enniskillen - SE Members Blog post - syndication express2024-03-28T19:44:40Zhttps://syndicationexpress.ning.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/enniskillenGrowing up in Enniskillenhttps://syndicationexpress.ning.com/profiles/blogs/growing-up-in-enniskillen2013-01-04T14:00:00.000Z2013-01-04T14:00:00.000ZJames Mc Combshttps://syndicationexpress.ning.com/members/JamesMcCombs<div><h1>Growing up in Enniskillen 1946 -1964</h1><p>Life in <em>Enniskillen</em> during my early years was of course severely impacted by the Northern Ireland political problems of the time where the Protestant majority and Roman Catholic minority were more or less segregated and continual violence , shootings and bombings were an everyday way of life. To give you an idea of how this situation arose and how the final peace process was formed the following video is one of the best documentaries on the subject</p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCzr8jvjXCE&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCzr8jvjXCE&feature=related</a></p><h2>Segregation of catholics and protestants in Enniskillen</h2><p>On my part, coming from a protestant orange family the biggest impact that was immediately obvious was that the schools were separated into catholic and protestant schools. This meant that, as I was growing up, most of my friends in my early years were also protestants and I got little chance to meet with catholics. Any friendships that began to develop were quickly discouraged by my parents, especially my father who was a staunch member of the <em>Enniskillen Orange Order</em>.</p><p>The teaching in the protestant and catholic schools was also substantially different especially when it came to the teaching of Irish history, with the protestant teaching being pro British and the catholic being more predominately nationalistic and anti British. The Irish Gaelic language was also only taught in the catholic schools. Discrimination and segregation was also evident in the work place, especially the larger factories such as the Belfast Shipyards. Even the cemeteries were segregated.</p><h2>Religious tensions and violence in Enniskillen</h2><p><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8063/8205688232_10fface07f_m.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8063/8205688232_10fface07f_m.jpg?width=197" width="197" class="align-left" alt="8205688232_10fface07f_m.jpg?width=197" /></a></p><p>Tensions and violence usually came to a peak on 12th July each year when the orange order held their marches to commemorate the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 where the opposing armies in the battle were led by the Roman Catholic King James II of England, Scotland, and Ireland and opposing him, was his nephew and son-in-law, the Protestant King William III ("William of Orange") who had deposed James the previous year. James's supporters controlled much of Ireland and the Irish Parliament. James also enjoyed the support of his cousin, Louis XIV of France, who did not want to see a hostile monarch on the throne of England. Louis sent 6,000 French troops to Ireland to support the Irish catholics William was already Stadtholder of the Netherlands and was able to call on Dutch and allied troops from Europe as well as England and Scotland. King William and his protestant forces won a famous victory which is still celebrated by the Irish protestants to this day.</p><h2>12th July Orange Parades in Enniskillen</h2><p>In Enniskillen we celebrated with a huge bonfire on the night of 11th July followed by the marching bands on the 12th. Fighting usually broke out between rival protestant and catholic groups as the day progressed and as more and more Guinness was consumed. For those of you who have never experience an 12th July Orange Parade the following video of the parade in Enniskillen on 12th July 2012 will provide you with a feel for the occasion. On this particular day 18 bands took part in the parade</p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3O5Y9ZBQgk">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3O5Y9ZBQgk</a></p><h2>Enniskillen war memorial bombing</h2><p><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8340/8204616519_864a847055_m.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8340/8204616519_864a847055_m.jpg?width=240" width="240" class="align-left" alt="8204616519_864a847055_m.jpg?width=240" /></a></p><p><strong>Enniskillen</strong> is the home to the main training barracks for the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and as such was targeted on many occasions for terrorist bomb attacks. The worst atrocity suffered by the people of <strong>Enniskillen</strong> happened on 8th November 1987 when a bombs exploded at the Enniskillen War Memorial during the laying of wreaths on memorial Sunday. The explosion killed 11 people with 63 being injured. My family was lucky with my mother and sister narrowly missing the carnage but the 20 year old daughter of a close friend Gordon Wilson died in that terrible event. He has since been a major advocate for peace in the town. The following 2 videos deal with that tragedy.</p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mUpMP0xmsw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mUpMP0xmsw</a></p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCtgH3kowSs">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCtgH3kowSs</a></p><p>Whilst the war memorial bombing took place 20 years after I had stopped living in Enniskillen it is indicative of the type of terror threat that we lived with on a day to day basis. The fire station siren used to sound when a bomb threat was discovered to warn us to stay indoors.