The death took place on the 8th December 2001 of Denis McKillop of Glendun. Born almost 80 years ago, he spent all his life in his native Glen and was steeped in the history, folklore and traditions of the Glen. In an age of computers, faxes and e-mails his knowledge was self-acquired. It came from an inquiring and interested mind and a retentive memory, which meant that he rarely forgot anything he had heard or read about.
Denis was an expert on the date of birth, marriage or death of most people of the Glen and was consulted regularly to solve disputes or settle arguments about particular dates. For the past seven years, I spent most winter Sunday nights visiting him. The result is that I have over sixty tape recordings of his reminiscences, his knowledge and his stories. He was a great conversationalist and had a fine turn of phrase and was always charitable in his opinions.
During the last year or so he became very lonely. His wife Maggie May, his brother in law, Alex Ned, and his brother Jim were all hospitalised and he was left alone in a home which had always been full of people and had always been a great ceili house for the neighbours. His good friend Alex O’Hara, who visited him every day, died early on in the year and Jim died a mere six weeks before Denis. When I was leaving on Sunday night, “You will be back. Mind you it’s a long night on your own, when it gets dark at 4 o’clock”. Denis was a farmer and had a great love of animals, especially of his donkey, which was over thirty years old. He also worked for the Drainage board and as a result travelled all over Co. Antrim and got to know other areas, almost as well as he knew his own Glen. In his youth, Denis had learned to speak Irish and was a keen reader of Irish History. He was for a time a member of the committee of Feis naGleann.
“Ni fheicimid a leitheid aris”.
John “Archie” McAuley died on the 28th February 2001. He had reached the ripe old age of 99 years. John was a shepherd all his life, and long after the normal retiring age, he could still be seen skipping over the heather, gathering the flock. John spent all his life in Eshery, in Glenann and worked for all the different owners of that mountain. He enjoyed great health and was never known to wear an overcoat, rain, hail or shine. His great interest, outside his work was hurling. He was an ardent follower of the Ruairi Og’s and rarely missed a match. He travelled all over the country to watch matches and was a regular patron at Croke Park on all Ireland Sunday. He enjoyed nothing better than the “craic” in Johnny Joe’s on a Saturday night. John had another claim to fame in that he never missed Mass Rock Sunday in Cushendun, and reckoned he had been there for over ninety years.