An elderly man's observation that "every day is a
holiday now" is borne out by the stories of two
Donegal women in books published in 2006 – read Conal Gillespie’s
‘Dinnygal Weemin’

A wus ootae the kintra aa Christmas an' N'Yeir.  The
day A landit hame A axed mae neebor Pat hoo eh'd gat
owre the saison.  Pat bes 93 yeirs o' aige.  "Aye hit
wus gran'", quo Pat, "bit ivry day bes laike Christmas
noo."  A kent hoo Pat wus thinkin' lang aboot the want
o' gear an' catter quhan eh wus a laddie.  The feck o'
kintra fowk hed hit ticht yeirs sine.  Las' yeir A
raid twa beuks at brocht thon hame tae me.  Yin o'
thae beuks wus screevit bae a Dinnygal wummanan the
ither tould the lif' o' anither wumman fae Dinnygal.

A wheen o' sennicht sine a mothered tae Raphoe fer the
bringin oot o' a beuk o' the poems o' Sarah Leech.  A
writ heir afore aboot Sarah, the Ulster Scots poetess
fae the clachan o' Ballylennon i the Laggan.  Noo
Celine McGlynn an' Pauline Holland hae pit thegither a
beuk o' Sarah's poems brocht oot bae the Boord o'
Ulster Scotch.  Sarah Leech hed a haird lif'.  Hir
faither dee'd quhan Sarah wus onie thrie an' the
lassie gat gye little schuilin.  Alang wi' hir mither
she wus haird wrocht maakin a leein fer hir femmelie
bae spinnin'.  I hir 20s Sarah neir loast hir aicht an
wus crippled bae pains bit hed tae stick aa hir waark.
Sarah Leech dee'd young an' niver hed a baag share o'
gear.  The fashes an' hannlins o' puir fowk ir saen i
hir poems "May ruthless bailiffs ne're be sent, To
drive you for a back gaun rent, But may your time in
joy be spent, Without alarm, While rosy health and
sweet content smile on ilk farm".

John Throne wus raired neirhan Lifford.  Yin nicht eh
caileyed wi' es mither an she toul him aboot es
graunie.  Fae thon collouge John writ es beuk "The
Donegal Woman" at tells es graunie's haird an' sair
lif' story.  ‘Margaret’ wus the dauchter o' puir
Protestant hill fowk.  Efter bein hired intae the
Laggan she wus pit wi' child bae the bhoy she wus
hired tae an' pit oot oan the road afore the wean wus
boarn.  Atween thaim hir faither, the lan'lord an' the
clergy maide a match atween Margaret an' a lan'
steward yeirs aulder nor hir.  ‘Campbell’ maide a
slave o' Margaret an waarked the lassie sair fae morn
'til nicht wi' oot a wurd ir ect o' kindliness.  Ivry
yeir she hed anither wean tae Campbell.  Oan accoont
o' bein skeely wi' fowl an vegatables Margaret won a
wee bit freedom fer hirsel' bit dee'd young wore oot
bae waark an' childbirth.  John Throne bes a Marxist
an es beuk bes screevit i a style at uist tae bae
cried "Socialist Realism".  A haird yairn toul wi'oot
sentiment ir pity.

The poverty o' guid weemin laike Sarah Leech an'
"Margaret Campbell" shews hoo haird lif' wus fer monie
fowk.  Es mae ain mither uist tae remairk "Wur no hauf gratefu'".