School: Mantua (roll number 2327)

Location:
Mantua, Co. Roscommon
Teacher:
Pádraig Ó Beirn
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0238, Page 075

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0238, Page 075

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  1. XML School: Mantua
  2. XML Page 075
  3. XML “Travelling Folk”
  4. XML “Fairy Forts”

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  1. As of old travelling folk are very common around this locality. They consist generally of tinkers and gipsies. They do not come here every year as a rule but the same clans come here every time. Some of them are indeed very poor but others can afford to buy small little articles which they sell out to the people. We usually buy little things from them to help them out. Some of them come so often and ask so many things that we have to shut the door when we see them coming. The most of them stay for a week. They have tents of their own for sleeping in, other times they have to sleep on the road-side. They travel in carts. The best known families of them are namely McDonaghs, Wards, Cawleys and Kennedys. The McDonaghs usually visit our district. There was hardly any fair or patern held without be patronised by tinkers. Sometimes they bring stories of other places they visited and tell them to the neighbouring people. This happens very rarely however.
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. agents (~1)
      1. people by social grouping
        1. travellers (~3,023)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Liam Mc Gann
    Gender
    Male
    Informant
    Mr Patrick Sharkey
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    88
    Occupation
    Farmer
    Address
    Brackloon, Co. Roscommon
  2. Fairy forts are scarce in our school district. There is one big one at Rathcroghan and a small one at Brackloon. However near Elphin there are several. There is one at Carntogher, another at Rath Árd Ioctar, Castletown and at Croghan. These are all high forts which can be seen from one another. They are circular in shape and outside there is a round fence of earth. There is an entrance in the sides of each of them. No one has yet explored these forts.
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.