School: Leamh-choill
- Location:
- Drumsillagh, Co. Roscommon
- Teacher: Cáit Ní Ghadhra
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0232, Page 040
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- 40
The Jail - C'k-on-Shannon. (1822)
The jail in C'k on Shannon is now in ruins and is owned by the Leitrim Co. and was built in 1822.
It was a very large building and struck terror into the hearts of the people. There is a tunnel leading from the "old" jail to the courthouse and the prisoners were brought through the tunnel, to "face" the judge who used to arrive in a carriage surrounded by mounted police. The "death" m sentence was frequently pronounced and the gallows may still be seen. There was great rejoicing a few years ago when the old jail was abandoned a man flung the first slate off amid loud cheers.
Mrs Monahan, and old woman, who resides in the yard remembers when the last man was hanged at he "lodge" gates. His people placed his dead on an ass cart and brought him home to Ballinamore to lie buried.
Several are buried in the grounds. Number sought shelter in this old jail during the famine and died there. The new jail which is about 100' high, imprisoned many land league prisoners once escaped in the following way. Heaving permission to enter a toilet he let himself down through the pipe and crept through the main drain until he reached the river. He then swam across the river to where women were watching clothes. The women quickly concealed I'm in a basket of clothes and carried him to safety via the Killukin road.
