The Little family has farmed the land at Lisnamallard for five generations. George Little’s father bought a 65 acre out farm at Mullnahoran in 1965 and George explains that he himself has undertaken major reclamation on the farm over the years. In 1961 he joined the B Men, transferring in 1970 to become a part time member of the UDR, and he explains that his service was motivated in part by the sense of camaraderie among his colleagues in the regiment. He was targeted by the IRA in what he believes was an attempt at ethnic cleansing – he was the elder son who was working two farms and they wanted to be rid of him. In March 1983, he recalls that a booby trap bomb was set on his farm at Mullnahoran. He and his pregnant wife Noreen and their two year old daughter were in a jeep which he was reversing into the yard when he spotted a fishing line which had been strung across the pathway. A few days earlier he had spotted two men observing him from a distance, and he believes his movements were being monitored in order to discern a pattern of behavior. Despite this threat to their lives, he and his wife were determined to remain on their land and not to be terrorised into leaving the area. On another occasion, he was alerted by his faithful sheepdog to an intruder who was attempting to break into the house. Giving chase, George detained the intruder only to discover that he was the son of a local UDR member. He further recalls that he and his colleague and neighbour gave evidence at a Belfast court concerning the arrest of a local member of the IRA. George has been told of a remark made about him by a jailed IRA member, who suggested he was a difficult man to shoot due to the absence of an established behaviour pattern. He makes the point that, during the Troubles, nothing would have terrorised him sufficiently into forcing him to leave his home place.
This collection, carried out by Irish Life and Lore on behalf of Cavan County Library Service, is funded by the EU Special EU Programmes Body Peace IV fund under the objective to build positive relations with people from different backgrounds and communities to support peace and reconciliation.
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