Mrs P Lawlor of 84 yrs, Carrigacurra, Valleymount, Blessington Co Wicklow.

The limekilns long ago were used for burning limestone. The limestone in is plentiful around Blessington and in used for paving houses and yards. It is around black stone with some white in it.
The limekiln on the Oldcourt road on the east side of Blessington. The big stones out of the sandpits of Blessington were drawn to the kiln and burned there. The lime was for manuring the land and it was better than the other artificial manure. A field needs limestone only once every seven years and artificial is needed every two or three years. Limestone was good for the land and for fattening sheep horses and cattle and for given them good bones.

Work which is now in progress on the new reservoir at Poulaphouca brings this well-known beauty spot and the little village of Blessington before the public mind. Both Poulaphouca and Blessington have many historical connections.
About two miles from the Three Castles we enter the village of Blessington by a pretty road. Along the sides of wide streets lime trees are planted in boulevard fashion.
Opposite the Court House in the centre of this street may be seen a fountain which bears the following inscription:
"Erected on the coming of age of the Earl of Hillborough, 24th Dec., 1865. A tribute of respect from the tenantry of the Wicklow, Kildare and Kilkenny estates of the Marquis of Downshire. The water supplied at the cost of a kind and generous landlord for the benefit of his attached and loyal tenants"
Blessington is of comparatively modern origin, both town and church having been erected in the time of Charles II by Archbishop Boyle, who presented to the church a set of plate and also a fine chime of bells, which, I believe are still in use.
The date of their presentation 1682, can still be seen on the bells. In the churchyard there is a monument

Local Ruins
Baltiboys Chapel
There was a chapel in Baltiboys where (here) the grave-yard is now. It is about three miles from Blessington. It can be reached by two roads, through Russborrough and Feather-bed Lane or by Burgage bridge. It is situated to the south of Blessington.Burgage Castle
There is the ruins of a castle at Burgage about one mile from Blessington. A priest used stay there during Cromwells time and it is said he blew it up. There is a tunnel going from Burgage castle to the Three Castles which is to the east of Blessington.
There is a cross in Burgage grave-yard and it is said That it was put there in the night unknown to the people.
It is said that Captain Smith who owned Baltiboys House made a bet with a gentleman that he would

The townland in which I live in is called Blessington. It is in the parish and barony of Kilmaine. Once upon a time there was a man in our garden called Blessing. One day a man was passing by and he called it Blessington.
There were ten houses in the village long ago. Today there are only six. The houses were thatched and small; today they are slated and big.

There are several graveyards in the parish. They are Burgage, Blessington, Baltiboys, Scurlocks, Kilbride. They are still in use but Burgage and Scurlocks will be disposed of with the Liffey Scheme. They are all on the townland of Blessington; none of them is round in shape. There are no church yard ruins in the parish that I ever heard of. In Burgage graveyard there is an old Castle, and there cross it is dated 1400. It is said that during the time of the Danes a woman carried it there in her apron; it is made of Granite. In Scurlock's graveyard there is a holy well and it is said that the water from it cures sore eyes. In the Protestant graveyard there are tombs which are made of marble. There are a few graves at the Cross Chapel in which the parish priests are buried. The local people are nearly all buried in the parish graveyard, although some of them are buried in certain graveyards which are a much further distance and the local one.Burgage is a very old graveyard. Some of the head stones are turned black others of them the writing is worn off with age. In Scurlock's graveyard there is supposed to be a man

There is a stram called Ruppa stream. There was a cloud-burst near the source of the stream in Blessington. It over-flowed the stream which carried huge boulders with it and completely blocked its mouth and also the Cappa side of the Nore. The muddy water flowed to the far side of the river and flowed on that side until it reached Inistioge. The land is good and level.

Once upon a time there was a robber named Freny, and was a very kind friend to the poor, so the story goes. He used to go in the night on horseback, and hold up who he would be likely to think would have money.
On one occasion he went into a house of a poor woman who had no money to pay the rent, Freny asked her for something to eat, and she said she had nothing for him to eat or the money to pay the rent, Freny gave it to her. The next day the landlord came for the rent, and Freny watched him until he came out, and took all his money from him.
Freny buried his money in the hills in Blessington. He had a mark where he buried it, so that he would know where he buried it himself. The mark he had in Blessington was a spot that three towns were to be seen from. The three towns are Thomastown, Graiguenamanagh and Inistioge. Plenty of people looked for the spot but couldn't get it.
Freny hid some of his money in Kilfane wood under an ash and a sycamore tree. That was his mark in Kilfane wood. Freny hid his money because he couldn't bank stolen money. Nobody got Freny's

Cures No V
A local cure for warts is to scoop out a turnip and put salt in it. The juice which the salt draws out is rubbed on the wart. Our Father and three Hail Mary's are the prayers to be said.No VI
There is a famous old well dedicated [to] St Schorlok and the Blessed Virgin the the Parish of Blessington on the farm of Mr. Cary. It is called Schorloks well. This well cures almost anything but chiefly Worms, Tootache and Sore hers. Any prayers will do, but you must have the belief, and hang a cotton rag on the tree that over-shadows it. May day and during the month is the time to visit it.These stories of cures were given to me by my mother, to whom they were given by an old woman called Mrs. Byrne, who lived near Blessington.

