My father - John Brien Ardfinnan - told me a story about Baylough - a lake on the mountain near Clogheen. Some men from Clogheen went to Baylough to draw water from it; on their way home, they saw, - as they thought; Clogheen on fire; they threw away the water and ran home; but they were more surprised when they got to Clogheen, to see there had been no fire. They went another day and the same thing happened. So they never went to draw water from the lough after that.

There was a notorious outlaw living in the Knockmealdown Mountains known as Phelim O'Mara. At the time of the Penal Laws a priest was was captured & imprisoned in Clogheen Barracks. This priests brother had gone to France as one of the Wild Geese after the Treaty of Limerick. Hearing of his brother's arrest, he decided to come home to lend his assistance in trying to rescue him in some way. On his way across the Knockmealdowns to Clogheen, he was accosted by O'Meara who asked where he was going etc. On hearing his story O'Meara offered his help saying he would get a band of Whiteboys to help. The "French" soldiers thought that it would be useless to try to rescue the priest by "force", as English soldiers were garrisoned in Clogheen & were well equipped. O'Meara persisted & soon the band marched to Clogheen. Strangely enough the "French " soldiers

Going back to a further period in the history of Clogheen, we find that Cromwell on his way from Youghal to the seige of Clonmel stayed overnight at the old Manor Inn, "The Star and Garter," said Inn was maintained under the Feudal system by the Lord of the Manor- Baron Ilkerrin. One of walls of this Inn is still intact and can be seen as you pass through the town. In 1775-1776 during the Whiteboy activity the streets of Clogheen were like a shambles, public executions and public floggings were the order of the hour. The famous Burke of Ruska Castle near Cahir was one of those publicly flogged in the streets of Clogheen, Quinn the celebrated actor was born (of) in Clogheen, and also Mary Palmer the mother of Thomas Clarke one of the signatories to the proclamation of Easter

Once two men set out from Clogheen with the intention of letting the water out of Baylough because they wanted to find out if the saying that there was no bottom to one part of it was true. They had just begun to dig when something made one man look back and he saw as he thought that Clogheen was on fire. He called to the other man and they both dashed down to Clogheen to find that it was not on fire at all. So the people say there is some spirit guarding Baylough and it will never be drained of its water.

There is a place called "Bay Lough" situated between Mount Mellerary and Clogheen, at the foot of the mountain overlooking a place called the "V". This is the new road from Clogheen to Mount Mellerry, but the old road from Clogheen to Mount Melleraray passed by the edge of "Bay Lough," where several people having recourse to this road often met this bad and dangerous woman called

the famine and his residence was in Castlegrace, near Clogheen. He died and was brought to his burial place on a horse and dray, and his grave is on the highest peak of the Knockmealdown mountains. His tombstone can be seen from Clogheen on a very sunny day. He asked to be buried with his dog and gun in a height from which he could see his residence and that is the reason why he is buried up there.

*Clogheen. There is a place between Ballykelly and Brackna called Clogheen. There was a monastery there, and the bell was cut off and thrown into the River. It kept ringing for years and it was heard by the people.

The road passing the school leads from Cahir to Clogheen. The part leading from Ballylooby to Clogheen is called the New Line. It was made during the Famine Period, in order to give employment to the people. There is another new road leading from Cahir to Mitchelstown on the north side of this parish. The old road to Clogheen is now the road to Burncourt, and it is a very hilly one.There are a good many old roads in this locality, some of them having preserved their old Irish names, such as Bóthar n'Árnán, Bóthar-an-Mhuilinn and Bóthar an Bhachaigh.There were many fords across the river Thonogue such as Áth na Ceárdchan and Beal Átha Luíbe which gives its name to the village.

