Clachans by Natasha - Glenarm PS
Clachans in days gone bye were occupied by the kin or
extended family of grandfather, father and sons. As families
grew, the farms were sub-divided to accommodate sons and
grandsons.
The farms were not large enough to get money to support
the family. This was one factor which led to massive emigration
in the eighteenth and nineteenth century.
The seemingly random way in which small cottages are scattered
over the landscape would lead someone to believe that
they had been built all over the place without any plan.
That was not the case.
Straidkilly – the slipping village
by Philip - Glenarm PS
Lying on the hillside above the coast of Glenarm is the
village of Straidkilly. Most people call it ‘the
slipping village.’ The slipping is because of the
rock structure of the area. I interviewed my dad and he
told me the chalk cliffs lie on soft clay. During very
wet weather, regular streams of mud may be seen sliding
down on top of the Coast Road. At one time workmen were
employed solely to keep this part of the road clear. These
workmen were known as ‘slip-men’ and my dad
was one of them when he was younger.
Franciscan Friary and Straidkilly in the 1400’s
by Ciaran and Gerard
In a magazine called The Glynns in 1987, a man called
Hector McDonnell gave a lot of interesting information
about Straidkilly. For instance, in 1445 the Franciscans were granted permission
to build a church in Seraide Kaill. This permission came
from the Pope. Hector also suggested that the ‘Killy’ part
could refer to ‘cill’ meaning church rather
than ‘coill’ meaning woods.
Straidkilly by Kenneth
An 80-year-old man called Davy George has lived on the
Straidkilly Road for 45 years. He makes cartwheels. I
was talking to Bill Wright. He showed me where the well
is. It is called the Horseshoe. There are stepping-stones
across it and I walked across them. About 48 years ago
my granddad, granny and Uncle Jim lived in one of the
old houses. They bought it from a man called Willie Clark.
There was a stove they cooked on. They had to go outside
to the toilet that they called the dry toilet. They bathed
and washed their clothes in a tin bath. There was no electricity
or water in the house. They had to use a tilly lamp and
get their water in from a well at the back of a man called
Hubert. My granddad travelled by bike.
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