March 2006

Bradley's bar in Desertmartin near Magherafelt has been there for 400 years. The YPAM radio and web team joined the regulars of Bradley's bar in 2006 to record a St. Patrick's 'special' Some of the atmosphere of the evening was captured on video for you.

Musicians young and old provided wonderful entertainment all night and the 'craic' was good.

Cormac Bourke - curator of mediaeval Antiquities Ulster Museum discusses the relevance of St. Patrick to the locality.

and Hugh Bradley, owner of the bar explains that centuries ago if you wanted to own a pub you also had to have a brewery, but in order to have a brewery you also had to have a well. This was known as a 'Brewery well'.

Bradley's bar St Patrick's special dur: 8 mins best viewed via a broadband connection click here for a narrowband version

Relevant web-links:

Armagh vs Down - who owns St. Patrick? YP&M Article

A not too serious but 'factual' background on St. Patrick - BBC Legacies webpages

Entertaining facts, games and e-cards etc. are all here - BBC NI St.Patrick's day pages.

In depth background and history - The Saint Patrick's Centre, Downpatrick

Interested in seeing around Armagh? Armagh Guided Tours

The website of - Armagh District Council

Armagh City - Geographica.com

Want to know more about Navan Fort? Environment & Heritage webpages.

Where to go in Northern Ireland - Discover Northern Ireland Website

(The BBC is not responsible for content of external websites)

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YOUR RESPONSES

Gareth McGreevy - Feb '08
John I completely agree. I am an avid Scór fan and was over the moon to see Niamh eventually get the well deserved title - singing Raglan Road! A true credit to club and county. Wishing you the best of luck Niamh and all representatives from Ulster but especially Niamh and Castlewellan Instrumental, An Dún!

John - Feb '08
Niamh was great then, but she's brilliant now. She has gone on to hold the Derry county solo singing title at scor na nog for the past three years, and has just taken the provincial title as well.

We wish Niamh all the best for the forthcoming all-Ireland contest at Athlone in February.

John and family

Anil - Jan '08
Is there anyone out there can help me get to hear "Glenelly My Home"? So much appreciated. Thanks.

Niamh Mc Glinchey & Una Mc Gill - Mar '07
This is niamh and una here. In school at the minute. the website is great. It was such a enjoyable night an thanks a million for inviting me to sing. Hope you all have fantastic ST Patricks Day. xxx

Una and Sarah - Mar '07
Omg!!! Niamh is our friend!!!whoooooooo...go niamh....shes got even better dats when she was only 14!!!we luv u niamh!!!!!!whhhhhooooooo.......xXxxX

Hugh Bradley - April '06
What an honour and pleasure it was to host the St. Patricks Day edition of YPAM! This is now being accepted as one of the best ever programmes in this increasingly popular series. So much so that the whole ‘story’ may well be repeated over the air later this year. The perspicacity of John Gregg in choosing this small bar and the skill of his co-presenters, Paddy O Flaherty, Michael McNamee and Helen Mark combined to convey the warmth and homeliness (as well as the humour) of the Irish Country scene to a multitude of listeners (and viewers) at home and overseas.
Many listeners asked for more information on our famous mathematical ceiling to which I alluded briefly on the programme. As I said this is based on a certain mathematical entity called an Icosahedron which can best be imagined as a football with 20 identical flat panels each triangular on shape.
You can generate a model of the ceiling by using three postcards. Draw a line on each card joining the centres of the two short sides. Push card no.1 through the middle portion of this line on card no.2, and similarly push card no.3 through card no.2, so that all three cards finish up at right angles to each other. Then photograph the model and you have it!
Loughinsholin was well described but we had no one to sing the famous song of that name which describes the fate of Willie Lennox who was drowned in the Lough many years ago.
Can I finish by quoting the key verse of the song?

“Young Lennox stepped forward and in he did go,
He swam to the island, it proved his o’erthrow.
He swam the Lough over, he swam it twice round,
And’ twas at the third turning, young Lennox went down.

The whole song can be got by e-mailing me at hugh.bradley1@btopenworld.com

Geordy Austin - March '06
I sat in Syracuse NY and watched this on my computer. It was brilliant as they say back home.While many of our established Irish folk groups are wonderful. Bradleys was real, pure refreshing and traditional. Go Raibh Maith Agat.

Niamh McGlinchey - March '06
Hello everybody. My name is Niamh Mc Glinchey I'm 14 and I'm from Lavey. I sang the Isle Of Innisfree in Bradley's bar in Desertmartin the ST Patricks Special of YPAM. I'd like to thank everyone for their nice comments and I am glad you all enjoyed listening to it!

Anna May Kelly(nee McCrystal) - March '06
I would like to express my warm appreciation for the episode of the show from Bradley's Bar last week. It was a walk down "Memory Lane" for me.
I came to Canada in 1965 from Desertmartin. Bradleys has been a very familiar spot to me from my earliest days.I passed it every day when I went to Knocknagin school. It always was a place of hospitality, good for a drink of tea or a mineral if one stopped in...too young for anything stronger in those days!! My husband and I always stop in for a visit during our trips to Ireland and are welcomed by the same warm hospitality from Hugh, Kathleen and their family.

The show was well organized with just the right mix of song and story. I had never heard the song about the Glenelly Valley before. My husband's great grandfather was born on the other side of the valley. The Famine forced his parents to bring their family to Canada, to the area close to Hamilton, where they made a new life for themselves.
We were so pleased to be able to hear the show on Radio Ulster and to view the video clip. It is special to those of us who left part of our hearts in the land of our birth and/or our heritage. We hope that we will hear other shows of your series from Bradleys. Thanks once again.

Gerry McKay - March '06
Please please please let us hear more of that young girl singing Isle of Inisfree. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up!! Someone please tell Gerry Anderson about this beautiful singer.

YPAM Editor responds :

Well here you go Gerry click here to hear the full song.

Patsy Devine - March '06
I must congratulate the producer and presenters of the St. Parrick's Day special programme " Your place and mine". It was the best and most enjoyable programme so far of your excellent series. Having lived in the Glenelly Valley and attended Barnes School for 5 years I appreciated the rendering of Glenelly My Home..a favourite of my late mother. The stories, yarns and music was top class.
Keep up the good work and please return again to the Sperrin region..especially to the Glenelly Valley and the Aughabrack region just over the mountains from Glenelly..the present home of Sam McGUIRE .
Up Tyrone and Clann Na Gael..............

Gareth McGreevy, An Dún - Feb '08
John I completely agree. I am an avid Scór fan and was over the moon to see Niamh eventually get the well deserved title singing raglan road! A true credit to club and county. Wishin u the best of luck Niamh and all representatives from ulster but especially Niamh and Castlewellan Instrumental, An Dún!

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