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The Schools’ Collection

This is a collection of folklore compiled by schoolchildren in Ireland in the 1930s. More information

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  1. Goal Playing 60 Years Ago

    CBÉS 0461

    Page 554

    A lot of hurling matches used be played long ago in the Lauragh Inch, and sometimes the Ardea men used go to Kenmare to play Kenmare in the Back Domain.
    On the occasion about 66 years ago a team from Kenmare came and to the men of Ardea. The Kenmare men came in side-cars (11 miles) and were led by Myrheer, manager of the Munster and Leinster Back. As soon as the men took the field a dispute arose as to whether the match be played with boots on or boots off. The Kenmare men favored boots on, the Ardea men boots off. At length the Kenmare men left the field and so they were going the Ardea men offered is play "boots-on" and they would not.
    The play at that time used to be very rough. The ball was the ten times as big as the ball now and the hurleys also. Very often the referee used to get knocked down (if he was in the way) and he had hardly anything to say in the matter. The team that scored the first goal won the match. Sometimes the match would be over in ten minutes and sometimes it lasted two hours. We have in Ardea used to walk to Kenmare, 10. miles, play a match and walk home again.

  2. The Local Landlords - Lord Kenmare

    CBÉS 0452

    Page 299

    Lord Kenmare was the local landlord but several years ago the Land Commission took over the Kenmare Estate. Lord Kenmare's family name was Drowne, and the held this estate for about eighty years. The Browne family themselves were supposed to be rather good people. But some of the agents they employed were of the worst type. If the tenants got into arrears with their rent, they would be evicted. The land was divided into farms, and farmers who had large farms, divided them between two or three members of the family when they were getting married. Lord Kenmare still holds the equal game rights.

  3. Wild Animals

    CBÉS 0455

    Page 110

    house of Lord Kenmare

  4. (no title)

    “This man used to go out every night and he used to meet this certain woman every place he used go.”

    CBÉS 0463

    Page 377

    This man of the story was Peter Connel's from Templenoe, Kenmare,

  5. (no title)

    “Lord Lansdowne was the "absolute landlord" of the lands of Tuosist.”

    CBÉS 0463

    Page 412

    Trench made all kinds of threats against suspected materialists & the spirit of the people was being stirred and with all the landlord's power and threats P.J.Boland was returned by and overwhelming majority & did his best for South Kerry in House of Commons, London.
    T Trench himself was deprived of the chairmanship of Kenmare Board of Guards. D. J. O'Sullivan, Main Street, Kenmare, himself the son of a father Fenian, T. J O'Sullivan Coornagillagh nephew of the well known school Master Fenian Dan O'Sullivan Ardgroom who taught then in Dromanassy school, Bonane, Kenmare and John Gaine Kenmare (the three were Poor Law Guardians at the time) voted against

  6. Local History

    CBÉS 0467

    Page 245

    date and proceeded to Kenmare. (This date and meeting place was made known to Purefoy Governor of Kenmare by some spy. They all met as Askive 1 1/2 mls from Sneem and decided to rest there for the night before continuing the journey in the morning.
    Purefoy - Cromwellian Governor of Kenmare sent his soldiers by boat to Derryquin 2 1/2 mls from Sneem. From there they came to Askive and swooped down upon the defenceless peasants and killed almost all of them.
    The few survivors continued on their journey to Kenmare, but Captain Barrington, Kenmare attacked them at Sliabh a' Marbhuithe 8 mls or so from Sneem.

  7. Old Kenmare

    CBÉS 0465

    Page 023

    It was St. Finin Cam of Innisfallen that was the founder of Old Kenmare.
    In Old Kenmare (that is the burial-ground) there is a well and a stone cell where St. Finin lived after he had been cured of his lameness in the Holy Well.
    He built a church in this site because of this miracle Bonaus -Both-Fhináin, gets its name from St. Finin. He sent monks from Innisfallen to Kenmare in 1584 and they lived their up to 1592.
    The place then fell into the hands of a parson named Colomb, who was then called Prior of Kenmare. In a map of 1600 this church is marked as unroofed. It was until 1800 that the present town of Kenmare was begun. Lord Landsdowns built the hotel - called the Landsdowns Hotel. he also built the market-House, or Bridewell. It was about this time also or a little

  8. Roads

    CBÉS 0279

    Page 251

    There are three main roads in Glengarriff. The Kenmare road, the Bantry road, and the Castletown road.
    The Kenmare road leads from Glengarriff village and goes to Kenmare and Killarney. The Bantry road leads from Glengarriff Village and goes to Bantry. The Castletown road leads from Glengarriff Village and goes to Castletown.
    The Kenmare road and the Bantry road was made about a hundred years ago. The Castletown road was made about eighty years ago. Men and

  9. Soupers

    “A native of Kenmare, James O Grady, was invited into one of these Kitchens in Kenmare.”