There is a well in Lackan, it is not very far from Blessington. People go there to be cured. Some people say a great many people went there, and when they drank the water they came back cured. Old people say that it is not right for this well to be taken by the Liffey-Scheme. There is an old prophecy which says that if the water is ever used for commercial purposes there will be a curse on the whole undertaking.

to the memory of the Archbishop - who was an ancestor of the Lords Blessington- commemorating his benefaction to the village and its inhabitants.
On the construction of the Dublin, Baltinglass and Carlow coach road Blessington became greatly enhanced in prosperity and importance. During the early part of the last century the great bridge designed by Nimmo was built over the Liffey at Poulaphouca to supersede the old horse pass bridge about half a mile to the north east, made in early times to supersede the Ford of the Horse Pass.
The inhabitants were incorporated by Royal Charter in the reign of Charles II. We are told that the Archbishop was authorised by the Charter to appoint a Recorder, Town Clerk, and numerous other civic funtionaries.
Their salaries were a heavy strain on the revenues of the municipality. This town and borough, old records tell us, were represented by two members in the Irish Parliament.
The Marquis of Downshire suffered serious loss in the 1798 Rising through the burning of his magnificent mansion, which was situated with its demesne and deer park a little to the west of the village.
The house was never rebuilt, and the ruins can still be seen. The church during the 1798 troubles was used as barracks for a garrison temporarily maintained in the locality.

When the men would see the children running after him they would set the pack of hounds after him. The next day he turned himself into a hare and the men dashed from behind the wall and set the hounds after him.
The hare ran on till it came to a lake when he turned himself into a black pig and vanished into the water.
Ever after that the place where he ran was called the valley of the black pig.
Mrs. John Cullen 42 yrs Cassie Cullen
Carrigacurra Carrigacurra
Valleymount Valleymount
Blessington Blessington
Co. Wicklow Co. Wicklow

townsland got its name. The houses are slated. They were twice the number of houses there before the famine as they are now. There is one wood in it and it covers ten acres. There is a stream called Ruppa stream. There was a cloud-burst near the source of the stream in Blessington. It overflowed the stream which carried huge boulders with it and completely blocked its mouth and also the Cappa side of the Nore. The muddy water flowed to the far side of the river and flowed on that side until it reached Inistioge. The land is good and level.

In olden times the ancient people used herbs very frequently. One of these cures was for a felon or whitlow on the finger. It is said a felon is very painful and also very dangerous. Nowadays people often loose their fingers with it. The old peoples cure for this was felon herbs and rue which go together to form a poultice. Another cure was for the jaunders worms were pounded up and boiled in milk they were then taken as a drink. Worm fever was cured by a herb called “Cannabhán beg". This was rubbed on the patient. A fig heated very hot and placed on the jaw is said to be a cure for the tooth-ache. If a person walks under a donkeys legs he will be cured of the whooping cough. Many miles outside Baltinglass in a place called Blessington Lacain well is situated. Numberless cures took place at this well

a girl up in Avoca Co. Wicklow and he composed this song about her. He made up,another song about a lady he saw in Blessington waiting for the train she was playing a "yo yo". He made another about "Calary bog road" and the witches you meet in the ditches. He composed these songs himself and sometimes gets them printed in the paper. He is a learned man and can read and write and is a famous musician. He can play all sorts of music. All these songs are sung still. Henery Boylan, Glasnamullen made up a great song years ago about tug o' War between Carrigower and Kilruddery it goes to the air of "the tri colour ribbon o". This man is a trades man and he plays music. This man is alive still and can read and write and is a good story teller.

Ballyknocken is a small little village near Blessington. There is a big quarry there and people get granite out of it. It used to be used a lot a long time ago but people do not use it so much now as granite is too dear and they use cemment instead. They have to send the granite away to get polished it is not polished when it comes out of the quarry. When the sun shines the granite glitters it is like little diamonds when it glitters in the sun. A great many men used to be working in Ballyknocken

The bread made in olden times was made of wheaten and Indian meal. Some people say however that flour was always in use. It is about 60 years since the old mill was used. Outside the Blessington mill there is a stream with very clean water. The querns are still in use around this district. Nearly always milk or buttermilk was used in making the bread. Bread was baked every day. The bread long ago was baked in pot ovens and some people used to bake the bread in front of the fire and some of the old people are doing it still. The support used locally was turf. Some people make griddle bread yet. On some occasions the people used to make special bread for Wednesdays and Sundays.

field opposite Paddy Byrne's house.
This house is situated a quarter of a mile from the other house. It was also owned by Mr Hanks.
There is a brother of Mr Hanks living in England still.
This house has been unoccupied for about 50 years. Mr Hanks was going to put a foot (bring) bridge across the Kings River where the Ballin(a)houn stepping stones are now.
He used (to) have boats in the river and it (was) his best way to get goods from Blessington. He used to have his (Jack Byrne) goods brought to Burgage Bridge and (Bo) he used to bring them by boat to the Ballinahoun steps. Then he used bring them by horse and cart home.Burgage Castle
There are the ruins of an(d) old Church and Castle about a mile from Blessington at this side.
Bother of these ruins were blown up by Cromwell in 1649 when he was in Ireland.
There is still a piece of the wall next the graveyard

I have five brothers working in England. About eight months ago one of them scalded his foot. He sent home for Murphy's ointment. My mother went into Blessington and she got (suit) from Mr. Cullen. She gave the (suit) to Mr. Murphy's. She went for the ointment the next evening. When she came home she posted it. My brother put it on his foot. After twenty four hours it was cured. My brother knew a man who burned his hand. This man was also cured in twenty four hours. It takes five weeks for, to cure a scald, when you put on boric ointment. When I got my foot scalded, I only put boric ointment. It took five weeks for it to get well.

Food got scarce owing to no carts or cars getting to travel to the townspeople carried goods in baskets and even to the weight of half a ewt of flour on their backs from Blessington because it was the nearest town.
There was a similar storn in 1933 only not as heavy. It began to snow on the night