Voices from the plots: Part II
‘The Well Gathering’ workshop at The Shambles, June 13th:
These recordings were gathered during The Well Gathering, a community event held in Ballaghaderreen in June 2026. Through stories, memories and personal reflections, local residents shared their connections to the Plots and Spring Well, helping to preserve an important part of the town's living heritage.
Participants also contributed ideas and inspiration for the inscription that will be carved into The Plots new public artwork, ensuring that the sculpture reflects something of the community's voice and sense of place.
John Gallagher, 83, who was born on Main Street, offered one of the day's most detailed accounts.
He described the Plots of his childhood as a vital extension of town life, where families grew their own vegetables from seeds supplied by Paddy Mulligan. Every family fenced their plot and fitted a gate.
Seamus Clarke remembered another well-known local character, Bakkie Fraine, who lived in a small hut in the Plots built for him by monumental sculptor Brian O'Hara.
"My memory of Bakkie is sitting down at the Plots in the sunshine reading his paper and smoking his pipe," he said.
From those same gardens, residents could watch the steam train travelling to and from Ballaghaderreen station, a detail that surfaced more than once during the afternoon's conversation.
