The Greggs, a farming family, lived at Clontiveren, Newtownbutler, Co. Fermanagh during Rosemary’s childhood; she describes the manner in which people accommodated the reality of violence while hoping it would never personally affect them. She explains that the family farm was in No Man’s Land, along the Fermanagh Monaghan Border with the Border and Customs posts just 500 yards away. She recalls that while her parents rarely spoke about the Troubles, they were cautious about who they would express their views to, but the murder of a friend and neighbour, Harry Creighton, in August 1972 devastated both of her families and the wider community. Rosemary’s father died during the Troubles, leaving her mother and brother alone on the farm, and eventually leaving just her mother there.Rosemary herself was attending university in Wales. Following her graduation as a teacher, she was appointed to a post in Kesh in North Fermanagh, where she was to remain for thirty years. She describes the murder in 1987 of a friend and neighbour, Jim Oldman who was shot as he arrived at his workplace in Ederney accompanied by a young neighbour who was to board the school bus in the village.When Rosemary retired from teaching, she spent seven years in Local Government with the UUP, and she was elected MLA for Fermanagh South Tyrone in the 2016 elections. She articulates her desire for both communities to respect the culture and traditions of the other and explains her sense that the identity of the Ulster Protestant community is being eroded.
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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