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Our family was saddened at the passing, last year, of Sister Anselm, founding headmistress
Our own family has known loss recently, with the laying to rest in 2001 of my Mother Cassie
I first started to drive Micras some years ago when my brother, John, was posted to the Vatican, as
Shopping on-line Since getting onto the internet I have taken to ordering groceries over the net, with I use Sainsburies (though I'm sure there are others who deliver). They are an excellent shop, and I
Christmas came & went, the tree again expertly
Febuary News
March brings St Patricks Day, Franks Birthday and Mothers day in quick succession. This year I
April
of English Martyres School, and thus my boss for many years, and headteacher of all my children.
Sister was in her late eighties and had enjoyed a long rest and retirement at the Upper Redlands
Road convent of St Josephs, and lately at one of their orders rest homes in Ireland. Our family and
our community owes her a debt of gratitude which, we trust, God can and will make good.
McIntyre, nearly 25 years to the day after my father Jim McIntyre. The funeral was held on a fine late
August Morning in the pleasant Scots beach resort of Girvan which my mother had made her home
in the years after Daddies death. All agreed it fitting that Mama found her last resting place here,
where the view is of the Irish Sea, so central to all our lives, and so like the view over Kindrum from
the churchyard at Fanavoly, where her Husband is buried. Again, our family owes her a debt that
only God, we trust, can and will fully make good. To read more about my mother...
replaced with a new model which is a very nice shade of blue and as reliable, sturdy and economical
to run as all my previous Micras.
Rector of the Scots College in Rome and found that the most convenient thing was to leave his car
with me while he was in Rome, so that he could make the short hop to Italy from nearby Heathrow,
and break his Journey with a stop at our house before driving up to Scotland on one of the frequent
consultations and such-like which his post entailed. It cannot have escaped his calculations that use
of the car would be a God-send to me, and thats just what it was, so, when Johns duties brought
him back to Scotland, and a parish in Troon, I decided to invest in a Micra myself and have not
looked back since.To find out more about Nissans click the icon : 
great results. The chore that used to take half my Saturday now takes a fraction of the time and is, I
think, also more convenient for the shop itself. This leaves me with much more free-time and has the
added advantage that the people at the store automaticaly pick up any free offers that your
purchases attract (something I would always miss).
would recommend them to anyone. If you want to try out their service, click the icon below.
The number is scrambled so nobody can intercept your details. The system used to scramble
the numbers is the same as the one used to scramble sensitive information passing between
government departmentsso you can be sure it will work for people passing their card details to their
shop keepers. You can find out more about this at this website
Codes
dressed by my son Martin ( with the crib provided by our grand-daughter Eilis-Marie ) and
the assistance of Brendan and Una with the cooking and washing up gratefully received.
Last year saw my daughter Angela settling into her new role as Lecturer at the local
College, my son Eunan move to his new home in Woodley and announcing his Engagement
and forethcoming marriage (7/6/3) to his fiance, Sharon (a colleague from work), second son
Brendan continued to build a career in Museums with a job at Reading Museum and his
relationship with his partner, Helene. Martin settled in to his new post in the Civil Service
and Una, my youngest daughter, received the excellent news that she had been successful
in her application for her dream job as Marketing Executive. My Husband soldiered on in
his job with Associated Asphalt, from which he recently won a long service award for
twenty years unstinting effort, indeed the company changed hands recently after going into
liquidation, so you could say he outlasted them.
As for myself, I continued to busy myself in my retirement with my granddaughter Eilis
Marie (who accompanies me during the week on the days her mother is at work).She now
attends an excellent pre-school in the Parish Hall of English Martyrs', every weekday
morning ,and is to start at Primary School after Easter. and with my various other pastimes,
embroidery, my tough puzzles, watercolours and so on, and of course, the internet.
evening at the Mansion restaurent in nearby Prospect Park. Eilis helped her grandma name
a couple of new fish Frank got for the aquarium. She chose Mickey Mouse for the larger of
the two, and Pinocchio for the other.
