Riverstown Parish
The ecclesiastical union of Riverstown comprises the old parishes of Ballynakill, Ballysumahan, Drumcolumb, Kilmacallan, Kilross and Tawnagh. In this ecclesiastical union, there are now four churches – two Catholic and two Protestant. One of the Catholic churches stands in Riverstown, and the other in Sooey. Of the Protectant churches, one is situated at Riverstown and the other in Ballysumahan.
Riverstown is the only town in the district and lies partly in the parish of Drumcolumb but mostly in the parish of Kilmacallan, and is looked upon as one of the most prosperous little towns in the county. The Irish name of Riverstown is Ballyederdaowen – the town between the two rivers – owing to its being situated between the Uncion and the Douglas. In the immediate vicinity is Cooper Hill. This mansion, to borrow

Douglas who in turn sold it to Maxwell Boyle who lived there until his death about four years ago. The Whites always boasted that they owned no confiscated land. They bought their property.
Lord Massey succeeded Sam in or about the year 1850. On his arrival in Buckode he visited the old school and arranged for a meeting with the tenants to discuss the Rent question. He also understood that the old school was not suitable and so made arrangements to have one built. A site was provided and Lord Massey put up the money. In that

estates the teacher ran the chance of getting a double grant. In the Winter each child brought two turf every morning, and the parents paid 1/- per quarter to the teacher. If the teacher ever got a blind eye or a lame leg etc. they had to still teach as long as they were able to write their name. Miss Golden was the name of the teacher who taught in Cloonaquin school.
From 1850 on, the children attended the present National School - Corrigeencor, the teachers being paid by the landlord until 1872. The school then had a brick floor, and was divided into two parts, one for boys, and the other for girls. There were desks in the school, they had books but used slates and cutters for written work. The first teachers were Douglas and Margaret Bird, brother and sister. They were reared in the townland of Aughamelta, where Parke's lives now about a mile from the school. The next teachers were Paddy Loller[?] and his wife. They lived in the Residence which was also built by the landlord. Then Johnny McGee and his wife they also lived in the Residence, they came from Killenumery. Johnny died in the workhouse in Manorhamilton. After Johnny McGee came Henry Duncan, who lived in Dromahair.

who is my mother. My great-grandmother, Mrs Heighinton of Glen Imaal was the greatest herbal doctor in the district. People came from Leix and Kilkenny to her for curses, a long journey in those days. She never wrote anything down and very few of her cures came down as far as my generation. She was very jealous of her out in that direction.The famous Michael Dwyer was workman with an ancestor of a friend of mine "Hardbidge" of Tinnahinch, Co Wicklow. He was a fine strong fellow of a superior type. One day when news of the rising came he downed his spade where he was digging in the field and said "Im away, because they need me". He next appeared as the famous guerrilla leader.Robert Reilly and Thomas Harman have lived here in Leitrim all their live except for a short period when Reilly went to America. He was one time a servant at Drumkilla Glebe and carried a gun for Dr Douglas Hyde when he came there on his holidays to visit his uncle Archdeacon Hunt.

Famine Times.
The Famine took place in the year 47 and 48. This caused much hardship to the country The potatoes crop failed and the people had nothing to eat but Indian porridge. There is an old boiler in my garden at home and a man named Pritchard used to boil the full of indian stirabout Douglas Hyde's father used to deliver that to the poor. The children used to come with their little cup or saucepan and ask for the full or even half it If the children were not able to come their mothers would have to carry them on their backs or in their arms. Everything perished from hunger even the dog (aboutk) about the 12th of July fell of the ditch with hunger. This affected the district very much There are no houses now where there were in years gone by There was a large number of

Long ago a man named Daniel Dempsey lived in Ballindeasig. He used to go to the sea-side now and again. Each time he saw a mermaid he went talking to her She used to be combing her hair. It was coloured gold. He took her away with him. They got married and lived together for two years. They had one child. The child had webs in her legs After four years the child used to go to the sea. The mermaid went away and took the child with her, and he never saw them again. The man was out working when they went away. The man was buried in Douglas. He was seventy two years when he died. My name is Kitty Kiely, Farren Brien. Jim Lyons told me the story. He is living in Farrenbrien. He is eighty years.