Petticoat Luce
Pettycoat Luce was a bad living woman. She killed her father and her mother and an unbaptised child. The Parish Priest of Clogheen gave her a penance to drain Bay Lough with a thimble. Some people from Clogheen went up to Bay Lough to make an outlet to let the water run out. When they were there they saw that Clogheen was on fire They ran down to save it . When they got down it was not on fire at all. One day a man was going on a horse and car to Cappoquin. Petticoat Luce sat up behind on the car. The man wondered why the horse was going so slow. He looked back and saw Pettioat Luce on the back of the car. It was said that she killed

these people were very wealthy and some of them had very fine estates and residences. In the town of Clogheen alone there were four or five flour mills besides a brewery. The population of Clogheen was then about two thousand though at the present time it is hardly five hundred. All these mills were owned by the Grubbs, Fennells, and Malcomsons. On the adoption of Free Trade in England the price of wheat fell very low and the farmers gave up growing the crop. As a consequence the mills had to close down and have been idle ever since. Many of the Quaker families have died out.
The family of Fennell had a private burial ground of their own at a place called Kilcommon between Cahir and Ardfinnan. This little cemetery is called Garreenalive locally.
The late Mr. Samuel Grubb of Castlegrace, Clogheen, willed on his death bed to be buried on the side of Knockmealdown Mountain overlooking his residence at Castlegrace.

By the side of the Knockmealdown Mountains there lies a lake called Beal Lough and this lake is supposed to be enchanted by a dammed sould called Petti-coat-Lewis. In years gone by the farmers used to carry the corn from CLogheen to the stores of Lismore, and it was by the lake the road ran. One night a man was returning with his horse and cart and as he was travelling by the side of the lake he met a woman who asked him for a drive. Thinking she was from Clogheen he told her take a seat. He went along for a little while and he had not gone dar when his horse began to sweat and seemed exhausted. He simple said "what is wrong with my horse to-night, I never saw him in such a state." The woman said "Perhaps you have more weight than you think as there's aton weight in every limb of me and its well for you you gave me the drive." so saying she disappeared. The man went home and put up his horse and the following morning the horse was dead. The man went to the proest in Clogheen and told him what had happened. The priest went out to the Lough and after reading for some time the woman came forth. He asked her what she was doing she said, I am a dammed soul doing Penang." He asked her what wrong she did that dammed her, and she replied. " I was adding water to milk which I was selling," the priest said, "that did not damn you"

One day a man was coming along the main road from Clogheen to Curncout on horse-back. As he was coming towards the big hill named Log-an tSagairt he felt a queer feeling coming over him. His horse began to jump and sweat fiercely. He looked around him and to his amazement he a woman running after him. This woman's name was Petticoatlewis. She overtook him and jumped on his horse's back. He had a black-handled knife on his person and he drew it and stuck it in her hand. She said "Pull and stick it again". The man understood what she was going to do to him, she would kill him if he pulled the knife again. She then fell dead on the road. Afterwards she was seen on the side of Boy Lough. When the parish priest of Clogheen heard she was there he set out on his black pony. The priest's name was Father Shanahan. Some people in Clogheen wanted to go out with him but he would not allow them. When he reached the lake he did not see the woman but she came forth after a time. When he returned he told them he had banished her to the Red Sea to drain it with a tailor's thimble. Later the priest was out for a walk and a tree fell on him and killed him.

In the vicinity of Clogheen and in the townsland of Killcaroon an old white thorn tree stands alone overlooking the main road from Clogheen to Ballyporeen. It is known locally as "the fairy tree". Tradition maintains that long ago men were hanged from its branches and buried at its roots and further tradition asserts that these men were sworn before execution to guard during all time the treasure deposited there by the fleeing Danes from the onward and victorious march of Brian Boru's army.
At night young and old people would not go near this tree lest they should encounter the eerie folk who guard its treasure.
Quite recently the legend associated with it has acquired an almost international fame, owing to the song known as "the fairy tree of Clogheen", composed by a well known author and sung by the famous tenor Count John McCormac to American and British audiences

