The War Comes to County Armagh

The contributor's mother lived with her parents and five siblings on a farm outside Lurgan, County Armagh. Apart from increased pressure on food production, and the rationing of certain goods there was little impact locally. There was no conscription in Northern Ireland. Belfast however, around 25 miles away, was a large shipbuilding and manufacturing centre. It was blitzed several times quite badly in 1941. When this happened many inhabitants simply fled the city, to find shelter in the countryside. On one particular occasion the evacuees included a mother and her two young boys, finding their way to the country between Lurgan and Lough Neagh they were walking the roads looking for somewhere to stay. The contributor's grandparents took them in and looked after them for some time. The contributor discovered this when asking about a "Mrs. Foley" who lived then in Chesterfield, she was English, and always sent my mother a Christmas card. Mrs. Foley was the young mother in 1941 and her two boys were Martin and Barty. Barty went on to study at Oxford and had a distinguished career with De La Rue. He now lives in Mexico. Their father was a southern Irishman, who was serving in the RAF. The story is all the more resonant because the contributor's mother's family were Catholics and their generosity crossed religious and political divides.