Elwin is a great resource and always willing to help! He’s amazing. Thanks Elwin for all you do to help us.
Bonnie > On Jun 28, 2022, at 4:49 PM, James Huey via CoTyroneList > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Elwyn, > > What an interesting and comprehensive explanation you have provided. > > Apart from the general history, I don’t have a direct interest in the subject > matter, but it’s great to read of these things – and have them so well > explained. > > One of the reasons this group is magic, is the willingness of people like you > to provide these explanations. > > Thank you. > > > James (with roots in Cookstown) > > From: Elwyn Soutter via CoTyroneList <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, 29 June 2022 3:22 AM > To: marionshephard via CoTyroneList <[email protected]> > Cc: Elwyn Soutter <[email protected]> > Subject: [CoTyroneMailingList] Re: The border after 1921 > > Marion, > > I cannot speak for the Clady Bridge crossing but my family lived in Fermanagh > and routinely crossed the border into Monaghan and elsewhere all through the > 1920s & 1930s and beyond. People went back and forth after 1921, just as they > did before. You would have had no difficulty attending church on the other > side of the border, and I am not sure there was ever a regular Customs > presence on Sundays anyway. > > There were Customs posts on the major “approved” crossing roads but these > were generally only staffed from 8.00am to 6.00pm. There were Customs > Officers on both sides of the border, so there was an Irish Customs control > as well as a British one. Folk were always a little anxious that they’d have > something seized, or would have to pay duty. (During WW2 my mother in law > used to smuggle the odd half pound of butter from Monaghan to Fermanagh, > usually concealed in her underwear. She would travel by bus and was always > anxious about being challenged, but never was). > > As far as I am aware, provided you used an approved crossing point, there > were no restrictions on vehicles or any other form of wheeled transport, > unless you were importing a vehicle permanently or were carrying commercial > goods. The usual excise duties would apply then. Passports weren’t required. > There was no passport control, only Customs. > > Most of the time, after 6.00pm there was no-one on the border at all, and I > don’t think there was much coverage on Sundays. Plus there were several > hundred minor “unapproved” roads. There were no permanent controls on them. > They were supposedly only to be used by vehicles requiring local access to > land, eg farmers, and by persons on foot. In practice they were fairly widely > used to cross the border by car. There were mobile Customs patrols that > occasionally checked them but from what I heard they were few and far > between. You could theoretically have your car seized if you used an > unapproved crossing but you normally got it back if you paid a small penalty. > > Commercial carriers did pay some duty when bringing goods across the border > (and they could often reclaim tax, if exporting) but otherwise there wasn’t > really a vigorous control. Most people continued to cross fairly easily as > they did before partition. Just you needed to allow a little time in case you > were stopped. > > My feeling is that a horse drawn carriage in the 1920s would be unlikely to > have faced any restrictions in crossing. (I have never heard of any). As > international border crossings go it was always very “light touch.” There > were no fences or any other markers along the border, save at the approved > crossing points. > > The last Customs controls on the border were abolished on 1.1.1993. > > > Elwyn > > > > > On Tuesday, 28 June 2022, 17:33:09 BST, marionshephard via CoTyroneList > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Hello all > I am wondering if there is anyone who has some local knowledge about the > border between Tyrone and Donegal at Clady. My family were split in two by > the border in 1921, although the Donegal members seemed to have managed to > continue attending their church in Tyrone ( Urney Presbyterian) and my father > born in Tyrone seems to have known his mother's family home in Donegal. Their > route across the border was via Clady Bridge over the river Finn. I have been > reading about the establishment of customs posts and how it affected people > living along the border. Does anyone know if clady Bridge was an approved > crossing or not, and how easy was it to move between the two counties there? > I know movement on foot was allowed and restrictions were introduced on motor > vehicles but what about horse drawn carriages? > I would be grateful for any information or thoughts that anyone has. > Regards Marion Shephard > > > > Sent from my Galaxy > > ================================= > Send a Message to the List - [email protected] > List Archive - > https://list.cotyroneireland.com/empathy/list/cotyronelist.list.cotyroneireland.com > Join the list by sending an email to - > [email protected] > To receive the Digest version, send an email to - > [email protected] > Unsubscribe by sending an email to - > [email protected] > ================================= > ================================= > Send a Message to the List - [email protected] > List Archive - > https://list.cotyroneireland.com/empathy/list/cotyronelist.list.cotyroneireland.com > Join the list by sending an email to - > [email protected] > To receive the Digest version, send an email to - > [email protected] > Unsubscribe by sending an email to - > [email protected] > =================================
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