School: Finiskill (roll number 13075)

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1. My Home District - Finiskill (continued)

   

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   There are three people of over 70 years of age living in Finiskill. Their names and addresses are Mr and Mrs John Reynolds and Mrs Mary Anne Ward, Finiskill, Mohill, Co Leitirim. Houses were far more numerous formerly than at present. I know of two ruined houses formerly inhabited by large families. There are also traces of many others but the stone-work of them, if indeed they were made of stone, is no longer to be seen. It is quite easy to know where old houses once stood, because in most cases they were surrounded by little gardens or "haggarts" enclosed by heavily fenced ditches. These ditches often remain after the stonework of the house has been taken away and thus indicate "where once the cottage stood, the hawthorn grew."

   The great majority of the people who inhabited these ruined houses have emigrated to America many years ago. The heavy rents demanded by the landlords were much too exorbitant for the hard pressed small farmers. Moreover many of them were encumbered by large families and their portion of land being too small to afford them even the bare necessities of life, they were obliged to emigrate to a more friendly land. Their small holdings have long since been merged in the farms of their more fortunate neighbours and thus many of the smaller farms of bygone days, which have been made into one.

   The townland is mentioned in a poem called, My Own Loved Finiskill. The poet is himself a native of the townland. I quote it

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. place-space-environment
      1. local lore, place-lore (~10,595)

   Language

   English

   Location

   Finiskil, Co. Leitrim