    CBÉS 0454

    Page 289

    of the country.
    As there were no trains from Kenmare to Cork - he managed to get there by car. Carters were employed in drawing the goods to and from Cork and it was in one of their carts James travelled. The Kenmare Priest gave a suit to James, and the Catholics subscribed his fare to America. The carts used to be laden with bags, boxes, and barrels and it was in a barrel James was smuggled out of Kenmare. The police even followed him to Cork, but he was so well disguised, they did not recognise him.
    In America, he worked on the railway. He met with some accident, as a result of which, he was lame for the remainder of his life. He got a large sum of money in compensation, and he returned to Ireland, and he spent the remainder of his days among his friends. - in Glenflesk, in Minish and in Kenmare, where it is likely he died.

  10. The Roads of the District

    CBÉS 0469

    Page 065

    to Kenmare was made about fifty years ago. It was made for the purpose of bringing meal from Kenmare. One of the men that was making it is still alive. His name is Pat Neill and he lives in Bealdairig. tThe pay they got was sixpence a day.
    The road to Killarney was made the same time as the road to Kenmare There is a near way going from Doirecoinnihy to Kenmare. It is a near way of four miles. There is a near way going from Doireliagh to Doirecoinniky. they were making a road there long ago. Thed

  11. (no title)

    “I and My Husband Were at the Fueral of My Godmother Who Was Buried in Kenmare About Forty or Fifty Years Ago.”

    CBÉS 0461

    Page 366

    ''I and my husband were at the funeral of my godmother who was buried in Kenmare about forty or fifty years ago. Her husband was biried in Killarney, in the Abbey, and by rights she ought to have been buried there instead of in Kenmare. As we were returning from the funeral and were past the town of Kenmare and near the cross my husband said ''I must hurry on the horse. There is a funeral coming I want to be off the road''. My husband saw the funeral coming from the direction of Killarney but I could see nothing. It was the husband of my godmother coming from Killarney to be buried with his wife''.

  12. The Miss Palmer's Dog

    CBÉS 0462

    Page 272

    There lived near Kenmare. Thre three Protestant ladies named Palmer's They had a white and black dog and they used dress him in a yellow collar. When he died they had a wake on him and they got pipes for the wake. All the Protestant came form [?] Kenmare to the wake. They got a coffin and buried the dog in Kenmare in the Protestant burying ground. One of the ladies died next day and the others died the week after. My Grandmother knew these ladies,

  13. The Roads in Olden Times

    CBÉS 0468

    Page 138

    There were no good roads in this parish long ago. There was an old road from Coad to Kenmare through the mountains People had a very hard time long ago coming across mountains in long journeys and to Mass as the old roads were very rough. There are a good many roads in this place now, and there is a road to Kenmare Killarney and Waterville and several other roads leading to country places. Parts of the old road to Kenmare is all the time in use, and it is called an "Old Road." Men got very poor payment long ago and women drew

  14. A Story

    CBÉS 0276

    Page 437

    they saw near Kenmare. "I suppose" said the man she will haunt us through life and that it was no wonder we did not sell the fish in Kenmare.

  15. The Thirteen Stations of Gníomh go Leith - Seventh Station

    CBÉS 0451

    Page 233

    Ladhar belonged to Morgan Mac Sweeney and about 70 years ago it passed to Lord Kenmare.

    Cultaman Cronin was landlord of Screathan an Mhill and Mín na g-Ciseach. He died in the Union. Before his death Lord Kenmare bought all his land at a " ceaint " in Tralee bidding against an Englishman who wanted it for grazing purposes. Canon Walsh got Lord Kenmare to do this. There were bonfires that night. Lord Kenmare bought out Malachy Moynihan's interest also.

    During the famine people from this station emigrated in large numbers to America.

