A man and his wife lived in a house in Tullyloughherny owned by Edward Kelly. Ghosts used to be seen in this house. One night something invisible came into the room and opened the press and closed it again. Then he went into the kitchen and broke coal and put it on the fire. In a while he was heard blowing the bellows. In a few minutes he came into the room opened the press and closed it again. This used often occurr at night Afterwards a noise was heard outside and a blast of wind came in through the room and shook the clothes on the bed in which they were sleepingIIOne night a man was coming home from a forge The moon was shining brightly as he was coming along. Suddenly it grew very dark and a big tree fell across the road without making any crash He tried to get past but he failed. He turned his cap and his coat inside out and blessed himself. As he did so it became quite bright again. He blessed himself again and ran the rest of the way home When he returned the house his wife asked him what had happened. He said rubbing the sweat from his brow "a big tree fell across the road and I

During the past fifty or sixty years the people around are losing the old customs regarding cures. There was one very peculiar method of curing rheumatism and other pains long ago and this was going to a sweat-house and sweating for some time there. This house was made of walls of stones, and a large round flog on top to serve as a roof. On some of these little houses, the people would cover the roof with mud also, probably, to keep the heat in better.
At first a man would go, and fetch a large dry creel of mountain turf. He would leave this at the door of the sweat-house. Then he would go and cut a good load of rushes. It was the custom to try and get the greenest in the field, and this he would leave at the door also. Before putting on the fire, some used to go and get a load of useless hay to close the door during the sweating hours, but this was only the custom in some places.
Now the man would creep in on his hands and knees. Some one would have to be outside to throw in the turf, while he would be making the fire. When the creel was emptied, the next thing to be done was to prepare the floor for the sweating. The load of rushes was pushed through the small door, which was not a very easy job to go, and the person within would open it.

Some people are afraid to go out at night, because of ghosts, fairies or evil spirits. Others say that there are no such things as ghosts.It has often been proved by people in Swords, that there are ghosts in existence. Here is a story of a man who saw a ghost. When this man was about twenty years of age, he used to frequent a house near Swords where a man, his wife and three daughters lived.He used to stay to about midnight and then he would come home.The man of the house told him he would see something he would not want to see again but the young man did not heed him.One night he was returning home as usual, when he came to the middle of Swords street he saw a very large dog coming towards him. (How) He did not pay any attention to it, because he knew that a man who lived near had a big dog. As the dog came nearer that it was not a dog but a donkey. He also saw that it had a tail six feet long. When the donkey turned round he saw that it had eyes of fire. The donkey went into a house across the street. The house was owned by a mr Phillips. The man went over to the house and pushed the door but it was locked. As he came away he felt the 'sweat coming through his boots'. He went home to bed and did not get up for three days. The explanation of

There are two shops in this townland and there was a third about six or seven years ago.There was a baker in this townland also, whose name was Phil McNiff. He is not baking for the past ten years though he is still there, and is hale and hearty.There was a school where Patrick McMorrow's house is built now. A man named Michael McPartland taught in it. He is dead seventeen or eighteen years.
There are two ancient sweat-houses in this townland. They are not used now, but when they were, the people used to bring in a creel of turf and put down a big fire in the sweat-house. When the fire was burned out and the sweat-house very warm, the ashes were swept out and then some rushes were shaken on the floor. Then the people about to sweat used to enter, close the entrance and undress. They usually stayed within for about an hour and a half. They did not put on any extra clothes when leaving.The sweat-houses are circular in shape and very low with dome-shaped roofs. There are ferns and weeds growing inside in them now.

Hoddy, Hoddy,
With a big black body,
And a round flat hat,
What is that.
A pot.There is a thing which goes round the house and round the house. My grandfather loves me and around the house shoves me and oftentimes smiles at the sweat of my bow.
A teapot.

Once upon a time two men were going home from Newmarket at twelve o'clock at night. They were talking on different topics. They were passing between two woods.
Suddenly one of the men said, "oh" look at the big hound his eyes are like two balls of fire." The other man said "where, where I cannot see it at all." But the other man insisted that he saw him. The cold sweat fell from his forehead and the hair of his head stood on end.
He felt very weak and said "John, help me to get to the nearest house." When they approached they rapped at the door. The owner of the house put his head out of the window and asked what they wanted. The man hesitated for a few minutes but when the other man explained the case he went down immediately and opened the door and brought them in.
It happened to be a public house and he gave each of them a glass of whiskey to regain their strength.
They remained there until morning. When morning came they went home.

