This is a high mound of earth, situated about 1/4 mile South of Donard and visible from the village Green. There are the traces of three rings.

Raths near DonardRaths on Farms and Spring Wellsis very unlucky to cut a bush or tree in these Raths. They relate to dire misfortune that befell the man who gave way to Covetousness and dug a bit of the mound to enlarge his field. Some relate that early on a may morning the animals that have died on the Farm during the year walk in solemn procession around the Rath, visible to mortal eyes. If the person who is up early and lucky enough to see the year's losses, says "God Bless them" they stay on the farm [on] otherwise they disappear.
(Told to me by Thos Halpin Stud field Donard )

From information I have received from Mr James Deegan Uppertown. He told me that the people of Dunlavin did not die of starvation during the years of the famine because Dunlavin was a very wealthy district then, There were three or four wealthy families living near it, some of their surnames were Dixon, Molyneux, Tynte, and a few others and those families supported the poorer people during the famine, but some Dunlavin people died of fright. Many people of Donard Valleymount, and other poor districts

There is a fair held in almost every town in every month. The local fairs are held in Dunlavin, Baltinglass, Ballymore-Eustace, Hacketstown, and Naas. Long ago there was a fair in Donard but it is now discontinued. The fair of Dunlavin is held on the second Wednesday of every month. There are two fairs in Hollywood one of them is on the first of November. When people are buying sheep, cattle, or pigs they always give back some money for luck.

round the fire on cold winter nights and tell stories of olden times. The most noted story-teller was Joe Murray (R.I.P.) of Donard.
These story-tellers were called "Shanahies".
Pat Burke is a very good melodeon-player and also a good dancer. He won several prizes, some in money and others in value, such as gold and silver medals and bottles of poteen.
There were no such things are "sleans" in those time, for cutting turf, but instead, the people used what they called a "loi". The most notable turf-cutters were Tom, "the Yankee", and "Big" Phil (R.I.P.) They used make bets that 8 or 10 men would not "wheel" after them. They said they would throw the turf down to Donard, from

In olden times there were no such things as mowing-machines, binders, harrows, iron-ploughs, potato-diggers or any farm implements. Instead of a mowing machine the people had what they called a reaping-hook.
They used go out into a field with a reaping-hook and cut four or five acres of wheat, oats or hay. They used "bet" on the man or woman who would be finished first.
Then came the scythe. The man who hired the men used give a prize to whoever was finished his or her share first. The best mower around Donard was Pat Nolan (R.I.P.) of Donard.
The old people used gather

I heard much about mowers and turf-cutters. The people around here do not cut turf or mow for a bet.
Patrick Nolan, Donard, (R.I.P.) was a great mower. He mowed an acre of oats in one day, in a field all a hill.
Mary Moore (R.I.P.) was very quick with her hands. She was able to bind oats all day after two men and she would keep them going. She would not be very tired after her day's work.
Mick Moore, Donard, is a good singer and dancer. He used sing all day on Church Mountain for Ellen Evans. When he would be tired singing he would have to dance.

Sorrowful lines on the death of Rev Thomas Lynch CC Donard.
Died 20th May 1887 R.I.PYou feeling hearted Christians who profess the Romans Creed.
It will pierce your hearts with grief those meaningful line to read
Since our holy priest is gone, his loss we do deplore
He ne're will rise his holy hands to bless us any moreThe lines which I now pen down you all do understand
Is on the death of our noble friend and gallant clergyman
None can express the deep distress, that is in this parish around
Deep mourning in, Dunlavin, Donard and Davidstown All Donard, likewise Imaal in any wish do lie,
While sitting here the falling tear, scarce can quit my eye

There is a rath only a short distance from Donard School. It can be seen from the school door.It is situated on the land of Mr. Michael Ryan, Clonleigh, Palace East, and is said to be the best preserved rath in this county of Wexford.The circular space is surrounded by three ditches. There is a gap in each ditch and they are opposite each other forming the entrance to the rath. The ditches are covered with ferns, briars and bushes.Beside the outer ditch is a fir tree, and from this tree there is a lane leading to the public road.Old people say that long ago a small man was to be seen at night with a lamp in his hand and he walking up and down the lane from the rath to the road.It is from this rath the townland of Donard derived its name. Within

South of Hollywood Village
Close to village of Hollywood about 4 miles north from Donard is St Kevin's Chair and St Kevins cave. A statue of St Kevin adorns the rock over the cave. This was erected, about 25 yrs since, by the later Rev Patrick Kavanagh c.c. Hollywood.

Once upon a time there lived a saint named Philadeous who dwelt in the parish of Donard. Now this saint wished to build a church on the top of Church mountain. This church was to be built of cut stone only, and when the stones were got to the foot of the mount they could be brought no further. This saint had a great number of men employed in building the church. So many indeed that they were able to stand in a file up the mountainside and pass the stones from one to the other till they reached the top. After ten years of hard labour the church was completed and the ruins are still to be seen. In the ruins there is a blessed

But now cruel death has taken him, his loss we do deplore.
Around Donard, nor wild Imaal, we'll see his face no more.

The faggoting of the furze in olden times was a great industry in this part of the contry. Men cut the furze and tied them into bundles called "faggots". These were used in all bakeries for baking the bread. There was one bakery in Castleruddery owned by Mr Plant, and another in Donard owned by Mr Tom Allen.A man named Keogh, who lived in Ballytoole, was employed in carting the faggots to the two bakeries and also to Dublin

Two men, named Jim Lamb and Joseph Byrne, were coming from Donard one night. The were taking a short cut across the fields by a Demesne avenue, called Coolmoney Avenue. As they were going along the avenue, they heard a sound in the wood. It sounded like a horn, and Byrne answered it. In a few moments they heard the same sound again, and Byrne answered it. Jim Lamb told him not to answer it any more say "You have no business interfering with anything that is not doing you any harm". But Byrne took no heed of what Lamb said. They heard the horn again and Byrne again answered

Years ago, there lived a man named Watt Mulhall, on the back of the Donard hills. Every evening he imagined there was a man behind him, so he went and told the Priest. The Priest told him to ask the Spirit what it wanted, so the man did as he was told. The Spirit answered that he couldn't go to Heaven until a debt he owned to a dying woman was paid, and he asked Watt to pay the debt. "Oh", said Watt "how could I go away and this the harvest season and the cattle thieving and everything?"The Spirit told him that every thing would be alright while he was off, so Watt went to the

Murtagh Nolan, now living in Donard, lived with us for years. One day he went down to the Crickawn to get hazels to put on a rick-stand, before the men drew in the corn, to the haggard. He took the boughs from around the mound. It was a lovely calm day, but no sooner had he the ass's cart loaded, than a whirl of wind came, and turned ass and car three times.If I had known about it in time, I can tell you, one of the boughs would not come near the place.

Now to conclude those doleful lines my
pen begins to fail.
God help his kind relations for him they do bewail.
But where as he died on praising God they have no cause to moan.
His soul for all eternity shall find a happy home.Before I do leave down my pen Ive one word more to say.
It was in Donard out Holy Priest spent many a happy day
But since cruel Death has taken him
his loss we do deplore
Around Donard or wild Imaal we'll see his face no more

There was a Rath situated on a farm down near Donard. A man named Wilson owned the farm. Wilson was a very good man, but his wife was not. She took notice of the rath and did not like it, and he levelled it, and all his crops had to be sold.
One day he and she were walking in the rath and she lost her senses. She became so mad that she had to be smothered between two beds.