Hi Ann,Bill and friends of Beara. Yes Ann the Jackdaw was a replacement for the Magpie and I remember Mike Og walking across the rec going to the boat. While there were alot of Islanders working in the fort, there wasnt much mingling between the soldiers and the civilians.I guess we considered them standoffish. There were some really nice people among them. I remember carrying eggs all the way from Greenane to where the Admiral's house is now. Mrs Longfield liked her fresh eggs and there was always a few pennies for me in the bargain. One other note about the school,we had a few English kids in the school when their school closed, that was no problem but for one kid who was a Protestant .When recess was over before we got down to our work we had a prayer session and that poor kid had to stay out in the hall,what made it worse was the prayers were in Irish. In 1938 the English left and our own troops came .It was like a fog liftingThey were received with open arms and life was never so good. I believe alot of the shopkeepers in Castletown were sad to see the English go. They had alot more money to spend than their replacements. We had movies a couple of nights a week, a dance for another couple and a whistdrive. There were no more passes to go on the boats and the icing on the cake was that there were some pretty good footballers among the troops for those big games against Garnish and Urhan. The world war two era was a terrible time all around the world but Bere Island never had it so good Unfortunately all good things must end and it all crashed when the fort closed and we had to go to the west end to find a boat going to town. There was a period of mass exodus from the Island after the war. I remember having a rollcall at the boys school in the high forties, I know the girls was in the fifties plus another school in the west end. I dont know what todays attendance looks like but I would guesss about thirty Thanks Bill for letting me sound off Jim.