School: Mantua (roll number 2327)
- Location:
- Mantua, Co. Roscommon
- Teacher: Pádraig Ó Beirn
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0238, Page 050
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- (continued from previous page)by the foot and heaved him from the saddle. For this offence Sean was tried in Boyle and was imprisoned and publically whipped in the town. While he was in gaol the fame of his strength became known. In the County Sligo there was a tinker known as Arthur McDonough who was famed as a greater fighter with cudgel. Some gentlemen of the time arranged a fight between Sean and the tinker and it took place on the bridge in Boyle. Sean came on the day armed with a long heavy wattle with this he began to prod the poor tinker who was unable to use his blackthorn stick.
In Aughrim graveyard there was a big stone and when funerals used to go there all the strong men used test their strength by lifting the stone. In Kilmacumsey near Elphin there lived a man named Patrick Dolan about seventy years ago. He was near seven feet tall. One day he was at a funeral in Aughrim and various men were trying to left the stone. He lifted it at his ease and then placed another stone almost as large on top of it and lifted both. He took the stone then and threw it over the graveyard wall and there it lies to this day.
At Elphin Church stone throwing was practised every Sunday before or after Mass. The most(continues on next page)
- Informant
- Michael Cannon
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 93
- Occupation
- Farmer
- Address
- Kilmacumsy, Co. Roscommon
