School: Castlefin
- Location:
- Castlefinn, Co. Donegal
- Teachers: Ailís E. Ní Bhaoighill Seosamh Ó Baoighill
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1098, Page 281
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- (continued from previous page)is never dry, and the people around it keep it well cleaned.
- In the days of the O’Neills and the O’Donnells when the one Irish chieftain was fighting the other. The O’Donnells and the O’Neils had a dispute, and the O’Neills […] marched on Tirconnail the land of the O’Donnells. O’Donnell rallied his army (on) and marched to meet them.
Both armies met on the river at Lifford as it is now called. O’Neills army on the south side of the river and O’Donnells on the north. It was customary in these days for one chieftain to tell the strength of his army to the other before the battle. It was discovered that O’Donnell had one man more than O’ Neill, and O’Neill complained about this.
O’Donnell said he would soon make the armies even. He cut a man in two, and sent a half of him over to O’ Neill. On that spot a town was later built and it was named Leithfearr, which in English means half man. Leithfearr was afterwards pronounced Lifford by the English planters. - Collector
- James A. Holmes
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Castlefinn, Co. Donegal
