Joe (Jack) Conway`s

Joe (Jack) Conway`s.

This house once belonged to Michael and Rose Cleary, who passed it on to their son John, who then left it to his nephew Joe Conway. Joe and his cousin Maggie Mellon were the last occupants of this old house. When a visitor would call at the gate of the house, Maggie`s dog would bark to warn her. Then, Maggie would appear at the door and beckon the visitor in with a warm welcome. The kitchen was very basic and there would be a fire blazing of sticks and turf. Maggie`s precious bicycle would be leaning against the stair rail and there would be a bag of flour sitting on a chair at the back of the kitchen. The front door would invariably be left open and it would not be odd to see a couple of hens wander in in search of crumbs. Maggie loved a bit of banter with visitors.

Joe Conway, son of Hugh (Hugh Mhici) and Ann Cleary (Jack), was born in Glenviggan but moved here with his mother, to where she was born herself. She was Cleary and a connection of the Cavanreagh Clearys. It seems that Mickey Jack and Tam Jack (Cleary) from Cavanreagh were brothers or at least cousins. Joe`s mother was called Anne Mickey Jack to her maiden name since her father was Mickey and her grandfather was Jack. There was a Molloy man who lived there before the Cleary’s. He was known locally as `Fogie` Molloy. He was the same Molloy as those in the farm beside him in Moyard. Apparently, he was a wee bit `slow`, as they would say. His neighbours gathered one day to help put his potatoes in for him and when they were almost finished with only two beds left, they ran out of seed. Fogie asked one of the men what they intended to do and the man said, “Sure, we`ll just leave them to God to do.” Fogie was happy enough then and later that night they slipped back with some of their own potatoes and finished the job, unknown to Him. That year, as it turned out, the best potatoes were in those two beds. So, the following year, it was said, Fogie prepared his beds and left them all to God.

Joe Jack was a popular pipe smoking man whom you would meet, most of the time, wheeling his bike along the road, or chatting to a neighbour. Joe shared this house with his cousin Maggie Mellon. This house would have been a two storey thatched house with all the traditional out houses around a yard. It had the byre, barn and pigsty all attached to the dwelling in traditional style. It is evident that the people who built this farmstead were skilled stonemasons and this is why the buildings have survived the decades of abandonment. Locals remember hens, ducks and turkeys roaming the `street`, the byre full of cows and pigs in the sty.

After Maggie Mellon`s parents passed away she moved up to Moyard to live with her cousin Joe. The new arrangement suited both of them and they both lived in this house until they died. Maggie kept hens, ducks, turkeys and geese and they roamed the street adding great character to the house. Joe farmed and kept cows sheep and pigs. Both people were very popular in the Sixtowns and could regularly be seen on their bicycles on the Sixtowns Road. Maggie would call at most houses along the way as she made her way home.