Fews
The name of Fews, if it be the same anglicised form of all the places of the same name in other parts of the country must in Irish, sound Feada i e Sylvia.
Fews is not looked upon as representing a townsland and is said to be the name of the extend of land comprised in Kilpatrick, Ballinokill Killina, and Drummana townslands, to which so added part of the lands of Killcashin. The Fews extend about 3 miles in length and one in breadth lying between the bog of Allen and the Grand Canal.
In the graveyard of Kilpatrick = (church of Patrick) there is no trace of a Church remaining said in locality that this was not at any time the site of a church, but that it was made the substitute for an older place of interment probably (Ticknevin) at the commencement of the 18th century. Amongst the inscriptions which range from 1715 there is non worthy of note.
Dr. John Dempsey appointed Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin in 1694 appears to have been a native of this parish and Whare resided in it. The Dempseys have continued to reside at Kilmurry up to our own times

This old road begins at Fews and ends at the Ashtown Road. About the 16th century a battle was fought on it between the O;Briens and the Powers. The battle began at Kilmacthomas and continued till they came to Fews village. Here they settled the dispute but a horse belonging to one of the parties took fright and began jumping. The rider was nearly thrown off. One of the men of the other party then took advantage; he drew his sword and beheaded one of the opposite party. Then the battle re-commenced

This old road begins at Fews river (Tay) and it ends at the Ashtown Road. In about the 16th century a great battle was fought on it, between the O'Briens and the Powers. The battle began at Kilmacthomas and was fought along the road until they came to Fews village. Then they began to settle the dispute and a horse belonging to one of the parties got frightened and began jumping. The rider was nearly thrown off. One of the men of the other party then took advantage; he drew his sword and cut the head off the other man. Then the battle began again and was fought until they reached the old road. When it ended on the old road, seventeen men, all by the name of John Power, were dead.

There lived in the parish of Kilrossanty some years ago a parish priest named Father O'Shea. One Sunday he was going to Fews to celebrate Holy Mass, he was accompanied by a newly ordained priest. They both were on horseback and they had to cross the river Mahon which was in full flood, there was no bridge at this time crossing the river. Father O'Shea was leading, and he rode his horse into the flood, and as he was crossing, the waters divided and he crossed the river safely, but the young priest was afraid to cross, Father O'Shea looked back and called on the young priest ot come on but he said he was afraid then Father O'Shea said to him "where is your faith" and he proceeded on his way to Fews and the young priest turned home.
In later years Father O'Shea died and his remains were interred in the old grave yard in Kilrossanty. People said he was a saint, and some people used to bring away some of the clay

fews strangers were let pass that road. He came home safe and sound to a village in the Co Galway where he lived and died

In the old times people used to take the butter from one another by superstitious means. There was a family living in the village of Fews who

Situation
This parish is situated in the Barony of Decies without Drum. it is bounded on the North by the parish of Mothel; on the East by that of Rosmire; on the South by those of Ballylaneen and Kilrossanty and on the West by those of Kilrossanty and Mothel.
Name
Paróiste na bhFiodh - Oarish of the Woods. (Fews, however, is singularly bare of trees at the present day).
There are remains of antiquity in this parish, but the site of the old church which is pointed out at the village of Fews, immediately to the west of the chapel, a stream running between them. The graveyard is no longer to be seen and even the foundation of the old church cannot be traced.
In the townland of Coum Mahon in this parish the river Mahon has its source. The word Com, which is the name of many localities in the Comeragh Mountains, signifies a nook or hollow in the mountain.

Long ago before the National Schools were build there used to be a school held at Hara Hanrahan's Bar Inch, Ballydonohue. This was taught by a man by the name of the "Bahal Stack". He was called "Bahal" Stack because he had very bad feet. He was supposed to be a very good teacher and the headline he used to give his pupils was "Money is the grand commander of all". The people say this yet in that district. "Money is the grand commander of all, said the "Balal" Stack. O on night while the Balal was sleeping a fews boys came in and took his boots and put them into a pot of boiling water. Afer some time they took them out and straightened them because they had been deformed by the Balal's feeth feet so that when Bahal got up in the moring he could not know his own boots among others they placed with them. This trick was played on the Bahal on account of his bad feet.

