"I live in Clarina. There is a castle in Clarina but it is occupied at present. It was formerly owned by Lord Clarina - a family called Massey. Lord Clarina's family went to England. The land was divided some years ago. Part of the castle was burned accidentally. It is now occupied by a family called King. In years gone by there was a big wood on the Clarina estate. But when Mr. King bought the castle the wood was cut down and sold. There are only a few scattered trees there now at the edge of the domain. A little river runs through the estate. It is called the "Massey" river after Lord Clarina's family"

Clarina Castle.Clarina castle is situated about five miles west of Limerick city. It was inhabited by aristocracy down through many centuries. About a hundred years ago, it was owned by Lord Clarina.When Clarina castle was being build, the gentry ordered that the workmen were to work on church holidays. This was done against the priest's will.There was a parish priest in Ballybrown at the time, called father Brown. He was displeased with Lord Clarina's order. He said he would pay a visit to the building on some church holiday. The gentry hearing this ordered the gate of the lodge to be shut. They also ordered the gate-woman not to open the gate for the priest. Father brown came to the gate with his horse, and his whip. He told the gate-woman to allow him in. She said she got orders not to let him in. "All right", he said. "I will go through the gate and through the front and back doors of the building. He pulled out his whip, struck the door and the door bursted open. He rode on 'till he reached the building. The workmen seeing him coming laid down their tools, and said they would not work any more on church holidays. Father Brown looked up at the building and made the following prophecy. "It shall be a massive building, but in a short period the crows shall fly in and out through it. This prophecy came through.Recorded from P.J. O'Reilly, Ferrybridge, Clarina, Co. Limk.Collector. Ml. McGrath, Ballycarney, Clarina, Co Limk.

(2) There are no landlords at present but there were in the olden days. There were two in this parish Lord Clarina and Lord Emly. Lord Emly was not as strict as Lord Clarina who was very hard on some people. Some families were evicted the Doolins in Breska and Mrs Moloney in Carrig. Mrs Moloney went to America and the Doolan's stayed in a cowhouse for a long time. After a while the man got back his house. The house was badly wrecked that they had to get a new house built. They are there still. In recent years the estates of Lord Emly, Lord Clarina and Faha were divided.

The Lore of Certain Days.
Long ago it was the custom not to remove into a new house on a Monday. Friday is the luckiest day for removals. If a person were dead it is considered unlucky to make the grave on Monday. The old custom was to take the green sod off the top of the grave on Sunday. Friday is considered the luckiest day of the week for doing anything and Saturday the most unlucky (Sadie Hartnett, Newtown)
Told by Mr. John Hartnett, Newtown, Clarina.
People say it is unlucky to cut anything on Monday (Mary Byrnes, Newtown)
They say that it is unlucky to cut your hair on Monday. Anyone who is going to a new house or job never goes on Saturday because it is unlucky. They also say that Saturday's moon comes seven years too soon.
Told by Mr. John Kenny , Clarina (Eileen Kenny, Clarina)
On Good Friday, Ash Wednesday and Spy Wednesday people used to keep the rain-water for a cure (Brigid Hall, Carrig, Clarina) Told by Mrs. Murphy. Ballybrown, Clarina

(2) Clarina
We have two churches in our parish one in Lurriga and one in Ballybrown. I go to Ballybrown church every Sunday. I am living in Clarina. There are about twenty eight families there. "Hartigans" is the most common name there. Most of the houses are slated.
There are many old people of about 70 years such as Michael Grady, Mr. Kirby, Mr. McDonnell and Mr. Lyons. They could tell stories when they were young. There were more people there long ago than there are at present because when they were young they emigrated to America. There are many old ruins of houses in Clarina. The woods are nearly all cut down now. They were fairly big. There is a stream flowing through the wood called the "whiskey pond".

Some years ago a Priest was living in Limerick city, his health was in a very low condition. For the good of his health he used take a walk every day from the city by Clarina and Cooper - Hill. He used return home by Mungret College and through Ballybrown. On those daily walks he met Lord Clarina, they became very friendly and had several conversations concerning religion. In one of these conversations the Lord asked the question which of us possess the correct religion?" the priest "you have the wrong religion, and I am right. The Lord then told him that his father died a Protestant and he asked the Priest where his father was now". The Priest told him that he was in hell, the Lord asked the Priest to prove what he had said was true. "Be here to - morrow at twelve o'clock and I shall prove it. Both met next day at the place and time appointed. The Lord sat on the wall and the Priest stood at the gate. The Priest opened the book and began to read, after some time he whistled at which the Lord laughed. The Priest read again and whistled at which the Lord laughed louder. The Priest read and whistled the third time in which he mentioned the Lord's father's name. The Lord's father was heard tearing with chains up through the ground. At which sound the Lord fell prostrate to the ground.

Cragbeg.There was a man in Cragbeg, and the story goes that he had 21 boys. Those boys went a hunting one day and they were never seen together again.From Mrs. O"Reily, Ferrybridge, Clarina, Co. Limerick.Collector - Michael McGrath, Ballycarney, Clarina, Co. Limk.

man's farm, and she could afford to sell butter to everyone. The Priest was told about this, and he went to her and gave her "a telling off". He told her that if she done it again, he would stick her to the ground. She never done it again, and the man got back his butter. This showed how much power the Catholic Priests had.From Mrs. O'Reilly, Ferrybridge, Clarina, Co. Limk.Collector - Michael McGrath, Ballycarney, Clarina, Co. Limk.