March news. Martin has worked very hard to put together a
"family tree" and upload it to the web site. It is, of course, far from complete,and we are very
conscious of the fact that we have not yet developed the Devine branches. We would also like to
build a family tree for Frank. Angela and Nick are looking forward to the arrival of a new baby in
September. The first scan has taken place and all is well Thank God. Frank bought 2 new fish to
replace Bill and Ben. They have been named (by Eilis) Amy and Jessica. The bulbs Frank planted
towards the end of last year are beginning to flower and the plum tree and fruit bushes are covered in
buds. So it seems that Spring is here at last!
bought Frank an anti-cat device for the garden. The house is now festooned with cards from the
family (pride of place goes to the freshly picked Shamrock from Bridget and John from Ballynacrick).
It has also seen Eilis off to primary for the first time. She has some friends from pre-school with her,
and is a confident child, so she should adjust well.
Recently however we have had better luck and the Easter Weekend was almost summer-like. Frank
decided to take some time to visit his native Fanad, Donegal. His cousin Josie McGroaty and her
family very kindly put him up and the visit was a good rest for him as he enters his last year before
retirement
Elsewhere, my daughter Una, who handles marketing for the local technical college, had a photo -
taken by her - used to illustrate a story concerning the college, which was a nice novelty and a real
feather in her cap. She is pushing herself hard with her studies, improving her knowledge of the field,
and gains confidence all the time.
My other daughter Angela travelled down to Cornwall with her Husband and daughter for the Easter
weekend and spent a relaxing weekend down there, enjoying the spectacular scenery and quiet
beaches for which the area is famous. Speaking of which, Fanads own tourism industry received a
boost with a feature on the BBC's Holiday program, the weather wasn't great when they were filming,
but they did the place justice and came across as being genuinely impressed with what was on
offer. (Some may remember when Anthea Turners visited for ITVs holiday programme, and insisted
on calling Glen Veagh, "Glen Veeege". To link to BBC article.
May is upon us and Eunans Wedding looms, here are links to places where you can find maps :-
Buckinhamshire, England [County]
Narrow to Beaconsfield, Bucks [Town] , Narrow to High Wycombe, Bucks [Town]
Narrow to St Theresas Church, Beaconsfield [Church], Narrow to Holiday Inn, Wycombe [Hotel] .
And the weather can be found Here .
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July and now August have been marked by a record breaking heatwave, the mercury passing the 100f mark for the first time since records began. The weather may have contibuted to a fire which started in the bitumen roof of Reading College, where my daughter Una is the marketing executive. It fell to her to deal with the press after the incident and her comments are recorded in the local press. You can read the article, including the comments of college spokeswoman Una Carr by clicking here. |
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September has brought with it the birth of my daughter Angelas second child who she and her
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Myself and Frank were doubly blessed as the labour meant we had our first Grandchild Eilis to stay. She is a real delight and is handling the disruption very calmly, considering that the birth has coincided with the start of the new school year.
Otherwise, things here have been ticking over pretty quietly. We have had the decorator in for |
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As part of her job, Una was interviewed by Maggie Philbin for the BBC, to
download a short excerpt click here. Its a big download (1.5mB) so it might take bit of time, also you might not have the player that matches this sort of file, normally you are automatically offered a free download if this is the case |
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Winter and Christmas A happy time, Angela, Nick with Caitlin and Eilis, Brendan and Helene joined us for Christmas Day. Eunan visited Christmas Morning after Mass and spent the rest of the day with his new wife Sharon as they entertain her parents. We all thought of Una in faraway Thailand. She has experienced Christmas both there and in Australia now. She had a good time and returned to us safe, well and with a deep tan. |
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Winter has flown,past the big event was Caitins christening on the 25th of Jan. We were really pleased that her greatuncle Mgr John able and willing to administer the sacrament. The godparents were Steve Crawley, Nicks brother and Sharon. Like her sister, Caitlin didn't complain at the water being poured on her head. Another memorable moment, another memorable day.
Spring, Frank retired on the 26th March, 3 days before his 65th Birthday. He has an allotment now, |
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Brendan and Helenes marriage registration was followed by a pleasant lunch in Lock Fyne Restaurant. Madame LeComte was very patient with my rusty French. We are all looking forward to the Wedding in France next Summer. Four family weddings are scheduled to take place next summer, a year as busy as I can remember.
