Two fairs were held Tulsk, while his father, Edward, had annually it) Fuerty village, the larger been J.P. for Co. Roscommon and THE one on November 21st and one of later High Sheriff of Galway.and lesser importance on August 4th. Mayo. The Ormsby's had been PARISH Fuerty, like many other areas, had settled in Ireland since Henry seats of the gentry, the principal Ormsby arrived in 1590. We find ones being in Castlec.oote, one of them High Sheriff of Sligo in OF Castlestrange and Mount Prospect. 1672 and of Roscommon in .1770. Of the latter there is now no trace, Oddly enough, before the Battle of FUERTY while Castlestrange is but a ruin the Boyne, they appeared to have since a disastrous fire in 1919. little prejudice. We find them Fuerty, a parish in the barony of Though gutted by fire some years marrying O'Haras, Lynchs.and Athlone, is three and a half miles ago, Castlecoote is now gradually Kellys. After the Battle of the from Roscommon town. It is being restored. It was the home of Boyne, some members of the family intersected from north to south by the beautiful Gunning sisters, were tyrants, while others seemed to the river Suck. This river is crossed Elizabeth, who became Duchess of settle in with the local communities. by a long causeway bridge at Hamilton and Argyll, and Maria, Surrounding the Abbey in Castlestrange and Castlecoote. The who became Countess of Coventry. Fuerty is an ancient graveyard, statute measurements of the parish The signs of ancient man in containing two early gravestones, are 8989 acres - 800 acs. of which Fuerty can be seen at the pre- marking the site of a Patrician consist of bogland and 120 acs. of historic, wedge-shaped tomb (2,000 foundation. Two red sandstone slabs woodland. Limestone quarries are B.C.), complete with chambers and are now exhibited near the front gate abundant in the area and have been traces of a covering mound. It has of the graveyard - one shows the used extensively down through the never been excavated, but similar almost unique symbol of a fish, a years. tombs around the country yielded symbol used in the Catacombs and As the origin of the parish quantities of cremated bones and is an anagram of the initial letters of goes back to Norman times, it gives stone tools and weapons, like flint Jesus' name and asks for a prayer the place a respectable antiquity. arrow-heads. The ruins of an ancient for Ardeachan. This symbol is very The great historian of the last Abbey rise above the village itself, rare in Ireland. The other slab bears century, John O'Donovan, visited giving it an old-world look. This a highly decorated interlaced design Fuerty. In the Ordnance Survey was once a flourishing monastery, and the words "Or ar Mor", Letters of 1836, he states that he and during the religious persecutions probably meaning "pray for many" believes that the name "Fuerty'" of Cromwell and his successors, it or Mor may have been a personal came from the old Irish words was used as a rest house for aged name. Those slabs may have marked "fiodh" meaning wood and "ard" monks. When Colonel Ormsby came the grave of Ardeachan, tanist Abbot meaning height, giving us the name to reside at Toberavaddy, his first of Clonmacnoise and Abbot of Fiodhard or Feward, which with the action was to order the destruction many other churches, who died in passage of time became Fuerty. The of the Abbey. When his soldiers had 805 A.D. Those two stones were village of Fethard in Co. Tipperary removed all the precious objects and removed from their former positions is believed to be of similar origin. sacred vessels, they set fire to the for preservation in 1972, and are In the last century, the building, which, at the time, housed now set in concrete on the west townland of Fuerty was a densely more than one hundred monks. Not gable of the old Dominican Abbey populated area and was also a one of them escaped the dreadful in Fuerty graveyard. Two other thriving village, having several holocaust. stones mark the resting