for the axle of the great water wheel of the mill in Castlecoote.
Adjacent to Castlecoote House are the ruins of an old castle in a tolerable state of preservation. It was built by Sir Charles Coote, one of the English presidents of Connaught about the year 1614. It was burned to the ground once and rebuilt by Sir Robert De Ufford .South of Castlecoote is Brickfield House the residence of Mr. Michael Giblin. This house was built by a family of the O'Kelly's of Hymany whose descendants are now well known wine merchants residing in Dublin. The present occupants of Brickfield House is the

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Castlecoote
Caisléan An Chuitigh - The name comes down from Charles Coote a soldier in Cromwell's army. He built a castle on the right bank of the Suck, the remains-ruins can still be seen.
Convenient to the old castle are the ruins of the old flour mills which were burnt forty years ago and were re-built, but fell into disuse when the river was sunk and power taken from them.
Castlecoote is a pretty little village nestling between hills in the valley of the river Suck. It is about five miles from the county town Roscommon.
The old name for the village is Creemully which is still retained in the next downland.
According to local tradition the castle was once occupied by a great tyrant. he shot the first man he saw crossing the old bridge, after rising every morning. Feeling of great resentment ran high in the locality.

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New Road & Co Licahtar
New Road is really part of the downland of Colemully. It is a small village with about ten thatched houses built on each side of the road and a population of forty people.
Over a hundred years ago when people were coming to the flour mills of Castlecoote the New Road was then only a cart track and they usually went a round about way to reach the mills.
In order to make the journey more direct and convenient for travelers the New Road was made which linked up the road to Donamon and Oran and the towns of Creggs, Ballymoe and Castlerea.
Co. Liachtar is a small village at the back of Castlecoote off the main road. An old boreen winding from the bog and rive Suck, serves the few people who eke out a living in the lonely silent valley. Where once could be seen the smoke from twenty cottages, no=w there are only three families, with about twelve people.
Wild fowl are got in abundance and foxes have their dens near the Donamon woods. In summer people go down fishing to the silent rive and are invariably satisfied with their days outing. For their is pleasure in the pathless woods and a rapture on the lonely share.

Across the River Suck to the south east of Castlecoote is the ancient village of Fuerty which gives the name to this parish, Fuerty = Fiodh ard or high wood.
St Patrick himself laid the foundation stone of a church here and gave the care of it to Justus. Old Justus baptized Saint Ciaran who became patron Saint of this parish. Ciaran's father was a carpenter. His mother Dar Erca = Sharkey. Ardkeeran a village in the parish is called after the saint Ath-Ciaran.
Ciaran was educated at Clonard. He founded Clonmacnoise near Athlone and was honoured as the chief patron of Connaught. He died in Sept. 549.
Old people in this parish say that the saint was buried in Neilan's field at the back of Castlecoote school. A large flat stone marks the place of burial.
The old church in Fuerty passed into Protestant hands after the Reformation. Although now a ruin, the holy water fonts are silent proofs of its origin. All round are the tombs and graves of our dead the dust of (1500) fifteen hundred years

The wonderful Mills of Castlecoote, famous for their flour and meal were burned over 70 years ago. Later on they were re-built, but the luck left them. The River Suck was drained and interfered with the wheel power and today can be seen the remains of three storey Mill, right beside the bridge of Castlecoote.
Old people tell of the great fire which could be seen for miles round the countryside.
"You could pick pins miles away that night".
The usual ghost story is connected with the old mill. Two workmen whose duty it was to stay up all night and keep the fires going, were usually locked in, and released at daylight by two others who came on duty.
One night as Tom and Mick were engaged with their usual duties and chatting about their work they heard strange noises but thought they might be rats. Suddenly Tom looked at Mick and said "If you do that again I'll give you something you won't like". "Do what?" said Mick "Didn't you give me a blow on the back" said Tom. "Faix I did no such thing".
Both looked around and saw nothing yet each felt the presence of a third party. After another while Tom shouted "Don't be firing

sideways tried to get a glimpse at his tail which seemed very near the ground. He did not seem at all pleased with the appearance he made. "I do not know what I will do with this" he said. "It is entirely too long. "Every step I take it hits me on the haughs" "Never mind" said Joe. "I'll rehaul that in no time". So with the aid of a paper of dafety pins he turned in a foot or eighteen inches of it. He gave it a few good slaps of his hands to press down the folds. When done it appeared more like a blouse that a frock. "Begob", said John L "thats gallant". Away they started for Lanebane. When passing through (Crea) Castlecoote they called into Matt Hughes pub and had two pints of porter there.