</p><h2>Meeting catholic friends in Enniskillen</h2><p>In my teenage years and after going to Portora it became more difficult for my parents to control who I was meeting and so my circle of friends began to include many catholic. We would meet whilst walking to school and in various cafes in the town after school. We also began to meet at sporting events such as soccer matches and at my rowing regattas.</p><p>As I got older of course I discovered the Irish passion for bars and dancing and so the opportunity to meet more catholics and add them to my circle of friends grew. I was also greatly encouraged when my sister Mabel, 17 years my elder married a catholic much to the chagrin of my father.</p><h2>Bar Music in Enniskillen</h2><p>There is nothing quite like the Irish pub as everyone knows and this is why they have become so popular all over the world. Enniskillen is no exception and as teenagers growing up there we frequented these fine establishments quite regularly. Here is a small sampling of Irish jigs being played in a pub.</p><p><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8348/8204687439_3b61aae311_m.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8348/8204687439_3b61aae311_m.jpg?width=360" width="360" class="align-left" alt="8204687439_3b61aae311_m.jpg?width=360" /></a></p><p>The only problem with Enniskillen Pubs when I was living there was that they closed very early at 10.00 pm. Luckily we lived only 13 miles from the border with the Irish Republic where the pubs stayed open much later but the drinks were dearer. This resulted in our staying in Enniskillen till the pubs closed and then driving like lunatics, often drunk, over the border to continue drinking in the republic. Needless to say I lost several close friends at an early age in road accidents all of which could have been avoided if they hadn't been drinking before driving.</p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oGjXLbVbp4&feature=relmfu">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oGjXLbVbp4&feature=relmfu</a></p><h2>Enniskillen and her lakes</h2><p><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8350/8205768896_c09ab9206f_m.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8350/8205768896_c09ab9206f_m.jpg?width=360" width="360" class="align-right" alt="8205768896_c09ab9206f_m.jpg?width=360" /></a>As I have already said Enniskillen sits in the middle of two magnificent lakes, Upper & Lower Lough Erne so everywhere you look around the town you find water. As a result all water sports are very popular past times,swimming, boating, sailing , water skiing and fishing were a large part of my life growing up in Enniskillen and this love of water has stayed with me throughout my life. I am still a keen SCUBA diver in the Philippines today.</p><p>Luckily for me, despite the daily violence, the constant trips out on quite dangerous reaches of the lakes and the drinking and driving, God was obviously watching over me even from that early age so I escaped and lived on to leave Enniskillen and continue with my studies in Manchester, England. That period of my life will feature in my next blog article.</p><h3>Your Feedback about Enniskillen is very important to me !</h3><p>I would love to hear your thoughts on what I have shown you here on Enniskillen Please leave your comments in the relevant comments section below and also feel free to make recommendations on any further information about the town, the army history or my schools that you would like to know. I welcome also one on one correspondence if you would like to e mail me directly to <a href="jim@outdevco.com" target="_blank">jim@outdevco.com</a></p><h3>Would you also like to make extra income on line by simply blogging on current events?</h3><p>There are $1,000's to be made right here at Empower Network, just click the link below to learn how.</p><p><a href="http://socialmediabar.com/leakedsecret-1">http://socialmediabar.com/leakedsecret-1</a></p></div>My Early Roots in Enniskillenhttps://syndicationexpress.ning.com/profiles/blogs/my-early-roots-in-enniskillen2013-01-03T09:00:00.000Z2013-01-03T09:00:00.000ZJames Mc Combshttps://syndicationexpress.ning.com/members/JamesMcCombs<div><h1>Enniskillen,the town where I was born</h1><p><br /> Before we get to talking about the later part of my life it is only proper to address my early years in Enniskillen just to give everyone a clearer picture of where I came from and what life was like for me in my formative years.</p><p><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8202/8205171982_04840bd185_m.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8202/8205171982_04840bd185_m.jpg?width=370" width="370" class="align-left" alt="8205171982_04840bd185_m.jpg?width=370" /></a></p><p>I was born on March 31, 1946 in the small Northern Ireland town of <strong>Enniskillen</strong> in County Fermanagh which sits astride the famous twin lakes of Upper and Lower lough Erne. My Father William Thomas Mc Combs was born June 1, 1892 and my mother Lilian Elizabeth nee Thompson was born on June 28, 1904. <strong>Enniskillen</strong> has a long and glorious history dating back to the 1400's. The oldest building is the Maguire's stone castle,now called Enniskillen Castle, built by Hugh the Hospitable who died in 1428.</p><h2>Enniskillen has a notable military history</h2><p><br /> <em><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8483/8205244190_cd9749c35b_m.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8483/8205244190_cd9749c35b_m.jpg?width=360" width="360" class="align-left" alt="8205244190_cd9749c35b_m.jpg?width=360" /></a></em></p><p><em>Enniskillen castle</em> is now a museum to two famous British Army regiments which for many years called Enniskillen their home. The first is <em><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers</span></strong>.