Local Ruins
The most ancient ruins around here, are the Old Chapel, and the Sweat House.
Both are situated in Carrigacurra, a couple of miles from Valleymount, but very little remains of them now, to indicate that a chapel once stood there, except the traditional name.
Long ago, when there was no chapel in Valleymount Mass was celebrated there. It was probably during the time of the Penal Days, when the Priests were not allowed, but severely punished, for celebrating Mass and administering other religious duties. The priests used be hunted to these desolate places.
Nothing remains of the Old Chapel but the ruined walls, which are broken down to about a foot from the ground, as the people that lived near its surroundings, took to their homes, any little memento, that remained there in expectation of luck.
The Sweat House is nearly completely concealed. It is built square, on the outside, and circular inside, and roofed with long flags, but the grass now grows on top of it, similar to a ditch and thus leaves it very hard to concern. There is an exit on top, to let the smoke escape. The Sweat House is about three feet in height, and four feet in length. In former days it is said, there was a cure

Sweat Houses
There is a sweat house in the townland of Alteen which lies two miles west of the village of Dowra. It was built about seventy years ago by John Flynn of Alteen and is a low bee hive shaped structure built entirely of stone and jointed with clay to prevent the heat from escaping. It is from eight to nine feet in height and about four feet in diameter. The entrance is only about four feet high and two feet wide.
When a person went to sweat he had to go in first and light a big fire, and when the stones were warm enough the fire was taken out and green rushes were spread on the floor. Then the patient had to creep in on his hands and feet. When he was within the small door was closed and he had to remain inside for a considerable time.
One time there went a few women together to the sweat house and when they were inside a boy named John McGovern came along and he climbed up on the house and jumped above on it.
Alice McGuire
Date 1st March 1938
Told by Michael Maguire, Ardlougher, Age 55 yrs

As he did so, cold sweat broke out all over. For looking down out of the loft was the skull that he had kicked around the grave-yard that day. He turned away his head in fear, but where-ever he looked he seemed to see the skull. There was more than a skull in it for below the skull was a long shapeless body. At last it jumped down and asked the man if he were as good a man then as he was that day. It kept repeating this until the man died with fright.
After this the ghost continued to appear in the house. A priest was sent for, and he read mass in the house and after this the ghost did not appear.

For the purpose of health and cleanliness the people of this district made much use of sweat houses sixty or so years ago. Those little houses were built bee hive style, usually in the side of a steep bank, close to a river.
They were built entirely of stone; floor, sides and roof. There was a small hole in the centre of the roof to let out the smoke. The door was just big enough to allow a person to crawl in on hands and knees. The following was the usual procedure. On the evening before the sweat house was used, a large heap of turf or peat was put into the house, then as many live coals as would be required to light this heap of turf would be brought from the

and take off their clothes and put them sitting on the pot of hay for about two hours. Then they used to put on their clothes and go out. When they used to go out in the cold they used to be very weak. One day a man by the name of George Nixon was outside the sweat house of Tullaghan. A man from Cloonmore was going to Mass and he saw George Nixon lying outside the sweat house and he thought George was dead. When he went to Mass he told the priest that George Nixon was dead and the priest read out that George Nixon was dad. George Nixon's wife was at Mass and when she came home her husband was at home before her.
Storyteller: Mrs Lizzie English, 87, Clooncagh.

However on his homeward journey the boy was delayed as the tide was fully in and he had to return by the road way. His father, tired of waiting for him went up stairs to bed. He made up his mind not to sleep till his son's return. But he must have dozed a little, for he suddenly felt some-one pulling the bed-clothes from him. Thinking it was his son who had entered the room, he asked him why he did that. On receiving no answer he sat up in bed and looked around him. There was the room lighted up as if for High Mass. He saw a lot of monks in their dull grey habits, and heard them chanting their office sweetly. Cold sweat broke out all over him as he listened. He covered himself up and began to sweat until morning.
Next day he went to Fr. Goold the Parish Priest and told him about what happened the previous night. The priest came to the house and said Mass there for the souls of the faithful departed. From that day to this nothing strange ever happened in the house.

