home before leaving. The next agent after Mr. Power was Mr. Jameson. He was an exact man. He was Manager of this school, before the priests became Managers. When the tenants purchased their lands, the agent retired to Dublin. He handed over the management of this school to two local men. These men in time handed the school over to Fr. Gleeson the Parish Priest of Kilcolman.

Kilcoleman or KilcolmanThe place means Colmans Church, where the ruins of the old church stands is about 8 mls from Birr. The previous name of Kilcolman was Daire Mór = the great oak wood.This place also appears to have been occasionally called "Insula Vital" or the "Island of Life", but for what reason or whether it was in consequence of it's early connection with Inchenebo, the "Island of the Living" does not clearly appear.Usher says that St. Colman, son of Aengus, King of Munster, and whose mother's name was Darenia, flourished about the year 570 and that he built Dairemór in the territory of Ely.St. Coleman was also presided in Kinnitty Abbey. Kilcoleman is also the name of the parish.

Information supplied by Mr P. Murphy, Dromatimore.
There are three churchyards in this parish. They are situated in Aghabullogue, Kilcolman, Magourney.
They are all in use. There is one of them round. The other two are oblong. Their is a ruin in each of them. Magourney churchyard is sloping towards the south. Kilcolman churchyard is sloping towards the west and Aghabullogue churchyard is level. There are a lot of trees growing in each of them.
There are old tombs and monuments in them. There are several dates on them dating from 1700 A.D. to 1900 A.D. The new monuments are ornamented with wreaths of flowers. There are several kinds of monuments in them. Some of them are five and six feet high and the dates that the persons died are written on them.
More of them are high stones stuck in the ground at the heads of the graves.
There are others about four feet high with round tops. They are made of marble and stone and iron and limestone and sandstone.

no mistake. Poor creatures at home trying to hold on to their little handful of potatoes, in holes at the back of the house, or maybe set in the garden. Up night after night in turns like my father, and the rest of them, with pitchforks ready to stick man, woman or child that dared lay a finger on as much as a little (?) of a wind-blown potato. Is it any wonder, in troth, that the people bolted out of the country like rabbits for years after that scourging.
The above was told to me by.
Patrick Cregan,
Knockboyheen,
Kilcolman,
Ardagh.He is over seventy years and the best story teller in the parish of Kilcolman.

1. ConahyConahy Parish was severed from Ballyragget in 1832 after the Emauncipation. In April 1840, Esker, Kilcollan, Lisnafunchin Newtown and part of Maudlin were added from Muckalee. Inchakill was then taken from Conahy and added to Muckalee. The townsland of Conahy with portion of Shanganna formerly constituted a district parish know as Kilcolmamissin or Kilcolman. Kilcolman or St Colman's Parish Church stood about 150 yards west of the present Conahy Parish Church, in a small green field to the right of the road to Toulksrath Castle. In 1760 the old chapel of Conahy was built on its foundations and the stones of St Colman's Church were used in building the new church. In 1839 the ruins were cleared away and the site converted into a cabbage garden. Serious loss of stock & other misfortunes befell the owner of the garden. He thought it unwise to interfere with it furthur so he let it into grass & and left it undisturbed.
St Colman is supposed to be buried in the old church (St Colman's) & his grave was at the Gosple side of the old Conahy Church.
There is a holy well called Tobar Pháil a little to the north of Conahy Chapel which was frequently visited by pilgrims in olden times.
About half a mile from N.W. of Conahy Chapel is a field about ¾ of an acre in size called "Shannabhavaun" or old cabin. Here there is a square enclosure 53 yds. across, with

was Emmet’s right hand man in 1803 and was arrested and imprisoned and yet all the time he was in the pay of the government. For forty years afterwards he succeeded in imposing himself on the national party as a venerable and uncompromising patriot. It was a chapter of accidents lead to his discovery. The notorious Major Sirr, who shot Lord Edward Fitzgerald to death when he was Town Mayor of Dublin had a son who was a protestant Parson in Sir John Gray’s native district in South Mayo. He was the Rev. Joseph D’Arcy Sirr and he was the Rector of Kilcolman. Sir John Gray had gone down to see his father who was dangerously ill, and he called on the rector whom he found in his study with a mass of old documents spread out before him. “Here you Rebel Repealer”, said the parson playfully,

There are a great many roads in this district. The local names for them are the Mace road, Cultibo road, Cloonmore road, Curneen road, Popes road, Lodge road, Ballinamore road, Mourneen road, Common's road, Barnacarroll road, Carradine road, Derrylaha road, Bracloon road, Ballintaff road, Duck-street road, Horsefield road, Rodgers road, Kilcolman road, Kilhun road, Áró an Bhóchai road, and Walshes road. These roads lead to different places throughout the district. The Mace road leads through the Mace village. The Cultibo road leads through the village of Cultibo. The Cloonmore road leads from the village of Cloonmore on to Kiltimagh. The

