School: Béalad (B.) (roll number 11282)
- Location:
- Bealad West, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Tomás Ó Súilleabháin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0316, Page 089
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- The river Airgideen (Airgidín) separates the two parishes of Kilmeen and Castleventry. They are now combined and form one parish - "Kilmeen and Castleventry" At a point on the southern bank of the river, where the townlands of Bealad and Clashatarrive meet, there is a very deep hole in the river. This hole is locally called "Poll na gCapall", and it is believe in this locality to be inhabited by a monster having the head and mane of a horse and the body of a huge serpent. John M. Donovan, farmer, 52 years of Clashatarrive told me how his father (now deceased) saw the monster about 45 years ago. The old man was returning with a neighbour from a local threshing. The time was somewhere about dawn, and he and his friend, as they crossed the fields near the banks of the river, saw the monster, reclining as if asleep, on the northern bank, beside this deep hole.
As both men had had some drink taken, they did not feel afraid, and instead of running away, they threw stones at it. After some minutes the monster reared its head in the air, its mane bristling on its neck, uttered a series of deep roars and slid into the waters & disappeared(continues on next page)
