‘Mahon’s Way’ returns to Mid Ulster in the next two episodes of the new  series

Due to air on Tuesday September 12 and 19 at 8pm, Joe visits Clogher in the first of the two Co Tyrone episodes.

He heads to the Clogher Valley, stopping first of all at St MacCartan’s Cathedral in the village of Clogher, one of the oldest Christian sites in the entire country.

Under the guidance of archivist Jack Johnston he delves into the fascinating story of how two 17 th century Scottish bishops wielded their power and influence to accumulate land and form settlements here in the early years of the Plantation of Ulster.

Joe then meets the ladies of the “Knit, Stitch and Natter Club” who have accomplished the extraordinary feat of knitting a perfect miniature replica of St MacCartan’s Cathedral.

Not to be outdone however, the handymen of Tully Meadow Men’s Shed in nearby Augher put on a display of carpentry, painting and country craftwork, all carried out amid much banter and craic.

But this is no longer an all-male preserve, for the women of the area have colonised the outdoor space to establish their own plantation – of vegetables, fruit and wild flowers. So it’s now been re-dubbed the “Tully Meadow Men’s and Hens’ Shed”!

In the following episode on September 19, Joe heads to Augher to the townland of Ballnagurragh on the outskirts of the village. He is exploring the curiously named Forth Chapel, and learns about the recent restoration work from Geraldine McKenna.

In the graveyard of the church Mary Gillen relates the tale of poet and literary editor, Rose Kavanagh, who spent most of her short life between Augher and Dublin. She died of tuberculosis in her early thirties in 1891 and her passing was mourned by many of the great writers of the age.

Joe then heads to the grounds of the beautifully maintained Augher Castle whose lakeside setting provides the backdrop for a series of tales about the castle’s various owners down through the centuries.

One of those owners had the enterprising idea of converting the church hall into a cinema once a week, and retired shop owner Gordon McLaren recalls those heady days in the 1950s.