Long ago, the people of many towns and villages hated each other. Caherlistrane and Shrule were very much against each other. When the Caherlistranes used to come to a foot ball in Shrule, the Shrules used to beat them with sticks, and when the Caherlistranes used to meet the Shrules at the Headford fair, they used have never

Patrick Mannix won the All Ireland walking championship in 1918. He challenged four men who were the pick of the 32 counties for a 20 miles walk. The journey was from McQuinn's Cross of Gortatlea as it was then called and now Henue's Cross to a mile from Headford Junction. He gave each man a start of a hundred yards but he beat them by ten minutes. The time taken to do the journey was

the Headford Ambush took place. Commander Daniel Allman of Rockfield and volunteer Bailey of Tralee was killed in the Ambush. They are still holding an anniversary to their memory. They are buried in Aglish in a Republican plot. Pay Allman is also buried there and he died for the same cause.

The reaping book and flail were much used, also scythe ploughs and harrows were wooden. Harrows used have iron parts inserted at forge. The Buailteán and the Colpán were the parts of flail, held together by thong made of sheepskin. They still make a Bórán like a sieve (but of course no holes) from skin of sheep for giving oats to horse. Threshing was done in a barn. Long ago corn was ground by quern upper stone had wooden handle and hole wherin corn was dropped and fell bet. two stones. Drinking vessels were noggins and smaller type held two tumblerfuls handles straight up from side. Timber twisted - with few tacks or short nails. Blue type and copper coloured delph.(There is a wooden jug in Hyland's house in Kilvolan) top noteWomen old and young wore white caps with frills made by gouffering iron.
TITHESThere lived 3 Hacketts in Headford. Martin, Pat & -- Pat was the tithe collector. Used to have men helping him. The tithes went to Protestant Minister of Headford. One Minister was Plunkett. Sometimes his salary was £500 per an. One Minister had £1,200. People had to give so much oats. People resisted. Mike Taidhg O'Rielly headed the Killamonagh contingent. His grandson lives in Killamonagh now. Patie Rielly. Sometimes blood was

There used to be a lot of fairs long ago. The nearest place that fairs were held long ago is in Castle-hacket, Shrule, and Headford. Fairs are also held in these places at the present time.
The people had different rules at fairs long ago than that of the present time. The buyers used to mark the cattle long ago with a scissors. They used to give them a cut of the scissors on the back of the animal and other times they used to mark with chalk. The buyers mark them with a raddle now at the fairs and also with chalk.
The greatest fairs held around here now are in Tuam, Clare-Morris, Ballinrobe, Kilmaine, and Headford. Buyers come from far off places such as West-Meath, Sligo, Meath, and Dublin to these fairs to buy the stock.
Long ago when a man would buy a cow or calf from another man, he used to leave the stock at the sellers place and he would part of the money perhaps two or three shillings to the seller for the stock so that no one could buy the stock on him then. It is called "Earnest" money.
When a person buys a cow or calve, calf or anything at all the seller gives them

párdún do'n bheirt sagart, sgriobhtha le n-a chuid fola féin. Sgríobh an Bruanach é sin le n-a chuid fola féin. Níor marbhuigheadh aon sagart as sin amach.In an old Lisheen in Glencorrib Co. Mayo not far from Headford the Mass was said there in penal days. The track of the Mass book is still to be seen in a stone there.

Michael Naughton's father was a turf merchant. One morning he went to Headford with a cart of turf, he sold it to an old woman in the town. Soon after he got another order the same day. As he had a good lively three year old mare he brought back a second load. It was dark when he left town and when he came to the graveyard as he had no courage and his horse was quiet he left her standing on the side of the road. Then a rap struck on the gate and he asked who was there and the woman said "I that was there." John went in the cart and she came with him as far as the bóithrín in front of our house. She asked him would he come to her grave and say her prayers there for twelve nights, He did as he was told and on the twelfth night he saw her going up into the sky in a ball of light.

There are several caves & lisheens between Knockroon & Caherlistrane townlands. There were Friars in Abbeytown in 1641.
Bothar na mBacach bet Headford & Shrule so called from number of beggarmen on way to Connemara.

One night two men from the village of Mosafort (Caherlistrane)were coming home from the fair of Headford. Hen they were passing the graveyard at Donaghanpatrick, a black pig lied across the road before them. They hit the pig with the stick, but it did not stir. They blessed themselves three times and it disappeared. When they were near Michale Kennedy's (Oldtore) a woman was there before them and she asked them why did they hit her. They said that they did not but that it was a black pig they hit. The pig kept after the men until they came to McHugh's a little farther on. I disappeared then and they did not see it after that.

