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The Schools’ Collection

This is a collection of folklore compiled by schoolchildren in Ireland in the 1930s. More information

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  1. Local Industries - Shoemaking

    CBÉS 0568

    Page 200

    Shoe making in this district is an old industry. The shoe makers are more commonly called cobblers. There are two cobblers in this district. One cobbler lives in Kilcash. The cobbler generally minds boots and shoes. The cobbler in Kilsheelan is a man named Mr. Connolly. His father made boots long ago in Kilsheelan. Another man named James Murphy made boots, in Kilsheelan long ago. The soles of wooden clogs were made just below the bridge in Kilsheelan. The soles were carved out of the wood of a special tree called the bog Elder. This tree grows in a sort of bog. The soles of the clogs were sent to Holland. Up to last year the soles were made in Kilsheelan. The soles were made in a place near a bright well called the Tobar Geal.

  2. The Famine Times

    CBÉS 0568

    Page 125

    There was a great Famine in Ireland in the year 1847. The potatoes were very plentiful in the year 1845 and 46 and they were so plentiful that the people made heaps of them against the ditches and covered them with skarting. In the year 1847 they had nothing only bad potatoes and a man named Michael Moloughney was the relieving Officer. He gave the people in Kilsheelan a pint of Meal once a day. There were 7 or 8 people found dead from Kilsheelan. When they were all dead except one man he had to go into a house and lock the door so that pigs or dogs would not eat him. There was a woman there named Peg Dig the Horney and she eat such a terrible feed of Meal that she burst. The people after that respected the potatoes.

  3. Local Industries - An Old Bacon House in Kilsheelan

    CBÉS 0568

    Page 184

    In the parish of Kilsheelan pigs are killed for home consumption. The thrifty farmers do not believe in buying meat which they can supply for themselves.
    The pigs are well fattened before killing. The meat is salted and put in a big wooden vessel, where it is left for about three weeks. It is then taken out and is fit for use as well as being preserved. Long ago in Kilsheelan bacon was cured in the old bacon house, which still stands in the village at the back of Miss Ryans Shop.

  4. My Home District - Kilcash

    CBÉS 0568

    Page 236

    (5) KILCASH Cill Chais
    Townland: Toor
    Parish: Kilcash and Kilsheelan
    Barony: Iffa and Offa East

    Kilcash gets its name from St Caise who was its founder. He was martyred in Donegal. Kilcash is also associated with St. Colman Ua h-Eirc, whose death the Four Masters write about. Later on the church came into the hands of the Knights Hospitallers, who changed the dedication to St. John the Baptist.
    The remains of the following six churches may be seen Kilsheelan, Kilcash, Killurney, Templetney, Killaloan and Burntchurch. Scant remains are but to be seen in Templetney and Killurney but the remains of Kilcash and Kilsheelan are important especially because of the Celtic Romanesque doorways.
    There are also early church sites at Ballypatrick and Kilheffernan. On the Ballypatrick site was found an object of stone supposed to be a chalice. It was used for curing cattle disease and is now to be seen in Cork museum. Here there is also an old stone altar, and an old stone with a hollow worn away in the centre. Some say it was used by the priest at Mass in the Penal days, others say it was an old holy water font.
    The modern village of Kilcash is small compared

  5. (no title)

    “A hundred and fifty years ago there was an old pond on the Stage Pond in "Useless Land"...”

    CBÉS 0567

    Page 283

    A hundred and fifty years ago there was an old school on the Stage Road in "Useless Land" between Ballypatrick and Kilsheelan. The ruins of the school are to be seen.

  6. Haunted Places

    CBÉS 0568

    Page 094

    My father was minding the hares in Kilsheelan while the men were catching them one evening. He saw a ball of fire travelling along by Slieve na mBan. A few days afterwards he read on the paper that there was a fire in Belfast.

  7. Hidden Treasure - The Golden Gates

    CBÉS 0568

    Page 179

    In Upper Gurteen there is a small grove on the right side of the road which leads to Clonmel. In this grove is an old ruin known as the Druids Altar. Five large stones support each other and a large flat stone about 4 feet by 3 feet is (laye) laid on top. It is said that long ago Golden Gates led to this Druids Alter; that these gates were removed and buried in the old Moate which is to be seen in the centre of Kilsheelan village.

  8. Local Industries - The Slate Quarries

    CBÉS 0568

    Page 183

    The Slate quarries is the name of a place a few miles from Kilsheelan. The road leading to the place is beautifully wooded. It is easy to understand how the place got its name. There are huge mounds of roken slates to be seen yet. There is no doubt that large quantities of slates must have been dug out of the quarries. These quarries were closed about thirty years ago. The place was examined by Experts and it was

  9. Horse-Drawn Boats on the River Suir

    CBÉS 0568

    Page 187

    Up to 20 years ago, horse drawn boats on the river Suir were a familiar sight in Kilsheelan. The horses in single row Twelve horses were yoked together and four men took charge, each man having three horses. The boats were tied together Each boat was about thirty-five feet in length. The loads varied from twenty-four tons to about forty tons depending of course on the water. Steam boats came to Carrick, and the horse drawn boats were drawn from Carrick to Clonmel.
    This account was given by Patrick Sullivan of Kilsheelan Clonmel

    Michael Treacy
    Standard 5

  10. A Corn-Mill in Kilsheelan

    CBÉS 0568

    Page 188

    Forty years ago a corn mill was worked in Kilsheelan. The old ruins are still in evidence, near the river in Mr Barretts field. A small stream of water was used to turn the big wooden mill wheel. The mill was owned by a family of the name of Power.

