The old road from Cross, Cong, etc, to Ballinrobe instead of passing through the village of the Neale, as the road does now, branched off to the left about fifty yards south of the Long Stone, and ran at the back of the now dismantled Protestant church and across the western part of MileHill, entering Ballinrobe at the present High Street. There is no trace whatsoever of that road now. At that time Cong appears to have been a good market town as it had communication with Galway by boat, and Ballinrobe had no train connection with any other town as the railroad from Claremorris was not built until within comparatively recent times. This explains why some of the by-roads in the district do not appear to have been run in the most convenient manner - especially those in the Cong direction.

1. On the Green, Ballinrobe, the Military challenged Anthony Walsh Aughnish, Partry to throw a weight further than them. He did and beat their throw by ten yards.
2. Some years ago, Mr. Potter, a miller, Ballinrobe, used to buy all the corn in the market. One day John Reddington, Friarsquarter, was in the mill-yard and couldn't get out his cart. He unharnessed the horse, went under the cart, lifted it on his back and carried it over all the other carts to the road, which is a distance of 35 yards.
3. John Mullany, who lived in Bawn, Ballinrobe was challenged by an Englishman to jump 33 ft in three standing jumps. He accepted the challenge and even jumped 36 ft.

There was once a landlord living in Milford and his name was Miller. A regiment of soldiers used to come from Ballinrobe to him often. One day when they were coming to see him a widows son saw them coming towards him and he went inside the wall. When they were passing him out he let a shot out of a gun and when the soldiers heard this they thought the rebels were after them. Then they turned and they fled into Ballinrobe again. After a while they came out again and they got the man and the challenge they gave him was to fight the best soldier on horsback. The man got the better of the soldier and they made a grand new house for his mother. The widows son became to be the best

There are four grave-yards in the Ballinrobe parish. There is one in Cushlough named “Teapaillín na leice” and there are (the) three in the town of Ballinrobe. Their name are the “New Cemetery” the “Old Church and the “Abbey.” There are people buried in each of them. The four grave yards are square and there are a hills sloped west wards in each of them. There is an old ruin in each of the graveyards except one and that is the “even cemetery.” There are trees growing in each of the grave-yards. There is a grave-yard about a quarter of a mile from Rahard were children without baptism were buried. There are no children buried in it now. It is a square field and it is full of sma(ll) mounds. There is a tree growing over the head of every grave of the child who was buried without baptism. There were no children buried in it for years.

There are two Carns in this district. One of them is called "Carn Eocaidh" and the other one is called "Carn Bone". Long ago when the Firbolgs were in Ireland they fought against a King called Eocaidh, The Battle was fought where the Carn now stands. There was a great battle fought and King Eocaidh was killed. The soldiers on King Eocaidh side burned his body and put the ashes into an urn. They put the urn into the ground and every soldier brough a stone and put it over the urn. The stones finally grew into a big heap. The carn can be seen for miles away. There is a great view of Lough Mask Lake and of Ballinrobe town from the top of the carn. The Carn is situated three miles from Ballinrobe. It is situated in Kilawer.

There was once a landlord living in Milford and his [?] was Miller. A regiment of soldiers used to come from Ballinrobe to him often. One day when they were coming to see him a widows son saw them coming towards him and he went inside the wall. When they were passing him out he let a shot out of a gun and when the soldiers heard this they thought the rebels were after them. Then they turned and they fled into Ballinrobe again. After a while they came out again and they got the man and the challenge they gave him was to fight the best soldier on horsback. The man got the better of the soldier and they made a grand new house for his mother. The widows son became to be the best soldier they had in the army.

Milehill, across which the public road from Ballinrobe to Cong and other places runs and which lies halfway between Ballinrobe and The Neale, was formerly a great centre for horse-racing Gortarása in the townland of Cahernacole west has apparently got its name from the fact that races must have been held there in olden days but so far back that the old people have no recollection of them.
Hurling was much practiced in the distant in olden times, and it was patronised by the local gentry. It is said that a chair needed to be placed near the goal for the convenience of a girl who used to be called the Cailin Baire

After the school in the Catholic Church being broken up by the Parish Priest, another school was opened in a house on the Kilmaine-Roundfort Road (in the house that Michael Gannon lives now).
A Mr. Sullivan taught there. This was the same Thomas Sullivan as taught in the school in the Church. The new school was held in his own house. The junior scholars used to go to James Concannon and the senior pupils attended Sullivan's school.
Sullivan's father became assistant clerk of the Union in Ballinrobe. Thomas Maye was the Clerk of the Union and he used to send out for Sullivan (the young teacher's father) to assist him with the books. Frank Sullivan was coming home from Ballinrobe one night with the books, when he fell into a flooded part of the road and drowned. The books then were sent to Thomas Sullivan the son (and young teacher) and I used to be holding the chip (to show him light) while he used to be working at the books. During the month of July he used to go into Ballinrobe and stay there making up the Union accounts. Later he became Relieving Officer for the district and threw up the school.

John Burke and Patrick Burke both from little Castle Dunmore, Co. Galway.
Walked to Westport. They left Westport at half past twelve and landed in Ballindare at eight in the morning and landed in Dunmore at seven in the evening.
From Westport to Ballinrobe 22 miles in 8 hours.
From Ballinrobe to Dunmore 26 miles in 11 hours.

