Leabad Dhiarmuda is situated on the side of the Sliab Luacra mountains, facing the North, about ten miles from the Kerry border, and about three miles from the Cork border. In the Barony of Glenquin, in the County Limerick. About one mile from the villiage of Ashford. Diarmud was one of the Fianna. His name is cut out on the flat rock on which he slept. The poor people of this parish work at the rocks. The reason why Diarmud slept at the rocks was because he ran away with Grainnie and Fionn Mac Cumhaill wanted to marry Grainnie. He was following Diarmud. But she did not want to marry him, and Diarmud was trying to escape from him. The rock is about twenty feet long, and about ten feet wide. There is a road at the lower side of it now.

Mrs. O Donnells and Willie O Connor and Con Casey. They are round forts. There is a big dyke around the forts. There is only one ring of white thorns around the other three. There is four forts in Ashford. One in Tom Kennys land, one in Jims Kelly one in Tom O Mahonys and one in Brian Kennys. About one hundred years ago there was a certain man passing Tom Kenny's he saw six men playing music he hurried to the fort and as he was passing he saluated them and when he looked again he only saw six faries.

This girl was friendly with two men. The one had planned to bring a party and carry her off. The girls people heard of this and they were not for this marriage atal. They would prefer the marriage with the other man.
So they sent word to the priest (who lived then in Ashford, we had no priest here in

Near Ashford there is a spot called Poll na Righthe. Beside it there is a tree growing. There is ivy growing up along the tree. It is said that if you touch it, a goat would appear. One day a man came to the place to gather faggots. When he put them into the fire sparks flew around the house in such a fashion that the household had to leave the house. On another occasion a carpenter cut down the tree to make a cart wheel. When the wheel was put under the cart is fee asunder. One morning a man was crossing that place and he saw a woman and she beckoned her fist at him. A few days afterwards that man died. On every Christmas night the place is lighted with candles.

It is said that the Fianna were up in Lynche's land, as a ploughman found three or four pits of round burned stones where the Fianna used to cook their meals.
There is a fort near Ashford, and it is said that the Fianna were there also, and that Fionn's dog is drawn out on a rock there.

about it you all know,
with their blue and amber jserseys,
they made a gallant show
They had to travel to Ashford town
though not without their followers
nor did they let them down.
IV.
And when they met Killoughter, their colours they did lower
And in Ashford hall that night,
they had dancing in galore
An in Croke Park some future date
we'll all be there to view
The rovers team control the play
in amber and dark blue

Hurling and football matches are very common nowadays in Ireland. There was a great hurling match in Meelin many years ago. The game was between the Meelin teams and the Ashford teams. They had a great game which lasted mostly all the day. The Meelin teams were victorious. The match was played in Knockduff. The players were dressed in trousers and ganzeys. There was no referee. The ball was a very big round one.
Hurling was played in Newmarket in former times. The hurleys used had heads on them for hitting the ball. The Newmarket team was nearly always victorious. The Meelin team was victorious a few times. In the evening after the match there was great rejoicing and the band usually played through the village.

My farm is situated in Rockhill which means the hill of the rock. It was called that name, because there is a very big rock there.
It is divided into fields and a mountain. There is a place in the mountain called "Where Dalton died." This man called Dalton, from Ashford was one dark night on the road with his jennet and cart. He took the wrong road and came into the mountain and he could not get out. The jennet got into a vein and was drowned. The man tried to release him but he perished him and died.
About three days after his body was found dead. This occurred about the year 1918. There is also a place called "the steeple" and another mountain

Long ago there were many strong men. These men were likened to Samson. Some it is said have done famous deeds.There is a story about Shean O Byrne who was a famous strong man. He could throw an anvil a hundred yards. There was also another strong man by the name of O Leary who was just as strong as O Byrne. O Leary was a native of Ashford and Shean was a native of Temple Glantine. The two men did not know each other. O Leary wished to visit Shean. He went to Temple Glantine

I heard the following story from my father who heard it from one of the men who was there.
At the eastern side of Glenquin Castle in the townland of Glenquin, in the parish of Ashford and in the County Limerick, are cross roads called Phelan's cross which got its name from a very distinguished man that resided near it and whose qualities as a medical man was known far and near. At this Phelans cross there lived an old woman about fifty years ago whose name is not known that was constantly dreaming of money hidden in a field near the place, and where the money was supposed to be there was growing a white thorn bush whose thorns were growing down and were always nicely trimmed. although nobody ever did so. Having being constantly telling people of her dream, a bunch of the best young fellows in the locality decided to look for the money about ten in all whose decendants live to this day. They prepared with all the necessary implements

about twelve O clock at night, at that time the peace of the district was in a disturbed condition with the revolt that they had to be careful before the police would see them. As they were crossing the road to where they were going they met the late Father L Curtin who was coming from a sick call. He was a native of Monagea and was then a curate in Kileedy and Ashford. Some of them were for asking his advice and others were not.
Finally they started digging near the bush and continued until they went to a depth of ten feet. They had steps dug out of the bank to help them to get up and down, and one of the men struck a big flag of stone with his pick and they got crow bars under it to raise it and no sooner had they done so when a wonderful noise resounded the hillside with the result the fellows down in the hole were hardly able to come up out of it with the fright and went home hardly able to do so. Some person crossed by the place the following day, and all the earth was put back again although no living being touched it.

