School: Cnoc Rua

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1. My own Townland

   

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   I live in the townland of Rathallen, which is situated between Boyle and Elphin. It is about five miles north of Elphin and five miles south of Boyle. Part of my townland is in the parish of Ballinameen and part of it is in Croghan parish. People say that Rathallen got its name from a Queen that lived on the fort and was called Allen. They say also that a mound beside the fort marks her grave. There are eighty-seven people in my townland, six of these are drawing the old age pension. There is a small lake on the west of the road that divides the townland. Until about fifty years ago this lake was only a hallow ground with a hole in the middle. During the winter all the water in this hallow used to flow down in the hole. But in the summer this big hole used to dry up, and the young men of the district used to go down to the bottom of it and play cards every Sunday. Then the people who owned the ground filled up this hole with clay and stones. Then when the wet weather came again, the water stayed in the hallow and formed the lake that is now called the poll mór. The swans visit this lake often, and when they are seen, they are looked on as unwelcome visitors. For the old people of the district say with a

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. place-space-environment
      1. local lore, place-lore (~10,595)

   Language

   English

   Location

   Ratallen, Co. Roscommon

   Collector

   Charles Duignan

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Ratallen, Co. Roscommon

   Informant

   Peter Sharkey

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Ratallen, Co. Roscommon