1. The New Road which connects Castlecoote with Creemully and Donamon was made over 100 years ago. It was chiefly made to assist the traffic to and from the Castlecoote Flour Mill and to avoid climbing over the long high hill leading to the village of Creemully.
2. Egerton's Cross Roads. Four roads branch off to Athleague, Roscommon, and Galway (via Creggs and Ballygar) and Creemully.
3. Bridgetown Road. The bog road.
4. Emla.
5. Black Beech.
6. The Dark Road.
7. New Line.
8. The Slough.
9. Buckfield.
10. The Monument.
11. The Mass-path is in Aughaged where mass was celebraated during the penal times in the open air.
12. The Sthrameen where the bonfire is held on St. John's Night. A little stream comes gurgling down from the hill of Creemully and flows down to join the River Suck. People in the village water their horses at the little stream and exchange greetings with one other. Water cress is very plentiful in this stream.

Long ago bread was made from oats grown locally. Some people had flour which was got in Castlecoote in bo. Roscommon. grind-stones wereused in the mills. The kind of bread used were potato-cake, boxty, oaten-meal bread and sometimes soda-cake.
Potato-cake was made in this way. First potatoes were pulled and broken up. To this salt and flour were added. Sometimes meal was mixed with the potatoes instead of flour. All those ingredients were mixed and made into a dough. This was put to bake in a pan

Those were Landlord of Castlecoote, and they were very cruel tyrants. They evicted hundreds of their tenants, and drove them to the bogs, and mountains, and converted all their small tenants into ranches. It is said that they were most cruel to the tenants who owned property belonging to them, and the day they had appointed for the rent to be paid, you would have to have it ready or they would evict you.
There was also another Landlord Caulfield of Donamon Castle. He was a good charitable landlord. He was very generous towards his tenants. The poor of his property, he used to supply them with clothes, and food, and it is said that anyone that owed him rent money he would never mind. He used also hold a festival once a year, and have all his tenants invited, and also hold an annual sports and have them asked

There are many interesting landmarks around Fuerty. By the limped water of the River Suck stands Castlecoote. On the western bank of the river is the old flour mill now crumbling to decay.It is a four storey building and was evidently a splendid structure in the days of its prosperity. Forty men were employed there and 10,000 barrels of oats were ground annually within its walls. It was considered to produce some of the best wheaten flour in the kingdom.The flour mill

position. He was too fond of card-playing so they became very poor. The other members of the family were Kitty, Lucy and JohnIt was a continual struggle for Mrs. Gunning to make ends meet. They lived in great seclusion and comparative poverty in Castlecoote. These five children were half educated, but they carried themselves with an air of pride and elegance well befitting their ancient lineage.Mrs. Gunning filled with ambition took herself and her family to Dublin. It is said they took rooms somewhere in the vicinity of Britian Street. Here they resided awaiting their luck to turn until their clothes

About five miles west of Roscommon is the village of Castlecoote called after Sir. Charles Coote, who was president of Connaught about 1640. It is a little slip of a village with only two shops, both owned by Mr. Matt. Hughes. The ruins of the gaunt grey flourmill of other days stand on the bank of the River Suck which is within a stone-throw of the village. The whole place gives on the impression of past greatness. In this little spot lived John Gunning and his family over two hundred years ago. John Gunning whose ancestors originally came from Limerick resided for some time

in Huntingdonshire and his two eldest daughters are supposed to have been born there at Hemingford Grey.They came to Roscommon to an old mansion with rounded walls of the castle type, just outside the village of Castlecoote. This was the home of the family for many years.The principal characters is the family were Mrs. Gunning, Maria her eldest daughter whose age was about eighteen in the year 1750 and Elizabeth, slightly younger.Mrs. Gunning who before her marriage was the Honourable Bridget Burke daughter of Lord Burke of Mayo, married. John Gunning a man of high country

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Names of Villages and Townlands round Castlecoote National School
Castlecoote
Creemully
New Road
CoLiachtar
Aughagad
Far Aughagad
Curragh
FarneyKelly
Buckfield
Muff
Passage or Tubberaraddy
Parkmore
Corderryhugh
Castlestrange
Fuerly.

