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Go to Castlebar ] [ The BB Index ] [ Disclaimer ] [Nostalgia Board ] [Main BB ] [Roots ] [NB Refresh for current version and all follow-ups] Posted by BETWEEN MEE AND YOU on July 13, 2004 at 23:11:51: In Reply to: Snow of 1947 posted by Tempus on July 11, 2004 at 16:09:52:
The big snowfall of 1947 began on Monday night, February 24, and by the following morning snow had fallen to a depth of two feet. Two local postmen, John McGarry, Ballynew, and Jack Flannery, Blackfort, were marooned in the heavy snow but eventually made it back to Castlebar. A number of elderly poor people, including the legendary Francie Philbin (after he returned from World War I he said the British had tamed the lion but they failed to tame Philbin) lived in shacks in an area opposite to what is now known as Church View Villas. They were snowed under and had to be rescued by council workmen. There are many stories told about the '47 snowfall and some of them were recorded in a special supplement published to mark the opening of the new Connaught Telegraph premises in 1966. Council workmen cleared the streets of the town and huge lumps of frozen snow were placed on footpaths and they seemed to be there for ages. Lots more could be written about the big snowfall of 1947.
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