Urney, Co Tyrone
From the collection of
From the collection of
Visit the area of Urney in County Tyrone and explore the history and people.
Presenter Joe Mahon visits the parish of Urney which straddles the counties of Tyrone and Donegal. He gives us something of the history of the area and Williamite War battle fought for Clady Bridge over the River Finn. He visits an abandoned church graveyard and mentions that the most notorious export from Urney was the murderer/graverobber William Burke, of Burke and Hare infamy. He then talks to John and William Haire (no relation to the graverobber) about the history of the local sweet factory which produced Urney Chocolate before burning down and relocating to Dublin.
Joe tells the story of how local parishoners buried a church bell during the war when they feared it would be melted down for the war effort and then couldn't find it again. He then speaks to Eve Stafford who tells of her life with horse racing based at Carricklee House. Gloria Perry shows Joe a miniature diary written by a teenage girl in 1879 which she found when moving into Urney Park. She then demonstrates how to make ornamental figures from wire, fabric and clay.
Lesser Spotted Ulster is a long-running and popular programme that visits the places many of us have heard of but never been to. Presenter Joe Mahon gently explores what makes a place what it is.