Recently I had a query, ‘Anyone have a copy of a poem by Fr Leo Muldoon published in 1952/53 called the Desecration of Barnesmore Gap?’ arrive into the blog. I passed the question on to my neighbour, Kate Slevin, and she very kindly came back with the following information which I hope will be a help to my correspondent.
Yes, the poem is supposedly about the installation of the pylons there.
1.
There is a poem written by L Mullen in 1911 but not sure if the L is for Leo. Part of the poem is as follows....
‘You’ll search in vain on any map
From China to Paris
To find the peer of Barnes Gap
The pride of Old Tyrhugh;
Where Nature’s beauty thrills the soul
And ravishes the mind
Where grand majestic is the whole
Unscathed by age or wind’
2.
Another poem which I found on google books by Leo Muldoon... published 1961 in one of the Donegal/Derry newspapers, don’t know which one.
“It’s discussed around the fire,
And it’s talked of round the town,
Sure the customers in Biddys
Mix it with their drinks going down....”
An enquiry to those papers might uncover something.
3.
I think Fr Muldoon was Parish Priest in Hamilton, Scotland.
4.
There is a Barnes Gap in Creeslough, another outside Strabane but most likely it’s down the road from us. There are pylons in all three areas...
5.
There’s a Historical Society in Ballybofey and Stranorlar, link below,
(https://www.finnvalleyhistory.com) and also in Frosses. An enquiry could be sent to them.
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| Barnesmore Gap beyond Lough Mourne © Kate Slevin |
And this gives me the perfect opportunity to mention Kate’s website, Kate Slevin Photography at <www.kateslevinphotography.com>
also her Facebook page at <https://www.facebook.com/kateslevinphotography/>.
Co. Donegal is a county of extraordinary beauty, still unspoiled and, for the most, part non-commercialised. Its coast, pounded by the Atlantic is carved into spectacular cliffs, headlands and bays or pulverised into magnificent beaches, swathes of pristine sandy shoreline that gleam in the sun. Inland the county is a glorious mix of mountain, lake, river and pastureland.
Photogenic doesn’t cover it. Its special magic comes from its ever-changing skies, the unpredictable light that comes with that, the colours vibrant or muted as the clouds or the time of day dictate. No one has captured the moods and the ever changing beauty, allure, of Donegal as successfully as Kate. Her love of the landscape is palpable in all her images, the care she takes in conveying the best of Donegal is clear for all to see. Take a look at the Barnesmore series: with artist’s eye and commitment she brings her homeplace to you in all its varying guises; the sort of attention Cézanne brought to Mont Sainte-Victoire or Monet his garden.
Think I’m exaggerating? Discover here Donegal in all its grandeur. <www.kateslevinphotography.com>
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