There are some by-roads at Coreen in Ahascragh to Sliabh. Coreen is about a mile from Ahascragh. Lisnascreena Coreen is about two miles and a half from Ahascragh. There is a lane in Ahascragh called river lane or beggars lane. There is another in the middle of the village called Johnnie's lane. In the Killure road there are some heaps of stones erected as monuments to the dead. There is one mass path in Ahascragh. It is in Weston and it leads through Castlegar and it is about three miles from Ahascragh.Ita Murphy
Ahascragh
Age 13 1/2 years

This story is about a big rock that is over on the Ballinasloe side of Ahascragh It is several tons in weight and it is said that there was a giant in Ballinasloe and his name Killupan and the peoples he threw this Rock over to this field from Ballinasloe and some people say that he threw it from Mt Mary. It is about 15 miles from here and it is about 21 miles from Ahascragh and Ballinasloe is about five miles from Ahascragh and after that the field and the village is Killupan

After the Famine there was a new road being made from Ahascragh to Kilglass to give work to the people but it was never finished and it was called the New Line. The cross-roads above the town of Ahascragh, it is called "The Horse block" because long ago when there were no cars, buses or trams, people rode on horses and at that cross-roads all the horses met there and there was a block there where all the people used to mount on their horses.

There were not many poets about this locality. The best known poet around Ahascragh was a girl named Miss Mary Ann Bennett. She composed a song by the name of Bonny Castlegar. The song was about a Butler that was working in Castlegar. He fell in love with a girl from around Ahascragh. He wanted her to marry him but she refused. He left Castlegar on account of her.There lived in Ahascragh another poet. I do not know his name but he went by the name of 'Ha Ha'. He composed a poem called 'Happy Memories'. There was a man named Mr. Dignan who lived in Chapelfinnerty every person he saw he made up

AhascraghAhascragh, a small village of about a hundred houses is very old. It is situated in the north east side of Ballinasloe and about six miles from it on the road to Mount Bellew and Tuam. In days of old when the only mode of conveyance was by horseback, and when roads and bridges were few, the little town of Ahascragh derived its name from the usage of the sand hills on the river Bun Abann on whose bank it is build. The Catholic Cemetery in the middle of the town contains the last stones of the church of the patron Saint Cuan who established the church of the district A.D. 828.To this day the faithful commerate

it is shaped like a ring. There is a path leading from Castlegar to Lissyegan and it is a rugged path. It is called the jar. One day a man was going home with a jar of porter. He slipped and broke the jar and ever since it is called the jar. There is a field near Ahascragh known as the 'lime kiln'. It got its name from lime that was burned in it. About a half a mile from Ahascragh there is a corner that got its name from a man that was killed there by the name of Gallagher. Ever since it is call 'Gallagher's Corner'. Evelyn Cahill
Ahascragh
Age 14

The name of the district I am living in is the district of Ahascragh. It is a small quite village, situated in the east of Galway, in the Barony of Kilconnel and in the Diocese of Elphin. My home is about a quarter of a mile from Ahascragh in a place called Slieve or Mountain and it got its name from being a higher location than the town which was often called the sleepy hollow.There are a lot of acres of grassing land in the district and also boggy and woody land. The biggest river in this district is the

There is no holy well in this district but there are holy wells in the two adjoing districts which are called Ahascragh and Brideswells. The name of the well in Ahascragh is St Kevins. It is situated in Castlegar land. There is a stone at the well and the figure of Our Lord on the cross carved on it. The stations are made at the well every year on 15th of October. There is an old tree and a bush at the well. Where the (peole) people leave relics such as pieces of cloth. There are also some writings on the stones which can not be read. A poor lame

Castlegar
Ahascragh
Ballinasloe
Co. GalwayNot far from where I live there is a well called Saint Cuan's Well which got its name from Saint Cuan the patron Saint of Ahascragh because it is said when St. Cuan was travelling through Ahascragh he always rested at this remarkable little well which is situated in a lonely place in the Mahon estate. Although St Cuan's well looks like any ordinary one the faith in it is widespread and in olden times the people journeyed scores of miles to offer up stations for very special intentions at St. Cuan's well and at the present the parish priest recites the rosary there annually. It is supposed that Saint Cuan lived for some time in a little hut near this well as many other saints lived at the time. Marvellous cures are derived from this well and it an old custom for the people to go there on

The patron saint of our parish - Ahascragh is Saint Cuan who died in the year 788 A.D. There are the ruins of an old church in the old burial ground in Ahascragh which are said to mark the site of Saint Cuan's church and there is an old well at Weston about a mile or more from the village around which the people of the district, and strangers from far away, do "stations" on, or around the 15th October each year in honour and in remembrance of Saint Cuan.The old people of the parish tell us that this well was not the original Cuan's Well. According to the folk-lore of the district the original well was in the village of Ahascragh near where the cornmill now stands. This is near a well still existing, known as Saint Mary's Well. In olden times there was a "Station" or "Turas" around these two wells.The owner of the land around the site of the older well tried for some reason to cover it. He failed in two attempts, but the third time he succeeded and then a white dove that lived around this well flew away to the lonely spot where a new well sprang up and where the Saint made his home and died there.
(Related by Patrick Gordon, Curnamuckla 75 yrs old:
Heard it from his Grandfather)

