School: Naoimh Ióseiph (roll number 15628)
- Location:
- Boyle, Co. Roscommon
- Teachers: Mícheál Ó Mainnín Pádraig Ó Cinnéide
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0235, Page 029
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- In bygone years many Irishmen in the neighbourhood of Boyle won undying fame in many fields of activity. Some were masters in the art of Boxing, running, jumping, and mowing, and in succeeding paragraphs I will endeavour to give an account of them.
About one hundred years ago there lived convenient to the "Curliew Pass" a very tall man, who was known to the people of the district by the name of Matt Ganly. It is said he was over seven feet tall. and a story is told dealing with his herculean strength. This man was very poor, having but one cow which he grazed on the roadside. He lived in a one-roomed mud cabin which was so small that no matter how he tried part of his feet were out on the door. Now as this poor man had no stable he used to prevent the cow from straying away by securing her by a rope attached to his big toe. This seems to be an exaggerated story, but still is a fact.
This man was also a great boxer, and on one occasion proved his superior ability in practicing this art. Contempory with this champion there lived a Captain, who was stationed in Boyle Barracks at the head of an(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Michael Conway
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Boyle, Co. Roscommon
- Informant
- Mr Bernard Mc Hugh
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 82
- Address
- Boyle, Co. Roscommon
