School: Naomh Eoin, Cill Choinnigh (roll number 1301)

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1. Hedge-Schools during the Penal Days (continued)

   

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   from my grandmother about the hedgeschool and master at Garracree. Mick Lynch was the schoolmaster a big strong man with a cork leg. He had a large number of scholars. Those children could not go to or from school in large numbers so that there would be no suspicion. The pupils sat on the bank under the hedge as there were no seats. During school hours Mick would always have four boys watching for the soldiers, Mick would also teach at the farmers houses. He always used the back of the door for teaching sums.
   One day as he was teaching one of his "look outs" gave the alarm. "The soldiers are coming". The pupils all fled but Mick notbeing able to run was caught by the soldiers taken to the barracks and sentenced to six months in jail and forty lashes with a cat of nine tales. When he came out of prison he went to teach a hedge school at Jinkensonstown.
   The 'Comer people hearing of Mick being such a good teacher made up a plan to kidnap him as he was returning from a farmer's house. The seized him put him in a bag and tied it with a rope. The then got a second bag, filled it with stones to make the same weight and tied it with the other end of the rope. Then four strong men threw Mick and the stones across the horses back and brought him to 'Comer where he taught a hedge

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Brendan Clooney

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   11

   Occupation

   Schoolboy

   Address

   Sráid Mhaidilín, Co. Chill Chainnigh

   Informant

   William Clooney

   Relation

   Parent

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   59

   Address

   Sráid Mhaidilín, Co. Chill Chainnigh