In the townland of Curraghamone there is a small fort from which there is a tunnelled passage to an old building in the next townland of Ballinatone. Stone steps lead down from the fort to the underground passage which is flagged on floor, sides and roof, and the passage emerges in the old building in Ballinatone already referred to, and which is on an eminence known as the Altar Hill.

There was another old school near where Ballinatone school now stands. The last teacher was Mrs. Reynolds. The school was destroyed in a bad storm.

attention from the authorities responsible for the preservation of National Monuments. The surrounding lands originally belonging to the Monastic establishment are really in the townland of Bahana but by long association with the Whaley family they- by usage - have become known and recognised as Whaley Abbey.
Many stories are published concerning the escapades of the celebrated Buck Whaley most of which are true. He was a son of Richard Chapple Whaley. He was undoubtedly a sport of first order. He kept a stud of race horses at Whaley Abbey & one of them - the celebrated "Burgundy" won many valuable stakes. A set of shoes worn by this animal can be seen to this day nailed to the door of one of the coach houses. The last of the Whaley family died in the seventies of the last century.
The tenants and employees decorated with crepe and white scarfs made an imposing turnout at his funeral to Ballinatone . Some years prior to his death the estate had passed to Mr. William F. Littledale, a Dublin solicitor. He engaged the services of an experienced Scotch steward

The Local RoadsThe local roads around here are Ballinderry road, Greenane road, Union lane, Stump road, Ballece road, and Mill's lane. These roads are not ami roads, Mill's lane was a main road in olden times and used to be the main road to Wexford. During the famine the main road from Dublin to Wexford was made. During the famine times the road makers got only tenpence a day. There was an old grassey path leading from Rathdrum to Ballinatone.Before the bridges wer made, at a shallow part of the river there was a lot of sand. The people used to cross on big stones. The location of these fords are one in

I live in the townland of Cronemore, in the parish of Ballinatone, in the Barony of Wicklow.
There are about eighty families in the townland, about four hundred people, there are a great lot of old people, in the townland, which tell old stories, not in Irish because they do not know it, but in English.
There were a great lot of houses which are now in ruins and in some places you would not know that there was a house there, the reason for all these houses was because there were mines not very far away.
There are also many wells, which there are tales about.

There is a Motty stone a good distance away from our house, and it was put there by a giant.
There is a big round rock up in Glenmalure and the people say that it was put there by a giant, it is up on the top of a heap of stones and they call it the Giant's stone.
Bennie O'Leary 31st Oct 1938.
Ballinatone

There is an old graveyard near the Rectory which is not in use now. There are some old tombs in it. One of them is to Michael Carter who died in 1764.
Ben O'LEary
Ballinatone, Rathdrum.

to do the week.
They used to bake cakes on the hearth, they used to (bake) clean the hearth-stone and then make it hot and then put the cake on it and it would bake with the heath of the fire.
They used to bake their bread about half past eleven in the morning. In those days they used not to use cream of tartar, they used yeast and it used to leave the cakes very high.Bennie O'Leary, 17th Oct. 1938.
Ballinatone

Bell Rock See page 2. When the mines were open - over 50 years ago - a bell was erected on top of this rock to summon men to work - to dinner - to dismiss etc. Some say this bell gave the name to the rock. G.Higgins, Avoca
Raths, Giant's Graves. In Knockenree - in Dan Kearn's bog, near Sulphur Brook are two raised mounds in the field - these are called Giants' Graves. H.Alexander, Knockenree.
Griffins Moat. On lands of Parknashaw - overlooking the southern end of the vale is this mound or mote (moat). From this mound the Castle (p2) was fired on & from here the canon ball found in the castle (p6) was fired. Fir deal trees grow on the mound. Never tilled - never examined. Mrs Greene, The Castle.
Hill Picket (see page 5). This road constructed over 100 years ago by a man called Whaley who lived in Whaley Abbey near Ballinatone near Aughrim. Mrs Kinch, Ballygahan.

I know of a stone in the Minister's field and it is an old tomb stone and I do not know who it belongs to but people say that it belongs to a man in this parish that died a very long time ago and that he was buried in the Minister's field and that a long time ago the tomb was disturbed and it is (l) against the ditch now.
There is a stone on the Ballynabarney road and it has two little holes in it and even in the summer they are full of water. This stone is said to have been in an old monastery for holding holy water. When the monastery was blown up the stone landed where it now is.
There is a stone at the (bad) back of our house. it is a square stone with two holes in it and people say that is where a person is buried and that the stone is an old fashioned tombstone.
Benny O'Leary
Ballinatone
Rathdrum

Old Houses
They used to have no glass in the window but they used to put two sticks across one another and then nail skin on them or canvas.
The floors at that time were made out of mud.
They used to have whole doors but they used to have half doors outside the whole doors as the people used to say that was for keeping the hens out of the kitchen.
At night they used to use candles and rush lights.
Benny O'Leary,
Ballinatone,
Rathdrum.

1798 Rebellion.During the 1798 rebellion there was a barracks built in Glenmalure called Drumgoff Barracks. A lot of soldiers stayed there during the fighting. Some of the Byrnes were fighting at that time.
There is a story that one of the soldiers had a lot of money which he hid under the iron stairs before he died. People say that the soldier still is in the ruins and that they have seen his ghost. A man named Michael Byrne was taking some stones once and he found a pair of boots and a jam-pot full of pennies.
Ben O'Leary,
Ballinatone,
Rathdrum

Riddles.
There was a little house a mouse could not live in it and all the men in town could not count how many windows in it.
A thimble.What has a mouth and no tongue.
A river.Patches upon patches without stitches,
A head of cabbage.Benny O'Leary 21st December
Ballinatone
Rathdrum

whose name was Mr Wheeler. He was a Protestant school-master who used to spend a lot of his time making poetry. He composed all in English. The local people liked him very well. He was buried in Ballinatone.
There are a couple of poets in the parish of (Ire) Aughrim, that write poetry and send it sometimes to the local papers.
One of them writes under the name of Crom Abú and the other the Roving Bard. Crom Abú writes poetry from history, The Roving Bard writes about the (coount) country-side as he goes along.
Told by Joshep O'Byrne
Ballycreen
Age 50 years
Eddie O'Byrne
Cronawinna