Sweet Cappamore
Sweet Cappamore my native place, you are always in my mind.
Iwill think of you wherever I go and one I left behind.
I often think of boyhood days, those happy days of yore.
When being a boy, I roamed with joy, through dear old Cappamore.
II
In bygone days I went to school, in dreams we have them still.
For with my comrades full of glee, we climbed Dromsally hill.
But now alas through far away, I will climb that hill no more.
Nor listen to the larks loud song, that sings round Cappamore.

There are a lot of roads in this locality. They are called by different names. The names are the Greenroad which needs from Murroe to Cappamore. There is another road called the Rath road. It leads from Rath Cross to Eyon Cross and there's another road called the main road which leads from Cappamore to Limerick. Some of the roads are very old and still are used. There are a lot of paths called shortcuts which join one road to another. Before bridges were made in this district rivers were crossed in shallow places by fords “chioshaks”. At the cross of Murroe there's a monument erected in honour of those who fell in the last rebellion. There are no heaps of stones on the sides of the roads.

In olden times there were very few shops in the country only what people called huckster shops. These were poor shops where the shopkeepers were just able to get in a weeks supply of groceries and other household articles which they sold out in small quantities in exchange for eggs or a lb of butter as all farmers made their own butter then. There were no creameries that time. In a few places there was some buying and selling done after Mass as the owner of a good horse considered it the best place to show him off and chance a buyer. Very often there wouldn't be any money given in the purchase of an animal, only as the buyer would say will you swop. That meant would he take another animal such as a cow in exchange. Other purchases would be paid for by labour. There was a fair and market held in Murroe in former times away up near Thorns place. There was another in Bilboa (Cappamore). Cappamore is the only small local town that has fairs and markets nowadays.

On the 12th June 1913, the greatest flood was ever seen that my grandfather remembers. It swept away Gloshue bridge, in the townland of Gloshue, in the parish of Cappamore, Co Limerick. A man named Thomas Hickey, Croughlahan, Cappamore , Co Limerick, tied his ass and car to the bridge and went into Ryan's public house in Gloshue for a drink and to avoid the rain. When he came out to go home the rain had ceased. His ass and car and bridge were gone off with the flood, but fortunately he was swept into a field and was unhurt.

It is said that there was an old school in the townland of Glousia, parish of Cappamore,

Thomas Power who lives in the townland of Bilboa in the parish of Cappamore, in the County of Limerick is a champion plough-man. He is an agricultural labourer and has constant employment with Mr. P. K. Walshe of Bilboa, Cappamore. He is sixty years of age and still competes in Ploughing Matches.
In 1913 he competed in a ploughing Match at Mount Shannon near Limerick. The match was held in a field owned by Mr. Flannery. Tom Power competed against ten men, some of whom were James Flint of Bilboa, John Lane, Mr. Flannery and Peter Coffey. Tom worked a Howard Chill Plough and won First Prize.
He attended a match which was held in Cooneen, Cappamore, Co. Limerick in 1914. The competition took place in a field owned by Mr. Thomas Walshe. There were seven competitors and again Tom Power was First Prize which was a Howard Plough value £6-10.
In all, this ploughman won twenty first-prizes and five second-prizes. The following table shows of his wins:-(1) 1913, Prize £2-10. First Prize.

There is a small house on the farm of Timothy McNamara in the townsland of Cullina in the parish of Cappamore. This house was a hedge school in former days. It was built by William McNamara 150 years ago.The teacher there was called "The Blade of Munster". He was succeeded by a man named O'Donnell who afterwards became National Teacher in Cappamore.The surname of "The Blade of Munster" was Hayes. It is not know why he was called "The Blade of Munster".

"Tubberavora Well"
In the towns land of Ballyovreen between Murroe and Cappamore Co. Limerick there is also a blessed well it is about three hundred yard in from the public road and is situated in the centre of a wood. It is said that Saint Patrick passed, that way and blessed the well. The water of the well was known to be a great cure for sight.
In the townsland of Cappanuke between Murroe, and Cappamore Co. Limerick there is a well but it is not a blessed well. It is less than a quarter of a mile from the public road and situated at the end of a meadow and close to a foot of a hill. in the days gone by fairies were seen dancing around it at early dawn on the top pf this hill was a grave yard where several children were buried it is now a grazing field.

In olden days the people of this country had no clocks to tell them the time of day, the first warning of dawn was when the cock crew, also in those days the farmers had no poultry houses as if they had the landlord increased the rent so the fowl were put to sleep over the entry to every farmers dwelling until morning came when all were put out and the floor cleaned out. This also helped to have the people hear the cock in the morning.
In this parish the first Hayforks used were made by the MacNamaras who had forges in Brittas and Cappamore. Also the corn scythes were made by them and I believe some of them are to be seen yet with Mr William Crowe, Killuragh, Cappamore. This family of smiths were famous for the pikes they made the time of the Fenian Movement and I understand they did jail for their work or were at least set on by the calves of John Bull.

There lived about 80 years ago in Cratloe an old woman named Biddy Early who was supposed to possess supernatural powers or be in league with the devil. She was visited by people from the district when their butter was stolen and told them they would find it hidden under the eye of a bridge near them. They came home and found it there.
A man named Gallagher from Cappamore went to her and when he went in she said "Welcome Denis Gallagher from Cappamore."
Another man when saluted thus by her said "How do you know me? - Ah said she I sat on the heap of tow over your bed this morning. The tow was there. Another man from Tineteriffe went to consult her and when he returned home he found that his Jennet was blind.

