September 1914

Seagoe Parish Magazine.

SEPTEMBER, 1914.

A Prayer.

O Thee, O God, most merciful and most mighty,

we turn in this time of tumult and distress.

Look in pity upon us and upon the nations now

engaged in conflict. Pardon our sins and avert the

evils which we have deserved. Save and defend our

King and country ; grant wisdom and strength to our

leaders, and quietness and self-control to our people :

watch over our soldiers and sailors and all who are

in peril by land or sea: give victory to the right and

make wrong-doing to fail : succour the weak and

distressed and assuage the miseries of war: keep far

from us bloodshed and oppression : and if it be Thy

will, speedily restore peace to the world. These

petitions we present in the name of Him who is the

Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Intercessory Service for our

Soldiers and Sailors.

A Service of Intercession on behalf of Our Soldiers

and Sailors engaged in the War will be held on every

Wednesday evening in the Parish Church at 8 0'clock.

The Special Form of Service sanctioned by the

Archbishop and Bishops of the Church of Ireland

will be used. There are many anxious hearts among

us just now, and the gracious invitation of the Divine

Saviour must appeal to us more than ever before—

" Come unto Me all ye that are weary and heavy

laden and I will give you rest."

Let all our people

join together frequently in public and united prayer

as well as in private supplication that the God of

Battles may grant success to our armies in the field,

and that the great Captain of our Salvation may take

into His keeping the souls and bodies of our dear

ones now fighting in the cause of King and Empire.

THE WAR.

The subject uppermost in our minds a short month

ago was the impending danger Of Home Rule. Today

we are plunged into the horrors of a European War,

and our local anxieties are thrust into the background

by the danger which threatens the very existence of

the Empire. It is said that in actual warfare no

movement is so difficult to accomplish as a sudden

change of front, and Ulster has been called upon, in

a moment as it were, to oppose not as formerly a party

majority in the House of Commons, but a foreign foe

Of great military strength who would strike at the

very roots of our national existence. Our duty is

clear. It is to lay aside for the time being our local

questions and throw ourselves heart and soul into the

task of defending our land against the German foe.

Every man of military age should offer himself

without delay to the service of his King and Country.

If we wish to protect ourselves against the horrible

pillage and murder which Belgium and France have

had to endure, every man must take his place in the

defence of his homeland.

Very many of our young men have already joined

the ranks and even now some are actually engaged in

the fighting line.

We had hoped to publish in this month's issue the

names of those in the Army and Navy who have gone

to the front from Seagoe Parish, but owing to the

difficulty of ascertaining the names, we have postponed it to next issue.

We will be glad to publish extracts from letters

from Seagoe men, serving at the front, although at

present the censorship is so rigid that little or no

news can reach us through the post.

Every woman in the Parish should do something

to help the Red Cross work for the sick and wounded.

SEND-OFF TO MAJOR BLACKER.

The realities of the War were brought home very

vividly to the hearts and minds of the people of

Seagoe when they heard that Major Blacker had

been called up for active service, and would be

leaving Carrickblacker on Monday, August 10th. It

is a long time since a Churchwarden of Seagoe has

been summoned away from the Parish to engage in

active service against a foreign foe. It is doubtful

if even in the dark days of Napoleon's projected

invasion, Seagoe felt the touch of war so closely as

last month.

As soon as it was known that Major Blacker was

leaving, the Portadown Battalion of the Ulster

Volunteers decided to give him a proper

" send-off." And not alone did the Volunteers turn

out in full force but the factories closed down for the

afternoon, and the workers crowded out into the

streets to say farewell to the Major. Edenderry has

seldom witnessed such stirring sight. The

Volunteers were drawn up along both sides of

Railway Street, and behind them stood a solid block

of men, and women, and children. About five

o'clock Major Blacker's motor car turned into

Railway Street. A great cheer rose from the crowd,

and the Volunteers presented arms. The Carrickblacker

Company, who are most closely associated

with Major Blacker, were drawn up nearest to the

station. Major Blacker was very much affected by

the generous warmth of the demonstration, and

SEAGOE PARISH MAGAZINE.

expressed his thanks before taking his place in the

train. The Rev. G. Bloomer, Curate of Seagoe, was

in the absence of the Rector, present on the platform

to say good-bye to Major Blacker.

