The Big Snow of ’47 by Bobby McMullan

 

This article was taken from The Glynns volume 29. Available to buy £5 plus £3 Postage (U.K)

 

The weather has always been a frequent and safe topic of conversation when Glens people meet.  Today it mostly centres around the wind and the rain.  We grumble about snow and frost when it lasts more than a couple of days and appear to relish the seemingly persistent rain even less.  While scientists debate about the causes and effects of global warming, it is a statistical fact since the 1970s our winters are milder with more rain and less snow. Records reveal that between 1940 and 1970 when we had regular heavy snowfalls the January average temperature was 1°F colder than those between 1970 and today.

Older Glens people date many happenings and events in relation to the big snow of 1947, just as their forbearer’s dated things around the great devastating wind of 1839. Likewise, the snow of 1963 sticks in the memory of many others. Those who recall the 1947 snow rate it as the “mother of all snows” which was preceded by a biting easterly wind and prolonged severe frost which turned the countryside brown.

The ‘47’ snow was a series of blizzards which commenced around Christmas 1946 with the last major fall around St Patricks Day 1947. This extended period of snow, which blanketed the land, was characterised by the “wetness” of the snowflakes accompanied by extreme frost between each fall. The low temperatures both by day and night tended to consolidate the fresh fall, which over a period of weeks built up layers of semi-solid snow which impinged upon everyone in the Glens – the degree depending on where they lived and their means of livelihood.

SHEEP WERE MAJOR CASUALTIES

Needless to say the farming community suffered greatly both in terms of personal hardship and financial loss due to livestock deaths and crop damage. By today’s standard numbers of cattle and sheep were low, nevertheless they formed a major share of the annual income. Sheep were the main casualties as they took shelter from the biting gale force easterly wind, which accompanied the first fall. Soon they were covered, frozen in, snowed upon again, and again frozen in. Mick Black, a farmer from Carey recalls that in the gulley’s and depressions on his farm, 20 foot and more covered his sheep, preventing them forming the characteristic breathing holes. The frozen snow made location by rod prodding and the use of dogs difficult, although in lesser drifts many were recovered by this method. Throughout the area from Cairncastle to Ballycastle thousands of sheep perished. In one incident Arthur McKay from Cushendun remembers Frank Connolly from Loughguile losing 700 out of 800 ewes on Aura mountain. Roger Crawford of Parkmore can recall his father John having heavy losses but also digging live sheep out of drifts after 28 days.

Surviving sheep had to be treated with special care as they showed signs of stress when subjected to bright sunlight. With no grass available, corn and hay were popular substitutes but many deaths ensued as farmers didn’t appreciate the sheep’s need for a generous water supply. Pat McHugh from Cushendun who was Agriculture Adviser for the Glens introduced a mobile corn grinder which was much in demand when road conditions permitted. Kibbled maize from Canada became available at a subsidised rate and by the second week in March a special single issue ration of one weight of sunflower cake was allocated per 20 breeding ewes for which subsidy had been paid. James McHenry from Glenariffe had his flock of 300 ewes down off the mountain top before the first big fall, but without any accessibility to those feedstuffs because of the conditions “many died when the hay ran done”.

As the weeks rolled by the hardship endured by farmers in Northern Ireland received widespread media attention. In the absence of immediate government assistance, a fund was set up by a group of London businessmen specifically to assist hill sheep farmers in the North. This was publicised through the Farmers Union but the small Glens farmers, most of whom were not members, didn’t become aware of the scheme until it was too late. Cattle losses were not great since they were around the farmstead and received food and water regularly. It was common for small holdings to have a cow, a couple of pigs, a goat and a few hens. Mrs Agnes McCrory who lived on such a small holding above Glenarm recalled how isolated they were as they battled to obtain food for themselves and the livestock as” they never saw a person for weeks as there was nothing but mountains of snow”.

Those who produced milk had extreme difficulty getting a regular supply to Rathkenny and Deerpark creameries. Denis McKeegan form Glenann was the haulage contractor to the farmer for years and in spite of being a big strong courageous man failed to dig his lorry out on a number of occasions.

In 1947 practically every farmer grew potatoes as a major cash crop. Hundreds of tons, graded and bagged ready for export for seed to Germany and Mediterranean countries fell foul of the frost when transport was disrupted. At that time, it was customary for potatoes to be stored in clay clumps in the field in which they were grown. When the thaw arrived growers experienced severe losses as the top layers of potatoes below the straw thatch were found to have rotted.

