DD Motoring: Remembering two great Donegal people

This week, Motoring columnist Brian McDaid recalls fond memories of two proud Donegal people who gave up their time for the benefit of others.

The late John Mangan once told me his Daf 55 car would go faster backwards than it could go forward.

I was reluctant to ask John how he knew this fact in case he would demonstrate it, or ask him how he discovered it, or was it just John who could personally reverse his car faster than he could drive it. But always feared the day I would see him coming out of the town in reverse and pulling into the Hegarty’s petrol pumps as he normally did, but in reverse! He is one of two Donegal people who will be remembered today, Thursday, in Donegal by their family and friends.

Journey.

The train sat at the platform ready to take the gathering group on its journey up to the castle. The carriages were soon filled out with family and friends of the late Paddy Harte. His wife Rosaleen stood on the platform making sure that all her clan were on board, she nearly didn’t get a seat herself.

A look through the camera lens as I asked Rosaleen to smile before she boarded the train. As the shutter opened and captured her image the thought cross my mind of a photo of herself and Paddy I was meant to get. It was going to be a surprise from Paddy to his wife to celebrate an anniversary of when they first met. That was also on a railway platform of a station many years before.

Paddy was in the process of recreating where they first met heading for the train near Gleneany House in Letterkenny which was just across from the old Lough Swilly Railway and CDR station and for me, (his “official photographer” as he always joked) to be there to take a photo of them both.

As things turned out that picture never happened because of Paddy’s failing health but, just this week, while looking for something else, a picture of Paddy and Rosaleen popped up out of the archives back when the Paddy Harte Rd was officially opened.

Happy Accident.

As things turned out that photo that Paddy was planning was taken years before in 2009 with Cllr. Victor Fisher who grew up nearby where the Paddy Harte Road is now.

Victor’s home was No1 gatehouse out of Letterkenny Railway Station along where the Pearse Road is now located, so by accident, Paddy did get his wish to link the railway in Letterkenny through Victor Fisher with the happy couple that met all them moons ago heading for the train.

From Peace Park

Last Sunday we were all guests of Gerry Robinson as the train pulled out of the station in Raphoe to head down memory lane on Sunday. The diesel engine took its passengers through the park near Raphoe that Paddy Harte loved to walk through in his final years.

Admitting that he didn’t know him when he was in politics but always seen a sparkle in his eye, Gerry admired Paddy for following his belief in fighting for recognition for those from Ireland who fought in the First World War.

Gerry Robinson’s kind gesture sparked up some of the memories of Paddy Harte’s efforts to remember the Irish people who fought in the First World War for peace, no matter how unpopular it might have seemed at the time.

Gerry worked on a beautiful seat made from deal wood which was unveiled by Paddy Harte’s wife Rosaleen in the castle overlooking the pond in the grounds of Oakfield House.

My family were staunch “Harte People” so Paddy included me on a number of trips to Belgium and the Peace Park where I was to find out about my own grand uncles that fought in the First World War. They were never talked about in our house until Paddy Harte created The Peace Park in Messines in Flanders.

In 2005 Paddy Harte was presented with his OBE at the Irish residence of the British ambassador in Dublin for his work on the peace park.

Paddy’s seat was unveiled last Sunday so as many of his family could be there for the occasion but it’s Thursday is the day that Paddy Harte would have celebrated his 88th birthday.

Remembering John Mangan.

For me, today is also the day of another great familiar face in Letterkenny who will be remembered on the 1st anniversary of his death.

At 11am in the isle of the Courtyard Shopping Centre special guest and friend Neil Gallagher will unveil a plaque to remember the Late John Mangan.

John Mangan was the face of the Irish Wheelchair Association in Letterkenny, long before there ever was a parking space in town for the disabled. He was one of the associations longest-serving members. John lost the power in his legs as a young teenager in an era where wheelchair bound people ended up confined to their home.

When John returned from Dublin minus the power of his legs he did so without even a wheelchair. His first wheelchair was made up from bits of old tractors and motor bike wheels by local people in Churchill.

John told me in them days he was wheeled down to the nearby shop in Glendowan where he sat outside the shop for the day. John recalled always having a yarn with my late uncle Miah Deeney who drove for Lymacs in Letterkenny.

Miah would always throw John a bottle of mineral off the back of the lorry which John always looked forward to but what John enjoyed more was that Miah gave John no graces, Miah would just have the banter and craic with John like anyone else.

John believed that friends like Miah helped him more than they ever knew they did, by helping him believe in himself. John Mangan was the man in the wheelchair selling Bingo Cards outside Dillion’s Supermarket for years and then moved down the Main St. to the Courtyard shopping centre.

This Thursday both Paddy Harte, on what would have been his 88th birthday, and John Mangan, on the 1st anniversary of his death, will be remembered respectively at Oakfield Park in Raphoe and the the Courtyard Shopping Centre in Letterkenny where a plaque will remind us of both these proud Donegal people who gave up their time for the benefit of others.

Happy Motoring Folks

Tags: