A Local Legend
Some years ago a man was coming for a fair at Clogheen ( Co Tipperary) and he had a horse and creel with young pigs. This man lived at Cranna, not far from Clogheen, but the horse belonged to a farmer in Rochestown. After passing Castlegrace the man fell asleep in the creel, and the horse instead of turning on the road to Cranna came on to Rochestown Ford, where he tried to cross the River Suir.
It was late at night. In the middle of the river the man awoke , and his cries for help were heard by Mr Nolan of Garnavilla - Rochestown- who sent help. When help arrived the horse was drowned , - the little pigs swan to the bank, but the man was taken unconscious to Mr Wyse's - Rochestown House,- where he soon recovered. From that day to this , that part of the river Suir is called '' Poll - na .Scáile.''
Rochestown , Ardfinnan Co Tipperary.

Rochestown hill.

There are two raths in view of each other on in Rochestown which is called the rath field and another in Listrolin know as the Sean Laglais. There was a church there long ago but it was destroyed by the Danes when they were in Ireland. There is one monument there but there are no names written on it. About five years ago some people came there one night and opened it. It is not known what they were looking for. In the morning some of the neighbours found bits of candles and they saw a fresh grave. The rath in Rochestown is circular. It is said that the fairies used to be dancing around it. It is surrounded by trees. There is an under ground entrance from Rochestown to the forge at Red Acres. If it was ploughed every animal that belonged to the farmer would die.

I live in the townsland of Rochestown. This townsland got its name from the Roche family who at one time owned the whole district. It is in the parish of Mullinavat and in the Barony of Killahy.
At one time thirteen families lived in Rochestown, now there's only four families comprising fifteen people. Some of the dwelling houses are tatched and some are slated. A few houses are in ruins and there's one house unoccupied. Many people emigrated to America from this locality. The townsland of Rochestown and Ballinacooley are mentioned in a song:"When I am on the ocean,
Both early and late,
I'll think of Ballinacoley
And Rochestown Gate."The land is hilly and boggy but very good in places. There is no wood here now but at one time Rochestown was nearly

A byway near my home in Rochestown - which is called Rochestown boreen,- was made in the Famine times, to give work and help to the poor famine-stricken victims. For payment they got a gallon of Indian meal to feed their hungry families. It leads to the river Suir.

Long, long ago there was a court in Rochestown. At each side of the court there was a coach - house. About three hundred yards east of the court there was a fine castle. The enterence into both was just beside Rochestown cross. The castle was a very large building and was surrounded on all sides by trees. The Lords that dwell in the court used to go into the castle for safety in time of trouble.

Rochestown got its name from a family named Roche. Lady Roche once resided there. After the Roches a family named Forristal came. The Forristal family was founded by two brothers, Edmond Peary. Edmond was married to Anne Strange, daughter of Laurence Strange, Alywards town. she died aged 33 years. The two brothers owned the most of Glenmore and had castles in several parts of the parish viz., Mullinahone, Forristalstown, Rochestown, Carrigcloney etc.
All this they gave up for the faith and if they turned protestant they would be allowed keep their lands.
At one time brickmaking was a great industry in Rochestown. In the year '98 when the English soldiers were going towards Ross they set fire to a great many houses. The inhabitants of those houses, on the approach of the soldiers, fled to Ballinlogue, and built new houses there. In the year of the Black Fever all those people died. They were buried in a field now called Ballystaickin . Trees, sceacs, stones, etc, mark where some of them were buried.
Seán O' Donovan was born up over the town of Rochestown. His parents were very poor and they earned their living by spinning and weaving

The part of Rochestown on which Lady Esmond's House stands is now called Ringville in title deeds the King of Rochestown. It was purchased by Mr. Devereux, the uncle of Lady Esmond, from the father of Pierce Edmond Forristal.

I live at a place called Ballynagarde, midway between Limerick and Bruff. There are many places of interest, a ruins of old castles in the surrounding locality. There are many stories of ancient lore connected with those places and ruins, some of which are very interesting owing to the fact the bear significant evidence of a little country once great in civilization which is now only heard in a legendary tales by the fireside.
There is Rochestown Churchyard, away down in the fields, where the bold peasantry lies buried for generations awaiting the trumpet calls of the last day. In this little hallowed plot there are the ruins of a little church now smothered in ivy and rank vegetation. At one time Rochestown was a parish adjoining another quite similiar parish of Rochestown and where the people of the country-side came to hear Mass, and wend their way through the many short cuts which then abounded, as roads were only pathways and traffic was little except the pillion on horseback. This little church

Seán Dáth lived at Rochestown Co, Cork. He had a large family and could not support them. He soon got work at the Monastery in Rochestown which greatly helped him. But not being satisfied with the pay he received he started to steal coal from the coal-shed in the monastery. This was soon discovered by one of the brothers who found coal in Seán's bag outside the monastery wall. The brother said nothing but took the coal out and put an equal quantity stones in the bag. When Seán got home that evening he went to throw out the coal as usual but to his surprise it was stones that he threw out and not coal. He got such a fright that he thought it was God who changed the coal into stones. From that day until he died Seán never stole again.

