Published on Lisburn.com
The following is a list of articles and stories written by “The Digger” which have been published on www.lisburn.com. Links to these articles & stories will take you to the www.lisburn.com website. (Thanks to Jim Collins for permission to use these links.)
- 1911 letter to Lisburn from an exile (July 2012)
- Davy Jones ‘Irish Tom Thumb’ part 2 (14/03/2012)
- Reading the signs (14/03/2012)
- Clinchers, Conkers and Cheesers (14/03/2012)
- What’s in a word? (14/03/2012)
- A murder at Magheragall and an execution at Carrickfergus (14/03/2012)
- Ballypitmave’s famous son (14/03/2012)
- Tales from “The Prog,” Ballypitmave and a new book “Living in Hope” by Sue Allan (14/03/2012)
- “Bings” (PART ONE) (14/03/2012)
- Obstructions and recesses (PART TWO) (14/03/2012)
- Roadmen and repairs (PART THREE) (14/03/2012)
- Roses are red, violets are blue … (14/03/2012)
- Cow Quake (14/03/2012)
- May Eve (14/03/2012)
- The Murder that never was (14/03/2012)
- Cigarette, cleric, characters and cards (14/03/2012)
- “The Wee Still” (14/03/2012)
- Tuesday 15th August 1876 and the stolen drum (14/03/2012)
- The Ballymote Earthquake (14/03/2012)
- Pain in the picking and pleasure on the plate (14/03/2012)
- The effect of Two World wars on one family – The Huston Family (14/03/2012)
- Stage and Screen – 1960 style (14/03/12)
- The local Kilns that kept vital supplies of limestone running (13/01/2012)
- From desert to quarry to nature reserve (06/01/2012)
- All I want for Christmas -1932 (23/12/2011)
- Whitemountain – Plovers, Poteen and Preachers (09/12/2011)
- Brady family’s journey from Ballymacash to America (26/08/2011)
- One family’s journey from Ballymacash to Canada (19/08/2011)
- The Digger recalls the return of road racing after the war in Ballymacash (12/08/2011)
- Granny’s old remedies and donkey tales (29/07/2011)
- Discovery, dames and dodging gamekeepers on Divis (22/07/2011)
- Migration, movement and merchants in Lisburn town centre (10/06/2011)
- From Ballycarrickmaddy to the moon (06/05/2011)
- ‘A friend to the friendless and a sympathizer with the oppressed’ (22/04/2011)
- Teacher and poet who went from Lisburn to Texas (08/04/2011)
- ‘Farewell to Ballymacash, my native place….’ (18/02/2011)
- Exploring Methodism in Glenavy (11/02/2011)
- Reuniting the past with the present (04/02/2011)
- The Digger recalls a different way of finding a valuable commodity (14/01/2011)
- Return to sender – how old mail can help you with your family history (31/12/2010)
- Hope amidst poverty – that was Christmas 100 years ago (17/12/2010)
- Reliving memories of Christmas 1975 – The Digger goes back 35 years to recall the Christmases we enjoyed in the 1970s (10/12/2010)
- ‘Snow’ place like home as winter grips Lisburn (03/12/2010)
- Early days of the Ulster Tower at Thiepval and Lisburn (05/11/2010)
- A discarded Bible reveals a 19th century scandal (27/08/2010)
- Raising the dead – The Digger reveals the dramatic lengths one man went to prove he wasn’t a body snatcher (09/07/2010)
- On the shoulders of giants – the ‘Irish Tom Thumb’ (07/05/2010)
- Hurdles in history of racing at the Maze (09/04/2010)
- William Harbison, the Fenian Uprising and Portmore (29/01/2010)
- When businesses were praised for giving workers Christmas Day off (25/12/2009)
- Portmore – an area steeped in history and flowing with milk and honey (11/12/2009)
- A glimpse into our ancient past at newly refurbished Museum (04/12/2009)
- The story of the Stoneyford violin maker returns to Lisburn in music and song (27/11/2009)
- Efforts of local men still remembered on Normandy’s beaches (13/11/2009)
- Lest we forget – the sacrifice local people made in World War 2 (06/11/2009)
- “When he entered the sick room he became a brother and a friend” (23/10/2009)
- Deadly diphtheria, dogs and Dr. Murphy (09/10/2009)
- When the wail of the Banshee filled the air (18/09/2009)
- Family History Society ready to begin new season in historic building (04/09/2009)
- “May Almighty God have mercy on your soul…” — concludes the story of the Ballymacbrennan murder (14/08/2009)
