Ulster Mines

Feeling a little cash strapped after Christmas?  Conal Gillespie considers mining for gold in Ulster past and present.

Mebbe ye're yin o' the wee wheen o' fowk at wur lucky
eneuch tae bae hanselled gold ir siller aa Christmas.
Mair likely ye wur oan the road quhan the gritters wur
oot pittin doon sea saut sim froasty nicht.  Dae ye
ken hoo sim Scotch fowk hansel a lump o' coal tae the
fowk they furst fut wi' aa N'Yeir?

A maide mention o' thae differ things fer hit's mae
notion at onie sim fowk ken hoo aa thae minerals,
gold, siller, saut an' coal, uist tae bae gat fae
mines i Ulster an sim o' thaim ir gat heir theday.

The cassle o' Carrickfergus bes mebbe the bes' kent
biggin i Ulster.  Sine the days o' DeCouersy an'
DeBurgo intae the dawn o' the Ulster Scots Carrick wus
yin o' the maist important toons i the noarth.
Hooiniver maist fowk dinnae ken fer wie Carrick bes
gyely important theday.  Neir aa the sea saut at bes
pit oan the roads o' Airlan, Scotlan' an Inglan cums
fae Carrickfergus.  Thae saut mines rin fer miles
unner lan' an' watter.  Ivry tim' ye're motherin oan a
cauld nicht ir morn ye shud hae a guid thocht fer the
miners o' Carrick.

Quhan the Prince an' Princess o' Wales marriet i 19&82
amang the clatters o' gifts they wur hanselled wur
rings maide fae Mourne gold.  Heigh abeen oor clachan,
i a toonlan cried Glentoher, thair wur gold an' siller
mines neir 200 yeirs sine.  Thair ir fowk i Glentoher
bae the naime o' Northey.  Ivryboadie i Ulster cried
Northey bes sib tae thon femmelie fer the Northeys wur
Cornishmen at cum tae Glentoher tae rin the mines.
Wee locks o' gold ir gat theday bae pannin' i the
burns o' Glentoher.  Dick Warner fae Cowlraine
university uist tae pan fer gold an' siller i
Glentoher an' ither fowk dae hit i the Mournes.
Hooiniver Ah'm tould at pannin' bes mair a pas' tim'
nor a wie o' maakin onie pouer o' prugh. Mebbe sae,
bit gif A wus maakin baag catter fae the laike o' thon
A wudnae let oan an' mebbe the fowk pannin fer gold ir
laike me.

Ivryboadie mins the stramashes an' rammys a wheen o'
yeirs sine quhan thair wus a plen tae dig fer lignite,
ir broon coal, neirhan Bellymoney. A clatter o'
femmelies wud hae hed tae flit thair hames an bonnie
fairms o' lan' wud hae bein redd awa bit the locail
fowk won oot an' the lignite bes i the grun yet.

Yeirs sine thair wus coal minin' i Tyrone aboot the
toon o' Coalislan'.  A wonner gif the naime o' the
toon bes the onie leavin fae Tyrone's tradeetion o'
minin'.  Coal minin bes done awa' wi' i Scotlan'
theday bit thair's a clatter o' poems an' sangs aboot
hit.  A wonner gif thair ir mebbe aul minin' sangs fae
Tyrone.

Gold, siller, saut an' coal wur aa mined heir aa yin
tim' an wheens o' Ulstermen wrocht ablow grun theday.