I found this amazing story about a ship called the Fanad Head, which was the focus of extraordinary
Finaly, I was saddened to hear of the recent passing of my cousin Brenda, our heartfelt sympathies go
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Summer : It is now the October, much has happened since the last time I added anything to the website. Frank travelled to Scotland to attend the funeral of his good friend, Dan Coll (Heudi) R I P. Dan was a regular visitor to my parents’ house in Airdrie in the 50’s and 60’s. Also in August, my brother John and I spent a very pleasant week in Fanad. The highlight of our holiday took place on our first Saturday , when Bridin McDermott, her husband, Michael and her brother, Tony Johnston visited us at the ‘Cosy Nook’. Although we have been in touch for some time, we had not seen each other for 50 years, when our families had spent our summer holidays every year in Doaghbeg. We had a lovely time reminiscing about those happy days so long ago. There are photographs recording their visit in the Album. We met others whom we had not seen for some time.Itwas good to see Paddy Gallagher (Campbell), whose family also spent yearly holidays in Doaghbeg. |
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Just after we returned from Ireland the first addition to the family arrived . Emile James was born on 26th August weighing in at 8lb 14oz. Helene and Brendan are very happy with their little son. Sharon and Eunan had to wait another fortnight before Sophie Louise made her appearance. She was 10lb 6oz at birth and is fast outgrowing her crib. Her parents are justly proud of their beautiful daughter. Her birthday is 10th September, the day before her cousin Caitlin’s.
I’m glad to say Una passed her latest exams. She certainly deserves to |
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Weatherwise, it was a damp summer - one of the wettest on record. The local team, Reading, continue to thrive despite the shock departure of their manager Alan Pardew last year. Having made the playoffs last year, under Steve Copell, they are now at the top of the league, their highest position ever. Alan Pardews team West Ham failed to gain a premiership place last year and now languish mid table. Shame |
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November Time has flown by, as usual. The big news, since I last wrote, is that we have had our new kitchen "made over". We now have much more cupboard space and work tops. The new double glazed window is a big improvement. The floor and wall tiles have still to be be installed, it will look really good by the time it is all finished. Martin has been away on a course and is due back tommorrow (Dec 2) I have written more about my father and you can read the new extract here More about my Father his family There was an article in many of the British Newspapers about peoples favourite word, Martin was explaining some of them to his niece Eilis when they came to enthusiastic, Martin explained this was a word to describe something you love and asked Eilis for an example of something she loves, Eilis thought for a moment and settled on Caitlin, which I think is a lovely thing.
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Easter has come and gone and I have still to write something about Christmas. We had a memorable day with all the family. Una made sure that everything went smoothly by spending some time here a few weeks before the big day writing lists and drawing table plans. Angela designed the invitations for me,and the 'boys' came round the previous week and moved the furniture to make room for the tables. The tree had been decorated beautifully by Martin, with Eilis's crib nestling at the foot It was lovely to see everyone sitting enjoying their meal. Altogether there were 10 adults and 2 children (Eilis and Helene's 14 year old cousin) round the table. Caitlin was in the high chair and Sophie and Emile were in their low chairs. We were delighted that Fr. John was able to come down for the New Year. Unfortunately he was suffering from a very heavy cold, which meant he was confined to the house for most of the time. We are now looking forward to his coming to baptise Sophie at the end of the month.
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An important family event took place just over a month ago, on the 30th April to be exact. On this day Sophie was baptised at St. John Bosco's Church in Woodley. Fr John administered the sacrament, and Angela and Sharon's brother , Stephen, were the Godparents. Sophie behaved impeccably throughout. The weather was sunny, the food delicious and everyone enjoyed the day. Fr. John had to fly back to Glasgow that evening. Everyone appreciates the efforts he makes to be with us at these significant spiritual events. I am looking forward to spending a week with him in Fanad in August. |
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The four grandchildren are all in good health . Eilis is in her last term in Year 2 . She has become very tall recently and reminds of Angela at the same age. She loves reading , drawing and making up stories. Caitlin and she get on well. That young lady has now found her feet, so she is into everything. She is also beginning to make conversation, some of which makes sense! I was over at Brendan and Helene's this morning. Emile is now pulling himself onto his feet so it shouldn't be long before he begins to walk. Sophie has progressed from rolling to crawling so she too is pretty mobile and keeps Sharon on the alert. The two families spent the Bank Holiday afternoon together down by the Thames.
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9th September 2005
As I was parcelling Sophie's and Caitlin's presents this evening, I |
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We have attended 2 family weddings 1 in London , the other in Cork. Frank's niece and Godchild, Lorraine Owens, and Gerard O'Regan were married on the 13th August, and his nephew, Martin Carr and Claire Paul became man and wife on the 3rd September, We thoroughly enjoyed both events.
