Oor Ain Saint

17.03.14 Templepatrick

(taken from this weeks 'Fae tha pen o' an Aul Han)

Greetins aul freens A hape yer aa weel. This week folk fae aa airts an pairts wull bae dressin up laik leprehauns, paintin shamroakes oan thur bakes an drinkin green concoctions that wud mak ye seek jist tae luk at thum. The’ hae sim daft notion that thur antics ir simhoo connected tae Saint Petherick. Hooaniver tha truth is nane o’ thon things haes ocht ava tae dae wae tha missionary wha cum tae bring Christianity tae Airlan.

Aye, ye can bae sur tha streets o’ monies a toon an city wull bae crooded wae folk wavin flags an singin sangs. Bit a wunner wull thur bae onie yin stannin oan tha wee shore atween Millisle and Donaghadee in tha toonlan o’ Templepatrick (Church of Patrick). A wud bae mair nor surprised gin onie yin kens that this wee streetch o’ lan is whur Petherick lanit, havin sail’t acroass tha echteen mile o’ watter fae Portpatrick in Scotland.

‘A jalouse yer wrang Aul Han,’ A hear ye’s say. ‘Sur it’s no even mentioned by tha Tourist folk.’ Weel ye dinnae hae tae tak ma wurd fur it, in years gan by ye cud o’ fun mention o’ tha fact in monies an epistle. Tak fur example oor aul freen W.G. Lyttle’s “The Bangor Season” published in 1888. Aye an gin thon’s no guid enech fur ye, ye can fin it mentioned in “Tha Montgomery Manuscripts” (fae tha earlie saxteen hunners) whur it tells o’ hoo tha O’Neils wur fit tae show tha Montgomeries tha very spot whur Patrick cum ashore. A fact that nae doot haed great bearin oan Patrick Montgomery’s decision tae settle in Templepatrick an big a grand hoose, whas coat o’ arms can still be seen tae this day.

Bit A jalouse it disnae sit weel wae sim folk that Petherick aamaist certainly cum fae Scotland oor that he lanit in whut was tae becum tha first hame o’ tha Scots in Ulster. A wunner, daes thon mak him Ulster-Scots?

Onie road, gin ye happen by thon wee negleckit spot ootside Donaghadee. Ye cud dae wurse thon tae perk yer motor an tak a wee jaunt doon tae tha shore whur Petherick first brocht tha gospel tae Airlan.