Bailieborough prepares for 400th birthday!

This is a very special year for Bailieborough as it celebrates and commemorates the memories of the people who have lived there over the past 400 years. According to Pynnar's Survey a William Bealie was given a grant of 1,000 acres of land in Tonergie, this is now known as Tanderagee. He started a small settlement which over the centuries has evolved into the present town of Bailieborough, in a slightly different location. Bailieborough Development Association, which is a cross community organisation, has been planning for some time to commemorate this event. Together with Cavan County Council and Peace III funding, they are organising a number of events. Local people have got together to discuss, plan and implement activities which have a cross community appeal and involvement. There are a number of very ambitious projects lined up, each with its own cross community committee to ensure success: SCHOOLS' PROJECT The schools' project encompasses schools in the community, is chaired by Mary Sheanon. The children of Ballinamoney NS are busy gathering information on the history, folklore, and ecology of the Lough-an-lea Mountain. This is the focus of their project to celebrate Bailieborough 400. This landmark was chosen as the pupils consider the mountain to be an important focal point for the people of Bailieborough and the surrounding area. Also, rehearsals are ongoing in preparation for the cross community choir recital with pupils looking forward to joining up with the other schools. St. Felim's NS (The Vale) will celebrate Bailieborough 400 by preparing a history project on Bailieborough Castle. They have visited the ruins and further trips with other schools are planned. Pupils are busy rehearsing music and song and will take part in the Community Choir. St Anne's NS children have been working on a project on Bailieborough workhouse, investigating workhouse life and its use after it closed. They will be hosting a tour around the workhouse following the funeral trail to the workhouse cemetery. Bailieborough Model School are hosting a tour around their school for the pupils from the other schools in the community. This is a very historic building, the oldest school in the community and a protected structure. The tour will incorporate a visit to the courthouse and Bridewell and there will be a talk by Philip Tierney who has in depth knowledge of both buildings. All of the schools have been working on local history projects which will be on display in the Bailieborough library from June 3. Children from the four national schools and the School of Music will be performing an evening of song and music on Friday, May 14. They will be joined by the newly reformed Cross Community Choir under the direction of Rev Florence Taylor. This event will be held in Bailieborough Community School and all are welcome to attend. The School of Music senior band are performing at the Chernobyl Children's appeal concert at the Helix in Dublin on May 10. A PICTORIAL PAST Bailieborough has a rich pictorial history first captured on camera by James A. Coleman who established Ireland's largest photographic studio in 1904. Many of these images and indeed photographs from down through the years are included in a new publication, Bailieborough A Pictorial Past. Leslie McKeague whose interest in local history has inspired him to compile this new book, has worked for some time now sourcing photographs and compiling accompanying text. When an appeal went out for photographs so great was the response the number of pages had to be increased and even then unfortunately not all photographs could be included. Leslie and his committee are making some special edition copies available to the Johnston Central Library, Bailieborough Library and local schools. Special guest Lord Eames will officially launch the book on Friday, May 28, at 8pm in Bailieborough Business Centre, Shercock Road. Refreshments will be served and everyone is most welcome to attend. (www.bailieborough.com/book/) HENRY JAMES The author Henry James is greatly admired, his works being studied throughout the world. His forbears travelled to Curkish, Bailieborough from Scotland in 1700 and his grandfather emigrated to America in 1789. Henry James wrote many famous books, the best known being The Portrait Of A Lady and The Bostonians. The extended James family continued to live in Bailieborough down the centuries and were involved in various businesses from farming to owning and running a pharmacy. The family originally attended Corglass Presbyterian Church, but resulting from a dispute over a church extension which interfered with their burial plot, the family moved to the Church of Ireland, Bailieborough. A Stained Glass Window in the Church celebrates the James family and there are family gravestones in both the old and the new cemeteries. A cross community committee, chaired by Lil McCormick, have explored ways of celebrating the life and times of Henry James. It is planned to erect a plaque on the house in Main Street where the James family lived and carried on their business. A Booklet containing the relevant facts about the family will be produced and made available in Co. Cavan libraries. Colm Toibin, the famous Irish author has written a widely acclaimed masterpiece