    The two Healys who were (-) for Bereton's death. The two were born in Diarmuid Ó Scannails field. Ó Suileabháin Breoite the informer was a beggarman. He came into Mrs Scannell's next doro to Healy's. The Healys were both mamed and bad children. Their children laughed and pelted the beggarman who had gone aside. "Ye'll pay for that he remarked. Their fathers were arrested next day for Brereton's death. Both were innocent having been to Tralee to sell potatoes the day of the tragedy. When they were tried in Tralee Diarmuid Ó Scannail who was on the road with them and those to whom they sold the potatoes swore to this effect but in vain.

  16. The Landlord

    CBÉS 0454

    Page 260

    The Landlord
    There were many Landlords in my area. And they are. Lord Kenmare the Earl of Kenmare, The Mc Gillcuddy, Herbert, Drummon, Mountrath Dublin, and O Donoghue of Killarney.
    One time the Lord Kenmare had no title and they were then called Brownes. They lived in Ardagh Kilcummin the ruins of their castle is yet to be seen. They also lived in Molahiffe. Firies Country Kerry the ruin of their castle is yet to be seen there too. Lord Kenmare.
    Lord Kenmares people were Catholics and they often fought for the Catholic cause. One of them fought for King James at the Battle of Boyne and he fought all the Battles afterwards.
    One time a bonham strayed away from the Brownes in Ardagh and they put it down on young Counihan that

  17. Darby's Garden

    CBÉS 0456

    Page 274

    A man named Darby asked old Lord Kenmare to let him cut wattles out of the trees in Innis Fallen. Lord Kenmare told him he could cut them in the far end, but not to cut them near the monastery as the trees there were blessed. Darby went and cut the trees in the place where he was forbidden as the wattles here were the best, but no sooner had he it done than he was "whisked" away in a wirldwind, and flung with broken bones upon the bit of a bare rock, which is called Darby's Garden from that day.

  18. Food in Olden Times

    CBÉS 0452

    Page 185

    near the first of April & the butter they used to make from the milk used to be packed into firkins and sent to the Cork butter market for export to England & abroad. Oaten meal porridge was thus substituted for milk during the winter months. Potatoes were very plentiful in Ireland until up to the famine times in forty seven & forty eight when the crop got blighted & almost failed away causing potatoes to run very scarce. During the years that followed farmers used to have very little together with suppling the seed requirements. In many cases boiled sweet turnips were used as food. The landlords were also at this time pressing very hard for rents. In one instance the then earl of Kenmare who was considered a very generous landlord had occasion to call to a farmer's house who was a tenant of his & who was considered to be in good circumstances. On entering the house it being dinner hour he found the family eating boiled turnips & butter. Lord Kenmare was very much alarmed at the prospect of seeing this family having to live on boiled turnips & said that the plight of the smaller farmers must be terrible. This incident lead Lord Kenmare to be much more

  19. The Slua Sí

    CBÉS 0461

    Page 544

    Tom Orpen's wife was from Killarney. Her father was buried in Muckross Abbey. Some time after he was buried his wife came to live with her daughter and son-in-law at Cross Roads. When she died she was buried in Old Kenmare. My husband and I were at her funeral at O.K. When we were going home and were reaching our own cross and were only a small bit from it, my husband said to me, "I must strike the mare and make room for the funeral". I saw nothing but he saw a funeral coming from the direction of Killarney, and going towards Kenmare. We said that it was the way they were coming for her.
    -
    A son of Johnny Gaine's of Carhumeengar saw a funeral and he died shortly afterwards. He used to stay out late at night and sometimes he used to be locked out altogether. His people say that they saw a funeral coming up the line from Kenmare before he died.

  20. Story

    CBÉS 0468

    Page 029

    A well known jarvey in the town of Kenmare after attending a funeral in Killarney was returning home on a dark winter's night with his hearse and pair of horses when he stopped at a wayside public house to refresh his horses with water and himself with something stronger. Very probably he delayed longer than he should have while he was enjoying his potations a poor "tramp" who wished to get a cheap seat to Kenmare crawled into the hearse and fells asleep.
    The jarvey came out, got on his seat and started off for home at a lively pace.
    When he reached "Moll's Gap" a mountain pass in a very lonely part of the road four miles from Kenmare his passenger awoke and commenced to shout and knock at his glass cage