</em> On 1 July 1968, the <em>Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers</em>, the Royal Ulster Rifles and the Royal Irish Fusiliers became the Royal Irish Rangers (27th Inniskilling, 83rd and 87th). The date of 1 July was chosen as it marked the fifty second anniversary of the first day of the Battle of the Somme, in which battalions of all three merging fought. The Royal Irish Rangers was later to amalgamate with the Ulster Defense Regiment and on the 1st July 1992 became the Royal Irish Regiment and the second regiment is <em><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">The Inniskillings (6th Dragoons)</span></strong> </em> which was formed in 1689 as a cavalry regiment but finally disbanded after world war 1 in 1922. The dragoons are still fondly remembered in song as this performance by The Dubliners will clearly demonstrate.</p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA5y0iE5Dic&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA5y0iE5Dic&feature=related</a></p><h2>Historical Enniskillen</h2><p><br /> The following video is a slide presentation of old photographs of Enniskillen from the 1920's and 1930's Many of the buildings you can see here such as Enniskillen Town Hall are still standing today.</p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGTmbfCnUQQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGTmbfCnUQQ</a></p><h2>Present Day Enniskillen</h2><p><br /> Although it is the county town of Fermanagh the town still only had a populations of 13,599 when the census was carried out in 2001. Here is Yet another video that will show you a little bit more of what Enniskillen is like today.</p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FtiHh65-UE&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FtiHh65-UE&feature=related</a></p><h2>My early education in Enniskillen</h2><p><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8060/8204379113_90e8e20f8a_m.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8060/8204379113_90e8e20f8a_m.jpg?width=240" width="240" class="align-left" alt="8204379113_90e8e20f8a_m.jpg?width=240" /></a><br /> My early schooling (1950-1957) was in the local Enniskillen Model Primary school which is still one of the biggest schools in the town. The original school building is now the Fermanagh office of the Western Education and Library Board. Having passed the infamous 11+ examination I started my secondary education (1957-1964) at the much more famous <strong>Portora Royal School.</strong> This school was founded by the decree of James I of England (James VI of Scotland) that was issued in 1608. This school is known for several of its well known old boys such as Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett and Henry Francis Lyte among others. For a better and full history of this historical school please click on the following link <strong><a href="//www.portoraroyal.co.uk/History_of_School.aspx" target="_blank">PORTORA </a></strong></p><h3>Rowing in Enniskillen</h3><p><br /> <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8482/8205474240_ed7ee4e934_m.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8482/8205474240_ed7ee4e934_m.jpg?width=360" width="360" class="align-left" alt="8205474240_ed7ee4e934_m.jpg?width=360" /></a></p><p>As Enniskillen is totally surrounded by water, being located on an island, one of the major sports excelled at by Portora students was rowing and I became a keen oarsman while at the school rowing in the stroke side number 6 position in the eights.</p><p>It was while at Portora that I had the great fortune and honor to be able to attend and compete at the famous Henley Royal Regatta, something I am still extremely proud of.</p><p><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8070/8204245447_626d4a79c0_m.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8070/8204245447_626d4a79c0_m.jpg?width=219" width="219" class="align-left" alt="8204245447_626d4a79c0_m.jpg?width=219" /></a></p><p>Portora Rowing Club in Enniskillen is still a major competitor at regattas around Europe today and has both boys and girls crews now although when I attended the school it was a boys only establishment and with both day boys and boarding students.</p><p>I graduated from Portora in 1964 having taken four 'A' Level GCE 's in Maths, Applied Maths, Physics and Chemistry and applied to study Chemical Engineering, a relatively new subject in 1964, at UMIST (University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology) in England. That period of my life however will be covered in a future article. My next article in this series will cover growing up in Enniskillen in a time of religious tension and terrorist activity and also the good times of drinking, music and dance.</p><h3>Your Feedback about Enniskillen is very important to me !</h3><p><br /> I would love to hear your thoughts on what I have shown you here on Enniskillen Please leave your comments in the relevant comments section below and also feel free to make recommendations on any further information about the town, the army history or my schools that you would like to know. I welcome also one on one correspondence if you would like to e mail me directly to <a href="jim@outdevco.com" target="_blank">jim@outdevco.com</a></p><h3>Would you also like to make extra income on line by simply blogging on current events?</h3><p><br /> There are $1,000's to be made right here at Empower Network, just click the link below to learn how.</p><p><a href="http://www.empowernetwork.com/jim46/?id=jim46">http://www.empowernetwork.com/jim46/?id=jim46</a> </p><p></p></div>