Ulster Genealogy and Local History Blog

David McWilliams (1945-2002), the Belfast born but Ballymena raised singer-songwriter wrote his classic hit, The Days of Pearly Spencer in 1967.  The lyrics of the song are poetic and majestic. David was clearly a man of social conscience, as the song was reputedly written about a homeless man he had befriended in Ballymena.  Does anyone know who Pearly Spencer was? Fictional or a real person, please comment below if you have additional information.  THE DAYS OF PEARLY SPENCER A tenement, a dirty street Walked and worn by shoe less feet Inside it's long and so complete Watched by shivering sun Old eyes in a small child's face Watching as the shadows race Trough walls and cracks and leave no trace And daylight's brightness shuns The days of Pearly Spencer The race is almost run Nose pressed hard on frosted glass Gazing as the swollen mass On concrete fields where grows no grass Stumbles blindly on Iron trees smother the air But withering they stand and stare Trough eyes th...

 The days of Pearly Spencer is a song I have always loved but only recently I discovered that it was written and performed by an Ulsterman David McWilliams.  https://youtu.be/4VDS8uArR0A?is=T_qk3B1vv7c1cQml David McWilliams, although born in Cregagh, Belfast, considered himself a Ballymena man, as his family moved there when he was 3 years old.  Something was in the Belfast air in 1945/1946. The great Van Morrison was born Hyndford Street, Bloomfield, Belfast on 31 August 1945.  David Samuel McWilliams was born 4 July 1945 in Cregagh and the soccer legend George Best was also born in Cregagh the following 22 May 1946.  Three Belfast geniuses all born in a ten month period and within a one mile radius of each other.  David McWilliams was the son of Samuel McWilliams, a fitter of Belfast by his wife Mary Elizabeth (Molly) Hetherington and they were married on the 24th June 1934 in Duncairn Gardens Presbyterian Church.  Samuel McWilliams was actally born ...

Angelus bells are a traditional Catholic calling to prayer, generally twice daily at 12:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. Striking in a distinctive pattern of three sets of three tolls followed by a longer peal, the bells invite the faithful to pause their work and recite the Angelus prayer. This ancient devotion commemorates the Incarnation—the biblical moment the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would give birth to Jesus.  However, before 1829, when Catholic Emancipation was introduced,  it was illegal for Catholics to erect steeples or bell towers when building their churches. To get around this, some hung bells between trees or erected scaffolding to hold a bell, separate from the main church building.  The petty legislation preventing bells from being rung by Catholics was only one of the many punitive measures known as the penal laws introduced from 1695 to restrict Catholic influence and to exterminate the ancient religion of Ireland (the penal laws also discriminated...

 The Reverend John Stirling, whom I mentioned in a previous blog was the minister of Ballykelly Presbyerian Church from 1699 to 1752. He was the grandson of Alexander Stirling, a farmer from Stewarton in Scotland. https://www.ulstergenealogyandlocalhistoryblog.com/2017/11/ballykelly-presbyterian-registers.html?m=1 The following family details largely come from the work of T.H Mullin (Limavady & the Roe valley p. 128) and his wife J.E Mullin (The Presbytery of Limavady ps. 17-21).  The Stirling family lineage begins with Alexander Stirling , a farmer who resided at Clerkland in Stewarton, Scotland. He was the father to four sons, three of whom became Presbyterian Ministers. One of these sons was Rev. Robert Stirling (b. 1635  d.1699), who moved to Ireland to become the minister at Dervock, Co. Antrim. Two of his sons became ministers.  Hus  first son Thomas was also minister in Dervock.  His second son, Rev. John Stirling (d. 1752), served as a Presbyt...

Vestry minutes of the Established Church of Ireland can be a laboriuos read but often produce nuggets of detail that cannot be found anywhere else.  Christchurch,  in the parish of Drumachose (Limavady) vestry minutes begin in 1727.  PRONI MIC583/36 Drumachose Vestry minutes 1729-1739. A few snippets.  The first vestry was dated April ye 7th 1729 but difficult to read because of the poor microfilm image. The Vestry of the 1st day Oct 1729 listed the minister as  Benj Bacon, rector. He was a local man the family had its origins in Magilligan parish. His select vestrymen were Jas Dobbin, Thos Caldwell, Walter Williamson and Wm Birkmyr.  The vestry minutes of May 30th 1732 recorded that '40sh shall be applotted on the parish to be paid to Jn Donaghy for finding the mother of Wm Streeve a foundling child. That 2sh 6d be pd John for taking of mother & child to Derry } £2, 6'.  Note - it seems likely that the child was named after the townland where he w...

 Local history and church history publications are of central importance to genealogical research in Ireland.  A great example of this is the Maynooth Studies in Local History publication, 'Restoration Strabane, 1650-1710: Economy and Society in Provincial Ireland' by William Roulston. It is a superb study of a provincial town, its economic and social history; and packed full of genealogical material.  One example from the book is the McGee or Magee family of Strabane. Using the information from William's book as well as the will of George Macghee (PRONI LPC/1325) it is possible to trace several generations of this family.  The earliest recorded putative patriarch, John Macghee , died in the year 1618 and was buried in Leckpatrick Old cemetery.  David Macghee , (possibly his son), expanded the family's footprint in the region during the mid-to-late 17th century. He held fee farm lands in Strabane around the 1660s and served as a land agent for the prominent Hami...

 The Belfast Morning News of 10 February 1871 contained a headline, 'A centenarian' reporting that 'a man named George McCaughey died last week near Dungiven aged 105 years. As an extract from his family Bible shows, he was born on the 14th June 1766'. His civil death was registered by Anne McCaughey of Owenbeg (no relationship given), as follows: 24 Jan 1871 at Owenbeg, George McCaughey, widower, aged 104 years, weaver, died of decay of nature, uncertified, no medical attendance. The 1831 census for Co. Derry reveals only one George McCaughey as head of household. A George McCaughy, Presbyerian resided in Bovevagh in the parish of Bovevagh head of a household of 2 males and 4 females all 6 were Presbyerian. There is a record of a baptism in Bovevagh Presbyterian Church of Anne McCaughey born 9 Nov 1836 baptised 15 Dec 1836 daughter of George McCaughey & Isabella Pherson but I cannot be certain that these records refers to our centenarian.  Cases of longevity were o...