In olden times there used to be a fair in Kilchreest. It was held there once a year on the 22nd of June. A great number of people used to attend this fair, because it was the only one held in the parish.
The people who attended these fairs were very fond of fighting and they used to take off their coats and draw them after them, and anyone who walked on it he wold fight that person.
It was on this account that the fairs are not still held in Kilchreest. It was changed from Kilchreest to

There are two graveyards in the parish. One in Clondegad and one in Kilchreest. There is a bush growing at the corner of Kilchreest graveyard. It slopes towards the south. There are a great many people buried in Kilchreest. There is a ruin of an old church in Clondegard. The graveyard is overcrowded with graves and it is to be closed. There is a plot purchased in Lissycasey for a graveyard. There is a graveyard in the parish of Kilmihill. It is situated convenient to the village of Kilmihill. It slopes towards the south. Some time ago it was in a very bad state. It was overcrowded with briars nettles and stones. The curate Father O'Reilly has it improved very much. He got voluntary labour and all the briars and stones were taken away. It was customary to have building over the graves so they took all that away. Now the graves are lying flat and flags or tombstones standing at the head of each grave. There was a great many old graves that would never again be used. They took all the flags off them and laid them on the ground for walks. They scattered hay seed on the ground and now there is a cover of rich green grass on it. There is a ruin of an old church in it. There are people buried within the ruins up to the present day. There are a few vaults in the graveyard also. There is a little graveyard in Frure. It is covered with bushes .

that it is called the valley of the black pig. The place is above near Kilchreest.

The parish of Kilchreest is divided into two parts. Ballygurran and Esterkell. Kilchreest was not the name of the village at first.
The name of the village was "Cillriost" and when the Englsih tribe came into Ireland they changed the name to Killchreest. The same thing happened in Killogilin, the name of the Church was "Cilloilenog" or the Church of Oilen og. The patron saint of the village of Kiolchreest was

struck by an iceberg.
Another was Martin Hudd father of Mr. Hudd the thrice Mayor of Australia. The former was a famous runner and is said to have run down a deer.
John Brady born in Kilchreest, who was also a famous athlete, he was said to have carried a horse's car on his back.
Another was Anthony Murphy a celebrated nursery man who lived in the house now occupied by Mr. W. Carthy Kilchreest then his nursery.
Fr. Patrick Forde born in Ballacurra. He died of it is said when he could not help his parishners in Black '47. He was buried in Kinvara church where a marble slab was erected to his memory is to be seen to this day near the high-altar.
John Canning a very wealthy man who came to Kilchreest in the closing years of the eighteenth century. He was a master weaver and a

Gort Buidhe.
Gort Buidhe is situated in the parish of Kilchreest about three miles from our school. It got this name because the clay which is in it is yellow.
Cnoc an Aifrinn.
Cnoc an Aifrinn is situated in the parish of Kilchreest. It got this name because mass was usually said in this hill in the penal times and the stone which was erected for the alter is still to be seen.
Lios na Sidhioga,
Lios na Sidhioga is situated is situated in the parish of Kilchreest. it is called Lios na

Sruthán na bhFíon:This stream is situated in the Gortnamona mountains, Kilchreest, Loughrea, Co. Galway. It is so called because every year on the 6th of January the waters of this stream are changed into wine, when the clocks strike twelve at midnight.Kyle Baohin:This district got its name from St. Baohin. It is in the Gortnamona mountains, Kilchreest, Loughrea, Co. Galway. It is sometimes called Cros Baohin

Irish. They are not able to tell stories in Irish. Their names are Mrs Power Lis na Naonac Kilchreest Loughrea and Catherine Connors Lis na Naonac Kilchreest Loughrea. The houses were more numerous locally long ago. The ruins of the houses are not to be seen now. There is no song about the townland. The land is good. There is no wood growing there but not far from the district there was a wood formerly. This wood got burned and the field it was in is called Coill Dóighte. There are no rivers or lakes in the district. It is said that Mass was

Kilchreest ChurchThe ruins of Kilchreest Church is a short distance from Ballynacally village. It was once a Catholic Church. It was knocked in the time of Cromwell. Surrounding it is an acre of ground which is used as a burial ground. The district around got its name from the Church Kilchreest which means Christ's Church.ClondegadClondegad Church in its early days was a Catholic Church. The Protestants took it over at the time of Cromwell. The Protestants service was held there up to the fifty years ago. There is a graveyard surrounding the old Church and in this graveyard Saint Schrivaun is buried.Mount ChurchThe ruins of an old Church are still to be seen in John Flynn's garden in Mount. There is an old tradition that at twelve o'clock on Christmas night the ringing of the Church bell is supposed to be heard there. It was the only Church that the people in the neighbourhood attended until the Ballycorik Church was built.Lanna ChurchThe ruins of an old Church is in Michael Henir's land in Lanna. Mass was celebrated

Holy WellsThere are three holy wells in the parish. There is one in Healy's field in the townland of Boharduff (Bothar Dubh) neat Clostoken ch{urch?} and it is called Colm Cilles Well. There is another in Conway's field in townland of Doograne and it is called 'Tobar Oileáin' or 'Tobar Fallám{h}ain'. There is a third well in the townland of Larchill and it is called Kelly's Well. St. Colm Cilles Well
Tradition has it that Colm Cille was in the district blessing the graveyard. When on his way from Carramore graveyard to Killchreest graveyard he drank from this well. {Transcriber's note: the obscured place-name is likely Kilchreest; somebody going from Carramore to Kilchreest would travel by Boherduff} He knelt on a flag or stone beside the well. His knees are supposed to have made two holes in that flag. The stone is still beside the well. the holes in the stones always contain water. the water has never dried up on them. Others say that no matter what amount of water is poured into the hole they will not overflow. the water from the well is never used for domestic purposes. people say you could not boil it. People do not visit the well now but up to twenty years ago 'rounds' were performed there.

