Fiddane castle is in Co Galway, near the village of Tubber. It was built by the O'Shaughnessys about the year 1600.
There was a Leprechaun often seen in an old quarry which was covered with blackthorn bushes beside the Black Lake near Fiddane Castle. All the people who lived around the place often heard him hammering, but none of them could catch him, though many of them tried to do so. But one day a man named Darby the Painter, who trade was pulling, and selling blackthorn sticks went to where the Leprechaun was supposed to be, and while pulling a stick he was taking some stones out of the way for fear they would injure the knob of the stick. Then the Leprechaun ran out and Darby ran after him, and had him nearly caught when the Leprechaun jumped into the lake, and Darby jumped after him. Darby was a fine swimmer, and was just going to catch him when the Leprechaun dived. Darby not to be beaten dived after him, and when Darby was coming

In the ould rath that is on this farm, there is a large mound, on which grows blackthorns.
At the entrance gate of this rath, there are two large blackthorn trees.
It is said that under one of these trees, a crock of gold lies.
Long ago, some men came to dig for this gold.
They began to dig under one of the blackthorn trees, and they dug three nights in succession.
On the third night a woman had a dream, an' she said that the gold was under the other blackthorn tree.
The men set out on the fourth night to dig under that tree.
Whilst they were diggin' a man from the neighbourhood got a bindin' off a wheel of a car, an' brought it to a field nearby.
This field is called the 'White Field' at the present day. This man sent the binding rollin down this fiel.

working in the garding They men asked John why he played sush a trick on them. John did not answer them but started to laugh. Then the men went to strick him and John ran for the blackthorn stick and he told the men if the were fit to fight him so the men ran away and John ran after them and he caught one of then and threw them into a drain and the man was very wet

In nine cases out of ten the marriage did not take place until the land of the bridegroom was walked and examined by the bride's father and relatives. These people generally came walking with blackthorn sticks in their hands and on arrival were met by the bridegroom and his friends who took them through his farm, showed them his stock and premises and then look them into his kitchen. He was considered wealthy if his kitchen contained large sacks of oaten meal ground from his own oats, a barrel of corned beef or

for bigger boys who would like to receive some education. Before Behy school was built the children of Ballyholan went to a school at the Quay and a school in Mullaun's. The school in Mullaun's was a little thatched house where Mr. P Kilgallon lives now. There was a woman named Mrs. Fall teaching in it. She used a blackthorn stick for a cane. The pupils used to have to learn sums, reading, English and history.

About 100 years ago, on fair days certain families used to come together and fight certain other families , and these were called "Faction Fights"The principal weapons were blackthorn sticks, and they fought to a finish as the following anecdote shows: During a lull in the fight a man came across another lying stretched , and he could not know whether he was dead or alive , so he said' Bhfuil tú be?o ' and the other man said ' Ar éigin' , upon which he gave him a blow to finish him!

The blackbird is a bird that is very common in this place. She is a great whistler. She builds her nest in a blackthorn hedge or in a mossy bank. She lays five or six eggs. She hatches on them three weeks. She never leaves Ireland. All people like the blackbird on account of her beautiful singing.

Local Place NamesIreland is divided into four provinces .Those provinces are divided into counties. The counties are divided into baronies. The baronies are divided into parishes, and the parishes into townlands.Long ago when Ireland was ruled by her own people they named the counties, baronies, and townlands from some local source, Drinane for instance, the townland in which I live myself. Drinane means the blackthorn. There is a big hill in this townland which is supposed to be the second highest hill in the barony of Corn. (?) The fences on this hill are covered with a shrub called blackthorn. Hence Drinane got its name.Roadstown the next townland derived its name from a town or village on the road which ran through the middle of roadstown. This village has long disappeared. The land belonging to the villagers was turned into a big farm and given to an aristocratic family, the last of whom died only a few years ago. Another townland in my neighbourhood is Cloonameehan. The lands of Cloonameehan at one time belonged to an old chief named Meehan. It was on his land that the old monastery, the ruins of which we see to-day was built. This land is now divided into many farms and occupied by several people.

was his. The man said he was a lier that he himself reared the horse. Taffe let on he was deaf and told the man to hold over his head to hear what he was saying. As soon as he did Taffe took his blackthorn and hit him across the head and knocked him down. Taffe then ordered Mac Gettrick to take possession of his horse and he and Taffe rode home on the horse.

or two "wallops of his blackthorn".
On one occasion he was preaching a sermon on hell, and after describing the punishment and torment of hell, he concluded something like this
"People of Baslic! whenever any of you is tempted to commit some shameful act remember the punishment and pain of hell, and if that thought does not deter you, remember the blackthorn stick which I keep, specially, to correct the wrongdoer." Severe and all as he was, "there was many a sore heart in Baslic" when Father Fitzmaurice was promoted to a better parish.Related by Domnick Kelly, age 75, of Lisheen, who heard it from his father, Denis Kelly. Denis Kelly was present on the Sunday the chapel was closed.S.S. Ó Dómhnaill