Long ago there lived in Kilcolman a man and his wife. They had a nice holding of land and L400 in bank. They had no children. His wife asked him several times to make a will, but he never did. One morning she found him dead in bed. She went to the house of a neighbor to decide what she would do. The neighbour told her to send for the doctor, and they put the dead body under the bed. Then the neighbour went into the bed himself and when the doctor came he made his will. He left L200 to his wife, and L200 to the man next door, and the holding of land to his wife

Many years ago there was a man named King Coleman. It is said that he lived in a cave near Kilcolman cemetery. He was hidden there because the Fenians were following him. They made great attempts to get into the cave but he went away and died soon after. Then a cat came to the place. It was said that there was a treasure hidden there. It consisted of gold and bronze. On November night at twelve o'clock there are usually several lights seen round it. It is in the townland of Kilcoleman, and in the Parish of Ballaghaderree.

are James Cuggiran and Patrick Hannon. Patrick Hannon was a good story-teller some years ago but now his memory is failing and he forgets what he intends to tell.
All the land in Kilcolman is good and there is scarcely any bog. There is no wood in my town land, but there are clumps of small trees scattered here and there, which show that there were woods there once, but have been cut away. There are no rivers but there are a few streams.

At Kilcolman not far from Saint Coleman's old church there is a very old withered tree. On this tree there are two branches spreading out from the middle and there is growing on the top of one of the branches a small branch which is growing straight out On this small branch it is said that captain Beamish who lived at Palace Anne hanged a priest. This tree is still to be seen. It never rotted and it is impossible to cut it.

Buttevant has too many ruins, but most of them are the worn stamps of a Norman seal. The Franciscan Friary is a reminder of the big Norman days nearly 700 years ago. It stands above the little river and looks over the green lands to the Ballyhoura hills that rise above Kilcolman Castle, where Edmund Spenser wrote his immortal poem. Shortly after the invasion of Ireland by the Norman, the de Barrys got hold of Buttevant - their battle-cry: "Boutez en avant" (push forward) is said to account for the name of the town. Having broken the heads of the old Irish and picked their pockets they became pious and founded the Friary for the newly formed order of the Franciscans. Gerald Barry or Giraldus Cambrensis, was one of these Barrys

There is a road going from Kilcolman to the racecourse, its name is "bóthar na nasal". This road is very narrow but here and there it gets wider. It was so called because it was a favourite haunt for straying donkeys. In olden times the "Boreens" were used very much.The old people say that on a Saturday morning the road men would be waiting for the first row of cars to come and after every row of cars the road men should put a sheet of stones out on the road.

"The jump is small in Comparison with the run I've had here".Jeremiah Buckley, Kilcolman, Coachford, was a great weight thrower. His brother Denis held the world's championship for same for sometime and Jeremiah could beat him by two feet without taking off his coat.

There are five Catholic graveyards and one Protestant graveyard in this parish. Three of those graveyards that are situated in this locality are in different townlands. One of the Catholic graveyards is situated in the Chapelyard of this district and it is in the townland of Nadrid. It is used only as a burial place for priests. The other Catholic graveyard is in the townland of Glebe. The Protestant graveyard is close to it and is in the Glebe townland also. There is another graveyard in Kilcolman and it is in the townland of Myshall, and the other two graveyards are in

There are four graveyards in the parish. There are two in Magourney, a Catholic and a Protestant graveyard, one in Aghabullogue, and one in Kilcolman. All these churchyards are still in use.
There is the ruins of an old church still to be seen in each of the Catholic graveyards. Any of the graveyards are

but one small stream which forms the boundary between Scarragh and Kilcolman.
The houses were more numerous formerly than they are now but no ruins are to be seen in the townland.

Kilcolman Castle is situated halfway between Buttevant and Doneraile. This castle was first owned by the MacCarthys and then it fell into the hands of the Fitzgeralds. During Elizabeth's reign the castle together with 3,000 acres of land fell to Spenser the poet. He lived here for several years. He loved the mountains and rivers of this country but hated the "mere Irish" Twas here he wrote his famous Faire Queen and 'twas from the beautiful scenery about the castle he got his inspiration. On one occasion the Irish burned the castle and Spenser fled to England.

the vicinity is also seen mounds and curious stones which are believed to be grave marks of early days. A few Cromlechs are to be seen also there. Mass was celebrated there as late as 64 years ago by the late Rev. Batt OConor P. P. Milltown when a convert was received into the church. She was an Indian Princess who came on a holiday to Kilcolman, and like the saints of old she chose the Cloister for silence. She received her first Communion at this holy spot. Many call there to pray, and many names both past and present are carved into the rock. As Ecclesiastical records would mention in the winding up of their history many pass this historic spot unmindful of the scenes unacted there and those who laid down their lives for the true faith.