Tombstone of French Family (formerly of Farmhouse, Bannow)Thomas French who departed this life
May 21st 1825
Aged 102 years.Lawrence French (a rebel of 1798) who died on 30th April 1830.
Aged 89 years.Here lies the body of Walter French his grandfather who departed this life on the 14th January 1701.
Aged 140 years.The story is told in Bannow that the above Walter French was hale and hearty and active to the last and able to attend to his daily work on the land. The story of his end is as follows.
He went one day with a horse and cart to Wexford and stabled in the Rope Walk yard. In the evening he yoked the horse in the yard to set out for home. He put his wares in the car and was about to life a big bunde of iron rods on to the car. He let it fall to the ground and the noise frightened the horse. Before he could get to the horses head the animal dashed to the gate, out on the road and galloped off for home.
French took up the iron on his back and raced after him - he kept in view of him all the time but never took on him till he reached the yard. He was never the better of this and they say it affected his heart and he died soon after.

Mumming is an amusement which is carried out in the County Wexford and in no other county. Long ago there was a set of mummers in Bannow and every Sunday night they used to mum in the barns around.Marky Redmond was the name of the captain. They used to have a long rhyme and each one of them would say a bit of it.There used to be twelve mummers and their names were, Prince George, St. Patrick, Napoleon, Lord Wellington, Emperor of Russia, Grand Signior, Doctor, Lord Nelson, Polish King, Julius Ceaser, and O'Connell.The captain's rhyme was -:"Here I am the captain,
Who leads no rival throng,
With my chosen band and heroes grand,
And to Bannow we do belong
With mirth and sport we do retort
The most of diverting play
Your heroes skill great nations fill
With terror and dismay

Few bridges in the vicinity of Cork are so well known as Crubeen bridge, which spans the Shournagh river before it joins the Lee at Carrigrohane.
Yet, the name has been excluded from maps, and official publication in favour of Bannow Bridge, a title rarely heard in the spoken language.
"Crubeen" is said to habe its origin from the following story:-
A party of old-fasdhioned anglers who sported on the banks of the Shournagh on odd days when they relaxed from the cares of business in the city, arranged to meet on the bridge at a certain hour to enjoy the contents of a basket provided for their

granted him and he set out for Ireland.
He landed at Bannow Bay here he started preaching but the people stoned him out next he went up the Nannie river on his way up he saw a man fishing for Salmon and the man promises to give St. Patrick the first Salmon he caught.
So that day he caught the biggist one he ever caught. St Patrick came back that evening and the fisherman said he got nothing and ever since that there were no salmon caught in the Nannie. From this he went to Antrim after preaching in many places he found his way to the hill of Slane. This was on Easter Eve and it was the Pagan custom to light a fire but the King at Tara commanded that no fire was to be lighted before his. Patrick not knowing this lit the fire on Slane Hill. Laoghaire seeing it sent soldiers for Patrick he was brought to Tara and after many dangers was allowed to preach the gospel to Laoghaires servant and all through Meath.

Mr Ned Farrell Lanesboro.
There are thirty six families in the townsland. There is a man named Mr Hanley Lanesboro who emigrated and went to America in the year of 1932. There is a very big wood about a mile from Lanesboro which there is lots of big trees growing.
The land is boggy in some parts and good in more parts.
The Shannon flows right beside our town. The rivers that flow into the Shannon are the mill river and a river from Lough Bannow.

A most sad drowning took place in St Kearns in June (1934?). The victim James Ahearn of Bannow, had a motor boat in which he was rowing in the regatta in St Kearns. When it was over he got drunk. He came to the boat and started off home. When he was out about fifty yards out in the sea the boat nearly turned over. The men sitting on the watched him. They got a boat and followed him, a brought him back to the shore. Then he started to fight with them

"Let Cypress trees and willows wave around this lonely spot, but all I ask to deck my grave is to forget me not."
This is the inscription on an old tombstone in Tintern, and bears the name of Tyrell. No other dates are to be seen."Christians, as you pass by, as you are now, so once was I, so I am now, so you will be, remember death and pray for me."
This is an inscription on a tombstone in Bannow, which is outside the Parish of Tintern.There is an iron cross on a grave in Owen-Duff. People were buried inside the ruins of old churches. All the tombstones in Kinnagh and Owen-Duff are facing to the East. There are people buried in all the graveyards. Unbaptised children were buried in Rathimney, it is now James Foley's yard in Rathimney.

The old church of St Mogue is situated in the townland of Cullhull in the parish of Bannow in the Barony of Bargy in Co Wexford. It is on very high ground overlooking the road leading to Cullenstown. The ruins of the old church stands in the centre of the grounds. It is not very large. Its area is about 36 feet by 15 feet. It was built with some sort of rough mortar and stones.It is unknown in what century this church was built. There is a Priest looking the matter up at the present time.Up to about fifty years ago there were no fences around it. Cattle pigs and other animals had free access to it. There is now a grand hedge around it and a gate which is always kept locked. This place is called the old town. It is said St Mogue's well was in a field adjoining this place and a women washed clothes in it and it disappeared that night as there was a light seen rising from the spot where it was. So the well sprung up where it is at the present time about a quarter of a mile from where it was. There are not many people buried in this grave yard. There are seven head stones and one tombstone. The dates on these go back to eighteen hundred and two years. The latest