A Mass Rock
In the vicinity of Kilteevan House, in a place called the 'crows wood', on a slightly raised mound of earth, is a large, flat stone, called the "Mass Rock. All around this hillock, blackthorn bushes grew in dense profusion; now these are all swept away and only the hillock and stone remain.
In the penal times mass was said here frequently as the place was very secluded, being in the centre of a thick wood and the rock itself being hemmed in by a strong growth of blackthorn bushes.
The Mapother family, who owned the Kilteevan House and Property, came over with Cromwell, and were Protestants It is said that in the later, penal times the wife of the then Mapother was a Catholic and that she used to get up at night and go to assist at mass which was being celebrated at the Rock Her husband became suspicious and resolved to follow her and find out where she went. On the next occassion that she left the house, he followed

There was a young man and he got married. His brother told him that there was a pot of gold hidden in a certain field which he would show him before he died. Soon after the father got killed and brought the secret with him.
One day the sun was out in a field making ties for his cows. She met his father but did not know it was he. The man said “ come and I will show you the place where the pot of gold is.”m he went with him and the rope in his hand. they came to a Blackthorn bush and the man said ” the pot of gold is under that.” and then he disappeared. The son tied the rope to the bush so that he could find it easily.
When he went out in the morning, with his spade ready to dig, he found a rope tied to every bush in the field. next night, the man came again and brought the son to the Blackthorn Bush and said “ dig there.” the young man dug away and soon got his Crock of Gold. Then the old man said “don't be afraid. I am your own father” and he disappeared.

out that there was not; so he said that there was a pot of gold between two blackthorn bushes near the cave and any person that would find it would never be poor again. This gold was often looked for but no one ever found it.

they said they put in their own stroke anyway. Well they started west and went on east through the fair and back west again by the old road, and according as they were moving the crowd was increasing, every one joining in to strike a blow for his own man. Some of them had leather Tongs tied on the stick and then twisted around them wrists so that there was no fear they'd lose itThey kept it up anyway until they had themselves satisfied and when they could hardly see each other with blood. Then the Peelers (aboitt) about 20 of them stepped in and commenced taking all the disabled lads to the Barrack. Twas no good to try take a fellow who was standing because tis a blow of a blackthorn the peeler would get. Well I saw one Donovan chaps' hand torn almost in two after he trying to snap a blackthorn from some other fellow. I think he took that mark with him to the grave. Some of them used to be that bad after a fight that for maybe months after they wouldn't be able to stir out they used to be that marked and torn.That was the last faction fight was on the Rock and tis well over 60 years ago

In Michael McCarthys land in the townland of Knox there is a fort. In the district it is called a Lios. It is surrounded by an earth fence with some blackthorn growing on it. In the next field to the fort there are three cromlechs.

In the same townland about a mile west at a place called the Sruthán there is a field which belongs to Michael Crowley, Letter with several large stones (white) scattered about. Near by there is a fort - small overgrown enclosure surrounded with blackthorn and another fort in John Crowley's land at the other side of this field where the huge stones are.

There are many stories told about fairies and their doings. A fort is the place where the fairies are supposed to live. One story is told however about a leipreachán was seen mending tiny shoes. One night two or three men came to the blackthorn bush accidently and saw the leipreachán. They asked for the pot of gold but the elf told them that it was behind them. When they looked behind the elf was gone.

The little man told him that every time he would open the purse two little men would be inside and whatever he would ask them to do they would do it immediately. So the poor man took the purse and the shilling and went home.
When he arrived home his wife wife was sitting on a chair blowing the fire. When she saw him she asked him what he got for the cow. She had to ask him three times before he answered her. After a while he told her he sold the cow for a shilling and a purse. When she heard this she abused him and said that he should go to bed without his supper.
Then he said, "Open purse, open purse". The purse opened and two little men came out and beat his wife with a blackthorn stick until she fell unconscious on the floor. Then he said, "Close purse, close purse". The two little men went into the purse with the blackthorn stick.
Have an hour after that he said the same words and the two little men came out with half-crowns and shillings

There are two forts in the townland of Ballyhorgan. The fort in the pound is called the Black fort because it is enclosed by a hedge of Blackthorn trees. In the fort is a big iron flag down about a foot in the ground and a ring on top of it. The other fort is fringed with a wall of stone. The land where the fort is owned by Mr. Aurtan Goodman.

There are many forts in our district, there are two in the townland of Ballyhorgan. There is a big blackthorn tree growing in the middle of the fort. The ditch around the fort is made of stone and earth. There are whitethorn trees grown in the ditch of the fort. There was a light seen in the fort in Ballyhorgan last winter. It is said that the Danes first brought the furze bush to Ireland to shelter their forts.