In November 2003, Aughnagaddy House, its unique owner and occupants
featured on John Peel’s Home Truths on BBC Radio4.
Sadly, Honor Miles passed away last week in her 93rd year, most of
which was spent in her beloved Ramelton home.
Her passing marks the end of an era, not just for the historic
house-the setting for ‘The Four Feathers’- but for the countless
people whose lives were touched by this extraordinary woman.
I was one of the lucky ones. I spent the best part of a decade in this
idyllic wonderland, with its heavenly sunsets, oak and beech
woodlands, lovingly tended gardens, woman-made ponds and menagerie of
wild and domestic creatures.
When fire destroyed the house almost 20 years ago, Honor confounded the
naysayers, taking on the heroic but
mammoth task of rebuilding, brick by brick, slate by slate, beam by
beam.
Old friendships combined with new ones forged while she was temporarily
homeless,to ensure her dream was eventually realised and
Aughnagaddy House came to life once more and entered a new era. Her
capacity for getting things done was second only to her capacity for love.
I moved in after the fire, followed soon by Dorothy, Aili and Tom. Happily
it was the first place Don and I called home. Belle and Riannan came
later!
As was her wont, Honor embraced this newness with the same open
affection that marked her life, not batting an eyelid at the Wiccan
ceremonies in the garden or the wild late night antics of her various
tenants.
A natural anthropologist, she took a keen interest in the lives of
others, but always with kindness. Her razor-sharp wit and eloquent
turn of phrase made her essential company across the age spectrum.
Dog and knitting constantly in arms, hers was a magical world
‘peopled’ with the creatures of Beatrix Potter, her beloved dolls and
dolls’ houses. Even the geese and ducks in the cobbled courtyard had
names.
I almost faced eviction once when I suggested setting poison for an
invasion of mice in the attic and again when I complained about bats
nestling just above my living room! I knew when I was defeated!
Honor became seriously ill some years ago and it looked like she would
never be able to return home, but once again she defied the odds and
with that same steely determination she got back to Aughnagaddy
House and her view and remained there, lovingly cared for until gently slipping
away a week ago.
It was wholly fitting that on the night she died, surrounded by the
people she loved, and with a cool breeze blowing in through the open
window of her room, the Donegal skies lit up in the gloriously silent
light show of the Aurora Borealis.
Here is the John Peel broadcast compiled by radio producer Maud Hand,
and our personal tribute to Honor Miles, and a life beautifully lived.
RIP