There is a church-yard in Kilchreest. It was there that the old church was long ago. It was knocked

Gairidhe Andrew.
In the townland of Roxborough in the parish of Kilchreest there is a field called Gairidhe Andrew. It got its name from a man by the name of Andrew Finnegan who lived in it in former times and he was a herd.
Láwn Phatsie;
Láwn Phatsie is situated in the parish of Kilchreest.
This field got it's name from a man by the name of Patsie Clarke who lived there in old times and he had a big house and this field was the láwn outside the house.

FairsThe oldest man in this locality never remembers hearing of a fair to be held in this district. About thirty or forty years ago there used to be fairs held in Kilchreest or Peterswell.During that time there were no railways and the people that used to buy the stock had to drive them from Kilchreest and Peterswell and walk all the way to Woodlawn four miles outside Ballinasloe.Nowadays fairs are held in all the towns. The people in this place sell all their stock in Loughrea which is quite convenient to them.When people are selling stock they are always to be heard arguing about the luck penny. Many people keep the luck penny they get until they sell more of their cattle.This is an old custom kept in this village. The people …

There is a big rock standing by itself in a field in Skehana. It is said that it is one of five jack-stones. Two giants were playing jack-stones on the Sliabh Lacghtha mountains and they started to fight about the game. One giant caught the jack-stones and threw them. One landed in a field in Skehana and it is still to be seen there. Two others landed in Grannagh and the other two fell near Kilchreest.

because St. Baohin had a gamble line from Co. Clare to Roxboro through this mountain and he built a heap of stones in the middle of the mountain and he placed a cross in the centre of the stones. This cross was afterwards destroyed by Persse.
Lough Vale Shragh:This is a small lake which is situated in Persse's mountain. Gortnamona, Kilchreest, Loughrea, Co. Galway. It is said to be an enchanted lake because it was once cursed by a priest. This priest was fishing in the lake and he was prevented by Persse. The priest therefore cursed the lake and said that fish would never be caught in it from that forward.Bally Cloran:This village is situated in Persse's mountain, Gortnamona, Kilchreest, Loughrea, Co. Galway. It got its name from a tenant named Cloran who lived there. This tenant and all the other tenants of the village were evicted by Perrse, but the ruins of houses still remain there.Gortnamona:This is a small village

carrying in potatoes and turf. Another old trade was making Sugáns, those were made of straw, plaited together and made into a mat for the Sugán chairs. They were also used for putting inside doors for keeping out draughts, and also for seats beside the fire.
Peggy Forde, Kilchreest, Loughrea.
Bridget Forde, Kilchrest. Dudley Perfse, father of lady Gregory laid the first iron track in Ireland. Another man who lived in Kilchreest and was a turner was M. Murphy. His trade was making vessells from timber such as butter dishes etc.

Regarding spinners there were no paid spinners in those days but when people had any hard work to do they all gathered to a certain house and here the spinning routine would have its way.
Dying was also

There are three church-yards in this parish, one in Kilchreest, near Ballynacally, one in Clondegad and one in Killea, in the east of Lisheen.
The oldest and most crowded of the three is Clondegad. In it is an old ruin of a Protestant church. The parson lived near the church in the house now occuppied by Father Greed, the present parish priest.
Killea church-yard is the newest of the three.
There is a burial place of unbaptised children in Coolsupeen, west of John Costelloe's house. It is called the "Killeen".
The church-yards are all of a square shape.
As I have already mentioned there is a ruin of an old church in Clondegad, and also in Kilchreest. People are buried within the ruins.
There is a very old head-stone in Clondegad, and the following words are written on it:-

The ruins of this ancient castle are to be seen from the Ganty School on the south-west about two miles, "as the crow flies." It is convenient to the road which runs from Craughwell to Kilchreest. Information about it is to be found elsewhere in this book under the head of Local Happenings. Very little now remains of this ruin. The Castle was connected by an underground passage with the old Castle of Cahercinmonwee which is about a quarter of mile from the Ganty School in a south-easterly direction. This castle has been a ruin for many years. It is said that General Ginkle and his army after the battle of Aughrim in 1691 passed by this latter Castle on their way to Galway where they followed up the Irish, under Sarsfield.

from the bleaching house for bleaching flax, which was a common industry in those days.
Coill Garbh:- This is a wood which was not frequented by anybody and therefore it is called "a wild wood". It is situated in the townland of Ballinagrieve, Loughrea, Co. Galway.
Fuinnseadán:- A small wood where ash trees are growing.
Gort na Mhuilinn:-In the olden times there was a mill in this field, and it was worked by water.
Eascarshanore:-Because gold was found there.
Kilchreest:-Which got its name from the church situated on the top of the hill, which means Christ's Church. Or another name for the district of Kilchreest is "Riasc Riabhach".

The patron of the district of Kilchreest is St. Colman. He was the son of King Duagh, and was born in Kilmacduagh near Gord.
St. Colman was a very holy man and blessed many wells. He lived in a cave in the Burren mountain doing penance.