In Willie's company I visited Cloch an phuill (Knock a foyle), one of the finest examples of holed-stone in Ireland. Described in detail elsewhere (See Keating - O Dunnin II pp 403 7. The Cillbrighde mentioned by Keating is Kilbride in Co Carlow & not Celbridge, Co Kildare, as mis-translated by Ryan (Hist of Carlow - old)
Local legend: A king was chained to the stone & left there to die. In his effort to break away he left tracks of the chains on the stone which can be seen to the present day. Mothers bring their delicate children & hope to cure them by passing them in & out through the hole. Supposed to be invaluable as a cure for rickets or any infantile delicy.
(b) The Cromlech of Aucaun [ctd bottom of 497] N of Tullow. Not a cromlech in the ordinary sense of the word but a "giant's grave". When we visited in 1910 a blacksmith had his forge in it & had plenty of room. Aucaun is pronounced EE-KAWN
(c) together we located the ogham stone & stole it out of the pig's house where it had served as a lintel for many a long day. When Willie's father, old Davy, brought me home the stone next day he remarked to my mother "Youth must have its fling!" Penance enjoined on me by

was complainin' greatly o' the toothache. Micky said that he had a cure, an that the cure was that he'd tie a string to his tooth, and the other end o' it to the anvil, an that he'd say some prayers o' his own, for that there was a cure in the anvil for toothache.
The old man of courche believed him, an' he allowed him tie his tooth to the Anvil, an' when Micky got it well fastened, he took up his sledge, hammer, an' he swore out a big oath that if he didn't clear out of the forge wit his ould rotten tooth, that he'd have his life.
The poor old man got such a fright, as that he made a jump backwards, with the result that he jerked the string, an' the tooth came out.
Micky the Smith laughed loud an' long over the affair, but the poor ould man wasnt so happy, for his tooth kep' bleedin; for the besht part o' the night

the crutch and walking-stick behind him! My father and mother were looking on at this miracle happening and it is the fact truth. There are a lot of old crutches and walking-sticks and medals and various other things left at this well.
There are two or three other wells in the parish but they are almost exstinct, and the old customs are not kept up. But there was one thing certain, every well was famous for its curing powers, and the old people had great belief in them.
Ther is a great stone cross in the middle of the damstown graveyard and there used be a blessed well beside it. St. Abbon was the patron Saint of this well and this cross was erected.

the water in the end of the world. Three months passed away and there was no account of the king's two sons, and the poor man was nearly dying by this time. Then the youngest son went up to king and says he. "Father I'll go and see what I can do. Perhaps I'll be the lucky one. I'll go in search of my brothers and the water to cure you. So now, father give me your blessing and I'll set out in the name of God". The father never knew the nature of his youngest son until he heard him saying these words. So he gave him his blessing and he set out with only a sword and shield to keep him company. The boy set out and travelled all day until night began to fall. Then he saw an old cabin and he went in and

at this well, such as, medals, bandages, beads and many other things.
There is another blessed well in barrigmannon, dedicated to St. Laurence. It was a great well for curing sore eyes. Some people would tell you that it almost cure anything. The old habits and customs are not kept up regarding this well at all for all the local people get whatever water they require for their own use out of it.
There is another well in Barmoney and it is not known what Saint it is dedicated to. It is a great well for curing the tooth-ache, but it will cure other things as well. There are a lot of articles left at this well also by people that were cured. Once there were

saying it was a very unlucky thing to do to take anything away from a blessed well escept water. So she brought back the rose and left it where she got it. When she was coming back from the well the pain left her, and in a few minutes was as well as ever.
There is another well in Ballinaslany, St. David is the patron St. It is a famous well for curing almost everything, sore eyes, head-aches, tooth-aches and pains of all kinds. It also cured cripples. My father and mother went over to see the well a few years ago and they saw an old man with a crutch and a walking kneeling clown beside the well and he praying. It was not long until he got up and was perfectly cured and he left

Pattern Day all the young men, ay! and some of the old men too, used to spend hours trying it.
There is a Blessed well there too.
It is said that the well was first in Adamstown but that a woman washed clothes in it and that it disappeared under ground, and sprung up again about a mile away.
The waters of this well are said to be great to cure toothache.

There are two blessed wells in Tomhaggard, St. James's and St. Annes. St. James' well cures all kinds of pains, and St. Annes was supposed to cure nearly any kind of a complaint. The feast of St James is celebrated on the twenty fifth of July, and St. Annes on the twenty-sixth.
The water used to be sold out of St James well on the great day, the twenty fifth. An old woman would sit at the well, and sell a tumbler of water for a penny, and anyone who wanted would buy the water would have a year's health.
St. Patrick's well is at Kilmore Quay. It is in a rock, and everytime the tide comes in, it goes into the well. When the tide goes out again

fever. He was worse now than ever he was before, and all the doctors came to him again the same as before, but this time they had a bit of a job with him. He got worse and worse, and everyone said that he would die.
There was an old witch living about a mile from the palace and she heard of the King's illness and she went to see him. She was allowed to see him all right, but only for a few minutes. She told him that there was nothing in the world would cure him but a few drops of water that was in a well in a far off distant land. The king asked her where it was and she told him that she didn't know but told him to get his three sons together, and ask them which

a boy. About a dozen houses scattered promiscuously, no two together & main [?] pf houses in all directions. No rent, rates, nor taxes. Old houses built of mud - kitchen & room with cáilleog over lattes.
Light: Rushes in common use when my father, a boy. It was one of his tasks to procure rushes from the bog, so many times per week. One strip of the bark left on the peeled rush. dipped in grisset & fixed in "Rush-stick" when lighted. Skillet [?] for small pot,
Cattle: the only cure or preventative wh. I positely remember is the hanging up in the chimney of the quorter of a calf which died of black quorter or black leg as a preventative against the recurrence of the malody. I saw this done often & I have counted dozens of shanks hanging within the chimneys of old walls, grim phantoms of famine days & crowbar brigades
Common belief in Carlow that the spirits of the bad re-appear as dogs. Cf. the spectr hound of Brown's Hill Tools, the spann - four [?] Fork & the feac, ordinary garden spade & even the word "mideog", large 'dangerous looking' knife
Potatoe-Oniois: Set the shortest day of the year & pull the longest. Grain sown as near as possible to St Patrick's Day & reaped 14 or 16 August if possible. Shrubs & slips will grow any month with a R in it. Smith Rick Purser carried on extensive foundry work in Castletown force down to 1903. Many a night I sat up watching the furnaces belching flames & smoke. I even had a little foundry of mine own - molten lead being the metal I used.

seemed to do her any good. Finially much against his will but to please the old couple he consented to consult the fairyman, one Bolger by man. He was a little man of about 4 feet in height, supposed to have great powers, but my father did not believe in him as this story will show.
He saddled the grey mare, put a bottle of poitín in his pocket, & started for Newtownbarry, as some people call it now.
'Yes,' sais the fairyman, 'your pig was 'struck'. Some of our people were passing through your land on their way to the fork & she came in their way. I'll give you medicine to cure her.
He took down a little teeny weeny bottle from over the fireplace. He half filled with liquid out of a large bottle. Then he put his hand up the chimney & took up a pinch of ashes from the hearth & dropped it into the bottle. He went out on the street & put a bit of mud in too. He then came in & solemnly spat into the bottle. "Here now, my good man, put this mixture into the sow's right ear by moonlight & she'll be all right in 3 days.' '. . . . . . . . . . .' My father's word are not fit to be used. He seized the bottle & made smidiríns of it against the hob. The pig recovered & nothing happened to himself.

got. They backed the car to the spot and before they could trap it up the stone was lifted out of the car and laid back in its place as good as you ever saw just as it had been before and always. It is there still and there is no fear that any one will meddle with it again. If they hadn't done his bidding, God only knows what would have happened to them all and to the family that 'ud go live in the new house.[Position of the stone marked]And sure the stone at Cutteen is stranger still. It hasn't the small slope any two offers and it doesn't lie in the same position any two days out of other. Old people often told me that they could walk in under it when they were young. Some one tried to remove it or to blast it but he hadn't the better luck. The herb to cure the yallow janders used to grow upon it and the man who pulled the herb off it and destroyed it died of the yallow janders. His name wasThis stone lying in D'arcy's field right opposite Cutteen Creamery is called mionnán na h-abhann

"What o clock is it?" Pluck a fully developed flower of dandelion & blow away the saying at first puff "one o clock": "2 o c" at sec. puff & so on
Bell ringing in ear means that somebody has just died.
Ass braying - a tinker dead! Game of soldiers played with Fruit of the chestnut is a "konker"
"Was it a boy or a child?" Inquiry after birth of baby.
Twin's only come every second generation. Red hair may re-appear in the seventh generation. Seventh son has a cure, especially if he has large, ugly, outstanding ears. New clay floor made in cabin for dance & the half door reserved for the best solo step dancers.
At many of the crossroads between Rathvilly & Clongall I noticed large rings attached to stones in the road. These were for ti the bulls to, before & after their bout. Bull-fighting, cock-fighting & wrestling the 3 great pastimes of the 50, 60, 70, 100 years ago. Eagle's used to be see on Eagle Hill, Hacketstown, no so many years ago. The hill is a block of 'flint', so indispensable in the days of flint & steel & tinder boxes.Cabin-hunting is the Carlow word for bothántuíocht. Father Jim Delaney (see page 15) called gthe old "bobbing" & "ducking" women "hypocritical róisheens of craw-thumpers". My mother's aunt (Page of Hugenot descent) had cure for the "falling herb ". The undispensable herb grows in Crochán graveyard, where

How can I cure yours? If you cure my horse, says the priest you can fire away, I'll never stop you again. The priest had a dozen men collected to lift the horse. Kennedy put them all out and closed the stable door. He worked his charm and in half an hour the horse stood up as right as rain.
He cured the world and all of horses after that.
He had the cure to stop blood, too and you needn't bring the person to him. If he knew the person's name he could stop the blood on the spot. I was in his yard when telegrams come in - "Stop blood So &So, Such-a-place" and the blood stopped in each case when he worked the charm.
There was an old woster(1) in the same parish and he thought that stopping blood would be a good business. He used to stop the blood all right any where he could work the cord. He was full of gáitsí's going in and out under the cow's belly, etc. He was called on a case this night but he was flaming drunk - so
(1) an oul gowlmon-yer (vide leath

Tis more than ten long years ago I bid a fond adieu
To those now smouldering in decay and, brother mine, to you;Though things looked bright beyond the main when I left old Dublin bay.
I now long to be home again with you in sweet Galway. I fancy now I often stray through woods and Valleys race.
Just as I did in days gone by when I was free from cure;
And when my daily toil is o'er each night I kneel and pray
For those fond souls, I'll see no more at home in sweet Galway.Though living in a beauteous land, most prosperous and free,
With golden mines and mountains race in smiling harmony;

to bed.
III
Some friends passing by hauled him out of the river,
And sent for a botch doctor his sickness to cure
And swore that poor Pat was a bad Billy diver
As now he lay dead as a nail in a "dure."
IV
They gathered the old local jury to try him
But Pat not half liking them like his ould wife
Kept groaning and grunting the while they stood round him
And came whit it suited him right back to life.
V
Arrah fellas agrah will ye give over your tazing (teasing)
I'm as lively as a bee and am able to say boo
Be quiet you ould sgraipt and keep