In the middle of the eighteenth century there lived near Ahascragh a man by the name of Lowe. He owned hundreds of acres of land and a big house which is still occupied. The house and lands are now known as 'Lowville'. In the year about 1760 he built on the lands two round buildings. The buildings are still to be seen yet and are known as 'Low's Folly'.Evelyn Cahill age 14
Ahascragh

Nearly all the places around this locality are Irish.Ahascragh got its name from a ford that was crossing a river outside the town. Clonbrock which is situated about two miles from Ahascragh got its name from a field that was filled with badgers. Cornamuckla got its name because of all the pigs the people of that district used to have long ago. There is a fort in Lisnascreena and long ago it was said that fairies used to haunt it. That is how it got its name. Killure got its name on account of a yew tree that was growing near the Church. The tree is not to be seen now. Years ago the fields in Fohenagh were covered with

thistles. On account of the thistles it got its name.There are also many parks called after people and places.Tullarua got its name from all the hills that are in it. Horse park which is situated near Ahascragh got its name on account of all the horses that used to be grazing in it. There is a gate outside Ahascragh and it is called 'hunting gate'. Long ago when people used to go hunting they used to pass out through that gate and that is how it got its name. Deerpark got its name from all the deers that used to be reared in it. There is a park in Lowville known by the name of 'Well Park'. It gets its name from the wells that sprang up in it. There is a ring field in Weston and it got its name because

There are not as many tailors in Ahascragh now as long ago. Mr Holt is the only one in Ahascragh. There are two dressmakers in the village Miss Moulen and Miss Kennedy. Long ago when people would want to get clothes made the tailor would come and stay in the house until he would have them made. They would not be as well paid (made) then (as now).But nowadays the tailor has a house of his own and the people bring the stuff and he makes the clothes (in his) for them.There are not many spinning wheels in this district

of this old hospital are still to be seen near the Chapel. When any people died in the hospital they were buried at the back of it. When Cromwell came to Ireland he paid a visit to Ahascragh. He drove the monks out of Eglish Abbey. Three of them sought shelter in Kilconnell and the rest of them went to Athlone. During Cromwell's visit to Ahascragh the people suffered a lot of persecution.Cromwell sailed from Ireland in 1650, leaving his generals to complete the conquest. He died in England in 1658. It is said that his bones were hung up before the public, and set fire to.

Once when Fionn Mac Cumhail was standing on the top of Mount Mary he saw an enemy coming towards him. Fionn searched for a rock and at last he found one. The enemy was at this time near Ahascragh. Fionn lifted the rock in his hands and when his enemy saw the rock he retreated. Fionn threw the rock but it went too far and it fell near Ahascragh. It is to be seen there yet and now it is lifted on six other stones. When Fionn lifted the rock it sank into his huge hands and when it fell it sank into the ground. Twenty men were an hour lifting the stone and putting the small stones under it. The marks of Fionn's fingers can be seen on the stone yet. The track of the palm of Fionn's hand is also visible. Two of the fingermarks are six inches each in breadth. The track of the palm of the hand is about twenty two inches in breadth.

There lived in Curnamuckle a very strong man. He carried two half cwt. in his hand standing on a horses back. He also lifted a horse off the ground.Another man who also lived in Curnamuckle pulled a tongue from a horses mouth before he would [..] his hold. Peter Luck (?) lived at Ahascragh he was a great dancer and a singer he also used to tell stories.Paddy Kennedy was a noted swimmer.Patrick Cosgrave lived in Ballinruane ran from Ahascragh to Galway and he was seen playing a football match in Ballinruane at four o clock. Tom Griffin Lissyegan he walked four miles every morning and back in the evening for a

left the locality and went to far off lands. The evictions then started in this part of the country and hundreds of people were left homeless. All their stock was seized on and the poor people had no means of living. The landlords took up the land and this is the land the young people are getting now.England was very well off at that time and they let the people of Ireland die with starvation. During the famine times there was a hospital in Ahascragh. The remains of this ancient hospital is still to be seen in Chapel Street Ahascragh. During the famine when people died in that hospital they were buried at the back of it.Lily Hurley
Age '12'

a giant who was 15 ft. high. One day when he saw the enemy approaching he took two stones in his hands. One in the right hand and one in the left, and went up on top of Mount Mary. He flung the one in his left hand first but it slipped and only went as far as Creggs. Then he flung the other and it landed in Ahascragh. From that day to this the stone is there and the track of his fingers are still on it.

There is a big rock in a field near Ahascragh and it is said that this is how it got there.
Long ago there was a giant living in Aughrim and he was going to throw a stone from there to English holland instead it slipped from his hand and fell in Killupane Hill a mile further away. There lived a man in this district who was always out gambling, one night when he was returning home he was brought to Ahascragh by the fairy horses. There was another man and he was coming home from gambling and he was met by the fairies and he had to carry a corpse to a grave-yard.
In our district Friday is a lucky day for changing from house to house, people never like to change on a Sunday Friday is a lucky day to start work also.
Thursday is the day for curing ringworm. People do not work horses on a May day because it is thought to be unlucky.