School: Listellick, Tráighlí
- Location:
- Listellick North, Co. Kerry
- Teacher: Domhnall Ó Súilleabháin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0442, Page 246
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- About 150 years ago the English were hunting down our Irish heroes and hanging them when ever they could catch them. In the parish of Tralee to the north side of the town on the top of Rock Street on the right side of the road from Tralee to Abbeydorney by Listellick and just west of the New Burying Ground there is a little patch of land called Gallow's Green (Páirc na Croiche). Here many of the White-Boys were hanged in public. At that time there was a large hole of water in the centre of the field and into this hole of water the English executioners used throw the body of the poor executed Irish man.
One day as a man by the name of Pat Barry of Lisanerla (Lios-an-Iarla) was going home from Tralee with his horse and car (the road called the New Line now going from Tralee to Listowel was not then made) and as he was approaching Gallow Green (Páirc na Croiche) he got word that the English soldiers were waiting for a cart to hang a White Boy from. Pat Barry immediately turned back and he went around by the old Ardfert Abbeydorney way and so reached his native townland of Lisnearla (Lios-an-Iarla) by doing a big circle.
But it is told that they hanged this poor White Boy afterwards. All the landlords, big gentry, their agents etc used to bring their relatives to [?] on at the public hangings - even their women folk and children were present.
- Informant
- Thomas Healy
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 85
- Address
- Listellick North, Co. Kerry