In the month of Nov. in the year 1892, John Mulroney (Donaghpatrick) took his gun, his dog and his boat and sailed into the island quietly. (Island in Lough Hacket.) The day was so fine that it would not stir a rib on his head. He heard noise on the Headford direction, and a big storm arose at once. All the ducks gathered to the shelter of the island. He fired his gun and shot sixteen ducks. By his own help and the dog's he took them in. The storm arose furiously, and the spray scattered all over the island. HE made a fire and night came on, and no chance to leave the island. HE got hungry and plucked a duck and eat it, himself and the dog. This was almost 10 o'clock. He sat down and fell asleep. When he awoke, he didn't know wat time was it, but by judging

Opposite the white Church in Headford and the graveyard, both of which are Protestant, there is a house. For about one year my father lived in it, and one night he would hear a knock at the door, and another time he would hear footsteps on the stairs, or he would see a light down in the kitchen, or he often saw a light through the keyhole in his door. My aunt, Bridie Hughes went to sleep in it one night. She heard it was haunted but she would not believe it. In the middle of the night she was awakened by a sudden noise outside and she heard three knocks at the door and in the morning when she got up the door was unlocked and it was locked the previous night.

2. A Bad Eye.One night about forty years ago John Mulroe was after coming from the market of Headford. He was on his way home with four bonhams in the cart, and he met a man who looked at them and he never said "God bless them"

About the year 1928 a terrible draught came. It lasted for about a month an the ground got very hard and the grass was burnt up.
People had to go ten or eleven miles for water for animals as well as for their own use. Thaddy Higgins, Kilcurriff, Corofin, had to go nine miles to Dough Coona with two barrels every day for water. Dough Cona is a field about five miles from Headford.

Moran was a man who lived in Shrule. He was a brushmaker. He had two sons Pat and Mike. He had an uncle, a goldsmith in Headford. He used to go to Dalgan every Friday pulling heath. One day as they were pulling heath they found a beautiful feather under a tree. They brought it home and showed it to the goldsmith and he said if they found the bird which had lost the feather Moran would be a rich man. Next day the two sons went to where they found the feather. They saw the nest on the tree. Mike climbed the tree and

There was once a man living near Headford and he was building a new house. When he was digging the sand he dug up some bones and he gathered them up and brought them into the house. A tramp came to him in the evening and he asked lodging of him and he got it. In the middle of the night blood started to fall on him and he called the other man. When the man looked at him he was covered in blood. The tramp said that it was he who killed the man and buried him where the other man got the bones.

There was a weaver in Shrule about sixty years ago and also a nail maker.
There was a cooper in "Headford" and his name was Burke. There was also another in "Hill na Manach" and his name was Hughes. The thatcher who was around here was Banavan. He had no other job but thatching and used to go around to different villages at different times of the year.

Moran was a man who lived in Shrule. He had two sons, Pat and Mike. He was a brushmaker and he used to go to Dalgan pulling heath with his sons. He had an uncle in Headford a goldsmith who used to visit him once a week. One Friday as Moran and his sons were pulling heath they found a beautiful feather under a tree. They brought it home and showed it to their uncle. When he saw it he said if they got the bird which lost

There was once a young man who lived near Headford. His aunt lived in a house about half a mile from his house. This woman lived in the house all alone. One night this woman came visiting to the man's house and there were many other young men there also and they were playing cards. When it got very late the young men asked her why did'nt she go home. She said that when she went into bed every night fairies came in the very moment the light was quenched they knocked the dresser and every thing in the house and they put every thing back in it's own place again. She said that she did not sleep for one hour after going to bed. The young man

There was once a man living in Cloonee and his name was Tim Mooney. One day Tim Mooney wanted a bag of oats and he went to the market of Headford. When he went to the crane there was a man selling oats. There used to be five hundred weight in the bags at that time. Tim Mooney bought a bag and he wanted to bring it down the town. Five or six men put the bag on his back. When he was going down the town there was another man at the crane and he jumped on top of the bag on Tim Mooney's back but Tim did not know that he was on it at all until he was taking down the bag when the other man jumped off. His name was "Seán" Ned.

On the 2nd June many years ago in Castlehacket near Headford, a goat hammered at a cottage door before the occupants of the house were up. The woman of the house got up tried to put him away. Instead he stuck his horns in her clothes and dragged her on to the next cottage. That (?) man got a pitchfork at the goat but he and the pitchfork got stuck also to the goat. He went along until he had about a dozen men and women stuck to him. He took them into a Lug