During the penal times no Catholic was allowed by the English to teach school. Neither were they allowed to have a school for teaching their religion. There were protestant schools in the country but the catholics did not like to send their children to them as they would be taught the protestant religion. Schoolmasters used travel around the country to educate the people. The schools these masters held were called hedge schools.Those schools used to be held in some old house or near a hedge. It was in them that Irish was taught and Latin was taught in some of them also. Some of the hedge schools were very good, and poets were, very often teaching in them, such as Tomás Ruadh O'Sullivan and Brian Merriman.
At one time Tomás Ruadh was teaching school in Portmagee. He used to come from Portmagee, Derrynane to Portmagee by boat and one morning something happened to the boat and he lost his books. He composed a very fine song afterwards lamenting their loss. He also composed "Sé Domhnall Bínn Ó Conaill Chaoin". Several of his songs were in praise of the O'Connells.Another hedge school was held in a house in Chapeltown, but that house was knocked down a few years ago. Mr Fíonán Lynch's grandfather was one of the last teachers there. Another hedge school was held in Carriglea, and another in the house where Mr. Shanahan lives now.

Portmagee.
Portmagee got its name after a a navigator called Captain Magee, who landed where the ruins of the old Coast Guard Station now stand.
He was Captain of a smuggling ship and all the crew that were on board were Kerrymen.
He had many apprentices for making ships, and when they had the ships built he gave them no wages, but a blow on the head that killed them.
He once employed a widow's son to build a ship and when the boy had the ship built Magee found a fault with it.
The widow's son asked him to show where the fault was, and while Magee was stooping down the boy hit him a blow on the head that killed him.
Taken from Ml. Sullivan, Portmagee by his daughter Josepheen.

receded taking him on the crest of the wave back to sea before the watchers around. He is supposed to have shouted to his friends that burnt sparks would float into a strand at the glen while he lived in fairyland and they were supposed to be coming in until about fifteen years ago. It is supposed that this Falvey was fishing about the Lemon Rock and cast anchor. The anchor caught in the door of a house in fairyland under the sea and caused one of the ladies reading there to lose one of her eyes. The inhabitants of this country were so enraged that they caused a great storm to assail the boat. But by some magic Falvey calmed the sea and escaped to Portmagee. he was advised never to go to sea again, and if he did he would not escape, and di as advised, and never went near the water until he attended the hurling match at the fair at Killelan, with the result that a huge wave broke down the embankment, and although he ran about six miles it got him and caused the river which is now known as the Firtha. This river Firtha

Near Portmagee (South of Ireland) A servant boy who worked twelve months on a farm was leaving. He asked for his wages The woman instead brought a charge against him - that he raped her little daughter - to do him out of the money. He was tried in the dock. Two doctors were on the case - one said it was a fact - other said "No". He got two years in jail. He said "Before God I'm innocent of this charge if anything happens me I'll come back to you". He was a good boy in prison - left out before time - went to America. He died there. She threw his old clothes that he left in her house into the river. The clothes would drift away but would return again next moren. One night all the ware got smashed. Up she ran to the dresser - put some of it into her apron to save it. Went to her neighbour - it followed her Same thing occured . The man of the house said "In the name of God, what did I do to you". The thing stopped. She sent for the priest; he could do nothing for her but said he'd tell the Bishop.

in order that his wife would see the fight. When they got to the house they started the fight and after a while Tadhg hit him across the head and made him unconscious.Some time after that, a boat came to Portmagee and the captain of the ship said to a man there that he had a man on board that would lift an anchor. The captain bet five pounds that there was no man in Kerry who could lift that weight. The man sent for Tadhg and when he came he lifted it up to his knees and the black man who was on board the ship could only lift it to his ankles. The man got the bet which was five pounds

Long ago there was a man in Portmagee whose name was Tadhg Ruadh. In the Spring time he usually went to Limerick working for big farmers. One day he was employed by a woman to cut a scythe of hay in a lawn which contained six acres. He commenced cutting the hay early in the morning and when he stopped in the evening he had five acres mown.
At the end of the year when he was coming home he went in to a plantation and cut three blackthorn sticks. The owner of the wood came on him and he asked him what did he want the sticks for and Tadhg said he wanted one for himself and one for each of his two brothers. The owner of the wood asked him would he fight him and Tadhg said he would. The man told Tadhg to come to his own house

Feats of strengthAbout sixty years ago there lived in the Portmagee side of the parish of Prior a man of great strength. He was the champion of the hurling fields and faction fights of those days. This man whose name was Tadg an Couleeve Rua later on joined the labourers or spalpeens who migrated to the conties of Cork, Limerick and Tipperary for the harvest season.
One day he was returning from one of those excursions. Some fine blackthorn sticks attracted his notice when passing by Mr G-y at Milltown.
The orchard was guarded night and day and Tadg who was aware of this daringly leaped over the wall to cut one. The keeper alarmed at this great sige and apparent strength fled in terror to his master to inform him of the occurence. Mr G-y being some distance from the house Tadg had time to escape.

