In the first of a new series The Digger
looks at the fascinating history stories
that are all around
us.
Robert McCormac
and his bride. Victoria Savage, get
married on Ram's Island.
US36-744SP
I REMEMBER hearing stories of my
grandfather in his youth transporting several cattle from
the shores of Lough Neagh to Ram's Island.
The legs of the cattle had to be secured
for the mile long journey across the Lough.
At that time Robert and Jane Cardwell
were living in the caretaker's cottage and were the
housekeepers of the cottage used by the owners of the
Island, the O'Neill family from Shane's Castle.
My grandfather's own grandmother was a
Cardwell, although the exact relationship to the Island
Cardwells is proving difficult to establish due to the lack
of records available for that era.
Nearly a century later I was to take that
same journey aboard the 'Island Warrior', a licensed
passenger boat operating in Lough Neagh. I was to set foot
on the uninhabited island which had previously been host to
numerous visitors since the Island's occupation in early
times.
We read that Wolfe Tone was certainly
impressed by the Island's beauty whilst visiting there on
11th June 1795, so much so that he and his friends who were
there on that date agreed that "whatever quarter we find
ourselves, respectively, to commemorate the anniversary of
that day."
The actor, film maker and author Richard
Hayward, who died in 1964, described the bird life on Ram's
Island in his 1938 book 'In Praise of Ulster'.
He wrote: "It is an ideal place for a
picnic."
The Island can be viewed from an
excellent vantage point at Crew Hill, Glenavy, close to an
area where Richard Hayward was filming for part of the 1938
film titled "Devil's Rock."
More recently, however, on Sunday 6th
August 2006 Robert McCormac and his bride, Victoria Savage,
stepped onto Ram's Island to fulfil their dream of being wed
there.
Their families, guests and onlookers
gathered to witness what is believed to be the first wedding
on Ram's Island in centuries. The ceremony took place in the
romantic setting and backdrop of the 43 foot tall ancient
round tower.
Victoria is the daughter of Michael
Savage, an active member of both the River Bann and Lough
Neagh Association and HM Coastguard Lough Neagh Coastguard
Rescue.
Michael has been one of the main driving
forces in the Ram's Island Heritage Project.
The association has taken out a 30- year
lease on the island and its aims are to restore and care for
the natural and built heritage of the Island including an
education programme and making it more accessible to the
public.
This is being made possible by a group of
volunteer members of the River Bann and Lough Neagh
Association.
I accompanied Michael on a tour of the
Island. He was armed with a bill-hook which he from time to
time swung at an invasive species of Himalayan Balsam which
was eradicating the native plants.
In the space of several hours Michael
gave me a fascinating insight into the history of the Island
including an explanation of how the lowering of Lough Neagh
over time had increased the size of the island from just
over six acres to some forty acres.
I was to learn of the diverse range of
flora and fauna on the island and the conservation
methodology being used. The walls of the former O'Neill
cottage are still standing under the shadow of the ancient
round tower.
In the past both the tower and cottage
were the victims of vandalism and the ravages of nature. The
volunteers have been able to successfully prevent any
further damage to the buildings by the pollarding of nearby
trees with the necessary permission.
Rabbits, bat roosts, pheasants, beech
trees, walnut trees, oak trees and toadstools that I passed
by were just a small part of the species that have been
identified on Ram's Island.
The Ram's Island Heritage Project Website
currently lists a total of 55 different birds, five species
of bat, 20 species of trees and 22 species of plant life
identified on the island.
There is very little remaining of the
cottage that was last inhabited by the Cardwell family but
with the assistance of photographs taken in the early 1900s
Michael was able to show me where it stood. When Michael
told me the story of his visit to the Island on Christmas
Eve in order to feed the birds I knew that with the
dedication of people like him the possibility of the island
being restored to its former glory was no longer a dream.
The website (www.ramsisland.org)
provides comprehensive details of events, biodiversity,
history, photo gallery and the ongoing conservation work
taking place on Ram's Island. If you are interesting in
volunteering in the project or visiting the island hill
details are available on the website
Visit the Diggers new web site
www.glenavyhistory.com
Ulster Star
08/09/2006 |