One time the people of Fews were swapping cattle with the people of Kerry. They quarrelled over the cattle, and they decided to fight a battle. This was a terrible battle. Many people were killed in it, there were twenty one "John Power's" killed in this besides the others.
These dead are buried in a borheen in Kilfown near "Mahon Bridge".

Pallisers of Comeragh House subsidised a school for the tenants at Mahon Bridge and we were all invited to attend free of charge. It was there he learned his first lessons and though Protestant as the school was the Catholics were well educated in Irish and England.
He saw the Kilrossanty National School being built and opened in 1836 and 1837. Mr. Hennebry was the architect, the old gentleman was a much learned man and helped the priests in promoting many projects for parochial benefits. He saw the two present churches Kilrossanty and Fews rise bit by bit and finally finished under the personal supervision of Fr. Power of Furraleigh, who was a great priest, and a great congregation from far and near gathered and paid subscriptions at the opening Mass in 1841. The subscriptions were to pay off the debt. They were all bound that day with peace and plenty and little did they think of the dark clouds that were to come and of the distant rumblings of

Bóthar na Réidh Buidhe - Road of the Yellow Mountain Plain.
Bun-bóthair - Bottom of the Road - name of the village of Fews.
Baile Nuadh - New Homestead
Rathmaiden - Ráth na Maighdean - Fort of the Maidens.

and that is covered with ivy. During the penal times Cromwell came along that way and he beheaded all the monks except one He threw the heads into a little stream flowing down by Mothel creamery and the place is now known as Ath na gCeann or ford of the heads. The monk that escaped was caught in Grays farm of Ballinacurra and killed. A priest saying mass appears where the monk was killed every hundred years. There are people buried in Mothel up to the present day.There are the remains of the walls of a church in Knockatirney. This seems to be the oldest ruin of all as there is only a couple of bits of walls and the holy water font to be seen. The last man to be buried there was a man by the name of Walsh from the parish of Fews who was drowned while crossing the river, Uisce Soluis which flows a few fields away from the old church. This church is supposed to

Food in Olden Times
In the parish of Fews which is next to the parish of Clonea people in olden times got only (one) two meals a day hence the name “Paróiste an dá béil” which means “ The Parish of the Two Meals”. Meat was almost unknown there except in the house of one farmer named Power who used to cook meat once in a while for himself only. He went as far as to take the post in which he boiled the meat to the local forge where he got the cover of the same fixed so that he could put a pad-lock on it, to make sure that nobody could touch the meat when he was out in the fields. Potatoes and sour milk was the chief food of his workmen, the same for breakfast, dinner and supper. So strong and robust were those men that, after working hard from daylight until dark turning into bed after the last meal they would be up and dressed before daylight again next morning sitting on their beds singing songs whilst waiting for their potatoes to be boiled for their breakfast. The table on which they used to eat was long and narrow with legs at one end the other end was fastened to the wall by hinges so that when not in use it could be folded back against the

wall like a huge shutter – the legs folding also and in this way it took up no room. Sometimes a salt herring which was called a red herring would be cooked on special occasions as a great treat. This would be hung by a cord over the centre of the table with the other end fastened to the roof. Each man had the privilege of rubbing each potato to it before putting it into his mouth, and in this way from the constant rubbing only the bony skeleton of the herring would remain suspended. The sour milk used to be drunk from wooden vessels called peggins.
If the supply of potatoes ran out then it would mean a diet of Indian Meal stirabout, twenty one times in the week, - that is outside parish of Fews.