- The Digger continues his tale of a 19th century crime (07/08/2009)
- 19th century crimes and strange events at Ballymacbrennan (31/07/2009)
- William’s rhyming Treasure Hunt clues are back in fashion (24/07/2009)
- Drooth, dreams and temperance (17/07/2009)
- David Corkey and the terrible reality of The Great War (10/07/2009
- The quiet hero who became a much loved minister at Dundrod Church (03/07/2009)
- Call Lisburn 3111 to get ‘education with an aim!’ (03/07/2009)
- Early days of transportation on the Lagan Canal (26/06/2009)
- The mysterious case of the man with the Victoria Cross (29/05/2009)
- Miss Cherry, trees and the neglected plaques (22/05/2009)
- The life and times of a famous Glenavy doctor are recalled (01/05/2009)
- Robert Cinnamond – the Ballinderry Balladeer (24/04/2009)
- Religion, riots and rhyme in Glenavy (03/04/2009)
- ‘Seven sixteenths’ and Frank Leckey’s Lodge (23/01/2009)
- ‘A valuable insight’ is provided in the Diaries of Dr. Alexander Irvine (16/01/2009)
- Dr. Alexander Irvine and the Crumlin link (09/01/2009)
- Story of a letter posted in Glenavy almost 174 years ago (02/01/2009)
- The census, courts, Christmas and cows (26/12/2008)
- Wedding antics and country customs (12/12/2008)
- Killultagh Historical Society goes from strength to strength (21/11/2008)
- Where the grass is always greener? (19/09/2008)
- The Digger recalls a wartime romance at Langford Lodge (12/09/2008)
- The Digger finds clues to our past inscribed in wood at Rams Island (29/08/2008)
- Was Lisburn murder suspect really a victim himself? (08/08/2008)
- The harsh life of a Lighter man (01/08/2008)
- Early days of transportation on the Lagan Canal (25/07/2008)
- From early Christian churches to thriving 19th century trade (book review) (11/07/2008)
- An innocent game of ‘Ducks and Drakes’ that ended in tragedy (27/06/2008)
- Keeping alive the memory of those who fell in World War 1 (23/05/2008)
- Remarkable story of the Stoneyford violin maker (11/04/2008) (full story below)
- Easter celebrations of long ago and cards to the chemist (21/03/2008)
- A spruce up for the Wishing Chair of Glenavy (01/02/2008)
- When you could feel the dark – recalling the days before light pollution spoiled the view (18/01/2008)
- When life was ruled by the light of the silvery moon (11/01/2008)
- The ghostly lone piper at Piper’s Hill (21/12/2007)
- Recalling stories of the great Lisburn inventor (16/11/2007)
- Fireworks and Frolics – the old style Halloween (26/10/2007)
- There could be “verse” ways to sell products (28/09/2007)
- Annandale, Glenavy and the Downer family (21/09/2007)
- Chrome Hill, Lambeg and the Downer family (13/09/2007)
- The Mystery Maid of Lisburn Town is tracked down (17/08/2007)
- Second tragedy for the Rice family (20/07/2007)
- Wallace Park tragedy caused widespread grief in Lisburn (13/07/2007)
- Echoes of the brutal Ballynalargy murder that lingered on (06/07/2007)
- Shock at a murder most foul in Ballynalargy (29/06/2007)
- A bitter winter and a horrifying discovery (15/06/2007)
- Rediscovering the rich history of a forgotten townland (18/05/2007)
- Anyone recall The Maid of Lisburn Town? (27/04/2007)
- Tales of love and war at Glenavy station (06/04/2007)
- The changing fortunes of Glenavy railway station (30/03/2007)
- American military trains and strict GNR discipline (23/03/2007)
- Lisburn stationmaster held office for 55 years (16/03/2007)
- Looking back at the early days of rail travel in Lisburn (09/03/2007)
- Lives of former Lisburn citizens recalled (02/02/2007)
- Grave matters give clue to past way of life (19/01/2007)
- Unearthing the past at the Ballyclan dig (15/12/2006)
- The Digger’ takes a look at the history of the blackthorn (08/12/2006)
- Marbles kept the young and old amused in days gone by (17/11/2006)
- The Cherry family, The Ulster Covenant and the loss of a son (20/10/2006)
- Lisburn and the Ulster Covenant (13/10/2006)
- Blame it all on the fairies (22/09/2006)
- A charming way to deal with your ailments (15/09/2006)
- Paradise regained at Ram’s Island (08/09/2006)