About four miles from our school in Newtown is the village of Ballon, and it is concerning this district the following story is told -
In the district of Ballon is a well known old castle called Castlegrace, and on the opposite side of the road is a quaint old place called New Farm. Now, the people of Ballon district made it a usual practice to pass through this place on their way from and to Tullow. The curious thing about this farm was that if they attempted to travel it by night they would stray away and get lost in the fields. In the district of Ballon at one time, lived a schoolmaster named Mr. Hutton. One night he got a call to go see his mother to Tullow as she was very ill. So he went to his mother's place in Tullow and remained with her for two days. At the end of

well known in the district of Ballon, and to the present day, it is a thing unheard of, for anyone to pass through the New Farm at night time :-:

About fifty years ago one of the first football matches played in Grangeford was between Ballon and Grangeford. Grangeford

Long ago various things occurred on Ballon hill. There is the ruins of a tower there still. There were kings there. People dug down and found urns. Colonel Lecky kept them, and sent them to the Museum in Dublin. These urns were buried under the ground. When people were dead, they were burned, and the ashes was put into these urns. BallonHill is very historic. There were stones there on which sacrifice was offered. It is two thousand feet above sea level. There was also a battle fought at the Burrin bridge. In Ballon in Johnny Nolan's field there is a round stone covered over with moss where sacrifice was offered. There are streaks down the sides.

On the lands of Mrs Carey of Castlegrace Parrish of Ballon Co Carlow there is a high field overlooking the country for miles around. In the middle of it is a big sceac bush where Mass was celebrated in the Penal Times. It was afterwards called the Gallow Tree because when Mass was being said one day a crowd of Priest Hunters came up and all the people stood their ground and were all hanged in the Bush but the Priest escaped.

The South West wind from Ballon called a Ballan Wind brings rain to this part of the country. A north east wind called a Carnew wind is expected to bring hard weather even snow.

Mary Ellen Doyle Ballon Hill Ballon, Co Carlow
Long ago the people had no machines to sow their crops. They used to have to sow them with their hands and cut them with scythes, then draw it into a barn and thresh it with a flail, then put it through a winnowing machine to clean it.
Long ago the people had no cars to carry them any where, they had to go on foot. When the people were tilling their lands they had to till it with a spade, also the people had to cut turf and burn it to make a fire because they used to have nothing else.
The old time houses were made of mud and turf. When they (would be) were sowing their seed they sowed them out of a bag which they carried on their backs.

smooth patch of sand or grass facing posts put into mark the end of the course. At the word, "Go" the players begin to run up the course until the leader cries, "Left", "Right" or "Both". "Left" means each player must hop on the left leg. "Right" on their right leg and both indicates that the must jump along keeping both feet together. The leader may call out these directions as many times as he likes during the race. Having reached the end of the course, the frogs return to their original places, still following the directions. First back wins the race. If there are many players you could form two or three teams. This game is seldom played at school.Ballon Tennis
The following is the way this game is played. This is a jolly game to play in the garden. Stretch a rope between two poles about a yard from the ground. The players divide into two teams and stand on opposite sides. A ballon is thrown up above the line, and immeditily every one tries to throw it to the ground on the opposite side of the rope. Any time it hits the ground it counts as a goal. The winning team is the one which get the most goals.

The Townland of Grangeford in the Parish of Rathoe and Ballon. Barony of Carlow. There are twenty-one families in Grangeford and eighty-four people. Byrne or Nolan is the most common name in this district. The houses are mostly slated and the remainder thatched or tiled. Before Grange Bridge was built the people used to ford the river that is how Grangeford got its name. There are two people over seventy. They do not know Irish. There were three more houses in olden-times than there are now. Grangeford is mentioned in one song, "The Blooming Flower of Grange" There is good land in Grangeford. The local river is the Aghalona

In Ballynoe some 65 years ago a great football match was played between Ballon and Aghade. The teams consisted of 20 a side and there were no goal posts as we know them now.
At each end of the field were sticks arranged thus.
x pt x goal x pt x
There were four sticks and if the ball went through the middle two it was a goal and if it went on either side but between the sticks it counted a point. The match was very rough but no one was badly hurt.
The great player for Ballon was Cummins a native of Rathoe and the great player for Aghade was
Mr Paul Maher
Knocknalubred
Tullow
who is still alive.

Once upon a time there was an old man and his wife living in a small hut near Ballon. Sometimes in the dark nights of winter, neighbours came in to play cards. It was said that the devil used to be seen sitting under a large bush in that neighbourhood. When they were playing for some time, a knock was heard at the window. The woman said ' Come in'. The door was opened and in walked a man dressed in black, and sat down to play. The people in the house noticed him winning every game. After a while one card dropped, and as a certain man stooped to pick it up, he saw a cloven foot on the ground. He told the woman that it was the devil. So she went into her small room and got a bottle of Holy water. She sprinkled it over the men, the devil disappeared at once and was never seen or heard of again in that locality.

