Acknowledgements
I feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity to publish this book. Here I’d like to thank Miranda West, Hannah MacDonald, Andrea Belloli and all at Ebury Press in London for their interest and hard work in making it possible.
A special thank you to my co-writer Eddie Rowley, who took me on the journey through my life and helped me to put it down on paper. Thank you, Eddie, as I couldn’t have done it without you.
During the writing of the book I realized that it’s not possible to mention every single person who has meant something to me, so please forgive me if your name doesn’t appear. It doesn’t mean I think any less of you than the ones who are named. You know I will never forget all my good friends on Owey Island. We were like one big family. So, wherever you are in the world, you have my best wishes if you are reading this. Many of my good friends from Owey, including Agnes Byrne, are now dead and gone, but remain fresh in my memory. I lost my dear friend Rose McDevitt at Christmas (2006) when she passed away after a long illness, and I miss her terribly. Rest in peace, Rose.
While the following people don’t appear in the book, I want to mention them as over the years they have been such good friends to me: my Owey cousins, Mamie and Evelyn, who used to come over to the mainland for the dances and stay with me in Kincasslagh. I was always glad of their company; poor Evelyn has also passed on, so rest in peace, Evelyn; Nora O’Donnell and Susan Doogan, who were frequent visitors to my home. They’d always meet their boyfriends at my house. Susan was very tall and her boyfriend was short, while Nora was small and had a tall boyfriend. One day I said to Susan, ‘Why don’t you take the tall fellow?’ Susan replied, ‘No, I won’t. The smaller the bee the bigger the buzz!’ We always had good laughs. Eva and Frank in Orlando; Phyllis in California and her friends, George and Barbara in Orlando; Ian and Anne Anderson in Dundee, and Tommy and Nell Muir in Bangor, who visit us often – and Nell brings me lovely apple tarts. Andy Logue, who was a regular visitor to our house and always great company; my nieces, Grace McGonagle and Margaret Gaffney, from Dublin; Mary Assumpta Gallagher, who is my first godchild and a very special person; my darling niece Mary McGonagle. I am her godmother as well as being her aunt; my cousins Bridie and Mary; Sheila and Carmel who come to visit on our time and go home on American time – it’s always great to see you; John Martin and all my Dublin friends; Sister Finian, I remember all the lovely visits we had, and your late mother is always in my prayers; Pat and Monica; the Logue family; Brid Burke and Rosie Breen – Brid is a dressmaker and, when I don’t expect it, she brings me a lovely tailor-made frock; my neighbours the Doogans; Shirley, who looks after Margaret’s fan club. She always makes me feel so welcome when I go to visit; it’s a home from home for me. Maire Rua, who is regarded by everyone as Daniel’s number one fan. And to all of Daniel’s and Margaret’s fans, I want to say a big thank you; Father Pat, our parish priest, as well as Father Michael McCaughey, Father Sweeney and all priests. Special thanks to Nora McFadden in Kilcar, a very dear and kind friend who takes great care of me – and all of my friends in Kilcar; last, but not least, I’d like to thank and remember all my kind neighbours down through the years.
I hope that everything I have written in this book will bring back memories to a lot of people. And I hope they will be happy ones.
And if I haven’t mentioned someone who should have been in the book, well, I just hope you’ll forgive an old lady.
God bless,
Love,
Julia O’Donnell
PS: I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the people of Donegal who have voted my daughter Margaret (Margo) their Donegal Person of the Year 2006 for her contribution to music. Margaret, who received the award at a banquet this March (2007), is so thrilled to be honoured by the people of her home county.
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Since the first edition of this book was published, my dear sister, Maggie (Margaret), passed away in America. I was heartbroken, but this is the journey of life. May you rest in peace, Margaret.