3,000-year-old gold armlet set to be returned to farmer’s wife (1967)

For it has been decided that the valuable armlet, worth hundreds of pounds in gold value alone, had been deemed not to be a treasure trove, had it been deemed so it would have become the property of the Crown.

So the Ulster Museum was to return the armlet to Mrs Dunne who was still undecided whether she would offer it for sale.

The Ulster Museum, she said, was interested in purchasing it – although no figure was mentioned – but Mrs Dunne and her husband James, said that they would not decide until after Christmas what they would do with the gold armlet.

One thing was certain, noted Farming Life, the armlet was to have pride of place meantime in the Fermanagh farmhouse where it had lain for some months in a kitchen drawer.

Mrs Dunne had been putting in some plants when her trowel unearthed a “curious object” in a shallow bank in ground which had been excavated to a depth of over three feet when foundations were being laid for a new byre about two years previously.

Although she did not realise it was valuable she washed it and put it away in a drawer after the family were puzzled and curious about its identity.

It was only when Mrs Dunne and her husband read about the Killymoon hoard of gold objects, which were later sold in London for £10,000, that they realised they had a valuable ancient gold armlet.

Mr Dunne then contacted the Ulster Museum where it was taken and identified.

Mrs Dunne, who was thrilled that she was to have the gold armlet returned, said: “I believe I was led by Providence to find it and I will make 'good use' of any money I get for it.”

Mrs Dunne said that she had no idea of its real value but that she will “take her time” before accepting an offer.

Tyrone teacher wins YFCU trip to Australia: Perry Reid (26), a school teacher, had won the 1968 P & O ‘Canberra’ Award, under the scheme organised by P & O in co-operation with the Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster and the Rural Youth Organisations in Australia.

He was, reported Farming Life, to leave for Australia April 1968 to spend seven months in 'Down Under'.

He was the only son of Mr and Richard Reid of Shanmoy House, Eglish, Dungannon, and in addition to teaching in Dungannon Boys’ Secondary Intermediate School, he also took a great interest in helping to run his father’s 80 acre farm.

The main farm enterprise was beef production, and some potatoes and barley were also grown.

A small dairy herd was at that time being run down because of the difficulty of obtaining labour, and it was intended to increase the number of suckling cows.

Perry was also interested in forestry, and planned to add to the existing five acres of woodland by planting trees on another five acres of wasteland.

Perry was educated at Dungannon Royal School and Stranmillis Training College, and it was after he came home from college three years previously that he joined Castlecaulfield and District YFC.

Since then he had held office as club secretary for two years, he was the current honorary treasurer of the YFC Tyrone County Committee, and chairman of the YFCU public speaking committee.

He held proficiency awards for cattle judging, pig judging, public speaking, group debating, craftwork and craft demonstration.

During the past year he had won first places in the Ulster finals of YFCU competitions for public speaking, craftwork and craft demonstration.

In addition to his YFC interests he was active in church work and local youth groups, and is a member of the local committee of the National Association of Schoolmasters.

During his visit to Australia he planned to study the work of rural youth clubs, agricultural marketing, beef production, sheep farming and education.

Antrim girl destined for Norway: Miss Nessie Kerr, 21-year-old daughter of Mr David Kerr, Ivygrove, Ballyhenry, Newtownabbey, had won a YFCU travel award to visit Norway in 1968. She was to study poultry farming and dairying, and was to be the guest of Norwegian farming families. The trip was being organised by the Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster in co-operation with the Norske 4-H Clubs, who would be sending a Norwegian member to Northern Ireland during the summer of 1968.

Farming Life noted: “Nessie, who has two young sisters and a brother, lives at home and manages the poultry flock on her father's farm. The farm, of 26 acres, with an additional 50 acres taken in conacre, specialises in dairying, pigs and poultry. She is the assistant secretary and crafts project leader in Ballycraigy YFC, which she joined two years ago, and she has gained proficiency awards for cattle judging and public speaking. A past pupil of Ballyclare High School, she has always been active in her church, having been a member of the Girls' Life Brigade and a Sunday School teacher.”