School: Castletown, Mountrath (roll number 2731)
- Location:
- Castletown, Co. Laois
- Teacher: Bean Uí Mhearnáin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0826, Page 003
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- Castletown
The old castle from which Castletown gets its name is situated on the bank of the River Nore. It is by the side of the main road from Dublin to Cork and Limerick. It is one of the most historic places in this county of ours. In olden times it was (that) said that there was an underground passage which led from the Castle to Roe's Castle of Rushall, and another to Aughabo. The late Lord Castletown's ancestors were the residents of the castle.
It is said that the Fitzpatrick's burned the castle when the English army was coming.
When Cromwell's soldiers were robbing the monasteries the Brothers used to hide in the tunnel which connected Aughabo and Castletown. They had a horse which used to take the mail to Clonenagh. One day the soldiers caught the horse and robbed the mail.
Then the soldiers asked a woman where the Brothers used to be, and they said they would give her a lot of money. It is said she got a gallon of buttermilk and made a hole in the bottom of the gallon and she streaked it from Castletown to Aughabo. The soldiers knew what she meant. Half of them entered the tunnel from Castletown and the other half from Aughabo side they captured and killed all the Brothers(continues on next page)
- Collector
- May Killeen
- Gender
- Female
