(no title)
“About a mile from Johnstown...”
CBÉS 0552
Page 056
About a mile from Johnstown on the Ur-
The Schools’ Collection
This is a collection of folklore compiled by schoolchildren in Ireland in the 1930s. More information
Results
329 results
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The Local Roads
CBÉS 0650
Page 231
at Knockaderry cross and ends at Johnstown Corheen.
Old Graveyards
CBÉS 0776
Page 355
There is an old grave yard in Kill, Johnstown and Kerdiffstown. The Johnstown one is used now for the old people in the village. There is a ruin of an old church in the one at Kerdiffstown where Mass was said long ago. There was a queen buried in the Johnstown grave yard in 1301. It is the oldest tombstone in the cemetery and the date is almost faded away.
My Home District
CBÉS 0877
Page 047
My Home District.The name of my home-district is Johnstown Parish, Rathangan, and the Barony, Bargy.
The number of families living in Johnstown is 15 with about 86 people in all. Ffrench is a fairly common name. Slated houses are commonest but there are a few tiled and thatched ones as well. There must have been a man named John living in Johnstown, and the townland derived its name from him. The oldest man is Joe Miskella who is over 70 years of age. His address is Johnstown, Duncormick, Co Wexford. He doesn't tell stories at all. There is an old house in John Ffrench's field between Grant's and Chapman's.
It is in ruins but Richard Ffrench used to set it long ago. There is another old house on Moore's hill which is owned by Joe Miskella. The land is good around Johnstown but there are a lot of bogs or wet places. There is a wood in Doran's land and it is called "Dorans Grove". There is a water-mill in Johnstown which is owned by J Parle.Dick Roche,
Johnstown,
Duncormick.
My Home District
CBÉS 0534
Page 089
I live in the townland of Johnstown in the parish of Kilodiernan-Monsea,, and in the Barony of Lower Ormond. In the townland of Johnstown are about ten families. There are about fifty people in the townland. There are two families of Egans in Johnstown.
The majority of the houses are slated. The townland takes its name from John Headsch[?], a former landlord.
None of the inhabitants of this district are very old. The oldest person in Johnstown is about sixty-five.
There were about fifteen houses in Johnstown formerly. There are the ruins of five or six houses in the townland. Among those ruins is the house where Galloping Hogan lived.
Some of the land is rocky and hilly. Some of it is very good and in some parts the land is boggy. In Johnstown are about twelve woods, two lakes and the estate extend to Lough Derg.
Hurling and Football
CBÉS 0923
Page 060
A match was played in eighteen eighty six in Johnstown. Wicklow and Wexford played. Wicklow won by three points to one point. Johnstown and Avoca played a match in eighteen eighty nine, it was a draw, eight points each. There is a song about that game.
Johnstown and Avoca who met at Avondale.
Johnstown had young Mooney who made goalman tremble.
For he fought, fought with foot and hand.
Johnstown won the re-play by one goal and five points to naught.
Johnstown won a match with Avondale by ten points to two goals.
A big ball was (made) used. The goal-space was marked by goalposts.
The Local Forge
CBÉS 0659
Page 320
There are two forges in this parish. The smiths are Robert Marks and Bill Smith. One of the forges is in Whitestown and the other in Johnstown. The one in Whitestown is built near a small stream and the one in Johnstown is built near a cross-road. Inside the forge there are a pair of bellows, an anvil, a stone for shoeing cart wheels, a vice for holding knots and Iron and a brace for boaring holes. The forge in Whitestown has a wooden roof and the forge in Johnstown has a slated roof. The door of the forge in Whitestown is a half door and the door of the forge in Johnstown is a cart-house door. There is one fire-place in each of the two forges. The bellows are made in the same shape as small hand bellows only they are blew with a stick. They were not made locally. The smith uses a sledge and a hammer and tongs for holding the hot Iron, and he also uses an Iron chisel for cutting the Iron. The smith shoes horses and asses. The smith makes ploughs, harrows, spades, pikes, bacans, socks and coulters for ploughs.
Graveyards
CBÉS 0868
Page 158
There are five graveyards in the Parish of Johnstown. They are situated in Johnstown, Rathlogan, Donaghmore and Rath.
Johnstown graveyard is attached to the chapel. It is mostly the priests of the parish that are buried there. This graveyard is very well kept with beautiful tomb stones on every grave and on some of the graves there are flowers.
The other graveyards are not as well kept as Johnstown. In Fertagh graveyard there are the ruins of an old chapel which belonged to St. Kieran, and when the Danes came to Ireland, they put it on fire. There are a lot of people buried in this graveyard. In Rathlogan graveyard is level, while Fertagh slopes to south. Few families are interred in Rathlogan. There are not many tombstones in it nor are they of fine workmanship.
Old Schools
CBÉS 0907
Page 255
On the Lands of Johnstown now the property of Patrick Murphy there are the ruins of an old school. In Johnstown Lane which was the public roadway in olden times and leads to where it is situated at the foot of Johnstown Hill. The walls were very thick and built of stone and yellow clay and had a thatched roof. There was no cedar pencils used in this school but there were pens made from the strong feathers of geese known as quills and ink made from elder berries. There were very little books used and those were lent from one pupil to another and from family to family. A man named O'Donnell taught in this school. There is a spring well close to the ruins known as the school-
My Home District
CBÉS 0907
Page 263
it. Byrne or Nolan are the family names most common. Most of the houses are slated two being zinc iron roofed and one thatched. Michael Byrne who is hale and hearty is the oldest person in Johnstown and can still tell good stories. He is aged 88 years. He does not know Irish. There were more houses in olden times. Many of the house are gone to ruin or used as cattle houses. There are ruins of houses on Mrs. Connellan's farm which is a large one and the school on Patrick Murphy's farm. There is a hole in a field known as sthe "Marble Hole" where flax was steeped in old times and there is a pond in a field known as "Lough Rae" also a flax pond, There is good land in Johnstown. A tributary of the Burrin divides Johnstown from Bennekerry and Busherstown.
