BSW4 - 5. The glamourous West End

Speaker: Bart WhelanFrom the Bluestack Way - Part 4 playlist.According to Michael Gallagher, the river in all its moods, was a very accurate forecaster of weather conditions; the sounds of a flood being heard from upstream when the river was low, meant a flood in the near future that was known as “Tuile Bhreige’ or false flood. The colour of the water was also a guideline – black and murky water with froth on the surface was a sign of heavy rain imminent while when the sand and pebbles were clear visible in the river bed, that meant fine weather on the way. If spa water begins flowing from a bog-hole, a long break in the weather is approaching. Twinges of arthritic pains can be felt in ageing joints, and sometimes in joints not so old, before the onset of heavy rain.  The experienced angler can predict the weather, from his success or failure in landing trout or salmon. If after a flood, the fish do not rise to the bait, he knows more rain is on the way.  In our audio piece, Bart tells us how Ardara has both the Owenea and the Owentocker river flowing by and how it got to have its very own glamorous West End!