Farms and outlying communities were not serviced by electricity as today, accordingly the breakdowns caused less hardship. Turf was in plentiful supply in rural communities and cooking was mostly on solid fuel ranges, with lighting by oil lamp called a tilley. In villages coal was the principal fuel. This became scarce as the heavy snowfalls in England hindered transportation from the mines to the ports. The “Ballymena Observer” dated 28^th March reveals “the often postponed but eagerly-awaited coal cargo has arrived! The steamer “Cumbria” (Captain Bennett) berthed at Red-Bay pier on Saturday last, so we may hope to see the “reek” rising gaily again on many a chimney that has not shown a plume in a long time”.

TRAGEDY AVERTED

In spite of the severe conditions no fatalities on land or sea are recorded unlike during a blizzard on 11^th April 1917 when the HMS Thrush, a royal fleet auxiliary steamer was driven ashore at Glenarm with the loss of nine lives. However, there were a number of life threatening incidents, one when Frank Crawford of Parkmore while engaged on snow clearing saw flames coming up through the snow. His intervention was timely as the rafters of a house were alight as he assisted to safety an elderly woman who lived alone. A greater calamity was averted as fire gutted the home of Mr and Mrs John McIntyre and their eleven children at Shelton, Glenbuck. They had just vacated the blazing house when the roof collapsed obliging them to take refuge in an adjoining outhouse. Their plight was not discovered until McIntyre, taking the youngest child aged 2 with him, made his way to the home of a Mr McAleese some distance away, appealing for food and clothing. Grave concern for householders in the townland of Falrusklin in Glenariffe was expressed as thousands of tonnes of frozen snow on the hillside above threatened to dislodge and engulf their homes.

The Siberian conditions took its toll on wildlife. Crows, rooks and magpies fell from the trees, dead from cold and hunger. Hares and foxes raided farmsteads in daylight for what they could scavenge. Rabbits were decimated – a financial blow for many as they fetched two shillings and six pence each top market for export.

Mr James McAuley who lives at Fallavee on the coast near Garron Point once told of the woodcock and snipe being found alive but rooted to the ground as the normally marshy earth froze around them as they delved in search of food.

At sea fish were large and plentiful as fishing effort everywhere had been greatly reduced during the war years. Unfortunately, in spite of long spells of calm seas between each snowfall, fishing was severely inhibited by limited access to markets. The fact that the Coast Road to Belfast was easier kept passable enabled John Murray of Waterfoot to sell his exceptionally large catch of mullet on the London market in time for a major Jewish festival via Keenan, fish wholesaler in Belfast. The sea was frozen in some harbours and near the water’s edge. Boats which operated from river estuaries were trapped in the ice – Charlie Finlay who operated out of the Glenariffe river tells of having to smash the ice to clear a passage to the sea and to do likewise to get back to his berth after only a couple of hours. When the thaw set in, many boat owners discovered that entrapment in the ice had caused serious damage to the planking at water level. The mention of Glenariffe river recalls a new pastime for the local lads- skating on its frozen surface for 200 yards above the bridge – in spite of some of the pools being ten feet in places. They felt fairly safe as a common practice was to drop a large stone from the parapet and when it failed to penetrate it was time for action.

Most exposed roads had the snow level with the high hedges. Residents in Ballycastle can recall the snow in Ann Street ten to fifteen feet deep with workmen with shovels and a lorry fighting a losing battle. The Glenarm, Larne, Carnlough, Waterfoot and Cushendall routes to Ballymena were blocked, in some cases up to six weeks. If business had to be transacted it entailed a journey to Ballymena via Belfast at six times the cost of a normal weekly return. There were relatively few car owners in the Glens in 1947 but those caught out in the blizzards had to abandon them and in some instance didn’t recover them for weeks. Stories abound of drifts 20 feet-30 feet deep and heroic adventures which today would merit an award for bravery. Some were beyond the call of duty – the telephone was an essential lifeline for snowbound communities – and accordingly the engineers put their lives in danger at times. The newspaper of those times report three P.O. engineers setting out from Ballymena to Cargan, abandoning their vehicle three miles out and completing the journey on foot. At Cargan they met up with a colleague who had trudged from Cushendall having been marooned there for days. After repairing the fault all four walked back to Ballymena arriving after midnight.

