Hurling and Football Matches
The Firies football team played against Listry at Faha about sixty years ago. The strongest men in the parish were usually picked. The men of Firies won the match. Jerry Meara nd Daniel Mahony won fame on the field. The Firies kicked the ball home before them through the fields.
The players were dressed in their Sunday clothes. There was no refereeing done. The ball that they used sometimes was made of tanned skin of a dog with a cow's bladder inside. No goal posts were used, but two coats were the usual thing for marking the goal space. These football games were called Rough and Tumble. Jerry Meara was a farmer. He lived at Lisheen na Cannia, Ballyhar. He was a great footballer and played against Listry for the Firies team. He died about ten years ago. Daniel Mahony was also a farmer. He lived at Ballybane, Farranfore. He played for the Firies team against Listry at Faha and died about

Firies Castle
Firies Castle was built by the OConnors. It is in the townland of Firies, in the parish of Firies, in the barony of Magunihy and in the county of Kerry. It is in the farm of Timothy OSullivan.
It was built in the thirteenth century and it was knocked in the sixteenth century It was a very small castle. It is in a ruin with over two hundred years. Numerous woods flourished for miles around it. It is from these wood that Firies got its name. When the McCarthy Mores had possession of the castle a great number of battles were fought. These battles were fought mostly between the Fitzmaurices and the McCarthy Mores. The Fitzmaurices were descendants of Reamon Le Gros. They changed their name to Fitzmaurice. A very small portion of the castle remains still.
Michael Curtin
Molahiffe
Firies
Co. KerryMrs. Curtin
Molahiffe

Hurling and Football
Long ago when there were no rules in playing football the people called it "rough and tumble". There was a team in every parish. The Firies team was the leading team. The Currow team was the second best and the men of this team were the smallest and the stoutist men that Firies played. Once Firies played and beat Kilcummin in a field near Lawlor's Cross. Some of this team were Michael Darby O'Sullivan, Knockaderry, Tim Lyne, Goulane, John Leary Rossmore, Dan Mahony Ballybane and Jer. Meara. Michael Riordan of Longfield also played for Firies. Some of the Kilcummin team were John Counihan, Dan Horgan, Michael Moriarty and John Healy. There were seventeen men on each side. John Leary and Michael Sullivan won fame on the field. Dan Horgan played the best man for Kilcummin. The players were dressed in their plain clothes. The branches of trees were stuck in the ground to mark the goal space. Hurling was also played in Boolacullane.
James Fitzgerald.

Molahiffe Castle
Molahiffe Castle is in the townland of Castlefarm, in the parish of Firies, in the barony of Magunihy, and in the County of Kerry. It is in the farm of Tim Mc Mahon. It was Maurice Fitzgerald, son of Ramond Le Gros that built it. It is built about seven hundred and twenty years. A man by the name of Fitzmaurice that owned this castle after Maurice. During his reigh the castle was besieged by a family of the Spring. Spring then took possession of the castle. A man by the name of Browne that took possession of the castle after Spring. Browne was the last to live in it. A very small portion of this castle remains still. There is an under ground cave leading from it to Firies Castle and another one to Clounmellane Castle. Firies Castle and Clounmellane Castle were built about the same time.
Michael Curtin
Molahiffe
Firies
Co. KerryMrs. Curtin
Molahiffe
Firies

Two families of the Larkins lived at Boulia, Firies, Farranfore.
James Larkin was married to Mary Brosnan from Dromore, Firies, Farranfore. It was these Brosnans who helped the Larkins in the faction fight.
This James Larkin was a proctor. He was a good scholar and won the proctorship by examination. This is the story told about the examination. One day James was on his way from Cork to Tralee with a load of goods. As he was passing "Firies Upper Cross" he saw some well dressed young men going towards Castlemaine. He was told that a Parson was holding an examination for proctorship at Castlemaine and that the young men were going for the examination.

Local Forges
There are two forges in this parish namely, Firies Forge and Farranfore Forge.
Tomas Hartigan and James Daly are the smiths of Firies Forge. The Hartigans have been smiths for many years. Firies Forge is situated in a laneway and is about twenty yards from Firies River.
It is built of stone, mortar and timber whilst it is roofed with felt, tar, timber and pebbles. The door is of no special shape. There are two bellows within. They are made of iron. They are worked by means of twisting a handle. There are two fireplaces in it also. The implements by the smiths are: hammers, sledge, a knife, an anvil, a hacksaw, a rasp, a tape, a pincers, a vice, a set files and nails.
William Sheehan and James Sullivan are the smiths of Farranfore Forge. William Sheehan's father is a farmer. This forge is situated on the roadside.
The walls are built of timber, felt and tar, and it is roofed with timber, felt and tar. The door is made of timber. There is but one fireplace and one bellows in this forge. The bellows is made of leather and timber and it is worked

2.
Daniel Mahony, Lisheen, Firies, Farranfore is now eighty nine years of age. In his youth he was very good at three "standing jumps"
More than sixty years ago, on the occcasion of the Bishop's visit to Firies, he jumped thirty six feet in three "standing jumps". The jumping was witnessed by the parishioners who were waiting for the arrival of the Bishop.
Daniel Flynn, Longfield, Firies, and Jeremiah Daly, Knockaderry, Farranfore also competed. Flynn was only a few inches back from Mahony and was declared winner by the spectators, who disqualified Mahony because he didn't keep his heels together.
The jumping took place in front of the church. The grove was not then planted.

