the Cowboys Chapel, the latter erected over his Mother's grave by a man "who had risen from the humble station to opulence."Though opinions differ as to the exact date it is certain that the Augustinians came to Clonmines early in the 14th century. There was a parchment roll destroyed in the Four Courts in 1922 relating to a small grant of land to the early Friar Hermit of St Augustine at Clonmines. The reconstruction of their church + monastery seems to date from this period -- the converting of mud and wattle into the more permanent atructure of stone being largely due to the generousity of one Fitz - Nichol, the church was dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra, the dedication being inspired no doubt by the people's association with the sea.The Augustinians continued their work down to the time of the dissolution of the Monasteries when the last Abbot - Father Wadding and his Community were dispoied of their Church and the property which they held for the Spiritual food of their benefactors. In 1543 the farm of the whole site, ambit precinct and circuit of the late house or Friary of Clonmines was granted to John Parker Esq., his heirs and assigns for ever, by letters patent dated August 25th.
The fortunes of the Friars after their expulsion was extremely sad. There were only a few Priests in the vast area. The Church at Bannow had been long abandoned. The ruins of the town had been slowly buried beneath the

During the '98 rebellion, a Protestant named Kelly !! from Ballycarrig was on the run. A man named Cowman or Cummins from Ballinirey (a townland which is about a mile from the school) saved him.Kelly was sleeping in the straw in Cowman's barn. One morning, Cowman heard that the soldiers were searching for Kelly, so he warned him to go lest he might be taken___________One day the Redcoats were dragging a priest through the old street of Tintern (near Bannow Bay). The priest was tied to the axle of the car.One of the Cruises came out and said "What a great sight". At that moment she was struck blind and ever since, some one in the family is either born blind or loses his sight.

Bannow's Bright Blue Bay
I've roamed through many an Irish sce[ne?]
Where natures fairest dwells.
Through sweet Avocas vale i've been And fair Killarney's fells
But fresher far my memory keeps
One place more loved than they.
Where Bannow buried city sleeps
Beneath the bright blue Bay
And often in Autumn tome
When rose the Harvest moon
I've listened to the church bells chime
And heard the reapers tune
On Bannows bar those murmurs deep
Make music all day
Where all around the city sleeps
Beneath that bright blue Bay
they say the ancient city stood
Long unturies ago
Where pon we watch the fitful flood
And bright blue waters flow
From Kierans ancient ivied shrine
To Bannows abbey gray
From Fethard's cliffs to fair Clonmines
This buried city lay
One midnight as the moon went down
Behind Rathdounlls hill
And all the merry making Town
Full many a feast did fill
The stormy sea along it broke
And since that fatal day
The buried city never woke
Beneath that bright blue Bay

Nearly all the cargo was saved by the people of Bannow and they were all well paid for doing so.
The captain and his crew who were Spanish stayed in a house which was owned by Mr Cullen.
There was another ship which was wrecked close to the same spot. This ship was wrecked on a rock which is now called Randale Rock.
It was loaded with a cargo of Randale tobacco and consequently the rock is known by the name of the Randale Rock.
From Mrs Sinnott, Brandane - aged eighty one years.

time,
There are no woods in Brandane because the soil is not suitable for growing trees. There are only a few small rivers in Brandane but none of any importance neither are there any lakes.
There is a lane in Brandane called Brandane Lane. There are the ruins of a big house in this lane in which people lived named Davey. Nearly all those are emigrated to America.
There is a very nice river which flows out to Bannow Bay, through the Ferry through Newtown and flows from Wellingtonbridge.
From: Mrs Sinnott Brandane.

My native townland is Grange, which is in the parish of Bannow and in the Barony of Bargy in the County Wexford. There are seven families in the townland. The two most common names are Ffrench and Walshe.
The houses are all slated. The only person over seventy living there is Miss Katherine Dake. Her brother Mr P Dake died last year aged ninety two years.
The houses were more numerous in the locality long ago than they are now. Many of the old people died and there are some old ruins of houses in Grange and there is the ruin of an old Norman Castle in the woods of Grange.
Bridie Davey, Grange.