The people of Seagoe unite in wishing Major

Blacker a prosperous campaign and a safe return.

Mrs. Blacker presided over a meeting in Portadown

on Monday evening, August 24th, for the purpose

of organising a Needlework Fund to provide comforts

for our Soldiers and Sailors.

AN INDIAN MUTINY VETERAN

We have in our midst a veteran of the Indian

Mutiny who some 60 years ago bravely fought the

battles of his country against a fierce and savage foe.

Mr. William Kennedy, of Kernan, served throughout

the Indian Mutiny in the year 1857. He fought in

the 27th Regiment, the old Inniskilling Fusiliers,

under General Cotton, and helped to clear the Punjab

of many Indian rebels. On one occasion while

marching past a troop of rebels he received a gunshot

wound in the leg. Mr. Kennedy is the proud

possessor of the Mutiny Medal, and has many

interesting tales to tell of that stirring time.

THE DAY SCHOOLS.

The Day Schools at Seagoe and Hacknahay

resumed work after the holidays on Monday, August

10th. The pupils were present in large numbers, and

looked the picture of health after their pleasant

holiday. The new Class Room in Seagoe has been

furnished with a set of new desks of the most

approved kind. Each desk is fitted for two children

and the seat and desk front are movable. The desks

are specially designed to enable the pupil to adopt

a healthy and unstrained attitude while at work.

HARVEST SERVICES.

A Harvest Thanksgiving Service will (D.v.) be held

in Hacknahay School, on Sunday, Sept. 27th, at

3-30 p m. ; and on Monday, Sept. 28th, at 8 p.m.

The Harvest Services in the Parish Church have

been arranged for Thursday, Oct. 8th, at 8 p.m. ; and

Sunday, October 11th, at 11-30 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Further particulars regarding the Services will

appear in our issue for next month.

THE BIBLE CLASS.

The Men's Classes have been to a certain extent

depleted by the fact that several members from each

Class have been summoned to the Colours. If many

of the Ulster Volunteers enlist, the numbers will be

still further reduced, but all those who have to leave

for this Course will be marked as present each Sunday.

The lessons our men have learned in the Classes will

help to make them better soldiers on the battle field.

We hope that every man who goes from Seagoe to serve

his King will ever remember that he is also a soldier

in the army of the King of Kings. " Be thou faithful

unto death and I will give thee a Crown of Life."

Baptisms,

Baptized on August 1st 1914.

Robinson Anne Jane, daughter of Joseph and Mary Robinson, of Tamnificarbet.

Sponsors—Joseph Robinson, Mary Robinson.

Quinn—George, son of Rachel and Alexander Quinn, of Ballynaghy, Parish of Knocknamuckley.

Sponsors—Susanna Livingston, Rachel Quinn.

Milligan—On August 10th, 1914, Emily, daughter of Joseph and Mary Milligan, of Edenderry.

Sponsors—Dynes Atkinson, Mary Milligan.

PRIVATELY BAPTIZED.

Wilson—On August 11th, 1914, Thomas, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Wilson, of Kernan.

Pentland—On August 16th, 1914, Maurice, son of Edward and Elizabeth Pentland, of Edenderry.

Marriage.

Craig and Irvine— On August 21st, 1914, James Craig, of Lylo,

to Elizabeth Irvine, of Belfast.

Burials.

August 22nd, 1914, Maurice Pentland, aged 4 months.

Offertories,

Sunday Morning £10 0 11

Evening 2 11 4

Weekdays 0 12 1

Total £13 4 4

The pillars at Seagoe Church Gate have been

covered with posters containing Royal Proclamations

against Aliens, and also concerning the calling out

of the Reserves.

The Collections in Seagoe Parish Church on

Sunday, August 23rd, in aid of the Prince of Wales'

The Relief Fund amounted to £6 8s 2d.

amount was sent direct to Buckingham Palace.

The Special Insurance Collections at the Church

door have now ceased, as the necessary amount Of

£21 has been raised. We thank all who so liberally

assisted by their contributions.

SEAGOE PARISH MAGAZINE.

ITEMS,

A further portion of the Lurgan Road has been

laid with tar macadam. We believe it is in

contemplation to continue the work as far as Lurgan.

