#3014, Nicholas Needham Fergus Philip Gore ANLEY

Nicholas Needham Fergus Philip Gore Anley, known in later life as 'Nick' or 'Skip', was born in the corner room of the main house, Mourne Park, where he was brought up as a child and where he lived for the rest of his life.  He loved the house; it was where he brought his bride and where he chose to bring up his family, all three of his children being born there.  Story has it that as an adventurous young boy he climbed the tallest tree on the estate and ignored all entreaties to come down.  The fire brigade was summoned and with help from a considerably extended ladder they reached him.  Bemused by all the fuss he explained that he had just been enjoying the view! 

During the American occupation of the house (1942-1945) he had to be hastily evacuated down stairs through dense smoke when the house caught fire.  Apparently, one of the officers, defending himself from a keen Irish winter, built such a big fire in his bedroom (in the Rosy passage) that the whole house was in danger of being engulfed.  As if in an act of atonement for having caused the fire the Americans rewired the house.  Later, Nick recalled endless rows of Bakelite trip switches in heavy wooden boxes all over the house that spent the next half century pinging off if there was the slightest twitch in current strength.

The call of the sea was irresistable.  'Nick' became 'skip' and he captained many ships.  He met the love of his life whilst delivery cargo to the Isle of Man.  His future wife had a much-loved dog called Viking who accidentally fell down between her trimaran (Metis) and the harbour wall.  Quick as a flash Skip jumped in to rescue Viking. Later he became a shipping agent at Warrenpoint Harbour, founded in the 1770s as a lightering port for Newry the harbour grew during the 1970s to occupy 60 acres as the principal port roughly equidistant between Belfast and Dublin.