COLM MAGUIRE, NOBBER, BORN 1929

Colm Maguire farms at Dunroe and, while walking the land, he recalls his fascinating life. He grew up nearby at Cregg, Nobber, in a small cottage with his parents and six siblings. There was little money, no work and times were difficult. In the early 1950s, Colm and his sister emigrated to London where he worked on the building sites, sending money home to his mother for the purchase of a farm. This land was originally owned by the Sillary family, and as a result of changes in land ownership initiated by the Land Commission, Colm returned to a sizeable farm. He has a genuine love of the land, and in his forty years farming, he has seen vast changes in farming practices. At the brow of the hill on Colm’s farm stands a ring fort and there he recalls his father’s stories about the customs and beliefs which were prevalent in the area. He also sings a ballad about Cooghan Hill, the site of Lunasa festivities, which he got from his father.