In the time between the weddings Fr. John and I managed to have a
We are now making preparations for the trip to Rennes for the wedding |
Pope John Paul II
Pope Benedict
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November is just around the corner, so it's about time I gave some account of the events of the summer. During the months of August and September we attended 3 Weddings and a Baptism. The 3rd wedding , that of our son Brendan to Helene Lecomte, took place in Rennes, on the 17th September. Their son, Emile was baptised the previous day at the same church, Ste. Therese de Lisieux. Fr. John officiated at both occasions and so fluent was he in French that a native Frenchman was overheard asking what part of France the priest came from!! |
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We really appreciate the efforts made by all Brendan's relations and
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March 2006
Thanks to Mark who has posted a message in the Guestbook. You must be one of the Campbell clan. I can remember Ian, Kenneth and Gordon spending most of their holidays building that house. It has stood the times well. I hope some of the younger generations are reaping the benefit of their hard work.
I have added some more to the pages about my father and my mother, you can |
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Eunan found this interesting map of Airdrie on a website called
Wikipedia.
| Chrismas 2005 was spent at Angelas which was lovely. Angela made a delicious meal and we all enjoyed opening our presents etc. Una and Martin were there, Eunan and Sharon came over in the morning and then went to Sharons mother and fathers, Rob and Barbara's, Brendan and Helene spent Christmas in France |
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March 2006 In March, Emile came to stay with us for 2 days, Brendan and Helene went to Malta for a week (a belated honeymoon). Helenes friend, Melanie, looked after Emile during the week. April 2006 Una was in a Progress Theatre Production, a comedy called "Hot Chicks.com". Here is their website : http://www.progresstheatre.co.uk/. The same month brought Kates wedding in London to Alan, a total gentleman. The ice sculpture was impressive. Even more so was the speech made by Kate's son Edward. A memorable family event. May 2006 One of the most important events of the year took place in May, namely Eilis's 1st Holy Communion. In attendance, Grandad, Me, Big Grandma and Thumper (Nicks parents from Arran), Mum, Dad and Caitlin, Eilis's godfather Uncle Eunan, Aunt Sharon, cousin Sophie, Uncle Brendan and Aunt Helene and cousin Emile, Godmother Aunt Una, Uncle Steven and his wife, Uncle Richard and cousin Janie. Later in May Eilis performed in a play about the weather at Long Lane Primary. Of the national events in December 2005, the major fire at the Buncefield oil depot affected us most closely. We all saw the cloud in the east that Sunday morning and as it spread discovered that it was indeed smoke drifting west from the site of the explosion. Miraculously there were no serious casualties. |
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August 2007
I will write more about the past year and a half in due course but must mention my daughter Angelas graduation as Master of Arts. Her Thesis was on Worklife Balance.
I have added some more to the pages about my schooldays, you can see them here School |
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March 2008
I promise I will write more about the past year and a half in due course but must mention my sons recent entry and succesful completion fo the Reading Half marathon in a very respectable time of under 2 hours.
Eunan in the Marathon Brendan has also completed his MA with Distinction about which I will also return to add more later as time permits.
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Modern Technology My son Eunan has lately been experimenting with MSN Microsoft Messenger as a way of keeping in touch with impressive results. It is like a phone where you can call and speak to people but see them at the same time. Here is a picture of Caitlin and Eilis - my Daughter Angela's children - talking to Eunans Daughter Sophie.
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July 2008 : Happy News and Sad News My son Eunan and his wife Sharon have been blessed with a beautiful bouncing baby boy. He was born 29 July 2008 and weighed in at a very healthy 8 pounds and 8 ounces. They have chosen the lovely names Jamie and Matthew.
 The news contrasts sharply with news of Frank's brother Michael's passing, at the home of his daughter Mary in Chattanooga Tennesee, after a long battle with illness. Our thoughts are with his wife Sally, daughter Mary, sons Michael Junior and Kevin and all his grandchildren at this difficult time. Michael is the first of either Franks or my own siblings to pass away and will be sadly missed. The Tirconnel Tribune carried a full and touching tribute for which the family is very grateful. His death follows that of Franks cousin James Willie who passed away earlier this year and whose family our thoughts are with also. James had a very fine voice and was happy to sing for company when asked. My sons remember when he sang "The Homes of Donegal" one evening at Michaels house during a holiday there in 1999, when the school at Arryheera was holding an anniversary
Michael J Carr RIP
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September 2008. Sadly, my husband Frank has again been called back to his native Fanad in unhappy circumstances. A second death in the family has occurred, this time his youngest brother John has been taken by a painful illness which the excellent staff and doctors of the local Health Service did their best to treat but which took its toll despite his strength and their efforts and expertise. Everyones thoughts are with the family at this time. This photo of the twins first holy communion has sat on the mantlepiece here for many years.
