Paddy O’Gara (Snr) (1800s)

It is believed that Paddy O’Gara was the first of the clan to set up home in Mín na bhFachrán sometime in the early nineteenth century. Originally from the Ballyshannon area, he spent a period of time in Belfast as a young man after being hired out at a fair in Strabane, County Tyrone. It is there that he supposedly learned and developed an array of magical hypnotic tricks. As a fiddler, he performed an act at local fair days which involved playing a particular tune, while simultaneously operating a pair of dancing dolls at his feet. This scene, along with other tales of his hypnotic powers are still relayed locally up to the present day and create a picture of a fascinating character.

A tune associated with Paddy O’Gara Snr, performed by his great grandson Paddy O’Gara