Clarinbridge 24.2.38
The old name of Clarinbridge was Geataí Átha Cliath Meadraighe and this means,The gate of the wattle Ford of Maree. This gate was said to be in a Turlough in the vicinity of Clarinbridge and it used to be called Turloch Átha Cliath. Meadraighe is derived from Maree who was descended from one of the Spaniards that came to Ireland with Mac Con. Clarinbridge is now called Droichead an Chlairín because there was a bridge of boards used for crossing the river. This bridge was nearly in the same place as the present bridge. This bridge was used instead of the Old Wattle Ford of Maree.
Obtained from Michael Fleming,62 years,now dead. Micheál O Fiaich,Clarinbridge.

are to be seen. The land around the district is good and it is suitable for tillage but there is some rocky land and this land is suitable for the grazing of sheep.there are not many woods around this locality the only ones are in the Kilcornan Demesne.There are two rivers in this parish the Kilcolgan River and the Clarinbridge River.The Kilcolgan River rises near Loughrea and the Clarinbridge River rises near Athenry.
Tomas O Cealligh Clarinbridge. Obtained from John Mahon Clarinbridge.Aged about 65 years.

Cloughalahard 13.1.38
Cloughalahard is my native village.It is situated one mile north-east of Clarinbridge on the main road to Athenry. This place derived its name from King Art. Art fought in the battle of Athenry.During the battle the head was cut off Art,and the horse ran off in the direction of Clarinbridge with the headless body.The body fell off the horse beside a big stone in the present village of Cloughalahard. Cloughalahard in Irish is Cloc-leath-hAirt which means the Stone of the half of Art. Heard from my aunt Nora Linnane Cloughalahard,Clarinbridge, age about 40.Aindriú Mach Giollarnáth.Cloch-leath-hAirt

Continued.The two principal rivers in the parish are the Clarinbridge River and the Kilcolgan River. In the Clarinbridge River trout are caught,and in the Kilcolgan River trout and salmon are caught.The Kilcolgan River rises near Loughrea and the Clarinbridge River rises near Athenry. Seán Mach Domhnaill,Kilcolgan,Co.Galway.
Obtained from my father James McDonnell.
About 47 years of age.

There lived a man near Clarinbridge named William Hynes. He was one day in Clarinbridge and he saw a hound after a hare and the hare jumped inside the man's coat and he was saved. One night there was a grey horse gone from William Hynes and every morning the dog would be pulling him and he eating his breakfast. This morning he went with the dog and the dog brought him to Cnoc Mead to a little house at the butt of a hill. There was an old woman in the house. "Are you William Hynes"? He said he was. Do you think of the day you saved the hare. Then she told him that she was the hare. Then she pulled out the dresser and there was the old grey horse and she gave him the horse. As he was going with the horse and the dog he looked behind him and he could see no house or the old woman or anything.

Continued.
land in this locality and there is some bad rocky land in it and this is used for grazing.There is one wood in this locality and it is the Kilcornan Demesne. There are two rivers in this Parish and the names of them are the Kilcolgan River and the Clarinbridge River.Much salmon are caught in the Kilcolgan River. But there are more caught in the Clarinbridge River as it is too shallow.
Seán Ó Gréacáin, Kilcolgan.Heard this from Bridget Kenedy, Kilcolgan aged about 71 yrs.

in 1928. The seats they had in this school were big long seats that they got from the Christian Brothers school in Clarinbridge. These schools were where the Church is now in Clarinbridge. They never used copies in this school they used to have slates and pencils. This school was thatched with straw and a floor made of sand and lime. This floor was called the "mood floor."Peggie Forde, Killeeneen, Craughwell, Co Galway
Told by Michael Forde, Killeeneen, 52 years, Craughwell, Co Galway

Tobar Máirtín
3..6..38
There is a little well on the side of the road which leads from Clarinbridge to Maree and it is about 250 yds from the village of Clarinbridge.Some of the old people were cured there that had not use of their limbs and they also tell us that a mother brought her child there for three mornings and said the usual prayers there. On the third morning he ran home before her. The prayers that used to be said were Five Our fathers, Five Hail Marys and Five Glorias.Lúcas Ó Muineáchain
Caheradrineen,
Clarinbridge.
Obtained from John Lynskey,Ballinamanna.
Age about 65 yrs.
Lúcas Ó Muineáchain

Poll na gCeann 12.1.38
Poll na gCeann is situated midway between Dunkellin Castle and Clarinbridge.
During the time the Burkes lived in Dunkellin Castle the Northmen came to attack the Castle.Mr Burke was unable to take charge of his men so his sister Nora said that she would lead the men. The battle took place on a level plain between Dunkellin and Clarinbridge. The Burkes were victorious.In the evening Nora Burke ordered her men to cut the heads off the Northmen and to throw them into a large hole which is now known as Poll nagCeann.
Some time ago when the Kilcornan Church was being repaired some of the workmen

Continued
Leath choill is the name of a place west of Clarinbridge and in the townland of Ballinamana East. There is bushy land there and it means the place of the bushy land.
Ballynacloghy is in the parish of Maree.It means the old stone building and some of it remains.The townland is very stony.
Montirdovie : is a village in the parish of Oranmore.The Devillys lived there long ago and they were very wealthy.Not one of them are now in the parish. They had big tracts of land but it was taken from them by Blake of Ardfry. There are some people of that name in Kilcolgan and Clarinbridge.

