School: Newcastle
- Location:
- Newcastle, Co. Wicklow
- Teacher: Máire Ní Fhotharta
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0927, Page 207
Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.
See copyright details.
DownloadOpen data
Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
- XML School: Newcastle
- XML Page 207
- XML “Gallows Hill”
Note: We will soon deprecate our XML Application Programming Interface and a new, comprehensive JSON API will be made available. Keep an eye on our website for further details.
On this page
- Situated close to the old main road and only a short distance from the old castle is a hill known locally as the "Gallows Hill".
This hill was a scene of many brutal murders and hangings during 1798. On the southern slope of the hill was an old ash tree on the hedge of a field adjoining the house at present owned by Mr. Mc. Enery. It was from one of the old boughs of this tree that the hangman's rope was suspended. Underneath this tree was a very deep hole or well about five feet wide into which the unfortunate victims were thrown.
About 200 yards from this tree, in the same field adjoing adjoining the old main road was an old jail in which the prisoners were kept for some time before being brought to the gallows. Though this jail was about eleven yards wide and fifteen yards long there are only two parts of the walls are left. The other parts are almost invisible being entirely overgrown with moss forming little banks which indicate the shape of the building. This jail may have been built a long time as the material used in it is like that of the castle and can scarcely be broken up.
- Collector
- Séamus Burke
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Kilmullin, Co. Wicklow
