School: An Clochar, Gráig na Muilte Iarainn
- Location:
- Woodford, Co. Galway
- Teacher: Sr. I. Breathnach
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0050, Page 0432
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- (continued from previous page)Woodford. About four in all one at Ballingar an the other three in places known as Cloncoe, Whilly and Derrygoober. It has never been known that anybody interfered with these forts when ploughing or planting crops.They had two reasons for this- one reason being there was an old superstition that if they interfered with them the fairies would do them some form of harm before the year was out and secondly they were land marks of the past. The Ballingar fort is a circular mound faced with stone. There is and entrance hole in the east side and it is hollow in the centre. About twenty years ago it was a hiding place for poteen but now it is enclosed with hawthorn. Surrounding it there is a path know as the Fairy Path. The old people were afraid to pass that way after twelve o'clock, it was believed that fairies would take them into the fort or else that they would inflict some bodily harm on them. There is another old legend connected with this fort also- that the old people used to hear a bell ringing there all night.
Cloncoe fort is built in the shape of a half circle and banked with earth, it is also hollow in the centre. Sarsfield hath big guns placed on this mound covering his retreat to(continues on next page)
- Informant
- Denis Malone
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 72
- Address
- Woodford, Co. Galway