  11. Tikincor Castle

    CBÉS 0568

    Page 192

    There is an old castle at Ticken Cor in the parish of Kilsheelan. The castle is situated beside the river Suir quite near Sir Thomas Bridge. This castle was at one time occupied by the Osborne family. The family built a new residence on the north side of the river and Sir Thomas had a bridge built across the Suir. The bridge has ever since been called after Sir Thomas.

  12. A Great Dancer

    CBÉS 0655

    Page 252

    There was once a man whose name was Pat Cleary. He lived in Curraghkiely in the parish of Kilsheelan and in the Co. Waterford. He taught dancing to the people. He won competitions and he got medals. He was a great music-player. His house is still where he lived and there are people living in it.

  13. The Penal Days in Clonmel

    CBÉS 0567

    Page 031

    priests during the penal days used say mass in the disstrict of Kilsheelan. When the penal laws were in Clonmel the priests used live in a tunnel under Mr Bagnell's house on the banks of the river Suir. They used also hide in the tombs of graveyards around Clonmel. There is a big cliff at the back of the Comeragh mountains and there the priests used say mass. If a catholic had a horse a Protestant could make him sell it for half the price. There was a sum of money for everyone who brought in a priest or a Bishop.

  14. (no title)

    “There was an old school in Ballinaraha...”

    CBÉS 0568

    Page 108

    There was an old school in Ballinaraha. It was there about the year 1882. The teacher's name was Billy Prout. The school was in a barn. There were about 30 children going there. The teacher was lame and he had a big whip to hit them a slap across the shins if they did anything wrong. He lived in Kilsheelan and one evening when he was going two of the scholars made a ditch with stones and sods and he was not able to come across. He was shouting for help but no body came to him for a long time but in the end a man came and broke the ditch. He got no payment from the government but every child had to give him a half-crown a quarter. He was not teaching any Irish but

  15. The Famine Times

    CBÉS 0568

    Page 126

    and eighteen forty-eight. The potatoes blackened and the people had very little to eat. A great number of people died of hunger and want. The English Government set up porridge houses in every District. People went with gallons and they got so much according to their family. There was a porridge house in Kilsheelan. There was a crowd of people waiting for their turn to go in. A person should have a ticket with the number of their family on it. People had no bread to eat as they had no money to buy flour. The English said that when the yellow stirabout did not kill the people nothing would kill them. People died on the road-sides of hunger. The Famine ended in eighteen forty nine.

  16. (no title)

    “There are a lot of names on roads near my house...”

    CBÉS 0568

    Page 135

    There are a lot of names on roads near my house. There is a road called Carney's Road it goes from near Kilsheelan to Poul-a-vune Cross. There is another road the Mountain Road it goes from Clonmel to the golf links. There is a road the Boola Road it goes from Harney's Cross to Glenpatrick. There is a road called the Spa Road going from near Clonmel to the Mountain Road. The Mountain Road was made to give work to men during the famine. They only got a penny a day. There is another road called the Glen Road it goes from the Mission Cross through a wood to the Jenny Hill near Rathgormac.

  17. Local Industries - Salmon Fishing in the Suir at Kilsheelan

    CBÉS 0568

    Page 182

    From Kilsheelan to Waterford the river Suir is wide and deep, and is well noted for rod and salmon fishing. The salmon fishing is carried on by men who make their living in this way during the Spring and Summer months. Four men make up a crew. Two cots are used together. One man paddles" each cot and one man in each cot hold the net. It is pleasant work on fine sunny days, but not so, on cold wet days. If the fishermen are in luck they are well rewarded for their work, but on some days they may have a poor catch. Salmon are valuable fish. In the early part of the season they sell at over 2" 0 d per lb. They weigh from 10 lbs to 20 lbs each according to size and age. The men require skill to manage the cots and they must

  18. (no title)

    “About five miles from the village of Kilsheelan on the right hand side of the road to Fethard stands an old castle called Kiltinan Castle...”

    CBÉS 0568

    Page 189

    About five miles from the village of Kilsheelan on the right side of the road to Fethard stands an old castle called Kiltinan Castle. It is said that about three hundred years ago a bishop named Tynan lived in that castle. Cromwells army fought a battle at Kiltinan. Bishop Tynan was killed in the battle about a quarter of a mile from his home, in a glen. In the glen there is nothing but trees at present. The River Anner runs through this glen. In the centre of the river there is a big flat stone standing with Bishop Tynan's blood on it. It is said that the blood of that Bishop will remain on that stone for ever as no water could ever wash it off. That is how Kiltinan got its name.
    (This story was given to me by an old man named Richard Pollard of Seskin)

  19. Duffil Castle

    CBÉS 0568

    Page 204

    There is an old castle between Kilsheelan and Carrick-on-Suir called Duffil castle. Under neath the castle stand the ruins of an of an old church. The nobles of Ireland long ago were buried there.
    About three hundred years ago a noble man named Lord Kilmurry was to be buried there. The People of the district gave three days preparing for the funeral. All the men for twenty miles around were to take part in the procession. They all (had) to wear black helments. The English authorities wanted to ban the funeral, when they saw the procession of such fine men. They did not interfere, from that procession they took the name of the Irish guards. The Irish...

  20. The Stage Hill - Near Kilsheelan

    CBÉS 0568

    Page 205

    About a mile from Kilsheelan on the road to Ballypatrick is a small hill known as The Stage Hill. Long ago this was a stopping place for the horse drawn stage coach. Horses were changed here.
    At one time there was a highwayman named Ryan in the locality. One evening before dusk he went into a field about a mile from the hill. He made two false men like scare crows and put tin pistols in their hands. When the coach came along it was protected by an armed policeman. The soldier fired at the men, he and the coachman ran to see what had happened. Ryan came out from his hiding place and shot them. Then he took the money. Afterwards Ryan became an informer.
    (This story was given to me by Mrs Mahony, Upper Lodge, Gurteen)