My father told me that one night long ago a man from Ashford started for the fair of Rathkeale between twelve and one oclock in the night. On the way he saw a strange light going from fort to fort. Finally it came out on the road and continued moving in front of him till it came to a stream where it disappeared.
My father alaso told me that a man in Tournafulla parish was putting in a new window in his house when a whole lot of gold coins fell out from the wall. That house was in Brosnan's land. It was a long distance from the public road.

At the eastern side of Glenquin Castle are cross roads called Phelan's cross, which got it's name from a very distinguished gentleman that resided near it. Phelan's reputation as a medical man was known far and near. Near Phelan's cross there lived a woman whose name is now forgotten. She was constantly dreaming that money was hidden in a field near the place where was growing a white thorn bush. The thorns of this bush were growing down and it was always neatly trimmed although nobody ever touched it. At last a number of the best young fellows in the locality decided to look for the money, about ten in all. The descendants of those men live to this day. My father knew some of the men. They were David Murphy, McCarthy, John Noonan and others. They prepared to start with all the necessary implements, about 12 o'clock at night to search for the money. At that time the peace of the district was in a disturbed condition, with the result that they had to be careful lest the policemen would see them. As they were going along the road they met the late Father T. Curtin who was then a curate in Kileedy and Ashford. Some were for asking his advice but others were not, so they did not tell him what they intended to do. They started digging near the bush and continued until they went to a depth

Long ago football and hurling matches were played locally. I heard of a football match played at Ashford about eighty years ago by the parishes of Monagea and Meelin. Two or three hundred people met in a large field, the inflated football was thrown in amongst the crowd, and Monagea won by taking the ball home to their own Parish through ditches and hedges.
In later years, the teams were composed of twenty one at each side, and later still when the population reduced, they were reduced to the present numbers, fifteen at each side.
The players were dressed in their usual clothes. In later years, goal posts and point posts came into use, There were four posts placed in the field, two at the top of the field, and two at the bottom.

they used to make candles. About one hundred years ago there lived in this parish a smith. He was a tall man. His name was Tom Donoghue. he was a great foot baller. The man was from Kerry, and was married to a woman in Kanturk, to Cork they lived in Kanturk for three years and then came to Killeedy, to Limerick. They built a small house in Ashford, and he started working. he wasn't much good and he was getting no call, they began to get poor and he went of to cork again. About fifty years age there was an old man in the town land of Glenquin named Daniel O Gallaghan; he was a stone cutter by trade. He used to cut out head stones for grave-yards. He used to do it with a hammer and chizel. He cut out the stones for a bridge near Glenquin castle. Some of his head stones are erected in Killiedy grave-yard. One day as Daniel was quarrying stones in the quarry, as the blast went off, it flung a huge rock and it struck him in the legs and falled him and broke one of his legs. When help came Daniel could searcely revive him because they was a rock two tons weight down on him.

11-7-1938There was an old man there long ago and he was very fond of playing cards, every night he used to be crossing a fort and the night of the fort used to come out to him. This night when he was crossing the night of the fort did not come out all. When he came home his mother told him that the night of the fort came and carried away the half-sack of flour. When the man went to the knight of the fort he asked him for his half-sack of flour. The knight of the fort said that he would not give it to him, and the knight of the fort made at him and killed dead. Once upon a time there lived in this parish an old King. He lived about half a mile west of Ashford village which is called Gort na gcloc. He had a palace there of the big toes. He was married

On the side of the hill above Ashford there is a certain spot which is said to be connected with the Penal Laws. Tradition has it that in those days a priest named Fr Scanlan used to celebrate mass there. He got an altar cut out on the rock and great numbers flocked there to hear mass.
While the priest read mass some of the people when to the top of the hill to watch lest the English would come and murder them. He was often hunted from there.
On one occasion he took the chalice with him and hid it. As he was on is journey he hid it, and it was found in the townland of Glenquin by a man making a ditch.

There are a lot of Fairy Forts around my district. The fairy Forts are in the towns of Belville, Feonagh, Kilmeedy.
The Forts are in the shape of a round ring, and there is bushes all round it.
There was a woman living in Ashford on day she was throwing ashes in to a fort and that night a woman came in out of the forth asked her

I was out one night and I saw a light going over the hills back near Ashford.
Once there lived a man who had gold hidden. Some men dug for it all night and all day. They found a cashet of coins and a metal box of silver.
There is treasure hidden in the fort and Castle of Kilbolane, Milford, Co Cork.

Lord Powerscourt was the last landlord for this district. But now it is owned by the Land Comission.
Lord Powerscourt was looked on as a very good Landlord, as he used to give things to the people free. He put in our range free, and other places too. My Father does not remember evictions in this district. But in the Roundwood district there were two. Mr. Luke Kelly, Old Town, Roundwood, was evicted for not paying rent, and then went and lived in some ones shed until after a while he lived in a Labourer's Cottage till he died.
The there was another Mr Mahion Tiglen, Ashford eveicted for not paying