An old man of this townsland told a story of a farmer in the townsland of Cloughna, who was losing his cattle, sheep and horses. He used to find them dead, one now and another again without showing any signs of sickness.He was advised to go see a Fairyman who resided near Ballon in a small hut all alone. He was ashamed to go in the day time so he went by night.When he entered the hut the curious part of the story is that the witch knew who he was, where he came from and his business.

About forty years ago not far from Tullow, in the townland of Ballon there was a house that was not occupied for years. It was sold to a man named John Healy who went to live in it. One the first night that he slept there he heard a noise downstairs that seemed to be like a footstep. Taking in his hand a lamp he went down to where he heard the noise. as he was going down he saw a man disappear.He got a great fright but he returned to bed. Next morning he inquired about this strange visitor and he was told that a man was murdered in the house six or seven years before.
Mr Healy left the house. Many people have been living in that same house since and have been frightened by that same man.

Shops in this district were unknown up to about twenty years ago. People travelled to Tullow or Ballon on a Saturday and brought home a week's or a fortnight's provisions in an asses cart and sometimes they walked for the goods. Buying was carried on after Mass and in the local shops that have been lately established this practice is still carried on. Bread, tea, sugar, bacon, tobacco, anything that can be easily carried is often bought after Mass.
Goods are still bartered in the district except by the very poor. Eggs and butter are brought by the farmer to the shop and these are exchanged for sugar tea and articles which the farmer cannot produce at home. The eggs and butter are retailed over the counter and the surplus sold to traders who transport to large towns or cities.

Folklore 15th March 1938
Kathleen Donohoe Ballon Tullow Co CarlowLong ago the people were very poor in Ireland, and they could not pay money to be educated. There were no National schools, only hedge schools and everyone that could went to then to be educated. During the time of the Penal laws Catholics could get no education because they were too much kept down by the English. There was a hedge school in Connaberry long ago but now there is a house where it was. The hedge school in Connaberry was the principal school in the County Carlow in the old times.

Penal Times
This is a story I have heard. Up in Kilcock near Ballon in this county, lived a big Protestant family named Kepple. Some people thought they were very bitter against Catholics. But a priest was on the run and came for shelter to this house. He was brought in and was sheltered in an old cell and was given food every day for some time. The soldiers searched but did not find him. When he was about to depart, it is said he made the sign of the Cross on the yard with his stick and said the breed of the Kepples would never want, and it is believed to have come true for they are still very wealthy.
There was a Mass-rock up on Ballypierce Hill, on a part called Greenoge mountain. There was a Mass - path from Kilcarry to Kildavin and

Ballon or about two and a half miles from Kildavin. This hill was also on the "Old Coach Road" and is a very steep hill.
In the year of '98 or a couple of years afterwards, there was a man named Ned Hickey. He lived in Boggan. One day he went to the fair in Bunclody, to sell a cow. He met a neighbour in the fair. The neighbour asked him did he sell. He said he sold the cow and got a good price for it, but that two Yeomen were watching him. He hurried home very quickly. On his way home he collected twenty five neighbouring boys, all armed with muskets. At that time there was no Catholic House safe from the Yeomen. He knew he would be raided that night. There was a short lane going up to the house. They lay behind the hedge and waited. Late that night the Yeomen came galloping up the lane, but when they came to the gate way it was barred. Ned Hickey's men fired and killed every Yeoman, there were thirty altogether.

Local Heroes.
About fifty years ago there lived a man named John Nolan who was born and reared in Knockdrumagh in the parish of Myshall Co. Carlow.
He was a labouring man about 5' 10" high, and was noted as a great runner, although he never got any training or proper diet for this.
He always ran with a pair of hobnailed boots. He once walked to Tullow, which was eight Irish miles from his home and won a two-mile flat race, and another race of one and a half miles, against many competitors. Before starting on his journey, his breakfast consisted of yellow meal porridge which was the usual food in olden times. He was in four local sports Ballon, Tullow, Straduff and Leighlin.
He emigrated to america in the year 1888, and left his house like a jeweller's shop furnished with prizes of different varieties which he won at sports. He still continued

At length, brave Michael Dwyer, your and your trusty men.
Are hunted o'er the mountains and tracked into the Glen;
Sleep not, but watch and listen; keep ready blade and ball;
The soldiers know your hiding tonight in wild Emall.There is a large stone on Ballon-hill called the Slippy stone, and old kings were buried under it long ago. And it said that a king left his hand on the stone and his fingerprints were seen on it ever after. His name was Cather Mór and according to local history, he was the first King of Leinster and afterwards Ard Rí of Ireland.
General Lecky of Ballykealy also found Urns under the stone and he sent them away to Dublin.

Black and white and red all over.?
A newspaper.
Why is a ballon like a tramp.?
Because it has no visible means of support.
As I went to London I saw a great wonder two pots boiling and no fire under.?
Two pots of lime.
What is it that we often part with but seldom give away.?
A comb.
Why does a hen pick a pot.?
Because she cannot lick it.
As round as an apple as flat as a pan one side a woman and the other side a man.
A penny.
As round as an apple as deep as a pail and never roars out until tis caught by its tail.
A bell.
What goes to Dublin and never moves?
The road.
Why does a cow look over the wall?
Because she cannot look under it.
How would you make a road broad.?