Written by May Moloney , Aherina , Kilmore, Near Limerick

(Photo caption: Crosses beneath Hawthorn Tree in Kilmore Parish.)

Kilmore is a very extensive parish in South Wexford. Tradition associates St. Patrick with Kilmore and visitors are well acquainted with the causeway of rocks extending to the little Saltee Islands called St. Patrick's Bridge. In 1245 the monks of Tintern Abbey acquired Kilmore, Kilturk and Tomhaggard.The church of Kilmore was dedicated to St. Mosacer and Mulrankin was dedicated to St. David. The pattern day of Kilmore was transferred to the 19th of March so as not to clash with the celebration of St. Patrick's Day and hence O Donovan assumed that St Joseph was the Patron. St. Cuana the leper is said to have been the Patron of Kilturk, but the pattern day is April 4th.The Last Catholic Rector of Tomhaggard under the old regime was Rev Balthazar Butler in 1552, while at the same time Rev Thomas Synott was vicar of Mulrankin. On July 31st 1578, William Pratt was given a patent by the Crown of the right of the next presentation to the rectories of Tomhaggard and Killaloge and the vicarages of Kilturk and Kilmore.The devoted Pastor Rev Nicholas Meyler was murdered in Lingiestown while celebrating Mass

Visitors to Kilmore are always struck by the unusual sight of a heap of wooden crosses

The Kilmore Rangers was the name of a football club in this district abut fifty years ago.
There was a great match played between Kilmore Rangers and Kildallon it was played in a field in the townland of Drumcor and Kilmore won.
There was twenty one players on each side and they wore knee breeches. The Kilmore colours were green and yellow and Kildallon colours were brown and red.
The famous players on the Kilmore side were Peter and Phil Mac Call, Pat Berry, Pat Brady,Own McManus and Michael lLddy. The refreeing was done the same as it now
There was goal posts and point posts at both ends of

but it was found to be on top of the grave on the following morning. The grave refused the coffin and it had to be buried in another graveyard.
In the Church of Kilmore there is a stone with an inscription which no one has ever read. It is, however, supposed that one parish priest read it some years ago, and discovered from it that the Kilmore family would soon become extinct. There was an abbey built by St. Patrick in the parish of Kilmore. Besides Kilmore, there are two other old churches in that parish. There was a graveyard attached to the Church of the Virgin Cocha in Kilcock. This graveyard is not in use now.Helen Rogers

In the month of January 1908 there was a great flood and a great turfbog situated in Kilmore began to run away. It started in a place called "Móna Giorra tionn" and ran through Kilmore and didn't stop till it reached the Crooked bridge near Hermitage. It ran over ditches and houses, and brought everything with it. Sometimes it rose as high as the houses. All the people had to leave their homes and they went to the Castle. They were all saved but one old woman who was living by herself. While they were in the castle new houses were built and after a while they lived in them. They also got more lands. This runaway bog is still to be seen from Kilmore to Hermetage.

The saint traditionally connected with this district is St Féidhlimidh who is the patron saint of the Diocese of Kilmore.
He founded a church in the parish of Kilmore and is now used for a Sunday school by the Protestants. He is buried in the old Kilmore Graveyard.

There is an old graveyard in Moyne. This is out of date now but there is a Spanish prince buried there since 1687 (this was got from a newspaper) There are also monks buried here too. About 10 years ago a certain man from Ballina was down in the abby and there he saw standing at the gate a monk dressed in the old style with his toes out in his shoes.
There is another graveyard near Ballina known as Kilmore. This is divided in two as "Old Kilmore" and "new Kilmore". There are no people being buried in "Old Kilmore" now, and there is an old building like a chapel there.* Long ago poor people were coffined and put in here until they got money to bury them.
The graveyard is surrounded by two ditches and two walls. On top of one of the ditches is a grave and it is a man called Dwyer who is buried here. He committed suicide and was not allowed to be buried in consecrated ground.
On the road to the graveyard there is a little mound or heap of sand on the righthand side. This sis the grave of a girl who hanged herslef and was not allowed to be buried in consecrated ground. In Ballina there is a court house and on the opposite side of the road is "The Western Printing Works". As you go into the office is a little road and a chain hanging from a wall and it

Kilmore. There is an old castle in Kilmore. It is situated north of Mount Plunkett and east of Carrowndrisha. It was the residence of Sir Arthur Shane, and it was built in the fifteenth century. It was once occupied by a military force.

This district is situated in the baronies of Lower Loughtee and Tullyhunco, and in the parishes of Kilmore, Drumlane and Kildallon. The most common names in the district are Farellys in the Kilmore section, Reillys, Bradys and Fitzpatricks. Old names which are gradually fading from use are Coille Gide near Snakiel; Gort na Geara in Gurteen; the Hanging Bray in Feugh; Lodge or the Grove in Ardonan; Tobar Pádraig in Drumbo, Tobar Mogue in Derrintinny; and Port in Glastown.

