Draperstown

WHEN TIME STANDS STILL

In many ways my visit back to my hometown was a bit sad.  It was like time had stood still in many ways as the town had not progressed in 17 years.  Actually in many ways it has regressed with boarded up buildings and many of the old places of character that I remembered growing up here now closed up.  What used to be a thriving town is now a deserted shamble of its former self.  Even market day on Friday was a poor reflection of the current state of the local economy.  The sheep sales on the patch of green on the Fair Hill at the top of the town used to be alive with sheep pens and throngs of people crowding around the auctioneer as the sheep were auctioned outdoors.  Cattle sales were horded into the tiny shambles area behind Regan’s butchers where my younger brother Michael used to gather the calves and pen them into the auctioneer ring when he was just 13. 

All gone now, no sales on the fair hill which now just resembles a vacant patch of overgrown weeds with the cattle sales now relocated out of town along with the many farmers and visitors taking with it the  trade that the town badly needed to survive


I took Sharon to the top of Sleive Gallion which is the local mountain where you can view the entire parish of Ballinascreen.  We traversed the small narrow roads and I pointed out the little turf banks where people used to cut the peat many years ago.  We visited my old school and drove all around my old haunts from a previous life

Ballinascreen

Glenshane Pass

The Sperrins

Cousins niece and nephews

Regans butchers

St Patriicks Street Draperstown

The Market Bar

Mum has a birthday coming up and we will not be there to celebrate with her.  I took her for a hair appointment and Sharon slipped off and organised some presents for her and we presented with a small cake in her tiny kitchen.  She was thrilled and we had some great moments when she later produced some old photo albums and we relived some of our childhood years growing up in Draperstown

Early BirthdayCake

Out for dinner

On our last night we took mum to Regan’s Bar to meet up with my old mate Tony Budjowi and his wife Anne.  It was interesting to see how people age over the years.  Another childhood neighbour Mary McGeehan turned up as well.  I have to admit that Tony has weathered much better than I. 

On the way home from the pub Sharon got a marvellous photo of Mum & I with the moon hanging low over our Little home in the background

It was sad to leave the next morning.  Mum got up to bid farewell and we hugged and left making our way to George Best airport in Belfast.  The third leg of our journey was about to begin in Scotland