This match was played between the Laune Rangers and Ballymcelligott at Castlefarm. There were fifteen on either side. A man from Tralee that refereed the match. It was played about the year eighteen ninty two. The Laune Rangers won and the field in which they played still bears the name the Ranger's Field. this is in the farm of Tim Mc Mahon, Castlefarm, Firies, J.P. O'Sullivan Firies who was the captain of the Laune Rangers played the best man in the field. Brian Connor who played with Ballymcelligott played very well also. Jerry Clifford was captain of the Ballymcelligott team. Most of the players are dead now. The two captains are dead with years. Other players that played are Maurice Moynihan Tralee and Michael Daly. Both teams wore togs. The colour the Laune Rangers had on the togs was the green and gold. The football was size six.

Firies) because he never sold a bit of straight cord."

The Larkin Family (contd.)
2. Andrew Larkin lived on another farm at Boulia. He was a cousin to James Larkin (the proctor). Andrew was a weaver and kept a number of weavers on hire. He was married to Mary Scott from Rusheen (East), Firies, Farranfore. Their son James died without an heir an left the farm to his niece, Mary Connor from Rathcommane, Ballyhar, Farranfore. This Mary Connor (Mrs. Mary Connor, now a widow) is the present owner of the farm. She has one son, John.
3. A third family of the Larkins in Firies Village. They were weavers. There is no member of this family in Firies now.
4. A fourth family lived in Listry. Their descendants are still there.These four families were the same Larking and originally they were all weavers. The Larking of Firies were weaving about fifty years ago.
Jack Larkin, the robber belonged to some one of the two Boulia families.
He was married and it is supposed that it was his people-in-law, who were bad, that led him astray.
The following story is told about him. One night he and his brothers-in-law went to

There was a man living near Firies Village long ago and one night he was called that the cows were in the garden. He went out and he saw the cows and they were allright. When he was coming home he saw a match between Firies and Ballymacelligott. One of the players came to him and gave him a hurley and he played with them. When he was going home they asked him for the hurley but he refused to give it to (him) them. He brought the hurley home with him and he told his wife to call him for early mass but when went to call him he was dead.

Inter-parish football matches were played in this district (parish of Ballyhar, Co. Kerry) in old times - up to fifty years ago or so. Ballyhar and Firies - that is the pick of these two parishes - played Kiltuirmin(?) parish and part of Killarney parish called Poll na Muc, in the year 1875. The match was played in a field of Pat Lawlor's farm, townland of Dromadeesert, in the parish of Kilcummin. As was the custom at that time fifteen men were in each team. The players were selected according to merit. Ballyhar and Firies won the match. At that time "goals" were counted in the same. "Points" were not.

Kevin Horgan
Molahiffe Firies
12 1/2 years School pupil
28-1-36A Carving Blacksmith
Long ago there lived in Firies a Blacksmiith. When his mother died he buried her in Molahiffe churchyard. Wilmot was his name. He cut a big stone and put his name on it. He carved on it a hammer, a pincers, and an anvil. It was a ton weight. He brought it from Firies on his shoulder to the graveyard and laid it on his mothers grave. This story is about eighty years old. The stone is still to be seen in the churchyard.

Firies Ghost Story.
A landlord living in Firies very many years ago had a great love for trees. For one very very old tree, planted near his residence he had a special reverence.
A troublesome tenant knew this and asked him for timber from the tree

They are the longest tribe in it. They first came from Kilcummin to Firies and from Firies to Ballyfinane. They are in Ballyfinane with two-hundred years.
The home we are living in at present is built with thirty years. The house previous to it was very ancient - as tradition says before it was inhabited by the Teahons- it was a draper's shop by Reidy from Gurrane-Drough.
The townland is said to have got its name

A. Same as in page 1.
B. At one time there lived in the parish of Firies Co. Kerry, a man who had a white-headed cow. (bó ceaundun). One day she strayed away. The owner who spend a few days looking for her found her in a fort. The townland in which this fort was situated is since known as Lisheenacannina (lisín na bó ceannaenne). It is in the parish of Firies, Co. Kerry.C Same as in page 1.

One road running through part of this parish(Firies, Co. Kerry) is knows as the "Mail Coach Road". It is so called because a coach carrying letters used to go there before the railway was made. That coach was drawn by horses. The road was made about two hundred years ago. Another road about half a mile long in the parish(Firies) is called Bohereen Berry. I believe it is so called because strawberries are found growing on the dykes which for its fences. This latter road connects the mail coach road with another running parallel to it.
During the famine period a road was made from a place called Coolbane(parish of Kilcummin) to a place called Coolick, in the parish of

Micky Barry
Micky Barry was a carpenter. He lived up the forge lane at Firies. He wanted an oak tree for to make spokes for wheels for his customers. There were oak trees growing at Batterfield. The old landlord that got them planted there was supposed to come back years after his death to mind them. His name was Mahony. Micky Barry did not believe in ghosts. One night at twelve o'clock Micky cut one of the oak trees and as soon as it fell on the ground the old landlord appeared and sat on its trunk. Micky cut up the tree except the part the landlord was sitting on and he went home and made wheels for his customers. No one ever touched the part of the tree on which the landlord sat until it decayed.
Harold Donoghue
Ballybane
Firies, Co. Kerry.Patrick Donoghue
Ballybane
Firies, Co. Kerry

Clounmellane Castle
Clounmellane Castle was built by the same man that built Molahiffe Castle. It is in the townland of Clounmellane, in the parish of Firies, in the barony of Magunihy, and in the county of Kerry. It is in the farm of James Counihan. It was built about the year 1220 and it was knocked again about four hundred and twenty nine years after. It was the Cromwellian soldiers that blew it up in the year sixteen fifty one. The castle is knocked to the ground.
Near the castle there was a little school and church in olden times. There isn't a sign of it to be seen now. It was owned by St. Aidan. When the castle was blown up the people in it were blown up too.Michael Curtin
Molahiffe,
Firies.Mrs. Curtin
Molahiffe,
Firies,
Co. Kerry.