Travelling folk often call at Bannow but especially around the fifteenth of August which is the pattern of Cullenstown.The travelling folk are poor and sometimes sell small articlles which they procure in the towns of Wexford and Waterford. The men of the band make tin cans and tea-drawers out of tin and sell them
That is what they spend their day at. The women knit very nice jumpers and caps and sell them.The tents in which they sleep are made of canvas and are small. These people nearly always travel in carsThese people make a large fire in the night and sit around it telling stories.

concert in Carrig - on - Bannow.It was eleven o'clock and they were in a donkey and car.When they were passing the rath they saw a yellowish beam of light flash across the road in front of the car.At first they thought it was wild-fire, but they knew wild-fire would not be so near the ground.They then knew they had been the witnesses of some feat of extraordinary supernatural power.

(3) Boyds of Kiltra House were the first people to bring a mowing machine into the district.
Andy Cullen of the Bay was the first man to use the "wheel plough."(4) In the days of the land trouble when there were seizures and evictions they had a rough time out towards the Hook. The holdings are small and they weren't able to pay the high rent and live. So the farmers, labourers and all joined up and left the place and marched in a body to the poor house in New Ross as a protest. They are always talked of as "The Hook four Hundred"(5) Everyone in the Parish will tell you that Andy Cullen of the Bay is the most truthful man in Bannow.
He tells a story of things happening that you may believe after him. At the time the Police were in the Barrack at The Bridge (Wellington Bridge) there was a constable shot himself in the Barrack. He was a man named Cronin and I believe it was a love affair caused the tragedy. Andy was very friendly with him and one night shortly after he was cycling past the Barrack when he heard his name called . He thought he knew the voice but he did not get down. When he was at Patt Doyle's gate of Maudlintown his name

The old quay of Bannow is in Verneglye and it was a very prosperous place many years gone by. There was a great business carried on for many years. There were many sorts of trades going on. There were coal rading, lime trading, rope trading and shop trading.There was a shop and there was a great business carried on until the quay got broke up. The shop was owned by Mr. French and Donelly. Mr French and Donally lived at the quay in the shop; Mr French was an Uncle to Mr. P. French member of Parliament.Mr Eilly who owned the quay got the cottage and quay built
Mr Eilly lived at the cottage. When Mr Eilly

The ancient local Landlord was Colonel Boyce who lived in Grange in Bannow House. About forty years ago he died. He was a very hard and bad man and was very hard both on Catholics and Protestants.No tenant could cut a tree on their land as he would go around every day on horse-back inspecting their farms and if he found a tree cut he would threaten them with eviction.One time Mr. L. Ffrench cut a tree on his farm and that day Boyce came on horse-back and found it cut and that night he came and said to Mr Ffrench where was the tree that he cut and Mr Ffrench said he cut no tree, He said no more about it only went home.
Mr Ffrench hid the tree in a dyke. Just as he had this done he went in and he soon heard the noise at the door and in came the Colonel and two

Jack Dake has a forge in Coolishall and it is situated on a crossroad which leads to the village of Carig. There is a forge in Ballygow owned by Henry Bowe. A stream which flows under the Bridge of Pall flows near this forge. Tom Wallace has a forge situated on the cross of Carrig. On the cross of Brendane in Bannow there is a forge and it is owned by a man named Neville. Years ago there was a forge in Halseyrath and it is thought it was owned by a man named Larkin.The general class of a roof is slate and thatched but some of them have felt roofs.
Nevilles of Harriestown, Ballinglee and Grantstown are all of the one family and for generations their people ave been smiths.
Molloy's, Dakes and Bowes ancestors have been smiths for generations. The forge doors are

Kilcavan castle is situated about five or six miles from here. It was by a Fitzhenry, one of four brothers who fought at the battle of Lambstown, it was built.
However Kilcavan castle was built in the year 1548. The walls are standing yet and a very comfortable dwelling house is alongside it.
The present owner of this place is Mr. Murphy. It is in the townland of Kilcavan, in the parish of Bannow and the Barony of Bargy which is in the County of Wexford.
The Cromwellian troops had a detachment in Kilcavan and eleven of them were killed in one of Richard Stafford's houses.
Hilltown castle is about four miles from here and it was also built by the Fitzhenrys, a different branch of the family from those that built Kilcavan Castle as there were several branches of the Fitzhenrys in this

