There is a road which leads from Iskaheen Chapel, Parish of Muff, Co Donegal, out to the main road at the village of Muff, it is called the Ardmore road because it leads through the Townland of Ardmore. There is another road leads from Carnamoyle out over the hill into Buncrana, it is called the Gap road, because it goes through a gap in the hill. It is mostly used for bringing the people's turf from the hill, this gap itself is called Grannies Gap, because it runs through Giant's hills.

There are a few forts in the school district. There is one in Carnalurgan, there is one in Ardmore, there is one in Garvillaun, and there is one in my uncle's field at the Quay. The Carnalurgan fort is called a rath, the Garvillaun fort is called a ring, the Ardmore fort is called a liss and the one in my uncle's field is called a cathair. They are round in shape. There are fences around each of them. There is a story told about the fort in Carnalurgan. One of the Brownes of Westport House is supposed to be buried there. He used to go by the name of "Soap the rope" from hanging the priests of Westport district.

My Home District
The name of my home district is Ardmore in the parish Casterstown Broghan and in the barony of Eastersnow.
This townland got its name from Ard-Mor which means a great height which is the vicinity. There about ten families and about sixty people in Ardmore.
The family name which is most common in this district is Sharkey and the majority of the houses are thatched. There are two old people over seventy years namely William Sharkey and James Sharkey both of whom live in Ardmore. They do not know Irish but they can tell old stories in English. The houses were more

Templemichael Castle is situated on the right bank of the River Blackwater about five miles from Youghal. The Fitzgeralds lived there and it is said that thirteen families of them lived in succession there.
The last of them was Garrett Fitzgerald. When this man died he was buried in Templemichael but the next of his family had been buried in Ardmore.
The third night after his funeral his ghost came down to the water's edge and cried "Garret Arún". The cry continued for a few nights till at last word was sent to his cousins in Ardmore. On the following day his cousin and two men from Ardsallagh (one was my father's grandfather) went over to Templemichael graveyard and dug up his coffin and buried it in Ardmore.
The cry was never heard after that.

There are four wells around this parish. There is one in Ardmore, two in Clashmore and one in Piltown. There is a well in Ardmore and it is called St. Declan's well. People go there on the 24th July to do their rounds. There is a well out in the mountain and it cured a lot of people that had ring-worm. People can drink the water in these wells and they can bring it home. Some people leave ribbons or some thing after them in St. Declan's Well. There is a well in Ballinaparka and it would cure the whooping-cough.

There are three blessed wells around here, one in Ardmore, one in Ballyheeney and one in Aglish. The one in Ardmore is called St. Declan's Well and people go there in the month of July and say the rounds of their beads around the well. There is a big rock there which people go under to cure a pain in their. The one in Ballyheeney is called St. Mochua's Well and people go to the one in Aglish to cure ring-worm. When people go to the well they take three sips of the water. They also leave a lot of medals after them.

A woman told me that when she was small one day she and a few more girls were bathing in a place outside Ardmore. When they were putting on their clothes a mermaid jumped from the sea on a big rock. She began all at once to comb her hair with her claws. She had golden hair and was half a fish and half a woman. The sun began shining beautifully for a while. There was a man with them. They asked him what was it and when they spoke she began to listen to them. When they went to see what kind she was she jumped down under the waves again and they asked a man what sign was it to see her. He told them it was better for them to go home because it was a sign of bad luck. When they reached Ardmore thunder and lightning came all of a sudden but nothing happened to them.

About three miles from Ardmore in the County Waterford there is a well called St Declan's Well where local people celebrate the feast of the Saint. Invalids from the boundary parishes - Old Parish, Grange and Pilltown go to get relief at this wonderful well. These people do three rounds of this well, which is surrounded by a gravel path. It was here that St Declan built his first Church. When St Declan left Rome, he was far to sea when he thought of his bell which he had mislaid on the beach. He was not long on the ocean when he or some of the occupants of the boat noticed a big stone floating on the waters after them. The stone drifted past them and he noticed the bell on it. So they followed it until it landed on the rocks at Ardmore and is still there. This stone weighs about four tons and stands firm against all weathers. The path that surrounds it has been rooted up and torn from the foundation with terrible rush of

Fairy Forts
In Ardmore there are two fairy forts and in Rathallen there is one fairy fort. In older times lights were supposed to be seen around these forts but not so often in late years. Music and dancing were heard and seen in the early hours of the morning at late hours at night. In Ardmore a fairy is supposed to come out to a gate at the main road a few times every week. There is also a fairy fort in Carramore and the voices of fairies are often heard in it. There is also supposed to be a pot of gold hidden under a tree near that fort.

The Parish of Mora, was the first point of Lismore Diocese, touched by St. Patrick on his way south from Cashel. This parish and Donoughmore - another place visited by the Apostle - are the premier Patrician parishes in Lismore Diocese, absurdly called "Waterford" Diocese. But as Christian locations they are junior to Ardmore, St Declan's location. This seems to be the reason that Mora and Donoughmore are prebends in the Diocese of Lismore. On this journey, southward, St. Patrick seems to have been fulfilling the terms of his commission as Evangelist to "the Irish believing in Christ," and as there was a Christian Community at Ardmore, similar associations must have existed at Mora and Donoughmore.The Breviary Legend shows that St. Declan was converted by a pre-Patrician missionary and there is no reason to doubt that such missionaries were operating north of the Suir. Traditions of these early Christian societies have been lost because to escape persecution they were secretive.There are indications that Lisronagh was, in Patrician times, a stronghold of Paganism. The road from the north by Donoughmore was the old Clonmel-Cashel road, and the Patrician itinerary from Cashel to Mora, from Mora to Donoughmore and thence to Patrickswell shows