This district is called Ballinrobe and it is the barony of Kilmaine. I live in the village of Cloonenagh which means. "the meadow of the birds," it well deserves the name because the place is always filled with birds and the music of the birds can be always heard.Long ago there were twenty five houses in Cloonenagh now there are only seven. There are five thatched and two slated houses.There is only one person in Cloonengh over seventy years. There are thirty three people in Cloonenagh now. Cloonenagh is situated on the shore of Lough Mask three miles from Ballinrobe.

My uncle John Walsh had this strange experience coming from a dance one night from Ballinrobe. He was a great melodeon player, and that night he played a great many different songs and reels in the melodeon.
When he left the house it was half past two and when he came to Ballinrobe it was three o'clock. When he was "over side" the convent he heard a voice saying "Drive on."
He cycled on as fast as he could and just then something jumped on his shoulders. He went to cycle as fast as he could but the weight was so heavy, that he had to go slowly. He was often told before that if anything followed him it would keep after him until he would come as far as John Moran's. When he thought of that he did not know what to do. He kept cycling on and when

The name of my village is Cahernabrock. It is said there were badgers in this village in older times. From that it took its name, Badgerfort, or Cahernabrock. It is in the parish of Shrule, and the barony of Kilmaine, in the Co. Mayo. The commonest sirnames in the village is Moughan, a Meeneghan. There are a few old people in this district over seventy years. They have no Irish sons or Irish stories, There was a chapel in this village long ago. The place where it was built called the Carranca, the ruins of which are still be seen. It is said it was mentioned in history in olden days. This was a famous village. There a saw mill in this village long ago for cutting timber. This timber was sent to Ballinrobe to be s[?sawed] and also to Kilconly. There were carts, and harrows and ploughs made out of this timber. There were three carpenters in this place in the olden times, two of which are still living. Tom Devaney, and Andrew Feeney. There are about sixteen acres of plantation, where the saw mill was. The land [?type] is in this district is called limestone land. It is very good for potatoes, wheat, and oats. They get the highest price for their potatoes, wheat, and oats at the markets of Ballinrobe and Headford. There

There is a place (in) near this school on the main road to Ballinrobe called "Srruthán na gCat". This is the story of how it got that name.
One day a man was on his way home from Ballinrobe. As he was passing "tobar lughna" a black cat jumped up beside him.
There is a "sruthán" or stream running from the wwll to Lough Carra and that is the reason while the place is called "SruthÁn na gCar".
When the man was beside his house or where his "Sruthán" goes to Lough Carra the black cat was there again.

The Ballinrobe road near Ballinrobe and in the Village of Lavella.
It is said that St. Patrick drank out of this well. It is called 'Tobar Padric'.
There is another well in Cárán, Newbrook. It is said that St. Patrick also drank out of this well also on his way to Croagh Patrick.

The landlord in my district was a Mr. Lewin from Castlegrove. He owned the lands of Kilmaine. Another man called Staples from Lasighis was landlord of Kilquire and Killerman. A colonel Knox of Ballinrobe was landlord of Blessington. Ellistron Beg, and Tullyduff. The Millars had land in Millford, Rathgranather, and Ballynulty. Turin was owned by the Rutherfords. The Ruttledges had land near Hollymount. A man named Mr. Tighe had the land of Ballymartain and Coolisduff. There is still a wood beside the Ballinrobe road called "Tighe's wood."
The Leurins came to Ireland in the year 1595. I know this from an inscription on the tombstone in the Protestant graveyard. They were agents for a man named bannon. When the eldlest son of the Leurins was born bannon was sponsor at the baptism. At the latter's death he bequeathed all his property to Leurin's eldest's son. Mr. Tighe was the first landlord to have his land sold to his tenats.
All the lands are now divided. It was the Land Commission that divided the land. They also built new houses on

The Tighes Landlords of Straid lived at th Heath, Ballindine, lo Mays. Old Robert Tighes a native of Kilnalag of this parich went as clerk when a young man to livingstone of Ballinrobe who owned a big Brewery. Tighe being a very good man soon found himself in complete charge of the Brewery. He was no spendthrift and after some years found himself in possession of enough money to enable him pick up bits of property which the squandering landlords could no

One night, my Grandfather, (Michael Conneely) and my Uncle were on their way home from Ballinrobe at about 12 o'clock in the night. As they were going along the road with a horse and cart, they noticed that the card was weighing back,and when they looked back they saw a small white little dog standing on the shaft of the cart. They tried to hunt it but it would not leave the spot for them. It waited there until they came to Dalgan river, and then it disappeared and was never seen again after that.

stops them. The reason for marking the cattle is, if you bought a red calf and to have another red calf you wouldent know which of them you bought, and also if you bought a calf cheap and sold him again and get a better price for him. There does be also a fair in Ballinrobe in galway in Westport and other places. There does be a market in every town almost on every Saturday. There does be selling of sheep, calves, pigs goats and

Once upon a time there lived an old man and his wife. One time the old man had no money to pay his rent, so he went to Ballinrobe to sell a ton of barley. On the way he met a fairy. The fairy said he wanted barley and he would give him more for it then he would get at the market. The mam agreed. The fairy led the way into his fort

I saw him first in the town of Ballinrobe with an old canvas bag under his arm. He was not more than five feet + when I got to know him better I learned that he was about thirty years of age + that he lived with his wife + child in a tumbleddown shack on the wayside. He wore a blue gansey, a cordroy trousers, + a pair of tattered boots.