Over the eleven weeks there were five serious blizzards and after each, County Council employees, private contractors and Transport Board workers set about the task of clearing the principal routes. William Graham of Glenariffe and William McQuillan of Cargan were major road maintenance contractors at the time and from hot tar to cold snow was an unexpected change for the 40 or so men which each engaged working with shovels and spades from their respective sides of Parkmore. So high were the drifts that the workers left their coats draped over the telephone wires. Paddy Murray who lived at Parkmore and employed by the County Council at that time recalled spending 20 days trying to keep the route open and eventually succeeding finally on the 21^st March.

FOOD IN SHORT SUPPLY

Although the war was almost over, rationing of food was still in existence. The small weekly allocation of tea and sugar per person per week meant it was impossible to build up reserves for emergencies. Ration cards had to be registered with specific retailers and in many cases these were the travelling shops which were prevalent at that time. While many country folks were self-sufficient for milk, butter and eggs, the shortage of tea and sugar was penance. Townspeople had their shortages too. Sean Morton tells of one of the blizzards isolating Ballycastle causing severe milk famine. McMullan Bros. who fished out of Portrush loaded their boat “Family Friend” with milk from Du Varren Dairies and it was warmly welcomed at Ballycastle by Gallaghers, the local distributors. During the first week in March the Torr community found themselves in serious difficulties. Their plight came to the attention of their neighbours in Ballycastle who responded with Jack Coyles Loading up the “King George” and landing them safely at the small jetty at Torr.

Maggie Jane McNeilly, recalled her husband Tommy, while living in one of the sixteen houses in Miners Row, Parkmore (now demolished), making the over-mountain journey with a friend to Newtowncrommelin to Dickson’s Shop where her ration cards were registered. Outside her house you could touch the telephone wires while standing on the snow. The big decision when you went out was whether you would re-enter by an upstairs window or try to get down to the door.

The communities around Deerpark and Carnalbanagh in the hinterland of Glenarm were in dire distress according to the Ballymena Observer of 21^st March. Accordingly, the assistance of 150 soldiers from the 28^th battalion from Holywood was obtained by a Mr J.C. Orr Divisional Food Officer, Larne and each carrying 40 lbs of food arrived at Deerpark Creamery with enough food for 800 people many of whom had existed on milk and potatoes. James Baxter the creamery manager facilitated the distribution which included 400 lbs of sugar, 400lbs of margarine, 100lbs of tea, 100 lbs corned beef and 700 lbs of bread. The BBC Radio alerted the households of the rescue bid and that flares would be sent up when relief arrived at the creamery. When the soldiers arrived they discovered a dozen drivers of vehicles which had been stranded locally including three buses.

While no fatalities resulted directly from the weather, there were medical conditions requiring attention by local GP’s. Dr McSparran, Cushendall and Dr Good, Glenarm both had lengthy treks to visit ill patients. Dr James McMaster who had ill patients in the Deerpark and Braid areas undertook his duties on horseback. When the patients’’ condition needed urgent hospitalisation often it necessitated carrying the patient considerable distances to the ambulance.

SCHOOL CHILDREN TRAPPED

The final blizzard of the series occurred on Wednesday 12^th March and lasted 24 hours. Again the roads were blocked, trapping ten buses on various routes from Ballymena to the coast. In some cases, the drivers stayed with their vehicles with passengers being accommodated overnight in local houses. On the Wednesday at the height of the blizzard, a bus load of secondary school children and several adults left Ballymena at 3.50pm on route for Carnlough. Four miles from its destination it ran into a deep drift and couldn’t be moved. The driver Samuel Shannon, eventually made his way to Carnlough where he rounded up a rescue party and complete with food eventually reached the stranded bus. On the return journey, each adult cared for two children often carrying them in turn. Eventually the party after their long trek in the dark and blinding snow reached Carnlough around 11pm.

Stories like these detailed in this article were not uncommon but not recorded either in print or folklore. St Patrick, as they say in the Glens, “turned the stone” and on his commemorative day, the sun shone and the thaw set in. A week later all the roads were passable with care although banks of snow lined them for many weeks. When spring came it was exceptional and summer was glorious and bountiful. The snow didn’t surrender easily however with its dying remnants clinging on bravely in the deep sheltered hollows until the month of June. It did leave its mark on young and old and like the big wind of 1839, the big snow of 1947 became a reference in time.