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Wing walker arrives at Eglinton airfield

Some of our readers might enjoy this  photograph which  shows the arrival of the 93 year old wing-walker Tom Lackey at Eglinton airfield. The small bi-plane is to the top right of the smoke cloud and sharp eyes can just about detect the dark figure of the wing-walker - who was really a wing stander, on the right side (from behind) of the plane.

The convoy of three planes let off a smoke bomb, did a lap of honour and then landed, just as the smoke drifted across the runway, obscuring the actual landing.

Tom Lackey did this stunt for charity and to get into the Guinness book of records - we believe he was successful in this. The photograph was taken from the slopes of  Benevenagh - which explains the poor quality.

The forgetful hound of the O'Cahans

We start the month with the plunging hound of the O'Cahans, another of the rather nice statues the council has erected all over the place. This leaping dog can be found next to the entrance to the Country Park Centre.

Tradition has it that Limavady derived its name from the leap of this very canine. It appears that the O'Cahans - when in serious trouble - persuaded one of their dogs to jump from O'Cahans rock carrying a message in its mouth summoning help.

The problem is of course that the leaping hound on the right carries no message at all - not in the mouth and not strapped to the body. He is making a death defying leap for no purpose whatsoever!

Which confirms what our editor has always felt. If instead of  Fido (which in the O'Cahan's tongue means: 'He who carries no message') they had sent a clever little border collie,  the job would have been done properly!

The international air show

The first weekend of this month saw the international air show in Portrush. As the pilots usually park their planes at the Eglinton airfield or, if the planes are only wee, at the glider club in Bellarena, Limavady usually sees a few interesting fly-pasts.

Not this year however. The weather was misty and cold and all the planes kept well out of the way. The flight of three on the left was the best our photographer could do short of actually joining the crowds in Portrush.

Ships in Lough Foyle

Continuing our reports of visitors from far away here is a view of Lough Foyle with the cruise ship Seabourn Pride 'steaming' up a stretch of water not very far from here. We feel sure that most people in the valley rarely catch a glimpse of such visitors so we provide the photograph on the right..

People who are extremely interested in such things may of course try our continuously updated Lough Foyle page which can be visited via this link:

Ships on Lough Foyle

The page traces most of the larger ships travelling in and out of Lough Foyle.

The townlands of Benevenagh

Currently there is an exhibition in the Cultural Centre called "Benevenagh Townlands and Field names" and our editor had been looking forward to it with great anticipation.

Unfortunately as soon as he opened the door to the exhibition, his ears were hit by a horrible racket emanating from a hidden loudspeaker. He instantly fled to the blissful silence of Limavady town centre and hence missed the show entirely.

Quoth he: Why some people think they know exactly what type of music other people want to listen to, is one of the great mysteries of the age.