John Molloy (b.1902)

(b. 1902)

John Molloys House

John, or John Neddie Shíle operated a small farm in an old area of Mín an Chearrbhaigh which though once home to three or four homesteads, is no longer inhabited. Known locally as An Fidileoir Beag, or the ‘wee fiddler’, he was a close neighbour of Brian Molloy who was at times referred to as An Fidileoir Mór. Though they shared the same surname, it is not clear how closely related they were. Brian’s grandson, Pádraig, also a fiddler, recalls an occasion when he was a boy when John called to the house. Pádraig’s parents were not at home and the eldest child, Mairéad picked up her father’s fiddle and asked John to play. He stood up straight in the middle of the floor and played beautifully. John married an aunt of Vincent and Jimmy Campbell and lived for a period in the area of Cruach an Airgid, Glenties.