There is a leacht or burial Stone in the townland of Balloughton in parish of Bannow. Hence probably the name of Baile leachtan. It is about 10 feet high and has a rude Stone cross roughly cut into it.There was ogham writing on it which Professor Mac Alaistair the archaelogist rendered as "Beneath is buried A? the Son of X ?" evidently marking the burial place of a once famous chieftain who existed in Pagan timesThe rude inscription of Cross was probably made by the early Christians who in their Zeal endeavoured to remove all Pagan Symbols

My Home DistrictMy home district is the townland of Vernegly, in the Parish of Bannow, in the Barony of Bargy, in the County of Wexford. There are eleven families and about fifty people in the district of Vernegly.
Roche is the most common name in Vernegly others being Keane and Colfer.
The houses in Vernegly are mostly slated. The slated houses are fine houses having large airy rooms and big windows which are unusual in the usual type of Irish farmhouse. The houses are very

My Home District - Brandane.My home district is Brandane in the parish of Bannow in the Barony of Bargy in the County of Wexford.
The most common name is Grace others beign Browne, Hogan, Wade, Kelly, Scanlon, Cousin, Davey, Stafford, Shea, Redmond, Roche, Keane, Carey, Nevell and Eustace.
Almost all the houses are slated being very airy and healthy

There is one Holy Well in Bannow called the Lady's Well. Nobody ever visits this well or gets any water from it.No one ever goes to pray round this well as is done at other wells. This well is situated in a field belonging to Mr Wade.A very strange thing happened about this well. One time some soldiers washed their clothes in it and on the next

Hoar Rock - the Rock near Cross Lake.Table Rock - off old Church of Bannow.Shark's Mouth - near the bay.

They say that a road from Cullenstown and Ballymadder passedalong here to the old church at Bannow.
'Tis all washed away now but I heard the old people say that there was a big bush growing here and every funeral to the church stopped at it and they left the funeral cross at it. They say that is how 'twas called Cross Lake.
When that road was gone the funerals went down the present road and they used to leave the crosses on a bush near Keanes of the Boker Hill. They never leave crosses now.

Kinoulty
(pronounced by some kinowl)
The Moor of Bannow is more or less enclosed by four roads - the High Road, The Moor Road, The Moor Road (one at East and one at West) and another road which has no particular name. This road runs through a small area of the moor which is called Kinoulty. Natives speak of one house there as Murphy's of Kinoulty and the close by cottage as Browns of Kinoulty.

Several families in Bannow are fishermen. In winter time they set lines (spillers) but results are usually poor. The fishing boats are kept in winter in the inner bay by the marsh or Bostons Dock so if left in "The Bay" near coastguard station they would be broken to pieces. The boats are cleaned, painted and tarred in the end of April. When season opens sea trout or salmon are fished for, generally at the bar by making "draughts". A net about 500 feet long is used and carried out just as the ebbing tide is at its lowest. The end of the net is thrown out to two or three men who stand on the beach and as the boat is rowed out the net is played out. The boat is rowed in the form of a semicircle and when the beach is again reached the net is "drew in". Very frequently no success attends their efforts but with courage they rush on and make "another draught" If "the tide beats them" (water too low) they give up. Three draughts is usually the maximum. Sea trout, salmon, bass, mullet, plaice and "fluke" are caught. An occasional stranger like the Ink fish is caught. Bottom where draught is made must if possible be reasonably free from rocks.

was called again but he did not stop. When he came to the turn at the sea he heard it called the third time and he knew 'twas the voice of Cronin his dead friend. I heard it often said that the poor fellow still walks the road at the Barrack and they say he walks up and down inside too.I dont believe too ready in these things but I believe Andy's story. Jim Sheridan and myself were out at all hours, the birds singing on a summer's morning often brought us home. We never did see anything about any of the haunted places of Bannow. I believe there are such things but James being a Protestant always argued there couldn't be as if they were in Heaven they would not want to come out of it and if they were in the other place they couldn't get out of it.

The houses in Brandane along the road are called Geneva. I never heard why they were called that name. They are all small thatched houses. and they have no bit of garden. I often heard my father say that the old people said these houses were built by people who were evicted by Boyses. They had nowhere else to go and they were let build their little cabins by the edge of the road. Anyone can see the difference between the houses and the other houses; the people never got back to their farms and had to go out to work and that is how the houses look so small.
From Peter Colfer, Vernegly, Bannow: Age 66 yrs.

There is a story told by some people of a shipreck in the district of Bannow. A long time ago, about the year 1882 a ship named the Zapparee was coming from Fuime, bound for Dublin and Glasgow.The ship was laden with flour and all kind of meal stuffs. It was a very stormy night and she ran ashore on the Randale rock. Most of her crew were Italians.The crew were rescued by the Apparatus which was worked by Mr. Andrew Cullen. The ship was broken up. The crew stayed at Mr. Cullen's house until they were sent to their homes in Italy.

the Dunmore lifeboat fired a life line ashore on the Island. This line had a tail block attached and was hauled ashore by the men on the island. When they had this block made fast they hauled a small boat ashore. By this means they rescued fourteen men nine of the Mexico's crew and five of the Fethard lifeboat's crew.It was then found that one of the Mexico's crew had died. The following day brought the corpse ashore, the corpse was buried in Cullenstown.Five of the lifeboat crew were washed ashore in Cullenstown and eight weeks after the last body was found at the Cross Lake in Bannow.