Some marvellous memories of the way they were were relived at a great gathering of Kinawley and Swanlinbar people to reminisce about the border village of Swanlinabr and its close connections to Kinawley.

A crowd of around 100 turned out in the impressive Kinawley Community Centre under the witty, laconic fear an tí Patrick Gabriel McManus and the expert guidance of Kinawley historian Paddy Maguire and Swanlinbar native Gregory McGovern.

It took a while for the crowd to warm up but they certainly did under Paddy’s gentle cajoling and his slideshow of some brilliant photographs, newspaper cuttings, and memories that sparked scores of “I remember” which made for a most enjoyable two and a half hours.

Among the scores of interesting anecdotes, the most remarkable one was that literary icon Jonathan Swift was inspired to write Gulliver’s Travels after he met some little people while on a visit to the Fermanagh border village to relatives.

We also learned that the name Swanlinbar is an amalgam of some prominent businessmen with healthy egos.

The charismatic Swanlinbar businessman T.P Prior gave a riveting account of the heyday of the Carnivals in the village in the 1960s when all the top showbands played, and their prices went through the roof depending on their growing popularity.

The gathering also recalled how there were 44 different businesses in Swanlinbar in the early years of the 20th Century.

Further back, it was learned that according to the Census of 1821, Swanlinbar had a population of 355.

The hiring and cattle fairs were also recalled when Swanlinbar had 15 pubs and sawdust was put down on the floors of those same busy bars because the farmers' shoes would be covered in clabber.

GAA is a huge part of this community and ex-Kinawley and Fermanagh GAA great Tony Cullen recalled winning U14 championship county titles with ‘Swad” when he wore the bright armour of youth.

And they came home to bonfires blazing along the border.

Before that we heard another great tale about a local who was listening to the famous All-Ireland senior football final between Cavan and Kerry which the Breffni men won in the Polo Grounds in New York.

They were all listening to Micheal O’hEithir’s commentary on the radio when someone asked if there was much time left and the local replied: “On a good evening like that, them boys could play until dark.”

Swanlinbar also had a famous Spa Hotel which was well known all over the region and a Temperance Hotel, which one droll observer said was a "dry enough ould place".

And then there were tales of smuggling as the slides and photos jogged dormant memories and near escapes with the Customs on dark winding country roads.

This was a valuable exercise in social history in a totally organic, natural way as Paddy and Gregory kept the flow going in a most inclusive setting.

The aim is to have a Heritage Group in the Swanlinbar area and there was certainly some mighty material for that venture aired in Kinawley Community Centre on a soft autumn evening.