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Castlecoote - continued
On one occasion two brothers came to settle a dispute re ownership of their farm. The landlord ordered his bodyguard of soldiers to shoot them. He then took possession of their farm.

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Castlecoote - continued
Upon a rising mound overlooking the river Suck fitting site of an ancient fortress stood the Castle built by Sir Charles Coote, in the days of Strafford. Round the grim walls manny a bloody battle had been fought with native rebels.

of a humorist. He usually referred to himself as “The Gobberlue” and was known by this name in the districts frequented by him.
His favourite haunts were Criggs, Castlecoote, Athleague, Kilkerrin and Monasteraden districts. He never revisited Williamstown district and rarely asked for anyone in that locality.
He used to say in his humourous way that he had no need to work as all the farmers of the country were working for him. He had a craze for very strong tea and when making it usually put more than four times the normal amount of dry tea on the tea-pot.
In his old age he took refuge in Roscommon County Home where he died after being four of five years there
John Fallon was born at Saint Brendans near Ballygar. In his youth he joined the British Army and fought in the Crimean War. Later he saw service in India

The London crowds drifting through the Strand often stopped to stare at a "new print just fixed up" and which attracted a continuous crowd of Admirers all through the day to the window. The print was one from a painting just done by one of the fashionable artists, of the beautiful Lady Coventry, perhaps the most lovely of the crowded roll of famous beauties. Looking on that attractive face and graceful figure; which turned half the fashionable heads in London' her strange and romantic history, as yet never told consecutively, seems to rise out of the past more entertaining than a romance, and quite as profitable as a sermon, considering her sad end.
There was a certain Irish gentleman living in the west who is set down in the books of heraldry as John Gunnings Esq. Co. Roscommon, who married Miss Bridget Burke who resided with her sisters at Castlebar (tradition says Blackford (Blackfort) Castle) and whose brother was then Earl of Mayo.
It would be a daring flight of imagination to think when presented with his first and second children that both would occupy such dazzling positions in the then most exclusive nobility in the world. The future Miss Gunnings were born at Castlecoote Co. Roscommon, their father's place. Maria the eldest coming into the world in the year 1733, the other Elizabeth the year after. The result of the marriage was one son and five daughters.

Before coming to this parish, Parson Gumley gave wonderful sermons, which appeared in the Press. About twenty years before coming to Fuerty, he got great praise and commendation for a masterpiece.
There was a great Catholic scholar, who spent years in America & came to live in Castlecoote and become the local publican. He took note of the great sermon, cut it out of the newspaper and stored it carefully in his press.
Years after, the Parson and the Shopkeeper became friends. One day the Parson was out walking and met his friend who noticed he was troubled looking. "What is the matter"? said the shopkeeper. "Oh! I have to preach a sermon in Elphin before the Bishop next Sunday and I'm forgetting all my sermons". "Perhaps I could help you" said his friend. The Parson laughed at the idea of an Roman Catholic helping him with his sermon.
Wait, till I come out of the house - The Shopkeeper went into his house, opened the press, got the file of documents, found the cutting of newspaper on which the Parson's famous sermon was and brought it out to the astonished owner, who was very much relieved in getting such a treasure.

On the banks of the Suck near Castlecoote lived a famous poacher and fisher. His home was approached by a narrow deep wet boreen. There were three walls the fourth being dug out of the side of a hill. The walls were formed of tempered yellow clay called daub, mixed with chopped straw. It was comfortably thatched and the ridge fastened down with a sort of backbone about four inches thick and a foot broad. Out of this rose the chimney well plastered. Upon the hip of the roof to the right of the doorway grew a luxuriant plant of house leek to save the house from fire and the inmates from sore eyes. There was an ass's shoe nailed on the threshold to keep away the fairies and preserve the milk and on the lentel was cut a double triangle to guard the children from the evil eye.The inside was comfortable, the dresser was adorned with white-stained noggins and old-fashioned crockery. To the right of the doorway was the domicile of the pig and over him the roost for the hens. The rafters were jet black from the smoke and stuck here + there was the wheaten straw crosses of St Brigid also fishing rods, baskets, land-nets and night-lines.