The Local FairsThe local fairs are Bridgetown Wexford and Taghmon. The fairs are held in villages as well as towns. The local fairs are held in streets. Luck money is given when a bargain is made. The seller would hold out his hand and the buyer would strike him on the hand. Sometimes the seller would spit on the money for luck. The halter or a rope is always given with horses when sold. There are special sales for sheep.James Breen
Redmoor,
Duncormick
Co Wexford.

Local FairsTaghmon and Bridgetown and Wellingtonbridge.
The fair of Wellingtonbridge was changed from Bannow. Long ago there was a fair in Scar in Berry's field. It was changed to the "Brick - field" and from that to the Bridge of Scar and there it died out. Fairs are not always held in towns. The buyers transact business in the country. There are no fairs held on hills or by castles. The town fair is always held in the streets.Padge Berry
Bellgrove
Duncormick
Co Wexford

Stories connected with
Jesus Christ.1. When Our Lord was hanging on the Cross, a robin light on the Cross beside him and tried to pull a thorn from His brow and in doing so a drop of blood from Our Lord's head, fell on its breast and from that on, every robin has a red breast.2. When Our Lord was fleeing with his Parents, to Egypt, they used an ass and on account of Our Lord riding it, a cross is to be seen on every asse's back from that on.Dick Roche.
Johnstown
Duncormick

Old Houses. . . . . 28 - 10 - '38Our house is one of the oldest in this district. There was an old settle in our house long ago. People who were working in our house slept on this settle at night. The fire-place is situated at the middle wall. The chimney wall is built of bricks and and morter. There are iron bars outside our windows. They were put there for protection from robbers.Michael Kavanagh
Gibberpatrick
Duncormick,
Co Wexford.

Graveyards.There is an old graveyard in our lane but it is about 200 years ago since it was in use and there was also an old church there about the same time.
There are stones and flags in an old haggard owned by Martin Furlong and people say these stones were in the graveyard.Philip Murphy
Belgrove
Duncormick
Co Wexford.

is still there. The buildings were thrown down about thirty-two years ago and what they contained were sold by auctionClose to the old Mansion an R.I.C. man was fatally injured when he fell from a tree, he was about to cut. He was stationed in Duncormick. This happened about twenty-five years agoThe lawn around the big House was all ornamented with trees which were homes for the squirrels. These were cut down except a couple on the north-eastern side, which gave shelter from the north winds, but the squirrels have all disappearedBannow Bay, can be seen from the Mansion, the Bay where the Normans landed in 1169.The Hore family went on frequent visits to Scotland and had Scottish servants employed. The had a four-wheeled carriage drawn by two beautiful grey horses.Hores owned extensive property in Taghmon and the surrounding district and they had many tenants who would meet at the Mansion to pay their rents and would be given a dinner there

The sea becomes a muddy green when it is going to rain.
Worms appear on the top of the ground.
When the smoke goes to the ground a sign of bad weather, and when it goes up straight a sign of fine weather.
The soot falls down the chimney.
The crickets sing when there is a storm approaching.
The curlews fly inland when it is going to rain.
The salt gets very damp.
My mother told me this.
Bridie Codd
Belgrove
Duncormick.

Local HeroesBetween sixty and seventy years ago, there lived a man named Michael Nolan, who resided at the Ring, Killag.
This man's earnings were usually made by task work, for he was able to mow one Irish acre per day with the sycthe, and at the end of his day's work he would sole three pairs of boots, and deliver them to their owner, before retiring to rest.
He was the father of eleven happy children who, when they grew up, emigrated to America.
Some of the children wrote a letter to their aged father, who was then about sixty-five, to come and join them in the "Land of the Stars and and Stripes."
He also migrated to this foreign land where he afterwards died an old and helpless man.Pat Breen,
Redmoor,
Duncormick.

Old CraftsJack Crowley + Tom Bent both of Belgrove make potato-baskets. These are made with black-sallys which grow in bogs.
First he makes the rim, using the rim of a bicycle with the spokes taken out. Then he works the sallys in and out. By this method the baskets are completed.
Paul Lambert, Scar, makes wheels.
Lime used to be burned in Gibberpatrick. A hole would be dug in the ground first, then a course of lime-stones, then a course of Colm, so on until the hole would be filled. After being burning for a certain time, the lime would be taken out and put in a heap for sale. The hole would be then filled again, and so on.Bridie Codd,
Belgrove,
Duncormick.

Home Made Toys. 28- 3 -'38.
Mammie used to make dolls
She made them out of pasteboard.
She used to cut two pieces of it, and join them together, with pins, taken from the middle of a copy.
The head was made by putting hay inside of a rag and stitching the rag up in the form of a ball.
Then she would dye some sheep's wool yellow and stitch it to the top of the head, to make it look like hair. She would then stitch the head to the body.
Bridget Stafford, Gurtins used to make chains of dog-berries.
Daddie used to make guns out of a piece of a sally tree. These would fire pelets a distance of 20 or 30 yds.Bridie Codd,
Belgrove,
Duncormick.

Thursday for losses,
Friday for crosses,
Saturday no luck at all.
If you get money from anyone on Hansel Monday it is lucky.
It is unlucky to change from one house to another on Friday.
People generally change on Monday.
June is a lucky month for weddings.
You should not clean or buy anything new in May.Chrissie Cleary
Rath
Duncormick.

