In an exciting new development the MHS Heritage & Cultural Centre will be opening their ‘Book Corner’@ 17 Coleraine Road on the 4th February.
Everyone is invited to drop in and browse the shelves looking for that unexpected hidden treasure, useful manual or the perfect novel!! Categories covered include: fiction, history, gardening, cookery, art, crafts, farming, sport, natural history, local interest and, of course, a children’s section.
As well as an interesting and ecclectic selection of books tea and coffee will be available at the Centre and we hope to provide a welcoming ambiance where you can meet your friends or just take the opportunity to relax with a cup of coffee and a good read.
As well as providing an extra amenity in Maghera we are setting up the bookshop to help raise funds for the work of the MHS Heritage & Cultural Centre. Our aim is to promote the history, heritage and culture of the town and preserve it for future generations.
If you have any unwanted books you would be willing to donate to the bookshop that would be of great benefit to us and we would be very appreciative.
Look forward to seeing you all when we are up and running.
Denver Boyd, Chair of the Maghera Historical Society, presented a most enjoyable and informative talk on the subject of genealogy and researching family history on the 11th January in the Heritage and Cultural Centre . Denver’s interest in the subject stretches back over thirty years from when he first began to study the background of his own family. What started out as a hobby has grown into a full-blown obsession. Listening to Denver speak it was easy to understand the fascination of the subject – gathering information on our forebears involves a great deal of detective work and inspiration. Studying historical documents, even those of the recent past, is not a straightforward process more akin to untangling a convoluted web than following a clear trail.
Denver’s knowledge and enthusiasm brought a sense of adventure and discovery to the exploration of family roots. Building on the success of the evening the MHS will host a series of workshops where Denver will be available to advise and guide anybody interested in tracing their personal and family history. The workshops will be held in the Heritage and Cultural Centre over the next four Wednesdays. All are welcome, so if you are interested in finding out more about who you are and where you come from we look forward to seeing you.
DATES OF WORKSHOPS:
All workshops take place from 7 – 9pm in the Heritage and Cultural Centre: Admission £5
On 24th November 2016 in the Heritage & Cultural Centre Hilary Richardson, who has been involved in Guiding for over fifty years, shared her experiences with us. Hilary spoke about the opportunities guiding afforded her for travel in Europe, India and South America. This interesting, informative and well-illustrated talk showed us the value of the guiding movement as well as giving us an insight into other cultures and ways of life.
Hilary, a retired schoolteacher, is a member of Ballinascreen Historical Society
The Maghera Historical Society held its first annual Christmas Dinner and Dance in Walsh’s Hotel on the 25th November. This was a very enjoyable evening, very well-attended and hopefully the first of many such events. Music was by Kenny Archer and all the organization was carried out by Annette and Pat Rafferty to whom we are all very grateful. Walsh’s Hotel was an atmospheric venue and thanks are also due to all the staff who help make the night such a success
Kenny Shiels gave a very personal and insightful talk in the Heritage and Cultural Centre on the 15th December which looked beneath the surface of his long and successful career in the world of football. The event was very well attended and all there really enjoyed the evening. Our thanks to Kenny for such a thoughtful overview of his life and times. While the focus of the evening was obviously the ‘beautiful game’ Kenny’s approach and his professional presentation made his story accessible and interesting to everyone.
Denver Boyd. Newly Elected Chair of the Maghera Historical SocietyJames Armour. Director of the Maghera Heritage & Cultural Centre Ltd.
At the recent Annual General Meeting of the Maghera Historical Society on the 1st December 2016, Denver Boyd was elevated from his position as Vice-chair to Chair of the Society. At the same meeting James Armour stood down from his position as Honorary secretary of the Maghera Historical Society and stated that he would not be putting his name forward for re-election as he wished to pursue the organisation and running of the newly-formed Maghera Heritage and Cultural Centre Ltd. as a separate, but closely allied, organisation. Denver follows in the footsteps of Joseph McCoy who stepped down after two years in the Chair in order, as Joseph put it ‘that a fresh pair of eyes and a new perspective be brought to the position’. All at the Heritage and Cultural Centre would like to thank Joseph for his dedication and hard work over his term of office and also for being the initial inspiration behind the MHS. We wish Denver well in his new role and know that the Maghera Historical Society will continue to flourish and grow under his guidance and leadership.
Two years ago, the Maghera Historical Society was put on a formal footing at a public meeting called by James Armour. At that time a constitution was adopted – with one of the main aims being: To provide a suitable centre in Maghera where information, records, publications, photographs, memorabilia, folk memories and artefacts, connected with the history of the town and the surrounding districts can be collected, preserved, displayed and consulted in a venue that is open to the public. This centre is also to be used to run a programme of events relating to the culture and heritage of the area and to engage and work with the local community in an open and inclusive way, involving people from all backgrounds and cultures to celebrate and promote the present-day culture and the past heritage of Maghera.
With the opening of the Heritage and Cultural Centre premises in the town in October 2015 these aims came to fruition and in the past year the Centre has lived up to the ideals set out above with almost forty events of all descriptions taking place, each of which re-enforced the culture and heritage of the area in an open, inclusive and welcoming way.
