From the cradle of the Crescent…

Almost every child has a friend, and most are lucky to have loads. But, as the years wear on, where do all these people – these allies with whom we swore oaths of everlasting loyalty – go?

Well, The Charm Inn, of course.

At least that was the answer a few weeks ago when about 60 people who grew up in Termon Crescent, Carrickmore, got together for a reunion.

The whole thing came about after Eileen Connolly (nee Donaghy) – who, along with her parents and ten siblings, was part of the first family to occupy  5 Termon Crescent – chanced to meet a childhood friend Caroline McElhatton (nee McElduff) in Dunnes Stores.

The two got chatting and the conversation turned, as it does, to the death of ceilidh culture and how ‘nobody ever sees anybody anymore’.

Anyway, instead of merely observing this sad, half-true trend of rural Irish life, finishing her groceries, and leaving it at that, Eileen hatched a heartening plan to do something about it.

The end product? Well, have a look at the smiling faces in the photos.

“It was just brilliant to see everyone again,” began Eileen, reflecting on reconnecting with so many of her first playmates, confidantes and best friends.

“There are only a few so-called ‘original’ Termon Crescent families left in the park now. The rest of us are all away, living elsewhere. As a result, before the reunion, many of us had not seen each other in years. The last time so many of us spent an evening together we would have been children and teenagers, playing around the park.”

Before going any further, it would be remiss to mention that, although Eileen was the mastermind behind the get-together, she did not act alone.

“Caroline McElhatton (nee McElduff) and Ursula Kelly gave a strong helping hand,” said Eileen, before listing a ream of others too extensive to cite.

There was no obtrusive, conversation-discouraging music on the night. Instead 137 old photographs played on a loop on a projector, rekindling hazy memories and stirring reminiscences.

“We chatted about the way things were back then,” said Eileen. “Perhaps the rosy hue of hindsight has distorted our memory, but the general feeling was that most of us enjoyed quite an idyllic childhood. Nobody had any more than their neighbours. We all lived basic, and that’s how it was.

“There was a fairness and equality in the Crescent, especially in the ‘60s, 70s and even 80s.”

Life has so many paths. Some cross and overlap, while others share a common starting point and then head off in completely different directions.

In her final words, Eileen described how the reunion helped summon some of these estranged strands back together, giving former and current residents reason to reconnect.

“It was a great thing to see. The evening lit a flame that thawed old friendships that had been frozen in time. Just like when we were playing rounders and hide and seek about the park, there was no enmity, animosity or bad feeling. Termon Crescent, at least as we remember it, was a harmonious place. Although most of us have moved on, that same spirit seems to exist between us yet.”

The small park was built by contractor James Mullan and foreman John Duggan in the early 1950s, after which it was referred to by an older generation as ‘the new houses’.

Today, Termon Crescent is almost 75 years old, but still, according to Sinn Fein councillor and former resident Barry McElduff, there is a handful who keep that colloquial moniker alive.

Saying a short, but powerful, few words, about the micro-community where he grew up, Cllr McElduff commented, “There was a unique sense of community and neighbourliness in Termon Crescent, giving effect to the Irish proverb: Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine/People live in each other’s shelter. That’s the shortest way I can sum it up.”

There was a raffle on the night that raised £355 for Termonmaguirc Patients’ Comfort Fund. Many businesses donated vouchers, including Gerry Kelly of Kelly’s Butchers, Aidan Loughran of Carmen Building Supplies, Luke Daly of Daly’s Carrickmore, Patrick Hughes of Hughes Eurospar, Nuala Ward of Main Street Takeaway and Shane Fox of Fox’s Furnishings, Omagh.