One day in February 1903 there was a terrible wind-storm.
It lasted about eight hours. It started at eight in the evening and lasted till four in the morning.
It caused great damage to all kinds of houses and woods. It caused great damage also to one galvanised house and took it three fields away. It took the thatch off a certain house in the village of Donard and left nothing but the walls and a piece of timber.
It up-rooted a number

Several people have been cured by rubbing the effected part and having confidence. Several relics are left, sticks, medals, beads, crosses, and people bring home some water in a bottle.
The well will soon be gone, as the Liffey Scheme will make a whole lake, and "Lackan Well" shall be no more.
In Donoughmore, on John Jone's land is another holy well. It was called "Tobar na Carraige". One day when Saint Patrick was coming from Donard, he was very thirsty. He prayed that he would get a drink. He came to this well and drank, and blessed it and said whoever would use the water would be cured. It is not used for domestic purposes. I know no person

There are many holy wells around Donard. There is one in Dwyer's land in Broora-fields and one in Jack Jones' land in Kelsha and one in Lackan.
The well in Kelsha was blessed by Saint Patrick. One day as he was going over the hill he was very thirsty and sat down at well and quenched his thirst. He was so pleased with the water that he blessed it. I do not know has anyone been cured in it yet. The people drink the water when they are on the hill but they do not take it home to boil because it is too far away. There are no bushes near it.
There is a holy well in Lackan and many people have

In olden days people believed that the fairies lived in raths. There are three raths near Donard - one in Foxglen, one in Kilbaylet and one in Broomfields. You can see two raheens out of the one you stand in.
There is a stone in Neills' "raheen", Kilbaylet, with five or six holes in it. Every year, on All Souls' Night, two of these holes are scooped and cleaned out as if they were freshly chizled. There is a woman, dressed in white, wearing a "canopy" over her head, seen going into it on the same night.
One night, Mrs Tunstell went to milk a cow for Mr Ellis. When she had milked, a very

In our day, we call "Forts" Raths. Around every rath there is a little ditch, and there is a place left for an entrance, through which the fairies used to go in and out.
When you are in a rath, you can always see three others It is not lucky to build a house on one of these "passes" (between the raths). / something always happens to it.
Phil Lewis' house, in Donard, is built on the path or "pass" going from the rath in Knockindarrow to the one on the Ball Moat. He can never keep the part of the roof over the door thatched - there is always a little place that is

John Neill (R.I.P.), Donard, was a great "sleán-maker" and "fack" maker. He used to make them out of "pig-iron", and join a piece of steel to the bottom - generally a piece of a rasp. Then it would be sent to the carpenter to get it "yoked" with a wooden step and handle, joined together by two iron rims.
Joe Murray (R.I.P.) commonly called "the Burgum" wasa good basket-maker. His baskets would last for years. First, he made a round hoop out of a thick sally or hazel. Then he put in the "ribs" lengthwise and wove the ends and the middle with sally switches. Then he would twist in the handles with strong switches.

In olden times, the people did not go to the shops to buy things as they do now.
John Neill's father, Donard, made spades of his own, with two pieces of "pig-iron". He joined them together with bits of old scrap-iron, about half an inch thick and welded them together in his own fire.
Thatching. There was a man by the name of Brian Kelly and he was the best thatcher in Ireland. He won many prizes for thatching.

In olden days different names were given to places on account of happenings near them.
Donard got its name on account of a fortress nearby, which stood on a hill.
Carrigower got its name because usually there was a goat on a rock.
The "Whinny Hollow" was so called because furze grew in it. There are three huge stones in it and they are called "the Burgum's stones" because they were blasted by Mr Murray (R.I.P.) who was nicknamed "the Burgum". This hollow is between Foxglen and Newtown. Fauna got its name because of the slopes around it.

land (Broomfields) got the name on account of a giant that was buried there. The other giants put big rocks over him.
The "Burgom's stones", on Chris Murphy's land got the name from an old man who cut four big stones there. He was Mr. Murray of Donard, who was nick-named "Burgom".
"Sheina's Bog" got its name from a man who was living there. It is now Tommy Allen's Bog, in Knocknua, on the main road to Dublin.

This story was collected by Mary Kehoe, Killegney, Clonroche, who heard it from a labouring man named Patrick Murphy of Knoxtown, Clonroche, who is over 70 years of age.There was a man one time named Mickey Joe who was said to have been going with the fairies. He lived in the "Gleanntán" in Ballygalvert, Ballywilliam, which is only a short distance from our school.Every night about twelve o'clock Mickey used to leave the house but no one ever heard him open the door.It is said that his wife heard him go up the chimney one night. He used to jump from the top of the chimney to the top of the moat in Kent's land of Donard, thence to the rath on Lett's land of Clonleigh and from there to the old church which was then in Clonleigh.