To deal with the amount of work generated by the Maghera Heritage and Cultural Centre Ltd. and to strengthen and clarify its identity, it has been decided that it will be managed separately from the Historical Society. As the name suggests the Maghera Historical Society will focus on the history of Maghera and its surroundings, exploring, researching and preserving its distinguished past.
The Maghera Heritage and Cultural Centre Ltd. will be concerned with the heritage of the town going back as far as living memory, and Maghera’s present-day culture. These themes will be reflected in the output of the Centre which will consist of the gathering of oral-histories, the preservation of all that is best in the built fabric of the area, exhibitions, workshops and events featuring aspects of life in the town and the publication of a bi-annual magazine and other material relating to the locality.
Both the Maghera Historical Society and the Maghera Heritage and Cultural Centre Ltd. although two separate entities, will ensure that all their work is carried out in an open, inclusive way which fosters cross-community social interaction, and pride in the town.
So we wish Denver Boyd and James Armour, together with their committee members and helpers, every success in their endeavours over the coming months and years as both organisations, hopefully bring increased benefits to the local community and improve the quality of life in Maghera and the surrounding districts in a very concrete and meaningful way.
Our magazine ‘Maghera Times’ was launched at the meeting by the editor Maeve O’Neill who thanked all the contributors for their support.
After a welcome break for refreshments the evening was finished off with a rousing session of traditional music organised by Pat Rafferty.
The December edition of the Maghera Times will be available to buy from next week!! . This beautifully produced, full-colour, magazine is not only a great read – but would be a very welcome Christmas gift for friends and relations at home and abroad. With its wide range of articles, all based on Maghera and its surroundings, there is sure to be something to interest everyone. Articles range from a nostalgic look at shops and shopping in Maghera in the ’50s and ’60s to a description of the meticulous restoration of the Station Master’s House. Going back further, the archaeological work carried out on Tirnony Dolmen is explained together with some fascinating information on the building methods and rituals carried on by our ancestors 6,000 years ago. Closer to the present, local people who gave a great deal to the town are fondly remembered. Old buildings, such as Victoria House, although long gone are brought to life again in these pages. The surprising and exotic adventures of two local men who fought slavery far away in Sierra Leone are uncovered and, in an amazing piece of research, the location of fox-hunt described in an ancient manuscript, has been found to be based in this area.
With all this and more, we have managed to keep the price of the magazine at £5 – which everyone who has seen our previous issues will have to say – is amazing value.
The Maghera Times will be available to buy from Monday 28th December in the Heritage and Cultural Centre at 17 Coleraine Road, from our website http://www.maghera-heritage.org.uk/ and from local shops.
The launch of the magazine takes place in the Heritage Centre on the 1st December after the MHS Annual General Meeting and all are welcome to attend.
The Haunted Halloween History Dander was a great success and was well attended. Joseph McCoy led the party around the eerie sites of old Maghera and enthralled the crowd with spine-chilling tales such as the thirteen-step courthouse and the ghostly prison cart which can still be seen on a winter’s night.
The group went on to hear about the spooky doings at the Fair Hill and Main Street and listened to tales of the uncanny based on Victoria House. Then they moved on to the Old Rectory and the ancient church of St Lurach’s – both steeped in mystery, story and legend.
Finally a visit to the old Station Master’s House ended an evening spent with the ghosts of Maghera’s past.
Enjoying an evening of traditional music in Maghera Heritage and Cultural Centre
Maghera Heritage and Cultural Centre hosted a relaxed evening of traditional music and song last night – Saturday 29th October. Mick McElkenny, Phillip Hutchinson and Laurence Moran brought back memories of earlier years of neighbourly get-togethers among friends.
Mick McElkenny at Maghera Heritage and Cultural Centre
Alice McMurray joined the trio for a few nostalgic songs and we must thank everyone involved for their input – particularly Pat Rafferty for organising the evening and Annette Rafterty for the welcome refreshments.
Phillip Hutchinson and Laurence Moran at Maghera Heritage and Cultural Centre
When I was around 5 years old my dad had a joinery workshop on Glen Road. There were always a few trimmings and cut-offs lying around from the various wooden products he’d make. From these, myself and my friends would make bows and arrows and toy guns. We’d also steal a few sheets and planks to make tree houses and huts. If anyone was to dig up around what is now Fairhill Park they’d find the remnants of these old huts. This used to be a field in which we spent our summer months play fighting around the ruins of the old Fairhill school.
One day the entrepreneur in me kicked in and we discovered a wonderful use for the left-overs from my Dad’s work. At this time central heating was only for a few futuristic people. Everyone else had a fire and used sticks and coal to heat their homes. Myself and my neighbour filled turf bags with sticks. We got my dad to lift them onto a wheelbarrow and off we went on our trade mission along the houses of Glen close and Glen road.
Our customers were more than happy to hand over £1 for a turf bag of fire-lighting wonder. In a day’s work it wasn’t uncommon to get £10 – £15 between us. Although our entrepreneurial skills were working overtime at this young age, our savings and investments’ strategies needed some work. We’d take our sales for that day and make our way straight to Patsy Cassidy’s shop. (Now Kelly’s Eurospar). In those days £5 or £10 would buy enough sweets, ice lollies and lucky bags to cater for a party of around 30 children.
I loved my early days in Maghera. It was a wonderful, friendly town where everyone felt like family. I owe my current business skills and bad teeth to the story above
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