School: Gortnacart (roll number 15554)

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1. Father Ferry

   

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   To the right hand side of the road after walking about half the distance between Hill Head and Gortnacart National School along the road passing from Ardara to Glenties there lived a certain numbers years ago a Father Ferry. This Father Ferry administered to the spiritual needs of the people of the parish of Ardara and according to the seancuidhthe of the district he had full charge of the parish himself, unlike the present, when there are two curates assisting the pastor in charge. His reasons for living here were two. First, it is about in the middle of the parish which extends from Rosbeg to Largynaseragh and Owenteskna, and secondly it was one of the best habitable houses in the parish at that time, although it was only a one-story thatched building. All the other hovels were very crude, very poorly kept and not even comfortable for the owners of the places themselves.
   Now this was in the time before there was a chapel or a parochial house in the parish, and the priest offered sacrifice of the mass, at convenient places throughout the parish Sunday after Sunday and all the people of the parish who could gathered to the places. The reason for these separate places throughout the parish was to help the aged and infirm to attend mass as often as was possible as in those days there were no stations through the

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Mary Shovlin

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   86

   Occupation

   Farmer

   Address

   Doochill North, Co. Donegal