John Staunton who came nick-named "More Power" used to come to our house about four years ago. He was a native of Ballinrobe. All the neighbours used to gather in to hear him tell stories or news or to see him dance.

During the time of the Famine in Ireland there was a road called "Bollavera" made from Annfield to Bushfield about seven miles from Ballinrobe on the Ballinrobe to Tuam road. It was made by Thomas Walsh and John Cunningham. They were payed eight-pence each a day.
There is a path made from Annfield to a holy well called "Killglassen". There is a byroad made from Gortskehi to Annfield called "Poll Luinge", and there was a road going through Frenchgrove farm to Rosse long ago which, is now used as a cart track.
Long ago the people crossed the rivers by putting sticks and firs across them. There is a big heap of stones near Carras lake since the time of the Famine. They were to be used to make roads in the district but they were never used.
On the road to Tuam there is a place in the side of the road where a man got killed at the time

sometime a man was going to the fair and when he came as far as the gate he happened to look at it.
He saw the donkey's head in the gate. The more he looked at it the bigger and worse looking it was getting.
He began to think of all the stories he heard about this place. The donkey began to rattle the fate and the man was sure it was a ghost. He gave the horse a blow of the whip and he continued running until he went to Ballinrobe.
When he went to Ballinrobe he told everyone about the ghost he saw. After a time another man came along and saw the donkey. He had more courage than the first man and he released the donkey and went his way.
When he came to the dair he heard everyone talking about the ghost, so he told them the

The way they used get a wife long ago was they used steal her unknown to her people. There was a certain man in Connemara and he had two brothers and he went to steal a woman on night. The woman and her mother were sleeping together that night and they had such a fight that they killed the woman and hurted the mother. They were hanged in Ballinrobe for it. There used to be straw boys going round to every

No local traditions regarding the Danes are now extant, though, since they attacked Cong which is only about three statue miles from this, it is very likely that they passed through the Neale to Ballinrobe.

The Famine Period: In the townsland of Lavace on the lands of the Tyand and Lynach families in the parish of the Neale, and close to the public road on the left hand side as one is going to Ballinrobe, there stood until recently the remains of an old building known as the sick house. This appears to have been a kind of hospital in the famine perood. The last traces of it were removed some years ago.

going to Ballinrobe and when he was coming home a crowd of cats came out befor ehim near Cornfield or at the "Sruthán" The cats attacked him and he had to delay a long time before he could leave them. From that day on it is called "Sruthán na gCar."

102. My master sent me to the fair of Tuam with a score of cattle. He gave me 1/2d when I was going. I had to pay 1d custom going in. I hadn't any money but the 1/2d and I didn't borrow any 1d, and still I paid the penny How did I pay?
(I borrowed a 1/2d)
103. A fiddler in Ballinrobe had a brother a fiddler in Dublin, and the fiddler in Dublin had no brother a fiddler in Ballinrobe
(A sister he had in Ballinrobe)
104. How would you bring a fox, a goose and a sheaf of oats across a lake in a boat without letting the fox kill the goose or the goose eat the oats?
(Bring over the goose first and leave her beyond. Go back again and bring over the sheaf of oats. Bring back the goose and leave her behind. Bring over the fox to the sheaf of oats and go back again and bring over the goose.)105. The school-master and his daughter and the minister's wife and himself went into the wood. They got a bird's next with four eggs in it. They took an egg each. How many was left?
(one - the schoolmaster's daughter was the minister's wife)106. Why is the wheel of a cart like a nice girl?
(Because there's a lot of fellows round it)107. What is it that grows on my land. Turn it over and it grows on my hand?
(Straw ... warts)

There was no shoe-maker but one in this locality. He was Brian Hynes of Ballinrobe. He was grandfather of John Hynes, shop-keeper Main-St. Castlebar.

All hats worn by men were tall-hats. A man left his measure with Michael Heron Ballinrobe. He lived in the corner house where Mr. Bernard Joyce. Co. C., lives now. The hats were manufactured and made in Manulla near Balla Co. Mayo.

