School: Bullán (roll number 13432)

On this page

1. In Olden Times

   

   Share Share Post

   In Olden Times

   Once upon a time there lived a woman in a town-land known as Gleann-na-Mealthough, near Dunsandly Station. The station house was no built then. Her husband died leaving a family of five to his wife. She was then known as the Widow Ryan. It was then very hard for the poor widow to manage, as her children were very young, and to make matters worse the rent got up. Then came the tyrants lash from Dunsandle. He should be paid yearly for the widow's holding of nine acres most of it callow-land. The agent Gerald O'Connor came and turned he out, and secured the door with a pad lock. She and her five children remained in a neighbour's field til night fell. Some-body came and broke the lock and let them into the house again. Next morning seven or eight constables came and placed hand-cuffs on the poor woman's wrists. Then he took them before a Magistrate, who then sentenced the poor widow to 14 days in Galway Jail and her son one month. In a few days after that there came an Emergency man with five police to guard him and the police took all her belongings and threw them out on the public road. When she and her son came out of jail they came home collected the neighbours drove out the Emergency and lived there afterwards.

   Got by Pauline Keane, Ballykerin, Bullaun.
   From: My Uncle Bill, same address on the 14-3-38 age 48 yrs.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. place-space-environment
      1. land management (~4,110)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Pauline Keane

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Ballykeeran, Co. Galway

   Informant

   Bill

   Relation

   Relative (other than parent or grandparent)

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   48

   Address

   Ballykeeran, Co. Galway