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March 2009. I will write something about Christmas shortly and also little Jamie's christening. He is doing fine and has even been in Windows Messenger to his Aunties :
In the meantime I have added some stories to the section about my mother and her side of the family Mama. Also, the charity my daughter helps to run has been rewarded with a place in the Sunday Times top one hundred organizations to work with. It is one of only two charities so honoured which is a great boost to the firm and to herself as a senior member of the team
Lent has begun and I am going without my soap operas again this year. I am substituting these with episodes of The Waltons which I have bought on DVD and bring me back to the days when we would all gather around to watch this classic serial all those years ago.
Finaly, the Festive period and early part of the year have been a time of grave concern for the health of Franks brother James, who is faced with serious illness. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his wife Bridget and his family in this difficult time. The care provided by the NHS has been, by all accounts, excellent and of great assistance and support to James own resillience and fortitude.
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Easter 2009. I have yet to write more about Christmas, and also little Jamie's christening, but promise to soon. However I thought I would give a short account of some latest news in the meantime.
Easter this year coincided with my husband, Frank, reaching his 70th year. The whole family was able to meet up for a meal at The Cunning Man Pub out in the country on the River Kennet. His present arrived in good time and he is now enjoying his new armchair which he says should last him a good few years. The children had a good time together, with Caitlin - Angelas youngest - and Emile - Brendans eldest, starting their education recently at their first choice of schools: and Sophie - Eunans eldest - to follow in September. Eilis, Angels's eldest, starts secondary in September, again at her first choice of school. How time flies. You can see some of the pictures from the day, along with many more by using the link to my son Eunans account on the Photo sharing website, Flickr. Eunans Photos
My brother, John, came to visit soon after, on his way to Rome. Our nearness to Heathrow means he can combine his trips out to Italy with a short stay with us and provides a welcome opportunity for the grandchildren to stay in touch with their much loved Great-Uncle. John has made an effort to keep up with modern technology, with the help of his collegues in his parish, recognising the benefits and usefulness of new communication methods. As is usual now, he booked his airline tickets online and was even able to select and confirm the exact seat he wanted for his travel, something of a change from the early experience of travel to Rome, which in his lifetime has gone from being an infrequent adventure to a routine task, though still never dull. A flavour of the diffculties of travel in times past can be got from my mother account of the journey to Rome for Johns ordination which can be found here : Cassie - Chapter 14
Finally, I have taken up some studies with the Open University, in English literature, which I hope to pursue towards some qualifications but which I am happy to say are an interesting pursuit in themselves. As part of the course structure, many tasks involve the use of the Facebook networking site, so if anybody else has an account there please click this link, Facebook and get in contact.
In wider news, the recession is hitting our town hard and is the leading topic of conversation whenever the family meets. In our own family my youngest son, Martin, was made redundant recently after 7 years in his job, but has managed to find work temping in the same sort of work which along with his redundancy package should tide him over for now. Everyone is seeing the effects of townturn in one way or another and is dismayed at the seemingly long term disorganisation that is making itself felt now. I am hopeful that we have made enough preparations to weather the storm without to much harm to the long term future. I also hope that a better world will come from this hard lesson. On a lighter note, our local football team, in their campaign to return to the top league, continues to delight and infuriate in equal measure, with some excellent performances immediately followed by inexplicably poor showings. The loyalty of the support has been an encouraging sign though, and lays to rest a perennial excuse for the towns poor showing in the league. Also the cultural side of the town is on the rise with The Reading Fringe Festival, which Martin helps to run, entering its fifth year.
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July 2010. This is a short note to let visitors to this website know that I no longer keep it updated as its much easier to use my facebook account for this purpose.Please click the following link to get in contact, to find out recent news and to share photos http://www.facebook.com/rosaleen.carr, I also have an account with Flickr for all my family photo's so you may want to get in contact there as well, Flickr
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