for Baile Bhoirne (the place of the rocky district). The same root is present in Berrings and Brinny. Kealnacranagh and Kilnarovanagh appear to mean respectively the Church of the Picts and the Church of the Romans. Bealad means cross roads, while we learn that Fota and Lota signify respectively woods and marshes. Of course Cork is the Irish Coreach (a marsh); Douglas (Dubh Glaise) means black stream, and Shandon stands for Sean-Dun (old fort). Gil-Abbey is called after Giolla Aedh O'Muighin, a famous Bishop of Cork and in more ancient days it was known as the Monastery of the Cave. The Grand Parade was anciently called by the Irish equivalent of the Street of the Yellow Horse. Many remember when Liberty Street, Pope's quay, and the Glanmire end of MacCurtain street were known as Broad Lane, the Sand quay and the Brickfields, while everybody is, or ought to be, acquainted with the story(?) of Sunday's Well. The Meades, Gallweys, Goulds, Coppingers, Skiddys. etc. were well-known merchants of Danish descent, who had, no doubt

There is a road about two miles outside Passage called the Board of Works Road. It is believed that this road was made about the time of the Famine. It begins at the Monastery Cross and cuts across country to where it opens on to the Main Road at the little village of Strawhall.

Another road runs from Douglas to Passage and is a portion of the main road, which runs from Cork to Carrigaline. It is said that this road was made about the time of the Famine. This road is a very dangerous one for traffic as there are numerous twists and bends in it. The reason for this is generally given thus: After the Famine the people were very much in need of work, so when they got the contract to make a road from the two towns, they made it the work last as long as possible, hence the many bends and twists.

the bad weather.
This tower is about forty-two feet high. It was built by Cromwell, and was used as a watch tower.
The view from the top is so great, that thirty miles of the surrounding country can be seen. The following are some of the places to be seen:- Cork City, Douglas, Light Ship, and even the Head of Kinsale.
This tower is square and narrow. There was a fire in it, where the soldiers could warm themselves, while their companions kept watch on the tower above, which was reached by steps on the outside.

The road leading from Carrigaline to Cork is called the Cork Road. The road leading from Carrigaline to Crosshaven is called the Strand Road. The road leading from Carrigaline to Ballyfeard is called the New Road. The road leading from Carrigaline to Ballygarvan is called the Ballea Road. The road leading from Carrigaline to Ringaskiddy is called the Church Road. All these roads are still being used.
The New Road was made as relief work during the Famine Period. The Board of Works Road was made during the Famine Period. The Board of Works Road leads from the Cork Road to the old Douglas Road. There is no knowledge as to the conditions of the work or rates of pay.
Before bridges were made in this district the rivers were crossed by fords. There was only one

Champion of the Square. The O Mahonys being only middle man under Douglas Blacker. Mahony had to hand over his property to Blacker.
Then all the poor men became yearly tenants and masters of their own place. The land which was a mountain then is able to grow up crops to day.
A portion of the O Mahonys lans is divided among those poor men today and there is neither one of those Mahonys or Sandes to be seen in Kerry.

used ring the valleys with his beautiful traditional Irish music.
On St. John's night the Rockhill boys and the Bruree boys used to get a horse and pig rail and go to Garryfine bog and fill the rail with turf and make a bonfire at the side of the road west of Rockhill pump that would last all night and they would stay dancing there to O'Flaherty's music far into the night. On that evening he would start out from Bruree with about two hundred boys and girls and he used to play all the way back the road.
One time when he was in Adare Manor playing at a party and Lord Dunraven asked him to go up to Dublin to play for the English Lord Lieutenant of Ireland who was then living where Dr. Douglas Hyde now resides, but he excused himself by saying that his pipes were not good enough. Lord Dunraven ordered a special set to be made for him which were very expensive, so he

give the whole thing up as a bad job. King William went home to England via Cullen + Waterford [On September 3rd he sailed from Waterford] His army came via Cullen Tipperary + Golden to Cashel where lots were cast for Winter quarters. In the casting of the lots, Cashel fell to the Dutch, Thurles to the French and Roscrea to the English. In those towns the invaders entrenched themselves to wait the second attempt on the old fortified stronghold of the Shannon.
On September 9th General Douglas marched through Thurles with his army for Roscrea and encamped outside the town for a night. Other parts of the army followed him - in all, ten or twelve regiments of foot and numerous cavalry.
Davis on September 13th preached at Thurles on Contentment. He visited one Grace living in Brittas who was friendly to the Williamite crowd. he spent a while there killing rabbits. Later he preached in St John's Church at Cashel on September 21st 1690.

