Athruithe le déanaí

The Black Thief
The black thief was named Jack and he was a terrible man to steal. He stole a chime of bells for a wager. When he was going to steal them he took two bottles of Whiskey to the two men who were minding them. He asked the men for lodgings and he was allowed in. He gave the men the two bottles of whiskey. They drank it and after a while the two men were drunk and they fell asleep.
He then stole the bells.
The following day he met a very rich man. He bet the rich man that he could steal anything he liked. The rich man put down £5 against him. Jack said that he could steal sheet from under the man in the bed that night.
A few days before that a man had been buried in the district. That night the thief went to the grave yard. He dug up the corpse and put it into a bag. He waited until the gentleman was in bed. Then he took the corpse

Names of Fields Rock salt
There are not many names on fields around my district, except on elle ladds land. The names of some of them are, The Parish Fields, The Pond Field, The Pound Field, Frasers Field, The Wood Field, The Long Field, The Long Meadows and The Daffodil Field. There is a rock not far from my house called Primrose rock, and there is a height called Sheehan's height near Ballywater, Castletownroche. The camp field or "Pairc an Campa" is situated on elle Noonas land Gonniberry, Castletownroche. Long ago in the years 1649 another Cromwell army came to Ireland, they were camping in the Camp Field. There is

Story (49)
There is a place near Newmarket called Fairy Hill. They are supposed to be fairies in that place. Once there lived a family named Mulligans in this piece of land. They had a son, John who used always visit a fort that was in their land.
His father and mother and brothers never knew where John used to go each evening.
One evening the brother said they would watch him; so they followed him up to the passage into the fort and they said to themselves, they would see what John was doing inside. When they looked in they could not see him and they got frightened, and ran home, and told their father and mother that their was no account of John in the fort, and they all went into the fort to search for him. They could not find him, and they went away home.
In the evening when John came home they were all asking him where was he and he said he was in the fort and he was not a bit surprised but they were

Local heroes 3/6/38
There was a man name John Scott from Lugdoon near the Ox Mountains who was about six and a half feet high and weighed twenty stones. They used call him Ossian Scott. There is a large stone about a ton weight in Pat Whites field and Ossian lifted it with his back.
Michael Giligan, barrowcastle, Shreen, about eighty years ago was going to Sligo with a load of potatoes in a cart on Friday night for the market on Saturday.
When he reached Ballysodare the Tyres were coming off the wheels. It was then about twelve o' clock in the night. He took the two wheels from under the cart himself alone and put them into the river. He went to bed and got up about six o' clock in the morning. When he went down for the wheels the tide had them swept out to sea. He took off his clothes swam out and brought in each of wheels one at a time.
he put them under the cart was in time for the market in Sligo.
John Mc Dermott, Cartronbarry swam about a mile out to sea one day and saved a drowning man. Another day when he was eating his dinner he was called to save a drowning man a few yards from the shore. He rushed in clothes and all but failed to save the man and was drowned himself, people on the shore say they saw a white fairy boat sweep on top of the water at the time the two

was about five feet in length and seemed to be about 20 years there. there is to be seen in this eight on nine graves down deep in a grave.
In this field there is also a hidden treasure. In the time of my great-grand-father a man from Mullingar came to him and asked him for permission to dig up the land as he dreamt of a crock of gold that was hidden in this fort. He gave him permission and he stayed with him for a few days while he was digging. He told my great-grand-father that if he got the money he would divide it with him. After a few nights he told them that he came across a broken crock but that there was no money in it. The next morning he went up again but he never returned that night. There was never tale nor trace of him from that to this.
After that a lot of evil befell my great-grand-father and his descendants. A horse never lived with them and my great-grand-mother was paralyzed that year and died soon after.
Eiblin Ni Conall
Sealbna Mor
Co na h-lar Mise
Wim Connell

Bealoideas
The Grey Rock
There is a big grey rock in Mr Foleys field in Cahercorney. About a mile and a half from Herbertstown, in the Co. Limerick. This is a story told about the rock, and how is came to Cahercorney.
One time, this rock by the hill-side at Knockderk. A woman went to take it to the fairy hill. From the hillside in her apron. As she was coming down Foleys hill the strings of her apron broke and the rock fell out. She fixed her apron, and tried to pick the rock up again, but it failed her. When She failed to pick up the rock, she said "When I shall send a messenger to pick up this rock, then it will be time for it to go" The finger-prints are still to be seen on the rock.
This story was told by-
Mr. Paddy Hayes (35)
Cahercorney,
Co. Limerick.

Scealta Cratars
When the blessed Virgin and St.Joseph and the child Jesus were on their way to Egypt, they passed by a garden where there was a man setting cabbage. The man spoke kindly to them and the next day the cabbage was very big.
The next day the man went out pulling some of the cabbage and King Herods soldiers passed by and they asked him did he see the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph and Our Lord and he said that such people passed that way the day he was setting the cabbage. Then they asked him how many days was it since they passed but he did not tell them.
When he would not tell them they were about to go when a wash stood up and said "under" and then a clock stood up and said "under" and they spied on the Holy Family but the soldiers were too late and they did

This pot she cooked all her food that she wanted.
She had a bed made of strawmats and she called in settle bed.
She had a wee box for a dresser and in this she kept her food. All the neighbours were good to her and used to give potatoes and meat as she was quite alone in the world because all her people were dead.
Another wee house which was built of mud on my fathers farm it is still there but in ruins. It was built in much the same way as Bessie Wallaces, the people of this were called Conways. My grandfather took over one of the wee boys named Mark Conway this little boy has two brother and three sisters his mother was a widow and they were very poor and my grandfather used to send up food to them which kept them alive until they were able to earn for themselves.
They had always a bright house. Though there was only one apartment in it and on the wall hung a clock with weights and chains which was