There is a road leading from Keshel cross to Drumhecknagh and from that to Kilmore. There is an old road from Corragarren to Corrakane. It is not used now. Our school is beside a byroad. The road leading from Keshel to Kilmore is a byroad. There are a lot of byroads at my home and in the district.

There is five graveyards in this district they are Drumcor, Ballinagh, Trinity and the old and new Kilmore graveyards.
Drumcor, Ballinagh and the new Kilmore graveyard are the graveyards used and a few families bury in the other two. Drumcor slopes towards west and Kilmore slopes towards the south.
Trinity and the old Kilmore graveyard are round in shape.
Trees are growing in all the graveyards.
There was a headstone broken in arva graveyard by three men and the priest left the first with his hand up to his face and he could not take it down.

after that, and there is still the remains of a pass left in Kilmore bog leading to the townland of Doon, made by Micheál Mór for a near way from Enagh to Kilmore, (a part of this old pass remains to the present day).

A Story 10-5-‘38
There was one a man living near Kilmaine who was a bad talker. One day he went to Kilmaine town and he met a gentleman on a horse and he asked hiim where he was going. The man said he was in Kilmaine and I am going home to Kilmore. He said Kilmore instead of Cregmore because he could not say Cregmore. The man on the horse then said he would shoot him bevause he said he was in Kilmaine. When the man was going to kill him he thought he was going to Kilmore before.

In 1725? Diarmud Stiitha McCarthy robbed the Bank in Kinsale. He turned the shoes on the horses hooves, and came to Castlelack via Innishannon, Brinny and Kilmore, He is said to have lived in a house that stood where the wide dyke is on the North side of the road from Kilmore to upper Castlelack - He went into his house in Kilmore, and while inside he heard the horses hooves, and saw the red rounding the bend at Hills. He then fled back through the fields and broke out on the road again at Briar Hill Cross - There was a cottage standing then where the gate of Matt Good's field is near the Creamery is now - and Diarmud got shelter from the old woman there who threw a bundle of furze down on him - when the soldiers came to the house, they never saw him under the furze, and went away. The old woman watched them go, and then, turned in, and said "They'r gone-" The soldiers saw her gesture, and came back and caught him. He was hanged in Kilpatrick He said in Irish when he was dying where the gold is buried "Idir Srutainín na Leamhneacta agus Crois an Leanaib". "Enough to make five parishes rich" - also "There is gold buried in Gurteen Ronán (Matt Good's fort) "Wil Líos an Farainn Follam" (McDonnell's fort) The gold in Líos an Farrainn was dug for by several people.

The name of a field is the buaille because the cows are milked there all through the Summer untied. Another name of fields is the black meadow because some of the grass is black there. The lawn is the field infront of the house. The pond field is so called because there is a big pond in that field. The quarry field is so called because there is a quarry in that field. The road field is so called because it is near the road. There is a great hollow in Garrygurt glen but it is full of briars and bushes and furze bushes. Carraig na gCat is so called because it is said that two cats started at Poll na bFatach and came out at Carraig na gCat and ate one other to the tail. There is also a rock in Mr. Culhane's land in the townland of Coolbawn in the parish of Liscarroll in the barony of Orrery and Kilmore and in the County of Cork. There is a also a great rock in the townland of Knockardbane in the parish of Liscarroll and in the barony of Orrery and Kilmore and the name of that rock is Stephen's Rock. There is a waterfall in Highfort and it comes through Garrygurt glen and it is in the parish of Liscarroll and in the barony of Orrery and Kilmore and in the County of Cork. It is called the waterfall because

Saint Odhran is the Patron Saint of this parish. He is a native of Latteragh in the parish of Templederry. He built a monastery in Kilmore and another in Latteragh. Kilmore of 'Cill Mór' means the church. The ruins of it are still to be seen. It is now a graveyard.
There was a miracle performed in Kilmore, it happened that a certain widows only son died and when he was being brought to the graveyard, the widow saw the two priests she ran to them and went on her knees and begged them to bring her son to life. St Senan took the body into a room in the monastery and prayed over it and behold the man came to life.

There is a rath in Kilmore, surrounded by a hedge of blackthorn bushes.
Outside the bushes there is a ditch full of water, and it about six feet wide with a wooden bridge across it.
There is about three feet of water in it. On the top of the rath there is a hollow about three feet wide, and it is supposed that it was an entrance once to the rath.The hole is now closed up, because it was dangerous to animals.
The late Patrick Fagan Kilmore, Kilcock said that he often saw fairies, on the rath of Kilmore on Halloween night.