On the sports front, Tom Lundy holds the record for the Lisburn Cup Road Race in Newry; Arthur Ruddy was a founder player with Newry Mitchels GFC, while Eugene Markey was responsible for promoting Junior Soccer, leading to the formation of the Carnbane League. Nor can we forget the great Windmill Stars side of the 40�s.

Best-known of the female gender would probably be Mary Lundy, along with her good friend and neighbour, Margaret Keenan, described by Father Davies as �a great comedian.� She supplies a Romanian orphanage with crocheted garments.

Like many young people in the town, Mary worked at Bessbrook Mill, catching a tram at Edward Street. But often they would walk all the way to Bessbrook, saving the fare in order to buy cigarettes, or go to the �pictures� in the Frontier or Imperial Cinema, and later the Savoy, where � we felt like millionaires, with the plush seats.�

She added:� I was born in Cowan Street, but those lovely wee houses were knocked down, and the people scattered all over the town. These houses in John Mitchel Street were the first to be built by the Council, back in 1921.�

Mary�s aunt, Mrs Maggie McCann, was bereaved with ten children when her husband, Charles, who had served in the Merchant Navy during the last war, was drowned of the Antrim coast.

Incidentally, one of the McCann girls is married to Michael McKevitt, who also spent some years at sea, and is now employed as a Security Officer at the Buttercrane Shopping Centre.

Eddie O�Donnell, a bus-driver, who organised the last St Patrick�s Day Parade in the area, which was a huge success, has also been deeply involved with the charity, Concern. He initiated the Annual Narrow-Water Jog and Fete, which has drawn thousands to support this worthy cause.

And �Toss� Lundy was so proud to have a phone kiosk outside door, that he kept it spotlessly clean. When the phone would ring, he would rush out, and get some child to summon the person for whom the call was.

Meanwhile, the Church Street area can claim to have had the first Community Centre in the frontier town. Back in the 40�s, to cater for a large population with no social amenities, a committee was set up, and acquired one of the Nissan huts, surplus after the war. Concerts and pantomimes were staged, while St Catherine�s Silver Band regularly entertained.

The organisers were Chairman: Jack Burns; Vice-chairman: Robert Turley; Secretary: Frank Manley; Treasurer: Michael McAteer; Caretaker: Pat McAteer. Members were Tommy Rooney, Jim McDonnell, Terry Lundy, Luke Quinn, Jim Turley and Danny Coffey. The centre was finally dismantled in the early 60�s.

Back in 1932, to coincide with the Eucharistic Congress, a makeshift altar was erected in Church Street, consisting in small statues and vases of flowers. Then, in the 70�s, it was decided to install a permanent structure. A fund-raising group was set up, and the result was the present Grotto of Christ the King, recently refurbished.

Huge changes have swept away much of the close community spirit of former days. And as Mary Lundy, �Queen of Hearts� at the Earywig Festival said: �We enjoyed ourselves. The people nowadays have everything, - but yet they have nothing!�

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