The road on which I come to school is called the Mill Road. There was a mill in the Townland which is called Roestown and it stopped work about sixty years ago. There is a house in Roestown and the people that live in it are called "Crinions of the Mill." It was people named Andersons that lived in it long ago and it was they that worked the mill. The ruins of the mill are there yet. Since that the road from Collegehill to Rushwee is called the Mill Road. There is an old road that goes from Rochestown Cross to Roestown Cross which is called the Bullock Field Road. The fields on the left hand side coming from Rochestown to Roestown are called the Bullock fields. There is a road that goes from Dublin through Slane and on to the

rounds from the steeple of Kilmacow, the weather being harsh and cold she made a gallant trudge until she came to Slieverue, it being a village her grass was indeed a scanty fare, she marched further until she came to Rathpatrick and there she picked a sweet pick. She continued her journey through Rochestown along by Killivery until finally she reached the Three Bullock Gates of New Ross, there she was skinned and her hard life came to a close and also the cold weather ends.
On her journey the sweetest picks of grass she got was in the villages of Rathpatrick, Rochestown and Killivery, It sign all because if ever one passes through these valleys they are apto to see a straggling jennet or poney or a rambling cow grazing in a dike in their vicinity.
Ellen Barry
Rochestown (86)

while doing so, he told his coachmen to get the gold from the well and to go to Waterford, and bring home estables and drinkables, they stayed hours at Earlsrath. When they returned to the Castle a good table was laid and an enjoyable night was spent. The latest of the Walshes lived in the court of Rochestown (Lady Fanney Walsh) she was in poor circumstances, she taught in a school for adult girls until her death. At the present day not a stone of Ballinacooly or Inchnacarron is to be seen. But two wings of Rochestown Court are as prefect as ever.

A great amount of cider was made in the district of Ardfinnan and Rochestown long ago, where there were some very fine orchards.Apples are still very plentiful though very little cider is madeSome years ago a farmer living in Rochestown had ten acres of ground under apples.Mr O'Donnell, who still lives there, had a cider press and used make a great amount of cider; but he now sells his apples instead, to men who buy them all, every year.Mr O'Donnell's address is
Rochestown
Ardfinnan
Co Tip

Mrs Brien, Germonstown,
age about 55 or 60 is a
descendant of Keegans of Mulla Choirce, Rochestown, who had a number of local cures for human diseases, and diseases in horses & cattle. Most of these are lost.
James Downes Rochestown Slane has some of the old Keegan cures.

The people looked everywhere near the house but they could not find the money. So there is money somewhere about the place where the old house stood then.
Marquess Cunningham was Land lord of Rochestown whose descendants still live in the Castle of Slane. Marquess Cunningham was William's planter. The land Grabbers of this district were worse than the two Land lords I have mentioned. People of the name of Gannons and Carneys who lived in Rochestown were evicted about the year 1886. Richard Gannon went to live in a house of James Rochfords in Gernonstown and took with him his two daughters. Carney lived after his eviction with some friends in Mullahadillon Slane where he stayed till he died.

missionary career he lived in Slieverue Village. In the troubled times in 1798. a party of Cavalry passing through was about to set fire to the place but Fr. Lower boldly approached the ruthless officer of those ruffians, took his horse by the bridle and led him and his party to a considerable distance from the place. He saved the little village from conflagration and the inhabitants from insult if not from massacre. Dr. Lower died on the 9th Jan. 1800 aged 73 yrs. He is buried at Kilmockevogue Church. The grave is hollowed by people taking away the clay therefrom.
There is an altar tomb marking the burial place of the Forristals of Rochestown. It has the family arms and is inscribed to Edmund Forristal of Rochestown who died in 1797.

There are no tailors in my district. Long ago there were many travelling tailors. One tailor's name was Martin Roche Haggard. He used to stay with the farmer and made everything that the farmer wanted for himself and his family. The farmer supported him and he gave him some money. Then he went to an other farmers house and worked in the same way. He did'nt bring any material with him. The farmer had to supply his own.There is no cloth spun locally. Walsh of Rochestown rear sheep and they send the wool to Hickey's in Ross where it is spun into woollen thread. They get back the woolen thread. They make their own stockings and other woolen garments.Walsh's of Rochestown have a grating stone. it is in the

Mass Paths.There is an old mass path leading from Jordan's of Rochestown to the Level Crossing in Robinstown.
The people of Holmanhill and Scurloge and Rochestown used to go that way in former years.
It begins at Jordan's land and into Barry's of Belgrove and then into Murphy's land of Robinstown and out at the Level

The following are names of places where houses stood long ago. The "Moon Wheels" in Clongeen a house stood there long ago.
Pairc na mba in Clongeen, Mount Misery The Plot lane and the Kanny's Ponds in Clongeen. Poul bann and the Pairceann in Rochestown. Rath Tinna and Connolly Town. The Pigeon Field, Byrons Field and Cox'es Quay in Rospile. Lob na mbadh, Moon Kauns in Loughnageer and Moon-a-Raba between Rochestown and Loughnageer. Augh-na-Scollagh and Glen Rue. The Coo Roost, Killags, the Awk Hill, Sheep Walk