place of tradespeople, shops, barracks, Colonel Ormsby was a Ardeachan and Mor. Those early pound, Church of Ireland, a forge, henchman for Coote, and Coote in gravestones represent some of the and a post office. The now more tum was a' notorious agent for early Christian carvings other than populated village of Castlecoote was Cromwell. Ormsby's principal place those at Clonmacnoise. There is no not so populated then. The shift of of residence was at Tubberavaddy, trace left of the ancient church, village concentration can be traced near Athleague. They were which stood at the east end of the to the decline of business in the recipients of large quantities of land graveyard. It probably remained Fuerty village, as a result of the after the Williamite Wars and had a until the time of the Reformation. closure of the barracks and the reputation for extreme harshness, At Castlestrange stands a Church of Ireland at the tum of the being noted for cruel acts of ritual stone, richly decorated with century, and the decline of the fair depravity. Their residence is now a abstract ornament in La Tene style, days, the closure of the forge, ruin but is regarded as a good which is understood to have arrived closure of the school built in 1912 example of 17th century building. here from Europe in the 1st Century and more recently the transferral of Robert Ormsby, grandson of the B.C. Tourists come from far and the Post Office to Castlecoote. original settler, became M.P. for near to view this remarkable stone. 106 The name Castle strange comes from Captain Robert Le Strange, an Elizabethan adventurer, who acquired lands in the Athleague area around 1580, and which included Castle strange area. The castle which he built is no longer in existence, but is generally believed to have been sited near the La Tene stone. Half a mile north-east of Fuerty is Diarmuid and Grainne's bed. This is a ruined chamber tomb. Little is known of its origin, but according to legend, Grainne, daughter of King Cormac Mac Airt, fell in love with Diarmuid, one of the Fianna. Despite her father's plans to have her marry Fionn Mac Cool, leader of the Fianna, she eloped with Diarmuid, hotly pursued by Fionn. Fuerty is said to have been one of their resting places. Maureen Kenny, BALLYBAY N.S. GROUP 1950 Castlecoote Active Age Group Front Row L. to R.: Seamus Morgan, Brian Feeley R.I.P., Benny Dowd, Liam Martin, Batty Walsh, Charlie Morgan, Joe McCormack, John Meeley. 2nd Row L. to R.: , __ , Josie Heneghan, Dorrie Feeley, Breege Mannion, Mona Gallagher, Breege Martin, __ , Rita Gallagher, Kathleen Walshe. 3rd Row L. to R.: Rose Claffey, Betty Galvin, Margaret Shine, Liam Mannion, Derry O'Dowd, Paddy Connor, Phyllis Coakley, Margaret Green, Pauline Reilly. Back Row L. to R.: Maurice Brown, Tom Connor, - McCormack, - Gaffney, Kevin McCormack, Joe Bolger. Photo courtesy Mrs. Pauline Donovan, Barrymore. r-------------, 21st April, 1852: Rev. Thomas O'Connor, P.P. Loughglynn, was presented to· the Queen at the Levee by Sheriff Swift of London, as his chaplain. (Catholic Directory) 5th January, 1860: V. Rev. J.M. McTucker, P.P. Boyle, receives £44, a legacy of the late Miss M. Byrne, Kingstown, towards erecting a convent in Boyle. (Catholic Directory) 9th March, 1868: In the Convent of Mercy, Roscommon, Miss Delia Hanly (in religion Sister Mary Asicus) eldest daughter of Michael Hanly, Esq. of Elphin, was received by the Most Rev. Dr. BALLYBAY N.S. GROUP JULY 1948 Gillooly. Front Row L. to R.: T.J. Mannion, Johnny Mannion, Pearse Bolger, Paddy Brien, Frank Heneghan, Hugh Feeley. (Catholic Directory) 2nd Row L. to R.: Thomas Meeley, Benny O'Dowd, Tom Connor, Batty Walsh, Noel Mannion, L .J Brian Feeley R.I.P., Michael Morgan. 3rd Row L. to R.: McCormack, Liam Gaffney, - McCormack, Joe Bolger, Maurice Browne, Seamus Morgan. Back Row L. to R.: - McCormack, Vincent Farrell, _, - McCormack, Charlie Morgan, Derry O'Dowd, Paddy Connor, P.J. fieneghan. Photo courtesy Mrs. Pauline Donovan, Barrymore. 107.