School: Knockbride (2)

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1. Thomas Hall Manuscript (continued)

   

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   People mostly made their own clothing - linen for shirts and woolen frieze for coats, waistcoats, and trousers. Cattle and horses roamed over the lands and if sold brought a very small price. The settlers go very long leases, but when their leases were run, the lands became more valuable by reason partly that markets sprung up for cattle and horses, farming became more lucrative and new settlers came flocking in ...large grants became gradually subdivided into smaller ones.

   The story is that my great-grandfather left "the Hill" with a child on his back and came to "the Hallow" to what we now call "the Rock House". This was the end of the sole tenancy of the townland. His wife was "Betty" Shields, a sister of "old Paddy" of Lateragh - the great-grandfather of the present Shields family. His name was Robert.

   Four of my grandfather's brothers migrated to Co. Longford. Three of them were mill-wrights. The built several small country mills in this country and were brought over there for the same purpose. One - Billy- was in Ballinamuck, Co. Longford at the time of the 1798 Rebellion. When the French were marching towards that town on their said over the country, the people - the Rebel portion, at least were preparing to march out to meet them joyfully and assist to the best of their ability. They came at Bill Hall and endeavoured to bring him with them. He refused, said he was no rebel, nor ever would be. They then determined they would hang him on the spot, and went so far as to prepare his own cart for the purpose. Before the insurgents got time to put

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Location

   Derrynure, Co. Cavan

   Informant

   James Mc Brien

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Knockbride, Co. Cavan