18th April, 2002
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Pony Sanctuary

Dear Michael,
Do you know of a pony sanctuary where retired/old animals can live out the remainder of their days? I have a friend's sister who is enquiring. She has a twenty-year-old pony and she can no longer take care of her, as she is moving abroad. She's had the animal since she was a little girl herself. The pony is currently in a stable where it is being cared for but this is a temporary arrangement. She wants the pony to go to a loving home or a retirement sanctuary. She will not give the pony to just anyone as she loves her a great deal and wants her to be looked after. Any
ideas please let me know. I know there is a donkey sanctuary and a Redwings in the UK but I'm not sure what else is in Ireland for retired ponies/horses."
Carol - Tel 086 8847773

Genealogy
Hi Michael,
I read with great interest the article by Tom Ryan and as a member of The Cork Genealogical Society I was very pleased that our site was able to help him in his family history quest. We are a small society and we meet on the second Tuesday of the month, except June July and August, in the Cork Vision Centre, North Main Street, Cork. The next meeting is all about ways of writing down your Family history and includes some computer methods. There is a lot of history out there and it's a shame the there isn't more interest in it. If there are any budding family historians out there I would like to invite them to our next meeting on the May 14th next.
The website address is:
Cork Genealogical Society website
http://homepage.eircom.net/~aocoleman/index.html
All the Best Olive Coleman


Amenities
Michael,
I would like to see some local representative making an effort to put some amenities in place around Douglas for teenagers, basketball Courts, Skateboard Areas, Youth Club etc. I notice some ground at the rear of the Shell Petrol Station in Douglas behind the Cinema that would be ideal for skateboarding if it was developed to give teenagers somewhere to go instead of hanging around street corners or in parks. Boredom leads to vandalism
Keep up the good work
Douglas Resident

Re; Gregory Peck
A Chara
I want to put matters straight about Gregory Peck who you wrote about in the “Douglas Weekly”. He is a relation of mine. Minnie Ashe left Kinard, Lispole, Dingle for the USA early last century and married Major Peck of the US Army. Gregory is a name of the Ashe family. He has visited Dingle and his cousins - mostly of the Ashe name. My brother who died a year ago visited him in his home a few times.
Mise le Meas
K.F., Tramore Lawn


Bessboro
Dear Michael,
I get your paper every week and we all enjoy it and get a lot of information about 2 places “ etc. in it. So do keep up the good work.
Now your question regarding the Nuns in Bessboro – Sorry I must correct you. When you went down to the Atlantic pond you did not look over at the high walls of Bessboro (they had no high wall only cruel nuns that looked like ‘Angels’) the walls you looked at from there were belonging to the “Ardfoyle Convent” and they were African Mission Nuns. A lovely saintly congregation of nuns always most kind and they are the same way today.
To see the Bessboro Nuns you had to walk down the railway line almost as far as the Rochestown Bridge and go across the field to their convent. Like yourself did, I and my friend betty often walked my dog in those fields and saw the poor girls working like slaves thinning turnips with “bag aprons” and “ basin haircuts” (which would make anybody look ugly). We walked quite near them but they were afraid to smile at us as a “Nun” was walking up and down near them saying the ‘Office’. We knew she resented us walking there but what could she say – she had no power over us – but we were so sorry for those unfortunate girls:
Now there was a book written about them by a young girl who was nursing there and saw all the cruelty and she promised that one day she would write a book and tell the world -–the name of the book is “ The Light in the Window”. Written by June Goulding, She is now alive and married and lives in Kanturk.
Michael, if you cannot get it – I have a copy and will lend it to you, and you can read all about what those nuns did and not behind ‘ High walls’
( name and address with editor)

Kerry Joke ?
Hi Guys,
Managed to have a Weekly sent to me while on my travels and thoroughly enjoy it......great read. One gripe though if I may be permitted...... I notice that there's a lot of Kerry influence in the issue I've got right now and wonder what Kerry has to do with Douglas. Anyway, keep up the good work and keep the obvious good humour going.
Best regards
Christian Beck.

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