Margaret McGuiggan

What a day we had! You would have loved it. Missed you, but know you and Joe were there somewhere, certainly in my heart you were.

Upon many a visit to McGuiggans I was always intrigued by the little sewing room located right at the front door. It held a lot of mystery for me and when the phone rang 'Bellaghy 655' is what one would hear from the room or the other end of the line. I wanted into the room just to see what exactly was sewn in there as it didnt look big enough to be able to turn out garments. I guess the factory never left the girl!!!!! Another great place to visit unannounced of course was the garage under the house! yes under the house, where that fabulous old car sat for many years. My imagination would often dwell on the people who would have been in the car and how they dressed, spoke, and how fast it could travel. Indeed my thoughts always revolved around the old days especially stories of childhood days in Clady and especially Teady McErleans Ltd. My loyalties always lie with the family name and always will. God Bless the McErlean Gene in all of us.

Ita xxxxxxx

How often did we sing "The Mountains of Mourne"? You never tired of it! Neither did I. Wish we could still be singing together. Looking forward to your grandson's recording! In the meantime here's another version.

Leaving

Remembered 2009

I’m still haunted
By your strife
For that last breath.

Speeding eastwards from Bellaghy
Thro' Dungiven and o'er Glenshane Pass
To my hometown of Bellaghy
And there to meet with a bonny lass.

The bonny lass that was my mammy
As she sat in her rocking chair
Waiting for her eldest daughter
And for her company to share.

Sing a song now,she would order
Tell a joke or a dance will do
Sure aren't you here for to entertain me
The way I used to do for you!!

So up I get and I dance a slip-jig
Round the chair and the Zimmer-frame
Past the table and the Sacred Heart picture
And as I turn around she calls my name.

Mary,Mary,would you move that cushion
Mary,Mary, make me a cup of tea
Mary,Mary,is there water in the kettle
Mary,Mary,only a bun for me.

Are the plugs out and are the taps off?
Are you sure that you've locked the door?
Are you sure that you've pulled the curtains?
As I danced round the room once more.

Heading westwards from Bellaghy
O'er Glenshane and thro' Dungiven town
I think of the lass that was my mammy
And of life's many ups and downs!!

As she sat there in Bellaghy
Like a queen on a royal throne
With her subjects all around her
Making sure she was never on her own.

Lyrics to the Melody of "rathlin island"
composed in the Summer of 2006.

Missing you this Christmas,
With love,
Joseph

In conversation

Last Saturday Mammy woke me
as usual to see if I had to get up ..

… and to ask if I knew what special Saint’s day it was.
Eyes closed yet sensing a twist in the answer I said “Canice”,
a name once thought of for me.

“Naw,” says she “Saint Martin. He’s the boy that saved you
when you took the convulsion.”

“Do you take anything special for your breakfast?”
“I suppose it’s too early to ring Claire?”
“Joseph Breslin’s funeral’s at ten, ye’d need to watch ye wouldn’t get caught up in it.”
“I was just thinking maybe ye’d want to listen to the news before ye go?”
“Did ye check the room?”
“Thank you very very much for coming, there’s nothing I can give ye??”

“Maybe a statue of Saint Martin!” says I
turning the embarrassment of her gratefulness into humour as usual, knowing that she’d laugh.
And she did and brought me into her room.

In the corner of the vanity unit ..
and mind you there aren’t many houses in Tamlaghtduff with them
or with a bidet, or called Áras Mháirtín ..
there he stood,
Saint Martin himself.

“That’s the statue I held against you that day,
not the big one at the door, it was bought by Uncle James.
Here!” reaching the statue to me. “You better give him a kiss
and say thank you.”
and I did and said “Go raibh maith agat”
and she said to Saint Martin as she put him back “Aye, go raibh maith agat.

I touch him every night …. mind you my faith’s not what it used to be.”

I said that them black boys were always the best and she laughed and said “Aye, I think they were here first!”

She thanked me again and told me to ‘tóg go bog é’ and to watch going out the gate….