A Estate at Clarina was owned by Lord Clarina. This man wanted his men to work on a Sunday. He locked the lodge gates, and gave orders to his lodge keeper (the old woman who told the story to my informant) not to allow the priest to enter if he came. The old woman did not like to do this, and she told the priest so as he came to the locked gates in a certain Sunday. The priest told her not to be troubled, and he touched the gates, which flew open at his touch.
He went to the Castle, and brought the men to Mass.

The following are the names of roads in this district:-
The Line (or Dock Road). From Limerick to Foynes.
The Little Line. From the Brick Lodge to Corcamore Cross.
The Saw-pit hill f. Corcamore Cross to Kilkeedy.
The Pound road f. Ballybrown Church to Clarina.
The Chapel Road f. Kilkeedy to Chapel Cross.
The Wood Road from Brick lodge through Elm Park to Breska.
The Lodge Road from Clarina Cross to Old Clarina Cross.
The Old Road from Old Clarina to Mungret.
The Bog Road from Mungret to Raheen.
The Hill Road leads over Newtown hill.
The Line Road from Tervoe to Cregaune Cross.
The Wash Road from Cregaune Cross to Shannon.
Cooperhill road from Tervoe Village to Cooperhill.
Carrig Road from Pound road past Carrigogunnell
The Ballymacastle Road from Tervoe Village to Conigar.
Tervoe Road from Ballybrown Church to Tervoe village.
The Line Rd. (Limerick to Foynes) was made about 70 years ago. "The Roads were made long ago before the time of the famine. They were made to give poor men that were starving with the hunger a few shillings to earn. There is a lot of traffic on these roads at present except on Newtown Hill road because it is too high and rugged. There are many piseogs about crossroads. If you stand at a cross roads after twelve o'clock you would see fairies and you could not pass it anymore by night because you would be stopped by the 'headless coach'.

Addn. : The cats' names are "Black Man" & Grey Dot. Funny, Joe & Kitty are the dogs' names. Cows' names are Clarina, Slack, Scannell, Abbeyfeale, Crane, Snowball, Neenan, Blue & Newcastle. The bails are made of timber.

The Priest asked the Ghost where he was when he whistled the first time the ghost said he was in hell.. " The priest asked the ghost where was he when he whistled the second time, he replied I was coming through the ground. Where were you when I whistled the third time. I was coming through the ground there replied the ghost. At this occurrence the Lord of Clarina was converted to the Catholic faith where he and his family remained staunch to the true faith.

butter from the people by means of witchcraft. There were four houses near her house, and none of them could make their butter. When the woman used to be working the witchcraft, she used to put boards on her windows, so as the people wouldn't see her. One day a servant girl from one of the houses, chanced to peep in through one of the woman's windows, and what did she see but the woman, and she having sugans tied form the top of the ceilings, and she getting milk from them. The girl told her story to a strange priest, who had come on holidays to the place. "One minute", says he, "and I'll let her know she is not to take the butter". He got the soc of a plough and reddened it in the fire, and left it there. The woman was at this time working the witchcraft, but the minute the soc was reddened, she began to roar, because something hot was coming from the sugans instead of butter. Her roar could be heard in Limerick City. She couldn't let the sugans go.From Mrs. O'Reilly, Ferrybridge, Clarina, Co. Limerick.Collector - Michael McGrath, Ballycarney, Clarina, Co. Limk.

(1) "Newtown is the name of this townland and Clarina is the nearest village.
The most common names in Newtown are O'Brien, McNamara and Byrnes. There are about thirty families in Newtown. There are not many old people in this district. There is one very old woman there (name, address) Mrs. Roberts (99), Newtown, Clarina, Co. Limerick. She is ninety-nine years old. She will be one hundred years old next September. She is my grandmother.
The houses of the present day differ greatly from the houses long ago. In olden times there were mostly thatched but the houses of present are nearly all slated. Anyone that has a thatched house belongs to a very old family. There have been many new cottages built lately. There are all slated. The Newtown land is very boggy and wet because it is near the Shannon and when the tide is high it comes in around the land. The old people nowadays could tell many old stories in English but they could not tell any Irish stories."

(3) "if strangers come in while a person is making butter they generally take a turn at the churn. If they didn't they might take the cream out of the milk."
[Eileen Kenny, Clarina.]

(1) Forge in Tervoe."There are two forges in this locality one in Clarina and one in Tervoe. Tervoe forge is Mr. Quigly and the one in Clarina is Mr. Kenny. Those forges are very much alike. They are built exactly like each other but the forge in Tervoe is far older than the other. It is over a hundred years old therefore it is far more wrecked.This forge is a very old make., It has no chimney but as there are many holes in the roof there is not much trouble for the smoke to travel through. It is built of stone but the roof is bent from the very bad weather. The doors are large. They are called double doors, on top they are sloped upwards. There are two windows. Each has no glass but sliding shutters. Inside are many rings and crooks used for tying the animals. On the floor are many pieces of iron, used horseshoes and nails. Inside the door is a large pool of water used for cooling the iron.

The nearest forge to our house is the one in Clarina. It is fairly big. There is a stone wall on the outside and it has a zinc roof. There is one chimney and one door in it. The door is painted red and the frame of the window is painted also. The inside is stone also. There is one fireplace there. Then a horse or pony comes to be shod the