Local fairs in this district are held in the towns of Moate and Athlone. In Athlone the fairs are held on the street and in the Fair Green, but in Moate they are held on the street, though they were up to about twenty years ago in the Fair Green.
Buyers sometimes buy stock at the farmers' homes, usually a fews days before the local fair is held. Custom is paid on the animals sold in Athlone but not in Moate since the fairs ceased to be held in the Fair Green. The custom paid is one penny per head on cattle and half-a-penny per head on sheep. When beasts are sold luck-money, called luck-penny, is given and varies from one shilling to five shillings, according to the price of the animals. The person who receives the luck-penny usually spits on it

There was a poor old travelling man one time. He used to resort around Graigue district He often went from one house to another. There was a certain farmer's house near the chapel, where stopped very often. This old man carried a very heavy stick, with a timber knob screwed into the top of it, where he would have his hand. This old man fell sick in this farmer's house. He said to the farmer "if I die put this stick in the coffin with me". In the course of a few weeks, this old man died
The funeral was after leaving the house, when the farmer saw the old man's stick in the corner, he was very sorry that he did not put it in the coffin with him, but he forgot it. He took the stick in his hand, and felt it very heay. He screwed off the knob, which was on the top of it, and out rolls £150. This old man that died, lived the life of a miser The farmer got a fews masses said for the poor mans soul, that died

The nearest fort to the school is Wilsons fort. Situated in the townland of Dromore about one mile from the school. It command's a view of the country for miles around. On the northern side can be seen Molyash mountain Sliabh Gullion and the fews mountain Eight lakes can be seen from here. Muckno, lake, Gouldtraps lake. Loughrus. Lough Patrick. Lough Jemmie Lough Peter. Stringers Lough linne.
Some people call this a rath. Corliss fort can be seen from here and Anny Art forth. This fort is circular in shape. It is raised about five feet above the fields around It is faced with stones. Rushes and whines are growing round it now. There is a Local

An ancient road A B on map enclosed along northern boundary of Newtownbabe. Name locally pronounced "Meeog". It is now completely closed with briars and bushes. There was a village of over thirty houses on this road. The road used to lead out to the Knockbridge Road.
Peadar Ó Doirnín lived for a period on this road while he was "on the run" from the vengeance of "Johnson of the Fews". This Peadar Ó Doirnín was a celebrated Ulster poet, and a schoolmaster. While living on the Meeog road he was under the protection of Coleman of Ballybarrack. He finally made peace with Johnson, and was allowed to return to Forkhill, Co. Armagh where he taught school till he died.One of his best poems is "Úr-chnoc Chéin Mhic Cháinte"
Mr Daly, a hedge school-master also lived on this old road.

he O Neills of Glasdrummond were the rulers of the district. Johnny Johnson was appointed by the English over the Fews. The last of the O'Neills, Art was removed from Glasdrummond to Crossmaglen and from there to a swampy boggy patch in Anagad, where Tom Byrne now lives. Art Mac Cumhthaigh used to visit Art there.
Baile na nGadaidhe - a name given to a field now owned by Barney McGeeney near the Fane where a fair used to be held, and where there was a sheebeen owned by Seán Deery.
McCooey always attended this fair and then used to visit Art O'Neill in Anagad.
"Ag éirghe tús ar maidin
Chuala an fhuaim dhá chasadh

Mullever bought a large part of the Upper Fews out of Chancery for a trifle. The tenants were poor and the rents had to be very small and often not paid. Hence the small price for such a large tract of land.
Mullever determined to make his new property pay. He settled that the Catholics must be evicted and non-Catholics were invited to take over their holdings. The Catholic tenants were very humble and gave him marked respect. He was very proud and seldom looked at them.
The first imporvement he decided to make was to evict the Murphys of Clonalig (still in possession) and convert the holkding and adjoining holdings into a preseve for game, and have the house as a "shooting lodge". He thought the Garraidhe Buidhe (between the house and the road - an orchard) a nice place for a summer house. The game was to be deer.
The tenants of Drum muck gathered