The Silent Dog was the final piece of scupture in the Downpatrick Public Realm works and all eyes in Scotch Street now turn as passers-by marvel at this impressive statue. The competition for 4-14 year olds run by Down District Council announced the winner at a special ceremony at Down County Museum.
[caption id="attachment_26919" align="alignleft" width="400" caption="Peter Gracey with Juno The Silent Dog in Scotch Street in Downpatrick."]
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Local Downpatrick actor Shaun Blaney, with an impressive list of theatre credits under his belt having worked with a number of the Province’s leading theatre companies, , did a reading from the Lynn Doyle’s story, “The Silent Dog” which is part of Doyle’s collection, of stories, “The Ballygullion Bus”. Doyle was a well-known Downpatrick writer in the 20th century.
Following the reading, the winner Peter Gracey was announced to rapturous applause. There were over 50 entries received with a range of creative and wonderful suggestions. But there was only one winner, the smiling Peter Gracey, who won the £50 Argos voucher. Peter’s grandfather lived and worked in the heart of Scotch Street for 54 years.
Peter said, “I named the sculpture after my grandfather’s dog Juno. He used to take his walks along the River Quoile very day. He was a very well-known and well-behaved dog and everybody loved him. Juno was a very clever dog. My uncle Martin told me that Juno used to sit by the door of the shoe shop and just watch all the people passing by. And when Juno wanted to go for a walk along the Quoile he would fetch my grand-father’s car keys.”
Curran Welcomes Improvements To Scotch Street
The prizes of the competition finalists were presented by Councillor Dermot Curran, Chairman of Down District Council. Speaking a the ceremony, he said, “The competition was an important element of the completion of the new Downpatrick Public Realm, as it sought to raise the awareness of the environmental changes which we have brought to our County town.
“There will be even greater change to Scotch Street, the home of The Silent Dog, when our new Down Arts centre opens later this autumn and we see Scotch Street transform into a true cultural hub for the district.”
He added it was important to involve young people and develop civic pride and be proud of the area we live in. He added, “I hope that in years ahead you will embrace our town with the enjoyment and respect which you have all shown in entering the competition.”
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Martin Magorrian Reflects On The Old Days in Scotch Street
Martin Magorrian, the son of shoemaker  James Magorrian, now lives at Ballyhosset just outside Downpatrick. He said, “I grew up in Scotch Street at No 16. My father worked there from 1935 to 1989. When he retired from work, he sold the building to Eddie McAllister the barber who is still there snipping away. My father was a real craftsman. He worked six days a week, standing on his feet. I can remember when my brother went to America he made him a pair of shoes to take away with him.
“Back in those days Scotch Street seemed a much busier place with people coming and going from the various shops back then. I can remember a tea shop that had lots of tubs of tea all around and big tea boxes. And there was a grain store down across the street where the men used to work with sacks over the backs of their heads to prevent the floor from going into their hair when they were carrying the the bags out.
“Next door to our shop was an undertakers called Vera Smyth. From our upstairs window you could look down into their yard and see all the hand-made coffins lined up that they used to make. Their workshop was at the back of the house.
“Juno was my fathers dog and he was well-known by everybody around. He was a good-natured dog, and part of the character of the street in those days. So it is fitting that we now have a new Juno looking at the passers-by. My father enjoyed walking Juno by the Quoile on a regular basis.
” I can remember when my father was talking about closing up. Back then the barber Eddie McAllister was working in the shop next to the Chinese restaurant now. I was in there one day talking to Eddie and I then talked to my father about it and Eddie has moved across the street and has been there ever since.”
Extract from The Silent Dog by Lynn Doyle.
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Aye, but” sez Mr Anthony, “we’ve got a silent dog.”
“A what?” sez I.
“”A silent dog,” sez he. “A dog, Pat,” sez he. “that’ll hunt rabbits, rats aye or cats,” sez he, “an’ nivir even give a whine. I have him chained to the gate here.”
With that he goes round teh corner and fetches back a dog on a chain.
“There he is Pat,” sez he, “An’ you wouldn’t get a bark out av him if you thried him for a month.”
Lynn Doyle (pen name) was a bank manager in Downpatrick who worked for the Northern Bank, whose real name was Leslie Alexander Montgomery (1873-1961)
. When he worked for the bank he met many characters with all sorts of problems. Some of his clients’ ramblings no doubt provided the nucleus for many of his own stories. It is believed that Doyle trained as a journalist and even practised his shorthand by listening to people around the fireside.
He developed a very accurate ear for dialects and this made his characters all the more vivid and life-like, full of colour and vitality, and with good humour. It was astute of him to create his pen name from after seeing a bottle of linseed oil in a grocers shop in Downpatrick… he then cleverly penned the name ‘Lynn C Doyle’ which he was known as to generations of Irish readers. The Lynn Doyle statue also proudly stands in Scotch Street greeting the many who pass by each day.
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