The Fair of Rathsallagh The sheep year may be said to begin with the Fair of Rathsallagh on the 4th Sept each year. Rathsallagh [was] is about 2 miles South West of Dunlavin and 6 miles from Donard. For a week before this fair the "Mountain Men" are busy collecting from the mountains selecting in the pens and "dressing" (powdering with Bog mould) (and levelling the wool) the ewes (yós) for this fair.
Every sheep farmer tries to turn out a "Score" of yós. He is a proud man who heads the market as there are about 140 sheep farmers from the Glen Imall and neighbourhood and as their yós realise about £30 to £35 per score.
(£4200) one can imagine

In the chequered history of our own little Isle there are accounts of the hiding in moats and castles, priceless treasure of Pagan and Christian origin.
There was once a Danish cheiftain who lived in Leitrim, a little townland about five miles east of Donard, Co, Wicklow
Now this cheiftain was a very wicked man; he destroyed churches and monastries and took all the treasure that he could find. Having plundered an immense fortune he with a few companions went to a nearby port to await a boat to take the treasure to his northeren home.
When he was almost ready to start on his journey word came that an Irish cheiftain was on his way attack his fortress.
The chieftain did not know what to do with the large amount of treasure which he had left in the fortress. After a while he hit on a plan. He must bury the treasure. He called

fair was held in Donard but it is now discontinued. This fair was last held in the year 1929. There was once a fair held in Rathsallagh and it is said that it was one of the best fairs in Wicklow. People came from far and near with their beasts to this fair. In the year 1908 a sheep sales was begun in Dunlavin and nearly every one in the district who had sheep attended it. So when the day came on which the fair of Rathsallagh was to be held there were very few sheep in it and so the fair was discontinued This fair was held in a field.
There is a fair held in Hollywood twice every year, on the 3rd of July and on the 1st November. In Castle Ruddery there is a sheep fair held once a year This fair is held on a cross roads. There is a horse fair held in the French Furze yearly, a place situated near the town of Kildare.
When a beast is sold in a fair the purchaser cuts a bit of hair off his hip with a scissors to distinguish him from the other cattle. Some buyers mark the purchased beast with a raddle stick.

There are many churchyard situated near this district and nearly all these have some history attatched to them
The Piper's Stones are situated in Dunboyke on the land of Mr. McOrmack about one and a half miles from the village of Hollywood. There are about twenty of these stones and range in height from about one foot to twelve. There are many visitors who when passing by go to look at them. No matter how often these stones are counted there is always one more or one less
About six miles from Donard there is a churchyard called Kilranelagh. There is a grave there and on the headstone is inscribed the word "The Unknown warrior. This is cleaned every year and a wreath laid on it.
There is a churchyard in Burgage which is situated obout one mile from Blessington and contains a huge granite cross. This was erected in the night and nobody knows to whom it was erected in

carry on - they surrendered to Huntley, an English General, who hd come in with a section from Tullow. Huntley promised the rebels protection if they surrendered, and he kept his word.
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Saunder's Grove
On the near side (going from Donard) of the first entrance there are "twin" trees - two beech trees joined by a knob. They were handy to throw a rope across. According to Grattan Flood, many Irish were hanged there in '98.
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John Headon (RIP) often heard that :-
When the Fight for Freedom is begun, a woman is to wash grey-green tunics in the Slaney at Castlesallagh.

On the lands belonging, at present, to Mr Jones Kelsha, is the remains of what is locally called "The Monastery" or "The Convent". On the Ordnance Survey map sheet it is markedThere is a mound of sandy soil and a bush quite close. In the vicinity are many splendid hazel bushes. There are two stones near at hand, one having three holes in the top surface, and the other having one hole. These holes are quite regular in shape, and strange to say, there is water in them "the warmest summer that ever came". There is a stone in the adjoining field, in fact quite near the gate, with a similar hole. "In each hole, as I said, there is water, and this water cures warts. It is necessary to visit the spot, wash your hands in the water (3 times) and leave some little thing behind".Mr Jones saw medals, hairpins, etc in the "holy water troughs", as they are called, as did also Murtagh Nolan, Donard, who was employed by Mr Jones years ago.Thomas Jones, Kelsha, also heard that this mound and the "holy water troughs" are the

brought him down a long flight of steps to see the vault.At the back of Butlers' Rock, you can see to this day, the remains of mud houses, where O'Tooles' army encamped in preparation for the battle. They were just little huts made from sods and there were up to 200 of them.There is no doubt but that the "graveyard" was the scene of a battle, because scattered skulls and bones have been found. When John Jones was ploughing, he found them. and so used to have to be careful only to skin the sod. However, they do not "till" the "graveyard" now. I always heard it said it is not right to touch such places!When the Sappers and Miners came around here, they put a "crow's foot" on a stone on our land, on the left-hand side of the road as you come from Donard - on your way down to the "Scrub". They walked straight down to Richard Jones' bog, next to the Convent, and uncovered a stone with a hole in the top. This stone was up to this unknown. It was probably being removed from the Mound Field - two men could lift

About 45 years ago, even, Wrestling was a great pastime in this part of the country. Parish against parish, village against village, and townland against townland. The best of 3 falls decided the winner - Two falls out of three.Hacketstown and Tynock used come to wrestle against Dunlavin parish - Dunlavin, Donard and Davidtown that would mean - over here in Jones's field. I saw so many as 1,000 people, one day, in that field.The following were very good in the ring:-
John Byrne, Ballyvrahan; Timothy Dowling, Seskin; Jim Byrne - one of the best in Imaal; Thomas Keefe, and George Doyle, Stranahely; and Martin Kavanagh, Snugboro'. In the early 80's, these were the best wrestlers in Glen Imaal

In different parts of Ireland treasures are hidden.
Thirty miles south of Dublin and four miles north east of Donard is situated "Scalp".
About one hundred and fifty years ago there was a robber who had stolen several barrels of gold.
After a while a spy told on him and he was brought up for robbery and was ordered to be executed.
When he was about to be executed he saw

Some people say that when the swallows fly low there will be a storm. Others say, when you hear the noise of a train in the distance there will be a downpour of rain.
[In margin]
(The train runs 5 miles distance from Donard)
When the insects come down low it is a sure sign of rain, and when the starlings get busy it is a sign of a heavy storm.
When the mountains appear near there will be a storm. When a fog is going up the mountains it is a sign of fine weather, and when the fog is