About two hundred years ago a man named Jerry Hayes lived in Killuragh, Cappamore, Co. Limerick. He was a landlord and he owned Killuragh and the village of Cappamore.
At that time people used settle disputes by fighting with guns and Jerry was the champion of Ireland for fighting with a gun. In fact it was said that he never fought with a man without killing or wounding him. So he got the nick-name of "The Blade of Munster".
Jerry used to to the Grand Jury in Clonmel. It used be all young gentlemen that were there

I live in Kiluragh, Cappamore, Barony of Coonagh, Co. Limerick. There are fifteen families in the townland, and about 63 people. The family name most common is Maher. There are five thatched houses and ten slated ones, five two storey houses and ten one storey, seven farmers' houses and eight labourers'. The area of Killuragh is about 735 acres. I think the townland got it's name from an old lime kill. The people don't know any Irish. There is only one I think can tell stories well in English and that is Tom Kett, Killuragh, Cappamore, Co. Limerick.
There were more houses in olden times than there are now, but some of them fell away because they were made of mud. There is only one old house now in ruins, only the four walls are standing. A few families emigrated to Americal for work. There is no song or saying about the townland.
The land is not hilly, but it is

English. John Connolly, can tell stories well in English.
There were more houses in Towerhill in former times but they were knocked down by the storms. There are several houses in ruins in John Devane's farm, Towerhill, Cappamore, Co. Limerick. There were twenty-five emigrants from Towerhill for the last fifty years to other countries. The land is very hilly and good. The name of the townland is not mentioned in any song, or saying of any kind. There was one great wood in Towerhill, covering 300 acres of land, and it was cut down by the people. There is one small wood there yet, covering a quarter of an acre. It is called the "Crows' Wood". It is situated in Mr. Con Ryan's field, Towerhill, Cappamore, Co. Limerick.

I live in the village of Cappamore, Townland of Turagh, Parish of Cappamore, Barony of Owney Beg, in the County of Limerick. There are over a hundred and eighty families in the village, and about five hundred people. Ryan and O'Brien are the most common names. There are more slated houses in the village than thatched ones, and more two storey high houses than one storey. There are a lot of old people in the village over seventy years of age but none of them knows Irish.
There were fewer houses in the village in the former times than now. No old ruins of the houses are to be seen now, because the walls were mostly of mud. Several people emigrated to America, Australia, and England in former times. The land around the village is not very hilly or boggy, but it is very good fertile land. There is a big river called the Mulcare almost beside the village, and there is a wood too, called Fennelly Wood, not far from the village.

In olden times there were no factories for making nails. There were man people in Cappamore who used make nails then. William Conroy, and Oliver Davern were two nail makers in Cappamore Co Limerick. Barony of Owneybeg. But both of them are dead about 40 years. They had small forges.
The nail wire was bought and cut up into whatever length the nails should be. Then the bits of wire were put into a fire until they would be red hot. They were brought out then and the tops pointed

On May Eve Margaret Lynch, Main Street Cappamore Co. Limerick, was taking away manure from the back of her own house when she got about two or three dozen of rotten eggs in the manure.
Someone was putting piseogs on her.
Mrs Ryan, Towerhill, Cappamore Co. Limerick put piseogs on some farmers that she didn't like. When they used to wash the calves she used have beestings in the buckets.

In the townland of Farnane, Cappamore, Co Limerick in the Barony of Clan William, just where our house is now situated, there was a school situated.
That school was about 130 years ago, before the national schools were built. It was a learned man name Fogarty that started the school. He made the school out of a room of his own house. The school was open from 10 o'clock in the morning to six inthe evening. The school contained about 24 pupils. The pupils learned Irish as well as English. They also did sums on slates and with a cedar marked down the figures on the slates. The cedars were long pieces of slate shaped like a pencil and pointed on the top so as to mark down the figures. My great grandfather, Mick Daly, went to this school. He lived in Farnane, Cappamore, Co Limerick. The teacher was paid

Knocknacorriga, Cappamore are the "Hill" field because there is a small hill in the centre. The boggy meadow, pump field, the long meadow and the cowhouse field.
Martin O'Donoghue's fields are near our house. They are the River field just beside the river. "Martin's field is outside the river field. The forge meadow just behind James Collins' forge.
Daniel O'Donoghue's fields are near Martin Donoghue's land. The name of the nearest one is the lime kiln field - so called because there was a large lime-kiln there about twenty five years ago. The field at the left side of our house is called "Dan's" field. It's belonging to Daniel O'Donoghue, Clogher, Cappamore. The meadow on the right side is called Lonergan's meadow. It's belonging to John Lonergan, Gurtna

Newport. The Cappamore road leads to Murroe and to Annacoty. The new road is only a short cut to Mongfune Cross. The Cappamore road was made a long time ago. the 'new' road is made only twelve years. There is only one path in the school district and that is in Ballinasmall and tis very useful to the people around that place. Before Bridges were made the rivers were crossed by means of Fords. There is one in Moher and one in Meentulla. The one in Moher is still used. There are no stories connected with them. There is a Mass path in Glenstal.
Tim Humphries, Glenstal, Murroe.

Once a man by the name of Sean Mor lived in Garavane, Rear Cross, Newport, Co. Tipperary. He was so strong that he couldcatch a bull and knock him. He could get his back under a horse and lift him off the ground.One day a party of men from Tour were carting limestones from Cappamore. In one car they had only one stone so heavy that it was a load in itself , probably a ton or more. It took eight men to put it into the car in Cappamore. These men had heard of Sean's strength but had