Old houses
In former times the houses were made out of sods and mud. Here is a description of a sod house.
Long ago there was an old woman named Bessie Wallace and she had no house so a lot of boys decided on a Sunday evening to build a sod house in my grandfathers farm for her.
They built it on a height it was about ten feet wide. There was no fire place in it, but the fire was built up against the gable with a hole in the roof to let out the smoke.
The roof was made of sticks and sods and also there was grass on it.
The door was made of a double straw-mat. There was a wee hole in the sidewall for a window.
She had two blocks of wood for seats and also she had two hobs one each side of the fire..
she lived there for many a year and it is said she was almost a hundred years old when she died. She had an old coal pot and in

My home district
I live in the village and parish of brosna, and in the larony of Truchanacmy. There are 16 families living in the village and 81 houses.
Downey and O'Connor are the most common names in the village.
There are five families of Downeys and four of the O'Connors living there.
All the houses with the acceptable of four are 2 stoney and are slated.
Those four are 3 story high and slated too.
Brosna means "faggots" so called because a great many sticks are to be found in the neighbourhood.
There are not many old people able to speak Irish nowadays but they tell lots of English stories.
One man named Downes, who lives at the top of the village is famous for his stories, most of which are about to b. Lare where

Fairy Forts
There are many forts in this area and they are supposed to be the homes of the 'good people'. They are held in awe by the people, and very few interfere with them. They are generally surrounded by old ditches and earth. Trees often grow in them and little boys and girls never pick fruit in them.
Two boys went into a fort near mountcollins picking shoes. Having spent some time picking, one of the boys found something pinching his ankle. He took no notice until he went outside the fort and then he began to look for a thorn.
Pot succeeding in finding it he went home.
When he arrived home his foot got very swollen and after some hours suffering terrible pain he died.

Fairy Forts
There are many forts in the parish of Brosna. These are as a rule in groups of four and one of them is in view of another. The origin of these forts is unknown. Some people say that they are old Danish fortifications, but the general belief of the people of the country is that they belong to the fairies. They are usually circular in shape, and are made up of trees, and bushes and sometimes there is an earthen fence around them.
There are different forts in the neighbourhood of Brosna.
The most commonly known is the gaoire. Which is in the townland of Derra. It is supposed to be haunted. Lights are seen there, at night, and it is related, that once a man, who went to plough, was stricken with paralysis and died later.

Great noise of a spinning wheel and someone singing as she spun "Little you wee women knows that my name is "Riddling Stout" so merrily as my wee wheel nuns about".
The little girl nan home and told her mother that she heard a great noise of a spinning wheel in the bushes and singing too. The mother asked the little girl if she knew what the song was. The little girl said she did and sang " Little you wee woman, that my name is "Raddling Stout" so merrily as wee wheel nuns about".
In the evening the fairy came in with all the wool spun and said. "you must tell me my name or else come with me now". Yes I know your name". It is "Raddling Stout" so merrily so your wee wheel nuns about" said the woman. Then she threw the wool in the fire because the woman had found out her name.
When her man came home and saw the wool.

An Old Hag
8th February 1938
There was a man one time who had cows and he was losing a good share of the milk. There was a woman living in the same place who was supposed to be an old hag.
He blamed this one for taking the milk. So he thought he would watch to see if he could catch her.
One day the cattle were in the field and he saw a hare standing on its two hind legs taking the milk from the cow. He ran to the field and when he went to follow the hare it turned into a horse to try to scare him. He caught the horse and jumped on its back.
he galloped until he came to a forge. He went in and told the blacksmith that he wanted two fore shoes on his horse. Then he galloped back and he was about half-way home when he jumped off and let the horse go loose.
He waited until he thought

Cashel
11th April 1938
There are no children in the senior classes from Cashel. This townland got its name from a castle which was in it over one hundred years ago. There are no old people living now who know the history of this castle. There are two Cashels upper and lower. It is in the parish of Donagh and in the larony of Irishowen. Some of the land is foggy and some good. Over fifty years ago there was an ornamented horse shoe found in a field belonging to Campbells. It was sent to Dublin and the sender got fifty pound. In two of these fields there are two big stones standing in an upright position. Some say that they were thrown there by giants from Shieve Snacht. Others say that they mark the burial places of ancient Chieftains. There are about twenty families living in the approximate

Clothes Made Locally
There are tailors in the district. In years gone by they used to travel from house to house to make clothes. They work at their homes now. Some of the tailors sell cloth and they are called merchant tailors. The types of cloth used are tweed and serge. The tailors implements are the sewing machine, needle, thimble, cupboard and a heavy iron. Most of the socks are knitted locally. After the death of a relative the people concerned wear black clothes for a term of six months.
Written by
Kathleen Jansey
Sheeane,
Ballinameen

The games I play"The devil and the angel"
This game can be played by any number of boys or girls. It is played in the following way. Two boys will get a stone each and one will be called the "devil" and the other the "angel". Then a boy will give each other boy in the game a colour. Then the one called the "devil" will strike the ground with the stone and the boy will say "tap tap who goes"? and the "devil" will say "the devil with his pitchfork" and the boy will say "what do you want"? and the "devil" will say " some nice colour" and the boy will say "what colour" and the "devil" will say some colour and whatever boy has that colour will be let out to run and the "devil" and the "angel" will run after him and whichever of them catches the boy will take him. Then the same thing will happen with the angel but when the boy will say " tap tap who goes" the angel will say " the angel with the golden crown" and that will go on until all the boys are taken by either the "devil" or the "angel" and whichever the "devil" or