… and I thought of her the whole way back to Derry.

Nollaig shona duit a Mhaighréad from the summit of Earagail from your four fine sons!

J'ai rencontré Margaret Mc guiggan en janvier 1975. J'étais allée en Irlande visiter un ami. Sa famille m'a accueillie merveilleusement bien.
Margaret et moi avons longuement discuté de différents sujets, dont certains en contradiction avec la religion catholique.

J'ai été extrêmement touchée par sa tolérance, son esprit ouvert, sa capacité à aimer, à comprendre.
Pour moi, elle restera toujours l'image de ce qu'une mère peut être, le dévouement, l'amour inconditionnel, les attentions au quotidien, le souci du bien-être des siens.

Margaret avait une belle "âme", une grande générosité. Je suis fière d'avoir été son amie, et d'avoir pu, à mon tour, lui témoigner mon affection au cours des 32 ans qui ont suivi.
Pendant le mois que j'ai passé chez elle et son mari, en 1975, j'ai découvert, émerveillée, ce qu'est une vie de famille heureuse et harmonieuse (ce que je n'ai jamais connu).

Margaret, thank you for your kindness, your friendship ; I loved you, admired you, respected you so very much.

Margaret était une Dame.
She was a true Lady.

She is alive, in my life, for ever.

after i had a couple of children and was home from canada visiting the family in clady, i asked auntie margaret how she managed with 5 children under 4.
well,she said, for breakfast i would boil up some eggs and mash them up in a bowl . then i sat the children round in a semi-circle and spooned a mouthful in each mouth 1,2,3,4,5, until it was finished.
what a coincidence! i discovered this site while checking out the bbc n. ireland news this evening.
as well, today i received,from thomas, auntie margaret's beautiful memorial
card.

it was meant to be!

I have great memories of both Margaret and Joe. For over 50 years the Kearneys called in with the McGuiggans, and likewise the McGuiggans with us. My mother Rosemary (R.I.P) in later years would always 'ceili' on Sundays and always come home in great form. For 30 years at least regular SDLP Meetings were held monthly and although much business was discussed the highlight was always Margaret's supper. Not to be missed. Margaret was never 'behind the hedge' when discussing serious politics. The last 30 years were difficult years especially in Bellaghy.

I have many fond memories of Margaret, perhaps showing my children the 11 fingers joke, encouraging music, or indeed I used to love it when she would ring inquiring after my mother's health, her famous first words on the phone would be,'Naw, I was just wondering...'
God bless Margaret, I hope the tea and hot scones are half as good in heaven

Margaret was a hard worker. I remember she would be up milking the cows in the morning before anyone else was up. She took over the management of the shirt factory at a young age and my father was so proud of her, and cried with joy when she had her first child.

I remember her goodness to me as a younger member of the family, coming down to Clady to let me get out to a dance with my sister Teresa, even though Margaret had a family of her own to look after.

Before I emigrated to Canada, my mother, God bless her, couldn’t accept it and got upset if I mentioned the idea. It was Margaret who mediated and reminded my mother that she had promised if I waited a year and still wanted to go, then that would be ok, and that I should honour that. My mother accepted it which made my departure a lot easier for everyone.

Later when I returned home to Portglenone I remember I was expecting Noeleen my seventh child and was confined to bed for a month with a very seious flu. Margaret came down to help never mentioning that she herself was expecting another child.

That was Margaret, always giving of herself.

Susan and I always looked forward to a visit with Auntie Margaret on our trips home. We will always cherish her wedding painting she gave us as a present. It is entitled 'Evening on the Lakes of Killarney' painted May 1980 with love and best wishes, Auntie Margaret, Tamlaghtduff, Bellaghy"

Remembering how brave you were this time last year and how you sang along with us during your suffering. "Bring flowers of the fairest" will always be special .

