the doctor across. If it was Sheila that was sick, I was still capable of crossing over for the doctor, as I had done on a number of occasions in the night, but if I was ill, Sheila would be in a terrible panic, as she couldn’t manage a boat”.
• All are welcome at the launch in the Donn Carragh Hotel, Lisnaskea on Friday, December 3, at 8pm.
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