Fairy Forts
There are many fairy forts in this district, two of the best known of which are Lisbride and Rath Connor.
The first is situated in Lisbride in the townland of Lisbride, in the parish of Roscommon, and the other is situated in the townland of Athleague in the parish of Athleague in Co. Roscommon.
There is a fence of earth around Lisbride and there is a fence of earth around Rath Connor also.
The latter is not an important one. It was not known that there was any entrance hole into these forts.
There is a story connected with Lisbride the name of which is "The Three Princes and the Fairy"

In Athleague there lived a family named the O Briens. They lived in a fine house, but they had to leave it because it was haunted. Every night since a certain member of the family died they used to hear a terrible noise coming up the stairs, and they used to see a rider mounted on a black horse, and he dressed in armour, and chains of fire hanging from it, and a bright greenish light was shining around him. When he reached the top of the stairs he used to begin to cry very mournfully. Then he used to turn his horse and ride down the stairs again. This terrorized the people, and they left the house.

on it. This stone is called Cloch Breac.In order to show his companions that he could do better he picked up the second stone and threw it into the River Suck where the village of Athleague now stands, beating his first mark by about three miles. This stone is called Liagh Finn, and it is from the rock in the ford that the village that grew up beside derived the name Áth Liag Finn.

In order to safeguard himself from been murdered he build a tunnel from his castle to the castle of Athleague and used to travel underground between those two places. One morning after haveing put to death the only son of a widow he set out on horse-back for Dublin and as his horse lost a shoe on the way he was obliged to visit a forge.When conversing with the smith he said he often heard a blacksmith curse was supposed to be bad and in order to shatter that opinion the smith would have to

years ago, when rival armed forces took possession of the mansion alternatively. The preservation of magnificent architecture was evidently not in their line, especially when fight was on for the occupation of the place, with the result that Mount Talbot House is now little better than a ruin. The village of Mount Talbot is a picturesque little place, consisting of a number of scattered cottages along the right hand side of the road from Ballygar to Athleague. Two fairs are held there annually. Recently the boys of the place erected a substantial ball court near Mount Talbot bridge. Four Roads is a little village at the foot of

There was a man going to the fair of Athleague. When he was half way he saw a crowd playing cards on the side of the road, They called him in & asked him would he have a game & he said he would. He let a card fall & he was looking down getting it. He saw that all the men has horses' hoofs & he saw two horns stickingup out of the ground.
(Peter Kelly Kilcash from Jim Kelly Kilcash)

that have only themselves travel on foot. Some of them travel in families and others singly.
The best known of these travellers are The Sweeneys who visit the district most frequently before the big fair day of Athleague.

have bicycles. They generally go around in families. Greens, Stephens, Mongans, are best known in our distrit.
They come to the fair of Athleague in July and they go to Ballinasloe in October to the show. Some of them tell stories. Not many people listen to them. They go to the pattern of Brideswell in July.

leading across the fields in this district. They are one leading to CLoghan, one to Taughboy, one to Cloonashade, one to Cullawinna and one to Liswilliam.
Rivers were crossed at fords before bridges were made. The river Suck was forded at Mount Talbot, Athleague and Ballyforan. In some districts monuments to the dead along the side of the roads can be seen but in this district there are none that I know of. All the old paths are Mass-paths and people go to Mass on them yet.

There was a man living in Toberavady Castle two hundred years ago. His name was Robert Ormsby Toberavady Casle is built on the Suck in the parish of Fuerty about one mile south of Athleague.
He was a magistrate and was an officer in charge of the English soldiers guarding the line of the Suck. All the land between Ballinasloe and Castlerea was under his control. He used to patrol all the country

There was a man living in Toberavady Castle two hundred years ago. His name was Robert Ormsby. Toberavady Castle is built on a ford in the Suck, in the parish of Fuerty, about one mile south of Athleague.
He was a magistrate and was the officer in charge of the English Soldiers guarding the line of the Suck. All the land between Ballinalsoe and Castlerea was under his control. He used t

When the soot falls.
When the dust rises off the road with the wind.
Mary Killian,
Cullawina,
Athleague,
Roscommon.
Old Schools.
I never heard of any hedge school in my district. There was a school held in a out house in Lackan, , the house is still to be seen. There was a lady teaching from Cloonacilleg and she used to come over in the morning and go home in the evening.
I do not know how they were paid or what subjects they taught, or was Irish spoken.
Mary Killian,
Cullawina,
Athleague,
Roscommon.

cure their toothache. They also said that if they took some wool off a black sheep and put it in your ear you will never get a pain in your ear.
A seventh son or daughter can cure ring-worm.Lizzie Healy,
Four Roads,
AthleagueThe names of our fielsWe have some Irish names on our fields. These are the names.
Clarp gopm. I did not hear what it came from. The móisín is another field. An gopr mor. Clair mór. Gaipudh luar páir and the gopr ppaic.
That is all the fields we have.Lizzie Healy,
Four Roads,
Athleague