The new method of tarring the roads abolishes dust,

and gives the roads a beautifully smooth surface.

It is interesting to know that the two men who

have done more than any others to promote easy

travelling by road were natives of Belfast—MacAdam

who introduced the method of road making with

broken stones, and Dunlop who invented the pneumatic.

Mr. Loudon MacAdam introduced his system in

1819, in " Remarks on Road-making," and Mr.

Dunlop invented the Pneumatic Tyre in 1888.

A very handsome entrance gate is being erected

near Seagoe Railway Crossing, as a means of

approach to the new portion of Seagoe graveyard.

Mrs. Gray, of Ashton Villa, and three of her

family who left here in June for a holiday in

Germany are unfortunately unable to return home or to

communicate with their relatives, owing to the outbreak

of the war. We hope that they will soon be

set free from their present very unpleasant position.

" Men in Khaki" are leaving Portadown by almost

every train, and many affecting goodbyes are

witnessed daily at the Station platforms.

We hear it said that the Linen Trade is not likely

to suffer much owing to the war, and that if the foreign

Flax supply can be obtained there will probably

be a boom in the Trade.

The painting of the interior of the Church will. be

proceeded with immediately.

The Annual Report is in print, and will be issued

this month.

Seagoe Choir will take part in the Choir Festival

to be held in Lurgan Parish Church, on Saturday,

26th September, 1914, at 4 p.m.

The railway line is being carefully guarded by men

of the R.I.C. for fear of injury by German Spies.

The guns of war were heard in Seagoe Parish, on

Saturday, Aug. 29th. A resident in Kilvergan

distinctly heard the cannonading off the Donegal

coast. A northerly wind was blowing at the time.

We hope that the evil habit of giving drink to

soldiers leaving home will not be encouraged

It is a sad thing to see a young fellow under the influence

Of strong drink when he is saying goodbye—perhaps

a last good-bye—to his home and friends.

Lord Kitchener has issued a solemn warning to his

men against the dangers of strong drink.

We congratulate Miss Dawson (daughter of Mr

Thomas Dawson of Park Road) on her enterprise in

taking over Stanley's Fruit Store. We are sure the

parishioners of Seagoe will give her a liberal

patronage in her new venture,

Mr. Jones, of the Portadown News," who has

ably presided over the publication of the Seagoe

Parish Magazine since its foundation nine years ago,

has, we are glad to say, been able to return again to

work after his serious illness.

The Rev. Charles Reid, Rector of Thorne, Leslie

and North Clarendon, Diocese of Montreal, has

arrived in this country, and is staying with his

relatives at Derrytrasna. Mr Reid, before his

Ordination, engaged in Church work in Seagoe

Parish on several occasions.

Two misprints occurred in our last issue. We

regret that Mr. Halliday Gracey's name was

incorrectly printed Harrison." The date of Major

Blacker's Churchwardenship was given as 1913-14,

instead of 1914-15.

The very bright star visible each night in the

South is Jupiter. Some nights recently have been

so clear that it has been possible to see the disc of

the planet. With the help of an ordinary field glass

observers can see the Moons of Jupiter. Usually

three are visible circling round the planet.

A Comet is now visible in the heavens between

Gemini the Twins and the famous Constellation of

the Plough or Great Bear.

Old Seagoe Notes.

Seagoe and the Library at Louvain. The

burning of the fine Library at Louvain last week by

the Germans, with its store of precious manuscripts,

will be remembered against them long after other

details of the war are forgotten.

It was a monstrous action on the part of a nation which

prides itself on its culture and literary preeminence.

Seagoe has an interest in Louvain because it was

there that John Colgan in the 17th Century wrote

the " Acta Sanctorum," or the Lives of the Irish

Saints, compiled from ancient sources which have

long since perished. Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum"

contains the earliest authentic reference to the

foundation of Seagoe, recording how it was founded by

Goban near the banks of the river Bann as a place

of prayer. The exact quotation in Latin was printed

in these columns some months ago. We have

heard that the manuscript of John Colgan's work

was some time ago removed from Louvain to Dublin,

so it is possible it may have escaped destruction at

the hands of the Germans.

SEAGOE PARISH MAGAZINE .

