It Occurs to Me: Stephen McCahill - Joy and happiness has been dealt a mortal blow

It’s early Monday morning and I write this with a very heavy heart.

Two weeks ago, I attended the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the Corner House in Ardara, and was in the process of writing a feature for this week.

At the end of today’s column, I will include my original piece, as it is important for all of us who loved Stephen McCahill and cherished his friendship, to laud his extraordinary vision and his devotion to family, friends, and his beloved Ardara.

I delved into my archives, and it was no surprise to find his name popping up regularly, as he was always to the fore when the town was buzzing with any number of annual festivals.

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For example, back in July 2008, I wrote: “Just as the most successful ever MacGill Festival wound down in Glenties, Ardara’s Patrick McGill took over.  Pat from the Beehive organised the first ever Bluegrass Festival in the town and the quality of the music from Niall Toner, Woodbine, Dirty Blues Band, Gary Ferguson, Colin Henry and Janet Holmes was absolutely brilliant.

“Using the Nesbitt Arms as the base (and a big thanks to Marie and Paul Gallagher for their kindness and hospitality) I can see Ardara developing in the same way over the next few years. Pat McGill, Stephen McCahill and so many others are genuinely enthusiastic about their town’s future and I wish them well.”

Frank Galligan with the late Stephen McCahill

Ten years later, I was sharing this: “Because of Storm Ophelia and the cancellation of the original Donegal Person of the Year ceremony, when Stephen McCahill hands over his crown to Shay Given on the 21st, he will have been the longest serving Donegal Person of the Year ever!”

And boys, if anyone deserved this award, Stephen did. He was the unofficial ‘Lord Mayor of Ardara’, and his devotion to the community was second to none! In the same year, I penned these:

The bard of Ardara

This weekend sees the launch of ‘The Bard of Ardara’, a competition to commemorate the late great Packie Manus Byrne.

From 2021, a highlight of the South of the Border festival weekend on Valentine’s weekend will be a final lineup of some 10 Bards from all over Ireland and beyond who will deliver their humourous pieces, from which ‘The Bard of Ardara’ will be selected.

Appropriately, the one and only ‘Bard of Armagh’, Patsy O’Hagan, will join ‘The Bard of Tyrone’, Decaln Forde, who will feature in the Corner House and Beehive throughout the weekend. Also joining them will be our own songwriter supreme, Patsy Cavanagh, whose Home to Donegal is accepted as the Donegal anthem. So, let’s remind ourselves how this weekend of song and verse began.

Back in August 2017, I stumbled across the Jimmy Kennedy/Ardara connection, and within months Stephen McCahill was formulating the first ever festival.

Celebrating the lyric in Ardara

Valentine’s weekend in Ardara is a very appropriate couple of days to celebrate the very best in lyric, both in word and in song.

As regards the latter, there’s a €1000 up for grabs for someone who can sculpt a song in the mode of the legendary Jimmy Kennedy, whose mother was a Baskin from Ardara.

Appropriately, it is called the ‘South of the Border’ Festival, remembering Jimmy’s great million-seller recorded by Gene Autry, Patsy Cline, Frank Sinatra, Marty Robbins and Willie Nelson.

As regards celebrating the lyric in word and story, Packie Manus Byrne too will again be celebrated as he would have been 101 on the same weekend.

Also, this is Stephen McCahill’s final week as Donegal Person of the Year, and he has been a magnificent representative.

Indeed, if there was a Donegal Person of the 20th Century, Stephen would have gladly awarded it to Packie Manus.

After Packie’s death, he recalls: “As a young lad working in the Hotel in the late seventies and early eighties, I was always intrigued as I made my way over home. I often met this old man on the Hillhead. He reminded me of everyone's grand uncle, grandfather or a lovely old neighbour.

"As the years went by I’d come to realise that man was more than just any ordinary person. As the years passed we were all to realise the significance of Packie Manus’s contribution. As all these amazing musicians descended on Ardara on a regular basis we were to realise the awe in which Packie Manus was held by these visitors.

“Packie Manus could tell stories like no one else and I remember since while he was quite sick in Killybegs Hospital, he told me that his severe head pains were caused as he was a guinea pig in an experiment to find how much noise the head could take in the cockpit of a plane during the war.