There was "Dan the Delph Man" who furnished the dressers of the district at very moderate rate. "Máire Ni Crocaire" who supplied the earthenware. "Tony The Sugar Stick Man" who catered for the palates of the children. Timmy Lohan of Passage, Athleague who had a drapery, haberdashery and fancy goods stall, and Mick Dowd, the butcher, in addition to vendors of sleans, spades, shovels, kitchen furniture, wheelbarrows and ladders.
Ballad singers and street musicians lent vanity to the proceedings, and pipers sometimes visited those fairs. The O'Reilly Brothers and Reaney (lent) were amongst the latter. The were seven members of the O'Reilly family all pipers, but rarely more than two of them travelled together. Their visits to Creggs fair was always anxiously looked forward to by the people of the districts.
Travelling clowns and entertainers

When Pollock had evicted the thirteen hundred families that once lived on his estates his agent, George Lowe discovered that there was a two roomed thatched cottage still standing and occupied on the outskirts of his estate at Cúl Pairc near Creggs.This was at the end of the old road leading from Creggauns to Aughagad West. It was occupied by a tailor named Pat Kelly, and to Pollock and his agent it looked an eyesore on the estate. They immediately give him notice to quit, but found to their disgust that their legal difficulties were unsurmountable. This house was built on an ancient boundary, the bedroom being on the Packenham-Mahon estate in the parish of Athleague, Barony of Athlone and County of Roscommon, and the kitchen on the Pollock estate, in the parish of Kilbegnet, Barony of Ballymoe and County of Galway.

A few hundred yards from Cappagh School, there stands a rather wrecked looked building. In days gone by it was supposed to belong to a cruel tyrant called Riobárd na nGligearné. He was so called on account of the rattling armour he used to wear.
He was a great persecutor of the Catholics and put several to death on account of the faith. In order to save "his own skin" he built an underground tunnel, from his castle in Tobbervaddy, near Creggs, to Athleague and used to travel underground between those two places. One morning after having put to death the only son of a widow, he set out on horse back for Dublin. On the way his horse lost a shoe and he was obliged to alight and visit a forge.
In the course of the conversation with the blacksmith, he said he often

peculiar to that period. The other two rocks acted as tables.
Having partaken of the meal and staked their thirst at the mineral spring close by, they began to experience the ancient equivalent to the "Kruschen feeling" and started boasting about their inordinate strength.
This so displeased the mighty Fionn, that he picked up one of the mighty stones on which they had eaten and flung it from him with all his force in the direction of Sliabh Bán. It slipped through his fingers and only reached the village of Curragh, just across the Galway-Roscommon border which it may be seen to the present day, with the marks of his fingers upon it. Their stone is called "Cloc ?" In order to show his companions he could do better, he picked up the second mighty rock and threw it into River Suck, beating his first mark by 3 miles. This stone is called Leagh Kenn and it is from this rock that the town of Athleague derived its name

stad siad agus séard a rinneadar ná cloc mór do caitheadh síós ar na náimdhe agus cuadhadar slán abhaile. Deirtear gur thuit an cloc ag Athleague in aice abann ar a dtugtar an Suck agus go bhfuil sé ann fós.
When the famine raged in Ireland there was a number of Franciscans who lied in Mount Bellow. It is believed that God had revealed to these men about the famine and on that account they had saved some food. After a while the poor people came to the Franciscans an asked for food. They put a big boiler on the fire and filled it with meal and boiled it. After som time they divided it between the poor peple. Many Irish were saved from death by those generous men. Ten years after the famine the English killed some of the Franciscans in Mt. Bellow and the others left and went to Abbey but Franciscans came to Mount Bellow again some years ago.About the same time there was a young relegious girl in "Barna Dearg." Her father was often punished by the English and at last he was killed

Place. She used to disturb the ether on Rookwood ?? and in Gurteen. These open air dances were strongly objected to by the Parish Priest of Athleague, Canon Casey
“Spoil the Tune”
In these days if a boy wanted to dance with a particular partner he took her off her partner by “spoiling the tune”, a practise which must have been originated by the musicians of the day. By throwing a penny or halfpenny under the musicians feet you automatically excuse any dancer of his partner and remain dancing until some other one present would do likewise. Jack Mahon and Pat Hogan were notes local dancers They were both hale and hearty yet although they are the

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Rocks from Sliabh Muire
From the ice age to the time of the Fianna there were three huge rocks on the summit of Sliabh Muire. One is still there towering above the whins and heather. Another is in the village of Curragh just across the Galway-Roscommon border, and the third is just visible above the waters of the River Suck, about thirty yards west of Athleague bridge
The separation of those three rocks came about in this way. One day when Fionn Mac Cumhail and his companions were hunting on Sliabh Muire they