A Visit to Enachloisgy or Annaloist. We

recently visited the site of the Old Church on Oxford

Island, near Lurgan, in the townland of Annaloist,

which was, as we recorded in a previous issue, annexed

to Seagoe Parish in the year 1444. It was clearly

at one period a self-contained ecclesiastical community.

The island was separated from the mainland by a

narrow channel which is now partly filled up. The

approach was by a causeway, banked up to avoid

flooding. On the island are to be traced the ruins of

a residence house and garden, now known as Kilwilk

Glebe, also a roomy building some distance from the

house, which is now known as the Barn. At a short

distance on the other side of the Glebe House there

are the remains of Corn Mill. The site of the

Church and Graveyard can be traced, and is marked

on the Ordnance Survey Map of 1845, but not a stone

of the walls remains. It was no doubt an important

settlement when Lough Neagh was the only channel

of intercourse between the various districts in the

old days before roads and railways.

Illiteracy in Seagoe 1846- —The state of Education

in the Parish may be fairly estimated by glance

at the Registers of Marriage for any particular year.

During the year 1846, there were 32 marriages in

Seagoe Church 20 of the Bridegrooms were able to

sign their names, 12 made their mark while only 6 of

the brides signed their names, the remaining 26 being

content with making their mark. It is now

quite an exception for a bride or bridegroom to be

unable to write their names.

Seagoe in War time, 1803. — During the

Napoleonic wars the parish of Seagoe was called upon

to help in defending the country, as is apparent from

the following entry in the Parish Records. At a

Vestry held in the Parish Church, Segoe, on Tuesday,

19th July, 1803, Due notice having been given the

Sunday before, it was unanimously agreed that the

sum of Twopence per acre be levied off this Parish

for the purpose of raising Six Men as Recruits for

the Armagh Militia, that being the number ordered

by the General Meeting of the Deputy Governors

as the Quota of this Parish to complete the Regiment,

or in the failure of so doing to be liable to a fine of

Ten Pounds for each man so deficient, the surplus to

be accounted for at a Vestry which shall be hereafter

appointed for said purpose.

GEORGE BLACKER, Vicar.

RICHARD LUTTON,

ALEXANDER HICKLAND,

Thomas Robinson,

John Best,

Churchwardens.

John Lavery,

John Watson.

The Building of the present Church.—It is

interesting at the present time to read in the Records

that the first sum of money set apart for the building

of the present Church was the Balance remaining

from the Levy for the Militia in 1803. The Record

is as follows :—At a Vestry held in the Parish of

Segoe on Monday, 30th April, 1804, pursuant to

adjournment, the late Churchwardens settled their

accounts to the satisfaction of the present

Churchwardens and other Parishioners, and have handed

over into the hands of Robt. Fivey, Esqr., a balance

amounting to Sixty six Pounds Two Shillings and

Ten Pence sterling. After settling the account of

the money laid on, on Tuesday, the 19th of July

last, for the purpose of raising the Quota of this

Parish for the Armagh Militia it appears by the

statement of the Revd. George Blacker, by us

examined and approved, that there is in hands a ballance

of Forty Pounds, Five Shillings, and Three Pence

sterling, which we agree shall be laid out along with

other moneys for the Repairs of, or building a new

Church, as hereafter may be approved of and appear

necessary to the Parishioners.

GEORGE BLACKER, Vicar.

ROBT. FIVEY,

ARTHUR BUCKBY

Churchwardens.

[The figures are entered on the opposite page in the

Rev. G. Blacker's writing.]

2d per acre for Militia amounts to £71 4 4

Collecting the above £3 11 3

Drawback of 3 Yeomen not paid £0 7 10

Four and ½ Men raised at £6 £27 0 0

£30 19 1

£50 5 3

Churchwardens of Seagoe.—( Continued).

1836—John Overend, Esq., of Edenderry.

John Ruddell, Esq., of Ballynacor.

1837—Mr. David Ruddel, of Ballynacor.

Mr. Woolsey Atkinson, of Edenderry.

1838—James Robinson, of Breagh.

Joseph Gaskin, of Kilvergan.

1839—Mr. John Midkiff, of Ballyhannon.

Mr. James Walker, of Edenderry.

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PORTADOWN.