on Henry James called The Master. This book won the Impac Literary Award in 2004. It was also shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. It was also nominated as one of the best ten books of 2004 by the New York Times. Colm Toibin will unveil a Plaque on June 22 and deliver a lecture in the Church of Ireland, entitled The Shadow Of Bailieborough - Henry James and Ireland. Tom Mac Intyre Acclaimed writer Tom Mac Intyre was born in Bailieborough in 1931 and is very proud of his local roots. Both his parents were Primary School teachers in the town, where he also received his primary education. He played with local GAA team, Bailieborough Shamrocks. He has many friends and acquaintances in the town whom he still visits. Although in his eightieth year, Tom continues to write in his daring and original way. He lives near us in East Cavan. A cross community committee under the chairmanship of Fergus Cronin is planning a number of events for the weekend of September 24. For almost five decades Tom Mac Intyre has been one of Irelands' most original writers of plays, poems, short stories and novels. Throughout his literary career, Tom received many awards including the American Ireland Literary Fund Award. He has also been awarded the Irish Times/ESB Irish Theatre Best Play Award for The Gallant John Joe in 2002 and the Stewart Parker prize for Caoineadh Airt Ui Laoghaire in 1999. Many of his plays were premiered in the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. The Great Hunger was staged to critical acclaim in 1983. It was based on the poem by Patrick Kavangh and has become his best known stage presentation. The collaboration of the author with the actor Tom Hickey and the director Patrick Mason resulted in a play that proved highly successful and toured internationally including the Edinburgh Arts Festival and in Moscow 1988. The Gallant John Joe (2002) was another successful collaboration of Mac Intyre with Tom Hickey starring in the one man play which had its most recent staging in The Ramor Theatre, Virginia. A number of events will take place in Bailieborough over the weekend starting Friday, September 24. Tom will do a public interview with author and playwright Michael Harding. At another event during the weekend he will do reading from his work. Other events planned for the weekend include a lecture by Ms Marie Kelly who is doing a thesis on his work. Patrick Mason the well known director and the actor Tom Hickey both of whom have collaborated extensively with Tom will also make contributions. The Abbey Theatre will also mount an exhibition of archive material on his work for a two week period in the local library. This weekend which will be curated by the actor and director Padraic McIntyre, in what promises to be a fitting tribute to Tom. OUR SHARED HISTORY The project will explore various aspects of the traditions, cultures and people that have made what is now Bailieborough and its hinterland their home through the centuries. It will explore the historic landscape of the region which contains rich evidence of past cultures and their efforts to make this area a place fit to live in. The earliest evidence of settlement in this area dates back approximately 4,000 years and this project will investigate the abundance of archaeological remains still surviving from earliest times. The pre-plantation history of what is now Bailieborough will be discussed as will the terms of the plantation scheme of settlement and re-grant under William Bailie who gave his name to our town. The lasting impact on the area will be discussed and in so doing help to create a greater understanding of the diverse religious and cultural traditions still existing in East Cavan today. The societies and their contribution to local history will be researched and the unique and fascinating history of The Orange Order, The Ribbonmen, The Ancient Order of Hibernians will be explored. The famine and its impact on our area with subsequent loss of thousands of our people through death and emigration will be explored and we will look at the impact of our lost generation throughout the world. The project will suit all age groups with a special emphasis on schools and in doing so help create an awareness of the rich diversity in landscape, built heritage, traditions and culture so prevalent in the Bailieborough region in 2010. The project team will be chaired by well known local historian Eugene Markey. HERITAGE A cross community committee, chaired by John Edward Sheanon, has been looking at our shared heritage and how best to acknowledge and celebrate this. The committee is exploring the various ways that people lived and interacted, the industries that were prevalent in the area and the evolution of these over time to arrive at our present diverse society. They are very interested in hearing from individuals or groups who may have information on these topics and who may have artifacts, momentoes and antiquities which will form part of an exhibition which will be on display in Peter Murtagh's of Main Street. It will take place in the autumn at a date to be confirmed. The pupils of the Community School will form an active part of this project and their output will include a Banner designed and constructed by them and will form part of this exhibition.