"The story was sincere and on my way home I was wondering — was this genuine or a great story. You never knew with Packie. Truly the end of an era, an institution in his own lifetime probably never really appreciated in this country. An Irishman of great distinction.”

Stephen and the mystery tour

The annual mystery bus trip from Ardara never fails to intrigue and entertain.

With the exception of Stephen McCahill, over 50 brave souls sat on board with no clue as to their destination and the speculation was rife.

Guide and raconteur Paddy Joe Breslin reckoned we were destined for Glengesh but that was quickly shot down considering we could have reversed up there!

That didn’t quieten him for the rest of the journey, however, a journey that ended in the Famine Village in the Isle of Doagh in Inishowen.

A big highlight was the Irish Wake, ably introduced and explained by Pat Doherty, whose vision and hard work is also responsible for the wonderful Lapland exhibition at Christmas.

On the way back, we stopped in Wilkins in Churchill and to say we were well received and looked after is to put it mildly. Everybody agreed that the reception there was above and beyond the call of duty.

Stephen at 60 (2019)

Stephen McCahill rarely has the tables turned on him but Friday night last was an exception.

Under the pretence of attending a bash for the engagement of Mairead Slowey and Brian (which did happen too!) he was summoned earlier than usual to the Corner House.

Unfortunately, for his wife Marietta and Grainne McNelis who had organised the extravaganza, the bold Stephen turned up a tad too early and looked bemusedly at the bunting and 60’s paraphernalia. “Ah Stephen,” he was told, “it’s a surprise party for Ger from Dublin!”

“Oh?” says he suspiciously, “then why is she sitting at her own surprise?” There was further palaver until singer Jimmy McGrogan introduced Marietta at the mic and she told the truth. It was a great night of music and craic, and I was delighted to contribute a humorous ballad chronicling the occasion.

It’s too long for this column but here are the first two verses: ‘Now, he nearly shares a birthday with our own wee Michael D, Who sits on his Arus in Uachtarain and issues odd decrees,

But up here he’s our President, our Taoiseach and our Mayor, His name is Steve McCahill...so, a moment with me bear.

He was born to Packie and Eileen near old Glenties in Kilraine, No silver spoon or soother, but he was a beardy wane, He was number three in pecking order, just like the Holy Ghost, Now he’s the Father and the Son as well...and God? Oh boys, he’s close!

As a lad at National School, rumour has it, how, The Master asked him at age 4, “What Festivals have we now?”

He answered “We have Christmas, Easter, Halloween,

But by the time I’m 20, we’ll have a dozen more between!”

At the Comprehensive, when other lads were chasin’, Cans o’ beer and women, sure Stephen was embracin’ The laws of economics, of demand and of supply, And getting the buyer to agree and just say “Aye...och Aye!”

25 years of the Corner House (my original piece for today)

I was delighted to attend the 25th anniversary of the Corner House Bar in Ardara before Christmas.

A mighty gathering indeed, and supplemented by a lovely publication of photographs celebrating a quarter of a century of ‘craic agus ceol’.

On December 14, 2000, the acclaimed pub was purchased by Peter Oliver McNelis, the late Eamon McNelis and Stephen McCahill. As the publication intro reminds us:

“Since the day we moved in, it has truly been a roller coaster of fun, happiness and joy. We have had the finest singers and musicians in the world come through the doors and perform with us. The greatest actors, the greatest chefs and comedians too.”

Films have made there, there have been BBQ’s, parties, mock weddings and wakes, but most of all, as the publication reminds us: “...we have had the most wonderful customers in the world who always appreciate the magic of the Corner House,” not forgetting, “the wonderfully kind, loyal and hard working staff.”

“For Peter Oliver, Ann, Eamon, Stephen and Marietta, the whole experience has been one of joy, happiness and warm friendship.”

Sadly, that joy and happiness has been dealt a mortal blow, and for all those aforementioned, as well as their families, brothers Peter and Michael, sister Angela and friends too numerous to mention, I’ll simply say this: “Ní bheidh a leitheid arís ann.”