Foulksmills threw a pig twenty stone weight over a creel on a horses car. Paddy Mc.Cormack Annestown was able to throw a fifty-six pound weight a distance of twenty eight feet seven inches. Richard Donnelly Busherstown loaded a hundred loads of dung in one day.Nicholas Colfer Coolishall jumped a gate seven feet high. Jack Bishop Foulksmills jumped over a bar fifteen feet nine inches high. Ned Quirke Kilcavan is able to climb one of the poles on the Railway-line.James White Carrig-On-Bannow was able to mow two acres of corn with a scythe in one day.
Edward Morgan Knocktartan carried 30 stones of wheat up two flights of stairs in Wexford Corn stores.

The fairs of the county are held in Taghmon, Foulks Mills, Wellington Bridge, Campile, New Ross, Enniscorthy and Newtownbarry.
The fair of Ballycullane is held near a cemetery and the fair of Wellington Bridge is held across from the castle of Clonmines.
Fairs were held formerly at Nash, Carrig, Bannow, Ballyhack and there was always a great fair held in Tintern on the 12th of May but these were discontinued owing to they not being convenient to a railway station. The town fairs are generally held in the streets but there is always a paddock for testing horses. When a bargain is made they strike hands.
When an animal like a cow or sheep is sold there is a mark like a cross put on its flank. The rope must be given with a horse when sold.
There are special fairs held in New Ross, Enniscorthy and Taghmon for horses and there is a special pig market held in Wellington Bridge every Tuesday.

the pig fair is held on the "Pig Market Hill", Sheep are sold in Wafer St. and cattle are sold on the Bridge and down along the Quay.
The "Market Square" is taken up with various dealers in gates, creels, stools, also men selling clothes, other stalls with iron goods and farm implements, others selling brogues, and every tinker in the country is here too with wives and families, asses and carts and all their tinware. Here too are a couple of apple stalls "Peggies Leg" and biscuits, oranges, and apples also a big dish of pigs feet with wedges of bread and butter, these do a roaring trade on a fair day.
At the lower side of the Market Square are rows of "Herring Women" as they are called each sitting at their own box and praising her own fish as being the freshest.
At one corner too is the "Cockle Man" all the way from Bannow which

There are the ruins of an old windmill about half a mile from Carrig Village situated in the townsland of Kiltra. Some strange stories are told about this particular mill.It was built by a man named Colfer in 1838. His ancestors had been settled in this area since the Norman invasion into Bannow.This mill has not been for many years now. The wings were blown away one stormy night and owner got a new set made. A carpenter was to come on a certain day to fit them. The carpenter failed to turn up on the appointed day, and the owner who was evidently a hot-tempered man left the mill as it was and never again put it in working order.The millers at that time worked the greater part of the night and it happened that as the mill was working late on one particular night a strange old woman came in the mill. She threw something like sprats in the fire which caused such a smell that he was nearly suffocated.
The Hill where this mill is built

"Coal yard field." A Coal Yard in it.
The coal boats came from St Kearn's and deposited their loads in it"Flat Field" because it is so level."The Moat Field" because of a Moat in it"The Mine Road" So called because of old led and Silver mines there.The "Hill of the Thoker" runs from the end of the Green Road towards Bannow School
It was made in the year 1850 as part of a System of Public works started by the then Governent to relieve distress

[NB It says "Carrig on Bannow" - NOT Carrick]Raw potatoes were taken and grated into pulp.It was then mixed with water - after a time steeping in the water, the pulp was Squeezed thoroughly and then strained through a fine strainer. The water containing the starch remains behind.When left for Some time the starch Sinks to the bottom.The Starch now lies at bottom and all that is necessary is to pour off water.The Starch is then put out under Sun till thoroughly dry, when it is fit for use.I have found this Home-made Starch to be much better than the Shop stocked variery

How oft o'er the fields at eve's closing,
With boyhood's companions I have strayed,
Content in its bosom reposing,
Our joys and our paths 'neath the shade.
Sweet bliss ever come with the morrow,
Then life its a pleasure to me,
And now I am leaving in sorrow,
My School mates, dear Bannow and thee.