School: Curreeny, Dolla, Nenagh (roll number 16486)
- Location:
- Curreeny, Co. Tipperary
- Teacher: James Conlon
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0537, Page 052
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- When Cromwell was proceeding to attack Limerick with his heavy artillery, his horses failed to pull the heavy guns, up one of the hills near Killoscully, a district about 8 miles South West of Nenagh. A party of people – Gleesons – living in the locality were ordered by Cromwell to help in pushing the guns through the hills and when the task was completed he gave the Gleesons all the land around Killoscully. The Gleesons were called the “Gleeson Helpers” ever afterwards and are known by that name today.
It is said that one of the mares belonging to Cromwell pulled a heavy piece of artillery by herself up against one of the hills - Crushawn hill - even though she was fairly small. On top of the hill Cromwell shot her to see what kind she was inside and if she were different from the other mares and horses he had. He found that she had a heart 3 times the size of an ordinary horse’s heart.
Killoscully is the nearest townland to this place with which Cromwell was connected.