The local fairs held are Ballyporeen, Clogheen, Lismore, Fermoy and Mitchelstown. In Mitchelstown, Ballyporeen, Clogheen the fair is held in the streets. In Lismore and Fermoy the fair is held in the fair field. Local buyers go around to the farmers houses buying cattle, sheep and pigs. There was a fair held in Ballyduff some time ago but it is not now. This fair was done away with because the people used to be fighting. We did not hear of any fair held near any old castle or a fort.
Toll is paid in the fairs of Mitchelstown and Fermoy but in Ballyporeen, Lismore and Clogheen the people are let in for free. It is to a man of the County Council the money is paid. Two pence a head is paid in Fermoy and Mitchelstown but in Ballyporeen and Lismore

of years longer. So here is your money and I will lead you out to where I met you." The man came back from under the lake. The news went round about a town being under the lake and there was a gentleman living not too far away and he said he would see if there was a town under it he got some workmen from Clogheen to cut way the bank before the lough, they were not long at work when they saw the gentlemans house as if it were on fire, but when they arrived there was no fire, so they came back again and went to work and they were not long at it again when they saw the town of Clogheen as if it were on fire, some of the men's homes were in the town, so they ran off to save their houses, but when they reached the town, there was no fire and they returned to the lough no more.

There were mills in Caher Clogheen owned by Quakers and the traffic on the road from Kilbehenny to Caher was mostly common cars going to these mills.

the lake, which is said to be an never-ending lake. It is said by the old people that if the water would be stirred, the lake would overflow and the village of Clogheen would lie beneath its waters.
Long ago a cow called "Glar Géineach" used to go around from place to place only staying in the good land. The cow went down to Modeligo, Co. Waterford where there lived an old lady who caught this cow and began to milk her through a sieve and the cow stretched out dead. The woman ran off to the neighbours for help to bury her, but when she came back the cow had disappeared.
Long ago the old people when coming from fairs and markets used see cats and dogs not belonging to this world and they presumed it was a sign for them to hurry home that danger was nigh.
There is a cave in Clogheen calle Clogheen Cave. There is a stone stairs going down through the ground and a lovely building underground

Bay Lough is a small but very deep lake, situated in the Knockmealdown mountains, about one mile from the village of Clogheen. The old people tell this story.A long time ago some men went to drain Bay Lough, probably for some people who were short of water. They were using diggers to root up the ground. They were just beginning to root the ground when they looked down towards Clogheen, and thought the village was on fire. They immediately fled and left diggers

he stopped and listened. The noise kept on and it sounded like some-body would be driving cattle down through it going to the fair. He didn’t take any great notice of it for there were people living up that way and he thought to himself that it must be some of them that were there. At last a man came down and out on the road and he having one cow with a rope out of her. He passed near the Clogheen man, but if he did he didn’t salute him or even look at him.He headed east the road as if he was going to the fair and the Clogheen man started off after him. He was doing his best trying to overtake the man in front of him as that they would both be together. But no matter how he hurried the man in front kept the same distance ahead all the time – about ten yards between them. When they had gone a fine spell of the road he called him to wait for him, and he called him a couple of times, but the man in front paid no heed but kept going on the whole

My ancestors lived near Mitchelstown Co. Cork and when the monks came to Mt. Melleray they used ride there on their horses and saddles and take weapons with them to help the monks to fix up the place. Between Mitchelstown and Mt. Melleray outside Clogheen is place known as Bay Lough. Years ago there lived in this district an old woman called Pettiecoat Lewis or Loose. She used to sell milk to the poor people and it was found out on her that she used to mix water through the milk. Another story says that she killed a love child that had been boarded out with her and for one of those reasons the P.P. of Clogheen banished her to the Red Sea. Anyhow she is now chained to the bottom of Bay Lough and is trying to drain the lake with a thimble that has no bottom. Sometimes she appears around Bay Lough at night and waylays travellers. One very dark night a man was passing by Bay Lough and he saw an old woman standing by the side of the road. She asked him for a lift and the minute she got into the