leis gur mhaith leis saghas éigin teistiméireachta d’fhághail uaidh le h-aghaidh bóthair dó. Dubhairt an feirmeóir go dtabharradh ‘s fáilte. Do leig sé air bheith ana bhuidheach de mar dheadh agus ní gan cúis é. Ní raibh aon léigheann ag Diarmuid ná tabhairt suas ach cómh beag, is do bhí fhios ag an bhfeirmeóir go maith ná raibh, is go raibh an-seans aige bheith suas leis t’réis ar dhein sé d’imirtheá air. Bhí feith na filíochta san bhfeirmeóir seo leis. Fuair sé píosa páipéir, peann, is dubh ‘s do sgríobh sé amach an teistiméireachta ar neómat a’ chluig. So mar dubhairt sé:
“A Dhiarmuid bé an diabhal thú cur sa tsúsa,
Agus a Dhairmuid bé an diabhal tú cur id dhúiseacht
A Diarmuid dá ndeirinn-se siar leat is soir a stiurfá
‘s a Dhiarmuid níor dhéinis riamh aon gnó dom le duthracht.”Bean Uí Conaill (70)
Portmagee
Lughnasa 1926.

Amhrán a dhein Micí Sheáin Dáithí ( Mícheál Ó Siothchám) ó Cathair Sadhbhán i bparóisde an Dromaidh nuair a chauidh sé go Meiriocá.Ba mhór é mo mhearathall an lá cheapas sa dul thar tuinn
Sa “Country” dealbh mar a tomhaistear chugham ruainnín bídh
Búistéií ag gabháilt timcheall le rascaileach d’feoil gan “seal”
Is is ró mhaith a’bhilte le freagairt i gcionn na mí
II
Tá mo shiúl leis an Athair Mac go dtiocfad-sa thar sáil’ airís
Go Cathair Saidhbhín mar a mb’fearra liom
Mar a bhfuilid mo cháirde gaoil
Tá mo ghaolta go fairsing ó Dhairbre go Portmagee
Ó’n Snaidhm go Tathilla is gan dearmad i mbórd Eoghain Fhinn
III
Mo mhallacht-sa go fairsing ar an té chaínfidh a dhúthaig féin
A theanga go gcrapaidh is nár fhanaidh aon tabhairt ‘na bheal
Mar níl aon nídh is mo chealgann mé is a loisgeann mé i lár mo chléibh
Nuair a chloisim na sceampeanna ag gcearradh a ndúthaig féin.
IV
Ceádaoin sa Chathair is mé im sheasamh ar chroib Sheáin Chinneaird
Lem’ thrucaill breagh dearg is lem’ feirc??? d’im bhreagh bhuidhe
Nuair ólaim braon leanna is ná feadair cad é an taobh dá mbínn
Ach mo bhean is mo leanbhaí ag trúth liom i gcoir a tíghe

Seo amhrán a dhein Pádraig Ó Seaghdha ó Chrugadh nuair a crochadh a mhadra air. “M’uncail Diarmuid Óg a bhí ar aimsir ag Pádraig . bhí madra aige sin a bhíodh ag marbhú na gcaorach ar na chomharsain. Maidin amháin chroch Diarmuid Óg agus Seán , athair Pádraig , é” Amhrán
Faire a Dhiarmuid Óig is grádhna an beart dod’ short
Mo mhaidin beag gleoidthe a thraochadh
Gur thachtais féin is Seán ar an gcrann taobh thíos de’n chró
Gur cheangalabhair go leor le teád é
II
Is é leímfeadh uainn anonn go tapaidh tríd an tsrúill
Is do thiománfadh chúgham anall an Cíor Dhúbh
Ach feasta anois mo bhrón cé thiomáinfidh chugham aon bhó
Ó treascaradh an leomhan úd sínte
III
Do shuibhalóchainn féin an tSnaidhm agus as súd go Portmagee.
Nó dá n-abhrainn go Puinnte Bheárna
A leithéid suíd ní bhfaighinn dá dtéighinn anonn do’n Frainnc
Cé gur mór é leath an “noise” do dheinamh
IV
Leogfad feasta mo ghlór agus ní labharfaidh mé níos mó
Ar maithibh cleactadh mhoir a ghadhair úd.

Ar tógaint braon leanna dhom is ná feadar cad é an taobh dá bhínn
Ach mo bean is mo leinbh ag tnúth liom i gcóir an tíghe.1V.
Tú mo shúil-se le h-Athair Mhac go rachad-sa arís thar tuinn
Go Cathair Saidhbín mar dob fearra liom mar a bhfuil om cairde gaoil
Tá mo gaolta go fairsing cois Dairbhre is Portmagee
On Ráth go Taithile is gan dearmad Bórb Eoghain Finn.V.
Nuair a bhíos sa bhaile bhíodh na ba beaga romham is im dhiaidh
Ag feitheamh so mhacha ar maidion go gcrúidhtí iad
Á seóladh cun garathan ar maidin sara n-eireóchad grinn
Is a Dhia nár bhfearr liom san é ná muillte is “overseers”Síghle Ní Shíothcháin
Inse na Tuimse
Maistir Gaoithe
Cill ÁirneFuaireas an amhrán so ó
Seán Ó Shíothcháin
Inse na Tuimse
Maistir Gaoithe
Cill Áirne.