Eamonn Mallie

I only ever saw a threshing mill “in operation” once. Quite a contraption! And yes it was a pink contraption and the sun was shining!

‘As children we stared with wonderment at that big pink humming box, bigger than any toy we ever got at Christmas’. What a shame we lose so much of the child’s sense of wonder when we grow up.

‘Threshing was a collaborative effort Gerard with pitchers ‘forking’ the sheaves from the stack up onto the mill. Men on top of the mill would untie the straw band, feed the straw into the drum on its way through the thresher resulting in the oats spilling into bags manned by…

It’s remarkable that in 100 years not a single political figure has emerged who can unite us across old tribal lines & end the sectarian summers. Every opinion is built on sectarianism & rage. Nothing is resolved. For heaven’s sake, somebody do something belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/column…

‘With pitch forks now poking the butt a mischief of rats, breaking cover, is instantly coursed, corralled and savaged by the blood thirsty dogs’. Thanks for your ongoing support for my poetry. I was privileged to see the world through another lens in another era compared with…

‘And as the sheaves of corn are shaved ever lower on the stack Gráinne Mhaol's infantry of dogs gets ready for 'going over the top.'@SiobhanMc80 @TedSmyth @JCKP1966 @JohnMcCallister @roisinmcauley @RTESunMisc @bbcradioulster @Robinson_Linds @liamhannaway89 @CarganCampbell…

‘Soon straw is spurting from the mill drum Bags of oats are furiously filling up’. I remember the characters ‘on the bags’ were fonts of great craic. Despite my tender years the infectious yarning of those ‘boyos’ seeped into my consciousness and continues to journey with me.…

‘Men clearly relishing the prospect of working in harmony and contentment set about closing the gate on a hectic season of growing and harvesting’. I remember Peter ‘The Wattler’ Grant declaring with a sense of excitement: ‘I’ll be on the bags today.’ In other words he was…

‘And at its back, a purring tractor with a lazy revolving fan belt, a twisting umbilical cord, giving life in the womb of this wooden contraption’.

‘Local men, owing us a day from last year, gathering in all morning, pitchfork at the ready and always flanked by a faithful dog’.

‘On threshing days the sun always shines in my memory’.

Ulster University professor Deirdre Heenan is the front-runner to be Fianna Fail’s candidate for this year’s Irish presidential election. belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-…

‘On threshing days the sun always shines in my memory’.

HOW I LOVED MY BOYHOOD DAYS! ‘The Mill’. ‘The arrival of Gerry Rowland's threshing mill in our haggard was more exciting than Duffy's circus ever was’. ⁦⁦@TedSmyth⁩ ⁦@JohnMcCallister⁩ ⁦@divilthebit⁩ ⁦@keeperlit14⁩ ⁦@CarganCampbell⁩

HOW I LOVED MY BOYHOOD DAYS! ORIGINAL POEM…. ‘The Mill’. ‘The arrival of Gerry Rowland's threshing mill in our haggard was more exciting than Duffy's circus ever was’. ⁦⁦@TedSmyth⁩ Na Cláirsigh Béal Átha an Airgid

Rory: "If I hadn't have won the Masters, I would have felt differently [coming into this major]. I just came here ... it's almost a celebration of what I've been able to accomplish. "And I want to celebrate with them too. I've tried to embrace everything this week, and I'm…

Local hopes are still high for Rory McIlroy as he prepares for the final day of Open action at Royal Portrush. The Holywood man says he has given himself 'half a chance' after gaining ground on leader Scottie Scheffler in the third round

Sunday tee-times. ⏰

Yes, I remember from childhood, a corner shop run by two sisters. They grew old running it and when they retired, all debts were erased. Quite likely they lost money, but we will never know how much.

"collected the dole" Collected a sum which today, would be seen as a pittance. So much had to be done with that money; settling the local bills didn't leave much for the week ahead. Yet out of the harshness came characters still spoken of today, all over this island. M