Poll na gCeann 24-1-'38
The Burkes lived in Dunkellin Castle. On one occasion,the Northmen came to take the Castle,the owner of the Castle was sick and he was unable to take charge of his men.His sister Nora said she would lead his men.
The battle was fought in a field between Dunkellin and Clarinbridge. The Burkes won the battle. Nora ordered her men to cut the heads off the bodies of the Northmen.The bodies of these men were buried on the battle-field and their heads were thrown into a large hole. This hole is called Poll na gCeann and it is situated not far from the Kilcornan back-gate Lodge. Nora Burke was ever afterwards called Nora na gCeann. Obtained from Michael Fleming 62 years now dead.
Tomás Ó Cealláigh Clarinbridge.

The local landlords were the St. George's of Tyrone the Redingtons of Kilsarnan, the Blakes of Clough Ballymore the Morgans of Monskfield and the Dolphins of Tourroe. The landlords of my parish were the Redingtons of Kilcornan and the St. George's of Tyrone. They were very rich people and had large estates. The Redingtons were very good living catholics. They gave food, clothes and money to the poor. They owned more than half of Clarinbridge and Roveagh. They built the Charity Convent of Clarinbridge, the parish church of Roveagh. Their rents were not too high and they had mercy on the poor. Their beautiful house is still in good repair.
The St. George's on the other hand were very bad protestants and they were very bad to their tenants. Here is how they treated one of them.
There was an old woman living in one of their houses. One month during the winter she failed to pay her rent. Without time the poor woman was thrown out of her home on to the road and they ploughed up

Around the district in which I live there are many local roads. Some of them are very old and others were made at a later date. They are nearly all is use at present.
About one quarter of a mile from my home there is an old deserted road now covered with grass, leading to an old church yard. The people in olden times went to school and mass by this road but when the church and school were closed they had no further use with it.
In a field near the village in which I live, there is a large mass stone on which mass was said during the penal times. There is an old path through the rocky land leading to it.
There is a village near the village in which I live named Clarinbridge. During the olden time when there were few bridges, there was a long plank spanning the river in Clarinbridge and from that plank the village got its name.
There are many cross roads near my

St Sornian's Well is situated in the townland of Ballynacloghy about three miles from the village of Clarinbridge.This well has virtue on Friday but the old people say that the principal day is Garlic Sunday.Devotees pass from the well to St Sornian's Cell. There are small cairns which must have been stations in the pilgrimage which ends at Skincholla a mound near the shore.It is said that people who were subject to bad sight, headaches or such like used go there to be cured and some of them used to be cured.
Obtained from John Lynskey Ballinamana aged 65 yearsMícheál O Fiaich
Clarinbridge

Killeely 24.2.'38
Killeely is the home of my ancestors. It is situated east of the village of Kilcolgan and it is in the parish of Clarinbridge.There is an old graveyard south-east of the village in which there is the remains of an old Church.It is supposed that this church was founded by St.Fiola who was a sister of St.Colga that founded a church near Kilcolgan.From this the village derived its name Cill Faoighle which in English means "Killeely."Heard from Michael Murphy,Killeely.Age about 74 years. Proinséas Ó Murchadha,Killeely

Kilcornan Church 24-1-38
St.Cornan's church is situated in the Kilcornan demesne and is quite close to the village of Clarinbridge.There is a holy well called after this saint at Glenina on the south coast of Galway Bay. There are two parishes called after him in Limerick and Tipperary.There are also seven townlands of the name in Galway and Clare.This church was built in the 13th century and is still in perfect condition. Proinséas Ó Murchadha,Kileely.Obtained from miss M.Redington,Kilcornan.Age about 78 years.Now dead.

The Killeeneen school was an old barn at first and it then was turned into a school. In 1878 it was turned into a National school. Mr John Trayers from Maree in the Parish of Oran More was the first National Teacher to teach in it. He then was promoted to Clarinbridge in the year 1888. Then Hubart Walsh from Rosmuc in Conemara was Teacher in it until he died in the year 19025. His Wife got the position then. Prior 1878 the Teachers were not paid any salaries. They used to stay with the pupils in town. There was dangerous turn around the old school and the County Council got permission from Cannon Mc Hugh to run the road right through the old school

were digging around the Church and they dug up some skeletons without the skulls and these are said to have been the bodies of the Northmen warriors.
Aindriú Mac Giollarnáth,Cloc-leath-hAird, Droichead an Chlairín. Obtained from Michael Fleming,Clarinbridge.
Age about 62 years,now dead.

is another sign of rain. When the dog begins to eat the tops of tall grasses that is a sure sign of wet weather. When the starlings wash themselves in a lake or stream it is also a sign of bad wet weather. When the pig begins to make his bed it is a sure sign of storm. When the sheep go to the wall in the evening it is a sign of a bad wet night.
Sean Mach Domhnaill, Kilcolgan.Co.Galway.
Heard from Flann Monahan,Cave,Clarinbridge.
Age about 78 years.

Ardfry is a small village in the parish of Maree. Some people tell us that this is Ard Fraoic which means hill of heath from the fact that there is a hill there covered with heath. Others say that it is Ard Rí because there was supposed to have been a High King of Ireland living there long ago.
Derry is the name of a place that is situated to the west of Caheradrineen, and the reason it got this name is because there is an oak wood there, but there is no trace of the wood there now.
Keave is a small village west of Clarinbridge on the sea coast and it got its name from rough grass, that grows near the village.