Local Monuments
CBÉS 0907
Page 455
About 200 years ago there was a monastery in Johnstown. There is a stone still in the place, with some inscription on it. This stone is very convenient to Johnstown House. It is said that many bodies were buried there in the time of Cromwell.
Many of the bodies were buried on the lane, leading to Johnstown House.
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“Johnstown House was a Brigidine Convent which was destroyed by Cromwell and afterwards rebuilt.”
CBÉS 0692
Page 241
Johnstown House was a Brigidine Convent which was destroyed by Cromwell and afterwards rebuilt. The owner of the new house built to replace the monastery had the remains of the monks all removed to a little plateau south of the house. St Brigid's Well is about 200 yards from the house. An old resident here says that she was often sent by her mother to the well for Soft white sand to scour stools, chairs etc. There is supposed to be a curse attached to the Johnstown House, namely that the owner never lives till his eldest son comes of age
A Strange Animal
CBÉS 0726
Page 312
About twenty years ago a man lived in Johnstown and each Sunday morning he used to get up and get ready as if he was going to mass, but instead of going to mass he used to go fishing to a lake in Johnstown bog called the "Black Lake". One Sunday as he was fishing he saw a strange animal. It was like a horse but it had only one eye. He left the lake but the animal followed him for some distance. This man never went to fish again.
Scéal
CBÉS 0770
Page 038
There was a ghost at Bridge fort called "Legg Woods". He would let no one pass and the people were afraid to go by night or day. At last they went to the priest, and he told the Ghost he'd settle him between the froth and the water at Johnstown's bridge for five hundred years. When the priest said the words, Legg Woods said "After Five hundred years, I'll make walls of Johnstown ring" When the priest heard this he settled the ghost for ever, but the priest, himself died soon after.
(no title)
“St. Johnstown Castle was owned by Baron St. John about 1621.”
CBÉS 0557
Page 239
St. Johnstown Castle was owned by Baron St. John about 1621. He is described on a stone in the wall as lord of St. Johnstown, Coolagh and Lisnioynan.
The narrator is of the opinion that St. Johnstown was called Leaddenstown before St. John took up residence there.
The coat of arms of St. John hears three fishes on it
Fields
CBÉS 0740
Page 187
There is a field called the black garden and there was a grave-yard in it long ago. The tracks of the graves are still to be seen.
Gibbery is the name of another field it is so called because long ago they used to massacre the people in that spot.
Fearnahine is the name of a field in Johnstown owned now by Mr. Moran but formerly owned by Mr. Austin.
Shankill is owned by Mr. Ross Johnstown who has recently purchased Mr. Austin's house and farm at Johnstown.
Folklore - Johnstown Castle
CBÉS 0888
Page 156
One of the most beautiful residences in Co. Wexford is Johnstown Castle situated about four miles south of Wexford town. The central tower is the oldest portion of the structure, from either side of which the main parts of the modern building extend. Admirably worked in its setting it forms the ancient stronghold of the Esmondes, the first Norman proprietors of Johnstown.Johnstown in Norman times was the home of the Esmondes who came to Ireland in the train of Strongbow from Eastmount, Pembrokeshire, and hence the name. Eastmount in course of time became Estmont, and Esmonde, and the first of the family, to arrive here, Geoffry de Esmond of Huntingdon, was one of thirty knight, who accompanied
Local Place Names
CBÉS 0879
Page 201
A field opposite my house in Johnstown demense is called the "Twenty Acre." It was called that because long ago it was divided into twenty acre holdings. A former owner of Johnstown had the ditches levelled after buying out these small holdings.Another field in Johnstown is called the Drill Field" because long ago soldiers used to drill in it.Near my house is a place called "Hodges Mill" because a miller named Hodges worked it first. The mill which is a water mill is now owned and worked by Mr Duggan.Another big field in Johnstown is the "Deer Park." This got its name because long ago deer were kept in it. One time the deer got wicked and used to follow the people on the road and Lord Maurice Fitzgerald shot them. It is still called the "Deer Park" though it is long since deer roamed through it.In Hayestown Mr Boggan owns a field called the "Whispering field."
Johnstown
CBÉS 0923
Page 001
Johnstown
My home district is on the south of County Wicklow. Johnstown is the townland. It is in the parish of Arklow. My townland got its name from John the tanner who had a tanyard at the back of the Chapel here in Johnstown.
The old people still show us the field where the tanyard was. He got sheep skin from the people around and this he tanned.
When he dies the English called the townland after him. There are twelve families in our townland. There are four old people over seventy, Mrs Bracken, Mrs Kavanagh, Mr Keogh, Mr Kelly. No old people in my townland can speak Irish. There are twelve houses in our townland. There is a village called Johnstown village.
Most of the houses in the village were built by "Proby" the landlord for the workmen. The
(no title)
“The village of Johnstown was owned by a gentleman named John, and when he was dying he requested the village be called after him and it is called to this day Johnstown.”
CBÉS 0107
Page 081
The village of Johnstown was owned by a gentleman names John, and when he was dying he requested the village to be called after him and it is called to this day Johnstown. This man owned a lot of milch cows and each morning when they were to be milked there was not a drop of milk.He did not know the reason so he said he would watch one morning. He entered the field they were in before sunrise and he saw a hare to come along and suck the cows. He went to an old gentleman named Ciarán who lived near Galway and kept a pack of hounds and he told him what had happened. Next evening Mr. Cíaran rode on an horse and set out for Johnstown and he took two hounds with him chained; one a pure white and the other a pure black.