them up they are supposed to have misfortune and many deaths in the family. Once a man dug up the fort and built a house with the stones. Immediately the house was built the old man died.
Once there was a man who was ploughing his own field in which there was a fort. When he was passing the fort his horse began to sweat blood and shortly after the horse died. The ploughing machine broke in halves the man got ill and died shortly after.
At the lonely hour of midnight a trapper was out trapping. He went into a fort to

A man was once returning from a visit to a sick person. The person was very bad and the man remained very late at the house. He had a saddle horse and when he was gone about half his journey the horse suddenly seemed as if he was drawing a terrible load.
The man became very frightened and he beat the horse to see if he could make her gallop, but it was no good. The horse was pouring sweat and she continued so for about a mile of the road until they came to a little stream and the moment they crossed the stream the load seemed to fall and the horse galloped to the house. From that night on that man was never seen out late.

There was a certain man in this district and when he used to be churning the milk it used to turn into some substance like blood. The people of the house believed that someone was making "pishogue" for them so they decided to bring the Parish priest.
The priest came without delay and told the people of the house to commence churning the milk. The people did so and while they were churning, the priest read out of a prayer-book. He continued reading until drops of sweat fell from his forehead. After a time he stopped and said "It is alright now". The milk never again turned into blood.

As you come out the Abbey-Road the Suir runs along he side of the road. About half-mile out from Golden you would meet what is called the "Sweat-house". A small building-room for one to stand in it. It was heated inside.
People suffering from rheumatic pains came for the cure. The patient went inot the "Sweat-house", stayed until he could bear it no longer then ran out and jumped into the river. It was supposed to cure more things tha rheum-atism.
The grandfather knew a man that used to go there. He told his doctor about it. The doctor said that every time he went there he was driving a nail in his coffin. Yet he lived to be an old man.

he thought he was. He could not realize how he reached where he was, as he never remembered crossing walls or a drain, which he should have done to leave the field he was in at first.
John looked around him, and seeing a light he made his way as best he could towards it. He found that it was the light of the house he had left hours previously. The man of the house told John that several had been known to be led astray in that field. The man himself was in the habit of going in his cuaird to a neighbouring village along this path. He told John that if he saw light (Jackey the lantern) on his setting out for the village he would immediately return home, for he said he was bound to be led astray on such a night.
John himself remembered hearing stories about the beanshee being heard in the neighbourhood, and being of a nervous disposition he made his way home along the public road. His family were much relieved when he arrived, although he was quite pale and in a "lather of a sweat."

About fifty years ago when I used to go to night school, a priest by the name of Fr Ginity told us this story. He was very fond of telling stories. This happened at a place called Cathrines Steps in the Parish of St. Peters Drogheda.
He said, 'One night when I was on a sick call to a place called Greenhills. This Woman was dying and I was walking very fast, running I might say. Two Nuns walked each side of me, I thought It was a very inconvenient time of the Night for Nuns to be out at 12 O Clock. They came with me to the door of the house. When I had finished my duties I returned home. As I left the house the two Nuns appeared again and walked with me to Cathrines Steps. I did not speak to them or they to me. When I came to Cathrines Steps, they turned into two big Dogs and they walked with me to Laurence's Gate. I was teaming with sweat when they disappeared. The two Nuns were the Devil, he thought I would delay and stand and talk to them and keep me late from the dying woman. But God was with me'. The priest is now dead.

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Sweat-houses
Beside the house Leo Casey lodged in Clerana Newtowncashel is a structure called a sweat-house where people went to get cured or to get relief from pains, such as rheumatism or sciatica.
It is constructed partly like a limekiln, but flag covered overhead. The person entered on the hands and knees. Inside there is room for 2 or 3 persons, and it is high enough for a tall person to stand up.
The place was thoroughly heated

Sweathouses
Long ago people who suffered from rheumatism obtained relief by going into sweat-houses and remaining there until cured.
These houses which were built from yellow mash, were large enough for one man to enter. The roof was oval-shaped. In the floor of the house there was a hole in which a fire was kindled. A pipe by which the smoke escaped, wat at the side of the house. A large flat stone was put over the fire and the whole floor was covered over with sand, which was heated by