35Local Cures.
One pint of ass's milk is a cure for whooping cough. Your fasting spittle for nine mornings cures warts.
Tie a stocking round your neck and it will cure a sore throat.
Salt and water will cure sore eyes.
Juice of ash is good for a pain in the ear. This is got from a log as it is burning.Philip Murphy
Bellgrove
Duncormick

Cat and the mouse.A circle is formed of children having equal distances between each person
Two children will run, one representing the cat and the other the mouse.
The cat will follow the mouse in between the children in the circle.
If the mouse gets tired before he is caught he can stand behind another child's back who will then run representing the mouse.
The game goes on in this way and according as a child gets tired he stands behind another child's back.Chrissie Cleary
Rath
Duncormick

Local RoadsThere is an old road leading to Burrell's old house down by the river from Briens corner.
It was made to lead the way down to the house, and the mill, when it was built, because there was no way in getting to the mill. This road was afterwards made an avenue and there was another road made from the end of the bridge down to the mill.
There was another old road leading to a gentlemans house in the "South". At one side of it there was a pond. This road is now used to draw in corn in the South, and it is there about 2 hundred years or more.
There was another road leading down Burrells lane on the hill to two old houses. This road is now used for driving sheep down to a dipping place in Cullen's field.
There was another road leading down from Barry's, Weneytown to the cross of Rath for a short cut.
This is now used for the people to go down to the mill in Rath.Alice Walsh
Saltbridge
Duncormick.

Care of the Feet.Barney Hunt of Seafield and Jem Murphy of Leveitstown mend boots in this district.
Bill Cummins and Jem Cleary also mend boots.
Burle's yard is still called a tan yard.
A few people wear clogs in this district, in the winter.
The people now-a-days never go without boots but poor children go bare-footed in the summer.
People put a wisp of straw in their boots in the winter. Robert Bennett, George Shudall, and Johnny Hunt made boots in this district long ago.Michael Kavanagh
Gibberpatrick
Duncormick
Co. Wexford.

Our Cows.The animals on our farm consist of horses, sheep, cows, asses, pigs, dogs, and cats.
The names of the cows are Nancy, Rosey, and Polly.
There is an iron roof and a paved floor in the cow-house.
There are chains in the stalls to fasten around the cow's neck.
There are stalls for eight cows in the cow - shed.
There are staples driven in the wood to which the chains are fastened.James Breen,
Redmoor,
Duncormick,
Co Wexford.

Local Fairs.There are fairsheld twice a month in Tagmon, Bridgetown, and Wellingtonbridge. These are the nearest fairs around here. Long ago fairs were held in Scar in Beery's field called the "Fair Green." It was changed to a field called "The "Brick Field" and later it was changed to the bridge of Scar where pigs were sold.
Jack Furlong and others of Knocktown used to sell beer there.
Town - fairs are held in the streets.
When an animal is sold luck is given to the buyer. The buyer and the seller strike hands when dividing money.Michael Kavanagh
Gibberpatrick
Duncormick
Co Wexford.

Old Houses. . . . .28 - 10 - 38Our house is over a hundred years old.
Before we went to live there Mammy's aunt lived there and her mother and father also lived there.
There is a mud floor in the kitchen and parlour, and the back wall is made of yellow mud.
There is only one window in our kitchen but it is fairly bright inside.
There is a half door outside the big door, which can be taken away at night. The kitchen is not ceiled, and the boards of the floor upstairs are black.
There are three "rooms" altogether two big ones upstairs and one small one downstairs.Alice Walshe
Saltbridge
Duncormick
Co Wexford.

brought to court in Duncormick and offenders fined. Owing to the great value of the weed and the restrictions on the beach there were often disputes and fighting. A farmer in trying to bring an extra heavy load often got held up and as passages were narrow the way would be blocked and no others could come in or get out. That would cause a very severe fight. Even to delay talking or smoking would cause trouble. The woar was filled with a three "tag" sprong and this sprong was made locally in the forge. In winter time the weed was drawn to the headlands in the fields and was repeatedly turned. Sometimes sand was mixed with it. After harvest before ploughing the stubble or lea the woar was spread. In May it was drawn and put directly in the drills for mangold crop.There were various places for filling the woar and each tenant had to go to his own special place.Where "bank (local name for land beside sea)" was high "gaps" were cut in the cliff or bank to the beach:"Barry's Gap", "Harper's Gap" "Wade's Gap" are still to be seen but several are worn away at beach and others in disuse, The following were the places allotted to the various tenants
(now not strictly observed)
Long Gap :
Mr. John White, Farmhouse,
Mr Barry (Bannow ) (4 families)
Mr Tom Harpur (Bannow)
Mr Walsh (Seaview)

near.
When clouds come from the sea, a sign of rain.
A rainbow in the morning is the shepherds warning.
A rainbow at night is the shepherds delight.
When the fire makes funny noises a sign of wind.
Land wind and honest men go to rest at night.
Sea winds and rogues arise.
The wind from the South brings most rain here.
My mother told me this Weather Lore.
Chrissie Cleary
Rath
Duncormick