School: Baile na Cille (roll number 1320)

Location:
Ballynakill, Co. Galway
Teacher:
Éinrí Ó Mainnín

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The Local Landlords - The Burkes of Marblehill

Archival Reference

The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0051, Page 0051

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The Burkes of Marblehill were the last landlords of this parish. There is one of them still living in London. The Burkes first came in the year eleven hundred and seventy one.
Once when one of the Burkes was coming home from Loughrea he found a bag of gold on the side of the road near Grallagh which is in the parish of Kilnadeema.
It is well said that after that they bought Marblehill big house.
Once when a priest in Ballinakill Church was giving a sermon one of the Burkes of Marblehill stood up and insulted him. The priest cursed him and said that the people of the parish would see the grass growing outside the halldoor and that the crows would fly in the front door and out overhead.
In the year 1921 the house was burned down by the local volunteers and the people said that the priest's curse had fallen on it.
A king came on holidays to Marblehill. There was a herd in the castle at that time. One day the king was talking about going to see the Burke's burying ground in Partland which is in Tipperary.
When the herd heard this he was in the graveyard

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Collector
John Martin
Gender
male
Address
Lisheeny, Co. Galway
Informant
John Fahy
Gender
male
Address
Curragh, Co. Galway
Language
English