The land lord in Moymet long ago was Thomson. He owned all the land of Moymet and Clonfane. His tenants used have to pay him rent according to the amount of land they had. It was my grand father that had our farm when Thomson was the land lord and when land lords were done away with my father bought it.
He used to evict anyone who would not pay the rent to him. One time he evicted a man named George Douglas and his sister Jane and when they were evicted George went from house to house begging. One day Jane got down on her knees and cursed Thomson and next day Thomson was at a fair in Bective and he turned his head round to look at something and ever since that his head remained crooked.
The Thomson estate consisted of 825 acres.

what she appeared to be, but Helen Douglas, a Princess of the Blood of Scotland, who to avoid a deserted marriage had sought shelter under her protection. She was now no longer a vassal in the family. Every respect was paid due to her rank and in a short time she gave her hand to the eldest son of her late master. One son was the offspring of this union: he became a clergyman and coming to Ireland under Lord Forbes's auspices was presented with the living of Longford.A monument was erected to his memory in that Church but no vestige of it is now remaining.

My home district is Glasna. It is in the townland of Ballylehane. Glasna is in the Barony of Slieve Margy and it is in the parish of Arles. Glasna is an Irish word and it got it's name from the green fields. There are about eleven families in Glasna.
Most of the houses are thatched. There are a great many ruins of old houses still left. Most or all of the houses were thatched in years gone by.
There is no old person in the district who can talk Irish or tell stories except Mr. Brennan the old schoolmaster The most plentiful family names in the townland of Ballylehane are Rowan, Brennan, and Hughes. There is a valley with a river called the Douglas flowing through it

sixty people in the townsland. There are three slated houses and seven thatched houses. Those people who are seventy are, John Brennan, Clopook, Ballyfoyle Co. Kilkenny, John Dwyer, Clopook, Ballyfoyle, Co. Kilkenny Mrs. Murphy, Clopook, Ballyfoyle, Co. Kilkenny. None of them know Irish. Fourteen more families were in the townsland of Clopook in days gone by. There are only the ruins of three of the houses to be seen now. A good many people went to America from here in days gone by because they could not get work at home. The townsland was not mentioned in any song or story. The land is mixed. Some of it is hilly and more of it is a kind of wet. There are some good tillage fields in it. Oats, Wheat, Barley, potatoes, mangolds, and turnips. There is a wood in it. It is called "Drumaherin" wood. It covers one acre of land. The kind of trees that are growing in it are beech, oak, elm. The trees that grows the best in it is the beech. The river Douglas drains the district. It divides the townsland of Clopook from that of Gaulstown.

The name of the townsland in which I live in is Clorinka. The name of the Barony is Fassidinan. There are twelve families in the townsland. There are fifty-six people in it. Tyman is the most common name. The houses are slated. The townsland got it name from a stone on which the people used to dance. There are two old people in the district. There were more houses in the townsland than there are now. There are about ten houses in ruins. Some of the people who were living in them died and the rest of them went to America and Australia. Sycamore trees grow the best in my district. The names of the rivers running through it are the Dinan and the Douglas. The names of the streams are the Creamery stream, the glen stream, and the cumer. Potatoes, Barley, Wheat, Oats, turnips, mangolds and cabbage are the crops that are sowen in this district. There is no wood in it.

These were drift nets - and were hauled and set by hand. The herring nets were only 17 fathoms long. Each boat was equipped with a hand winch which was used to haul up an anchor, or to haul the springback, (a name given to a large rope which stretched from end to end of the train of nets when set, and which was attached here and there to the nets) apparently to strengthen them and as it was winched back it facili-tated the hauling of the nets.About 20 of the large boats at the same time of year followed herring fishing. They used about the same number of nets (but of a smaller mesh), and usually began the spring fishing in Dunmore, Co. Waterford. As the summer approached they came home shared the proceeds and went fishing for herrings in Howth, Isle of Man (Douglas) or Ardglass, Co. Down.The large boats returned from the

mackerel fishing to Arklow in early summer and the sharing of the seasons takings took place (a special sharing system being employed). These boats then were equipped with a "train" of herring nets, and also proceeded to Howth, Douglas or Ardglass so that about 80 large boats in all took part int he herring fishing (eight men on each and a boy).As the herrings failed in Howth or Ardglass the boats went round the coast of Antrim and Derry on to Donegal. In Donegal they fished chiefly round Lough Swilly, Buncranna, Killybegs, and Burtonport. Some boats continued on from coast to coast, down by Mayo, Galway, Clare, etc. returning home by south of Ireland.