Traditions Regarding Ancient Roads, Local Trade etc.
CBÉS 0103
Leathanach 036
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.