276soldiers who followed the victim, urged the "hangman" to strike harder, Burke retorted that he might "do his best", but to "strike fair". It is also related that while being flogged Burke had a sixpenny coin between his teeth, and that it was chewed when the flogging was over.The victims of this torture were taken in the cart to the hospital in Ballinrobe for treatment. The six prisoners were in the same cart. Burke was lying on his back with his legs near the rere. The "hangman" sat behind with his legs suspended. As the cart moved up the steep hill just outside Kilmaine on its wait to Ballinrobe, Burke kicked his torturer off the cart. on the roadway. A mounted soldier followed the cart and his horse trod on the "hangman's" foot injuring it severely.Most of the above narrative was told to the writer by Mr Patrick Fitzpatrick who is referred to in the account given of the duel between Miller and Browne in this book

The Millers were old residents in Milford. The last member of the family married Mrs Kirwan of Blindwell, Tuam. The estate passed to nephews of the last survivor, one of whom is the present occupier, the Rev. Mr Ormbsey. The latter resides in the ancestral house which Mr Ormbsey recently renovated at considerable expense. The land and house are subject to an annuity to the Land Commission.Mrs Ruttledge of Cornfield, mother of David Ruttledge the official starter at Race meetings in Ireland, owned 150 acres of untenanted land in Tullyduff and Caher-a-kane. These lands are now tenanted, many of the new tenants being migrants from Tourmakeady. The children from these townlands are the best Irish speakers at our schools, and are successful in obtaining the £2 bonus offered by the Department of Education. The Ruttledges were resident landlords and owned an estate in Cornfield, Hollymount which passed to the I.L.C.Colonel Knox of Creagh House, Ballinrobe had an estate comprising tenanted and untenanted lands in Ellistron and Ellistron Beg townlands. Some 180 acres were untenanted. The I.L.C. purchased and divided the ranch. The landlord owned a large estate about his demesne and most of the town of Ballinrobe. All his property is now sold. His mansion and 100 acres of land was repurchased by the Mayo

The principle roads leading from the square in Kilmaine are the Galway road, the Tuam road, the Ballinrobe road, and the Hollymount road. There is also a road a little to north of the village leading to Cross.
A little to the other end of the village there is a road leading to the chapel. It is called the "chapel road". Another road branches off the Ballinrobe road about one hundred yards from the village of Kilmaine. It is called "Stab-All-Hill". It leads to Conneally's land.
Another road leads to a farm just below the chapel. This road is very seldom used and is not repaired. There is another road which was made lately to serve the people of Fountain-Hill. This road is not steam-rolled. There is another road between the girls' and boys' schools. This road was made by the Land Commission.
There is a small road branching off the Fountain-Hill road. It serves three houses. It also leads to a spring well. At present it is in very bad condition.

A Connemara woman was going to Ballinrobe with a basket of eggs. When she came to a cross roads not far from the town she left down the basket to put on her shoes which no woman wore except when she went to market. They would put on their shoes when

There was a Land Lord in Islandmore about ten years ago. Valintine Blake from Tower Hill which is north of Ballinrobe. He was a very nice Land Lord. He never evicted any one. The Land Lord of Kilkeeran evicted any one who did not pay the rent. His name was Mr. Stoney.

There was a Landlord living in the Neale. His name was "Boycott". He got that name because nobody would cut the wheat or oats. One day when he was coming out from Ballinrobe to the Neale and at the trees where Fits Patrick is now the people were gathered there and they waited until he came very near to them. Soon after he had to leave the Neale because the people continued this and they would

There are two wells in my district. One of them is in Aughavale and the other is in Kilgeever. St Keiver’s [?] well is the name of the one in Kilgeever and St. Patrick’s well is the name of the one in Aughavale. From the first of August to the first of September crowds of people used go the the well in Kilgeever. They used come from Ballinrobe and Partry across the mountains and across this village to the well.

The print said that the Red Colonel would have to go away out of the parish, and he had to go. He went to Ballinrobe. When he died his ghost was in the Castle.

About 10 years ago a man named Mr. Knox lived in Ballinrobe. This man owned a bog castle, and a farm of land. He also had a lot of servants. When this man was very old he died. A few weeks after his death