My memories of Margaret are of an older sister who was a very gifted and talented person. She could cook, sew, crochet, paint, garden, take a great interest in politics, and all things to do with the Womens Institute, not to talk of her time as manageress of Clady shirt factory. Many of these gifts and talents she and her lovely husband Joe have passed on to all their family. I know she was proud of each member and loved to to have them at home to entertain her with their song, dance and all kinds of fun and mischief.

She spoiled me when I would come to Bellaghy on holidays. I felt I was staying in a 5 star hotel. The best china was brought out for all my meals. Joe used to say "We haven't seen these cups since you last visited." Then there were all the lovely drives around the countryside where I was brought to visit other members of the McErlean family including cousins and other friends.


I thank God that I came back to Coleraine in August 2000 as this enabled me to visit Margaret often when she was not so well. She was still so attentive to me asking Kathleen or other members of the family to get me a cup of tea, or put on the heat, or get me a comfortable chair etc. and when I would be leaving I was always told to watch myself going down the steps and be very careful going out the gate. Now that she has gone to join Joe and other members of our family, I am happy that her sufferings are over. May she rest in peace.

Margaret and myself both smoked. Once when she was "pushing" me cigarettes too often, i said, Margaret, i am smoking too much-- i must try and stop, again. Margaret replied, sure if i stopped now it would kill me.
It was a real pleasure to know Margaret.

I mind when i was little, well even smaller than i am now, me, ruaidhri, mummy n daddy came into grannys house on christmas day,granny n granda sitting in the usual position. Granny says she has a present for me, and my eyes light up, so i went over to her. She made me close my eyes and put out my hands. 1...2...3 Open....And there was a box of cornflakes sitting in my hands. I started to cry 'cause i thought i had gotten a box of cornflakes for christmas, but granny was laughing away, then she told me to open it, and there it was, a box full of goodies. Lots of wee toys and cars etc. It was great!!!

Dont ask my why i remember that, but i do, and always will. Trust Margaret for the pranks!!!

Love u Granny! x

Our mother would often give out to us for our use of American slang. A particular dislike was the use of the word 'kids' for 'children'. "Kids are young goats" she would say.

Imagine my astonishment to discover recently that the word ‘kids’ for ‘children’ may have had its origin in the Irish word ‘Cuid’ - a term of affection, love for a child!


So Long and Slán
Mammy
26 Oct 2007


Not for you
the way
of Collins, Dev, or
Tone

Nor did the English
bear your wrath
your girn, your
moan

No, your radar
scanned on
quite a different
front

For yankees
with their
foreign, slangy
sounds

Gee, gee whiz,
gee god, galore
gammy, gimmick
grouch and giggle

Guzzle, grumble
Goof and goon
Hocus, hokum
Helter skelter

Holy mackerel, holy cow
hanker, hoodoo
and humdinger

Spunk, spondulicks
sneeze and snigger
squeal and scram
spic and span

scallywag
and yes, stool pigeon
scam, its phoney
shag, baloney

But most of all
not that word kids
for babes, ‘wee dotes’
No! Just for goats.


Ach! dementia took
from you, and me
the chance to twig, to brag
to marvel

Bees knees, bees wax,
at such mullarkey;
of gaelic words
migrating home.


with reference and thanks to Cassidy, Dineen, Ó'Dónaill, etc.

Hello, Bellaghy 655; How are they all doing in Killybegs? Is it Joseph you want to speak with? No, there's no Joe here, would you like to speak with Joseph?"

My brothers and sisters say I was her blue eyed boy. She insisted she treated all of us the same! Anyhow there is no argument over her self sacrifice and devotion in caring and providing for us all. I am reminded of Seamus Heaney's poem when he compares a mother to a wishing tree and all her childrens needs as coins, 'driven need by need by need into its hale sap-wood and bark'.

As a child, I would sometimes cry myself to sleep, at the thought of losing her. Bridie Gallagher's recording of 'Two Little Orphans', has a lot to answer for! That she was in our lives until she was 90 years of age was a great blessing.

Some of my happiest memories are of later years and Sunday car trips along country roads, where ever the road took us - her easy company, singing a song. By the end of the journey she would have met up with an old friend or made a new one.