Fire destroys historic thatched cottage outside Glenties

What started as a regular Saturday for the renowned author, storyteller, singer and peace activist Breezy Kelly quickly turned into her worst nightmare when the cottage she lives in on the outskirts of Glenties went up in flames around 4.30pm that afternoon.

The dwelling in the picturesque tranquil area of Gortnasillagh, just over three miles out of town, is now in her own words “just a shell”. It is among the last remaining pre-Famine thatched cottages in west Donegal.

It has also been headquarters for Breezy's Over The Half Door heritage project which attracts people from all over the world to experience the old world of Ireland from long ago.

Known locally as The Fiddler's Rest, it was one of famous fiddler Johnny Doherty's raking houses in years gone by.

But despite her compelling charm which inspires devotion in so many, Breezy is heartbroken and distraught this week as she recalled the horror of how her base was engulfed in flames destroying all her precious personal memories, equipment, and irreplaceable items of cultural and historical interest that take a lifetime to gather.

The fire that destroyed the cottage on Saturday

“When I got up on Saturday morning I had no idea that it would be the last morning that I would wake up in the cottage I loved so much, a place that inspired me and brought me so much peace. Sadly, early on Saturday evening, a fire started and nothing could stop it.”

She has no official explanation as to the cause yet but Breezy believes a spark from the chimney may have landed on the thatch roof.

“I have not been able to revisit it yet. There are no words to describe the sadness I am feeling. However in the middle of the chaos, I am still counting my blessings, the outpour of concern and offers of help that have come pouring in since the fire is overwhelming.”

Breezy came to prominence nationally when she started the Bake Bread for Peace initiative in 2013. It has run annually since then and has become a global movement and an international initiative made up of individuals who wish to bring peace, harmony, neighbourliness, and a sense of community to those around them and to the world they live in.

Bake Bread for Peace
The aim of Bake Bread for Peace is to bring people together in a celebration of everything communal and good through one of the most common and basic activities that humanity shares all over the world – baking bread.

International Bake Bread for Peace Day, October 24, is now celebrated annually in many states in America, Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Norway, Denmark, Greece, and of course Ireland.

There were also be events held in Venezuela, El Salvador, Guatemala, Singapore, Taiwan, and Australia over the past few years. Bake Bread for Peace has no staff or office and doesn’t engage in fundraising.

For over a decade she was involved in the Heritage in Schools scheme run by the Heritage Council and the INTO.

She comes from a background where traditions are very important and this led her to launch Sillybucks, a project whose aim is to collect and record stories, songs, recipes, and cooking methods of days gone by.

In 2006 she published a collection of traditional recipes called Bread, Scones, Stories, and Songs which is now in its third print run. In 2013 she was involved in
organising the Born and Bread project as part of the One Donegal Diversity Month.

In 2015 alongside her late little Jack Russell, Sheila and a bag of bread soda she took to the roads of Northern Ireland to share the idea of baking bread for peace. She travelled throughout the Six Counties and was hosted by individuals and families who enjoyed evenings of baking, songs, and stories. She eventually ended that trip on the steps of Stormont where she baked bread for peace with MLAs from the different political parties.

Breezy spreading the word about the delights of baking bread

Her journey has been a long one, from the hills here in Donegal to steps of Stormont, to the Palace in Munich, and everywhere in between. She's travelled to schools, homes, and organisations in Ireland and abroad to celebrate the baking of bread.

Through her own efforts and the efforts of those she met along the way, who loved the idea and wanted to participate in the initiative, it has grown.

Perspective
The fire has put much into perspective for her, she says. She is currently staying with friends who incidentally have a half-door on their property just like her cottage. The significance of that is not lost on her either.
Through a separate initiative, Breezy had been promoting old-world Donegal through her Over The Half Door project.

This basically involves showing visitors from all over the world how things were done in times gone by and allowing them to experience firsthand the way generations lived up until recently.

“I am just trying to get my head around things and figure out the next step to take, in the meantime I needed to get my hands in flour which to be honest seemed a strange thing to need to do in the middle of everything but that is what I needed.

“My friend went shopping and brought me the makings of soda farls. That was Sunday and while I had my hands in the flour I became grounded again for awhile and remembered the many blessings that I have... despite the horror of the fire I am alive, Tiddles (her cat) is alive and unlike so so many displaced people in our world like the people from Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan, I am still sure of a bed tonight, tomorrow night and every other night that comes.

I am also sure of breakfast, dinner, and tea so yes I am blessed. My friend Sunshine reckons that bread making is my medicine and do you know what...I reckon that she is right."

She describes the past few days as “a rollercoaster of emotions”.

“There are times I'm glad no one was hurt, especially the heroic firemen who tried to save the cottage. I can't speak highly enough of the support I've received to date and it has made me determined to get the cottage back up and running again, somehow.”