There was an old road leading from Cashel to Ardmore called Rían Bó Padraig. Only a few traces of this road can be traced at the present day. There are portions of it near Deerpark Lismore. It is an ancient of the tribes who were in Ireland long ago.This is a story I heard about it. St Declan preached the true faith in Ardmore, Clashmore, Grage, and the Old Parish. Before St. Patrick came to Ireland. He did not come to the County Waterford or to the Déisí as it was then called because St Declan was teaching there.When St Patrick came to Cashel he wished to make friends with St Declan. He sent word to him to come to Cashel, as he wished to know if he were

teaching the true faith.St Declan went to Cashel and among the wonders he saw there were beautiful animals called cows, which had white wine. When St Declan was leaving for home St Patrick presented him with a cow that had just calved. It was her first calf, and she was very fond of it.St Declans followers got black thorn sticks and drove the cow on, until they came to Ardmore. That night the cow became very lonely after her calf. Her loneliness was so great that she became mad. It is said that she ploughed up with her horns a deep trench between Ardmore and Cashel. She was in search of her calf, and she never stopped until she found it

Many years ago there was a ship wrecked in Ardmore Bay. She was called 'The Teaser'. Some brave men in Ardmore including Father O'Shea, Sergeant O'Flaherty and Cllr. Harris went into a small boat and went out to where the ill-fated boat was, but unfortunately they were unable to save any of the crew, with the exception of one man, and he only lived a short time. Those men who risked their lives to save the crew were afterwards presented with medals for their bravery.
There was another boat wrecked in Youghal. She went on the bar which caused to go on the rocks. All the crew were saved off here, only one man who was a native of Youghal.

There is a well in Ballyheeney called St. Mochua's Well. People give a round of their beads there on the 10th February. St. Mochua is the patron saint of Clashmore. Long ago people say that the well was up on top of the village and one evening a woman went out washing clothes in it and next morning it sprang down in Ballyheeney. They do not have any pattern around here now. It is only in Ardmore that they have it in honour of St. Declan because he is the patron St. of Ardmore.
Long ago there used to be a pattern held in Piltown on the 24th August and it was held at the Blessed well.

About three miles from Ardmore in the County Waterford there is a well called St. Declan's Well, where local people celebrate the feast of the saint. Invalids from the boundary parishes - Old Parish, Grange, and Piltown go to get relief at this wonderful well. These people do five rounds of this well, which is surrounded by a gravel path, and it is here that St. Declan built his first church. When the Saint was far out at sea on his return home from Rome he thought of his bell, he had mislaid it on the beach. He was not long on the ocean when he and some of the passengers on the ship noticed a big stone floating on the waters after them. The stone drifted past them and he noticed the bell on it. They followed it until it landed on the rocks at Ardmore and it is still there. This stone weighs about four tons and stands firm against all weathers. The path that surrounds it has been rooted up and torn from the foundation with the terrible rush of high seas and yet "St Declans Stone" as it is called can't be moved and won't be moved

of a mile north of the village. He can speak Irish well, and he has many Irish songs and stories.There are (many) the ruins of a monastery on the left bank of the river Arrigideen which flows on one side of the village. This monastery was very famous when students from many parts of Europe came to be taught by the Franciscan monks who resided there. It was built in 1320 by McCarthy Reaghs. It was destroyed twice :- during the reign of Queen Elizabeth and in the time of Cromwell. It was rebuilt the first time, but the second time it fell away and it is now a ruin - but a well preserved ruin.Mr Spencer Travers owned a large estate including Ardmore, Umera and Latheran. He sold part of his land which was divided into plots each about 20 acres. A house was built in each plot which is occupied by a small farmer. There are six plots in Ardmore, one in Umera and one in Latheran.Lwttercolum estate was owned by Mr Crook. He also sold a part of it.

Mr. Travers was the landlord of Ardmore and Umera; these lands are now divided into small farms, and are occupied by small farmers.
Before the new houses were build in Ardmore, small tenants lived in little huts, one of which was built near our gate. Everybody was evicted except the Ryans and the Hartmetts. Travers tried to get their farms, and when one of the farmers went paying the rent Travers said " I don't want your money, its your land I want". He was just going to take their farms when the Land League came in force, so he could not get them then, and the Ryans and the Hartmetts are still living in their farms.
My father told me that the landlords in Kerry were terrible tyrants. If the rent was not paid up to the day, the landlord would send a Protestant into the following, farm the following morning, and let the owner walk out.
He told me about a man who was not able to go to pay the rent on pay day as it was called, for some reason, so he set off

Ardmore
In Ardmore graveyard there is built a round tower
And the ancients that built it quite round
Four ladders to ascend it four windows to look out
to gaze on the ocean and on the broad lands around

window of my father's bedroom about one o'clock in the night. His face was covered all over with ringworm. My father got up and went with him to the well and brought a bottle for water with him. After about three weeks the ringworm disappeared. Very lately there was a family from Co. Tipperary at the well. It is supposed that St. Declan blessed it on his way to Ardmore.

There is a rock in Ardmore strand with a hole in it and it is only honest people can pass through that hole. There is a legend connected with it and it runs as follows:-When St. Declan and the crew on the ship were leaving France coming to Ireland they forgot the bell. They said that they would go back for it but just then they saw the bell tied to a rock coming towards them and it was not long until it overtook them. They said that they would follow it and so they did, and it brought them into Ardmore strand. The rock stuck in the strand and it can be seen to the present day. If a dishonest person tries to pass under this rock he will be caught in it.
John Coffey
Ballydwan,
Bonmahon