Ballinagare Seems to Be a Huddled Up, His Harp Was Found There
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T FACE VALUE Ballinagare seems to be a huddled up, his harp was found there. It is now on display in ~ throng of houses, that the fast cars barely slow to Clonalis House, Castlerea, another O'Conor mansion. A acknowledge on the busy N5 east. However, Ballinagare Castle is very unusual in that it was built at a behind this seemingly quiet exterior is a colourful, exciting time when Catholics were prohibited from building and past, which reads like a chapter from an imaginative owning two-storey dwellings. To get around this, the adventure story. O'Conors house was designed in such a way that, although "Abhainn na Foraolse" is the river that flows through it had two storeys, it appeared to have only one. This was this peaceful village. At one stage, in the 1850s there were not the only way in which the O'Conors showed three mills in operation on the river; namely Kennedy's intelligence. They were making silage over one hundred Mill at Kilcorkey, Clarke's Mill at Ballinagare village and years ago, although to us it is a comparatively new concept. the Blackwood Mill at Drummin, behind the present day The grass was gathered with horses and carts and drawn graveyard. The river, which rises in Tully bog, serves to into a pit, which had sides of clay. Their effluent disposal divide Frenchpark from Rathcroghan and is a tributary of methods, however, would not meet with the approval of the Breedogue river. modem-day environmentalists. They simply dug a drain Tully bog is a part of the virgin boglands which surround from the pit to the nearby river. Ballinagare on all sides. Throughout the centuries they Old Charles O'Conor, the diarist, is probably the best have provided an important source of fuel for the locals. remem bered of his family. He was a learned and These bog lands were the hunting domain for the de Freynes distinguished antiquary, who was the foremost Irish scholar of Frenchpark and Ballinagare's own stately family, the of his time. He was in regular correspondence with all the O'Conors, in times past. Recently large areas of these literary greats of his era. He wrote "Dissertations on the bog lands have been taken over by Bord na Mona for Ancient History of Ireland", which brought him fame. His development. This has roused local concern, because, diaries are also regarded as extremely important, because unspoilt, it is a beautiful natural resource and a tourist they establish a clear picture of the Ireland of his time. In attraction. O'Donovan's Survey the following is written about him: The O'Conor family is referred to in many of Ireland's "He always wore a three-cocked hat, which was very historical books, as they were a very noteworthy family. fashionable in his day, and a very curious cloak with red The Ballinagare O'Conors were descended from a younger fringes which gave him a very romantic appearance". He brother of Roderic O'Conor, last High King of Ireland. died at the age of eighty in 1790, after a very distinguished They had three houses in Ballinagare. Ballinagare Castle and fruitful career. now in ruins is just below the village and was built in 1727 The O'Conors contributed generously to the by Donough O'Conor, after he got his lands back. (They improvement of the village. They built houses and supplied had been seized by Cromwell). money for improving the fairs, which were held at intervals Mount Druid House was another O'Conor mansion, in the village. They were rather like large companies and situated on the Castlerea side of the village. It was banks, which sponsor sporting events nowadays. The afore- demolished c.1940. Its name comes from the most ancient mentioned fairs were famous in those days. A 19th century name for Rathcroghan - Druim Druadh. The third was New Travellers guide for Ireland gives at the end a table of Hermitage House. This is where O'Carolan, the famous fairs held in the county and Ballinagare features harpist, used to play on his visits to Ballinagare. He wrote a prominently. The year of fairs began on January 6th; the song in praise of the family and, after the house was closed next fair date was the 10th of May and the year was 18 rounded off in style with a two day fair on the 3rd and 4th without the aid of modem machinery it is amazing how it of November. arrived there. Also of curious interest is the town land of When Isaac Weld visited the village in 1832 to examine Crochawagga, with its unusual Australian sounding name. it, in the course of a survey he Ballinagare also had a fair was doing, the following share of heroes and rebels, were his findings. The village when Ireland was under was fairly dilapidated, but he British rule. "The Black and found the carefully preserved Tans" war, as it is known thorn hedges on the approach locally, began in west roads 'remarkable'. The Roscommon with the sack of castle at that stage was Ballinagare in which the abandoned but not totally detested 'Tans' burned two ruined. The old church was public houses in the village surveyed by him and said to and a private house on the have been founded by Owen Frenchpark road. Pat Doyle, o 'Conor Don in the year a man who was rambling 1819. innocently in a house on the Around the village are Castlerea road, was shot in several infant burial grounds the doorway, as an example where unbaptised children to the rebels. The mark of the were laid to rest. One is bullet is in evidence as a Kilmogue, an old graveyard monument to him. lying in the townland of the "McDermott too was same name, which adjoins brave and true, Castlecole and Tully. Another From the plains near at Falmore bears the ruins of Ballinagare" . a headstone with a cross. Gravestone on grave of unbaptised infant in Caltra cemetery, These lines come from the Children were buried here Hermitage, Ballinagare. well-known ballad "The until less than a hundred Woodlands of Loughlynn" years ago. At Caltra, near Hermitage House, where there penned by James Keane. Stephen McDermott from Tully, was once a nunnery, is another of these resting places, and, Ballinagare was a volunteer, who became a hero on April finally, during the 1920s a burial ground was discovered at 19th 1921, when he was shot by the British for his Gortnagoyne. Skeletons were found in what seemed to be involvement in the rebellion. At nineteen he was a martyr graves, composed of flagstones. During Penal times Mass for the cause. was said at a Mass rock in Kilvoy two miles east of the Another hero from Ballinagare was Michael Coleman village. from Knockroe hill. He was hanged because of his Ballinagare belongs to the parish of Kilcorkey. It is in involvement in the Land League in its early days, when it the old churchyard here that Fr. Garahan, the first priest was still an illegal organisation, before it became legalised appointed to Owen O'Conor Don's church, and a Fran- as the Land Commission. ciscan friar, lies buried. The old Kilcorkey church is said to Jack Farrell was a local landlord, disliked by all who have been either a church or a knew him, so when he died, nunnery, but no one is quite few of his tenants were certain. Gort na Croise, a distraught with grief. He was field in the eastern part of the buried in Kilcorkey cemetery townland of Kilcorkey, is in an impressive lead coffin. rather curious. Three crosses At this time there was a stand close to one another in shortage of ammunition for the shape of a triangle. A the on-going rebellion, so, market was held at this place shortly after he was buried, until the mid-1700s and about Farrell was tipped out of his 30 yards from the crosses, coffin, which was melted 200 guineas were found in down to make lead shot. The coins, dating from the reigns story goes that, people were of Charles I and II and James so afraid of Jack Farrell and I and II. A brass candlestick so detested him, that he was and a carved shell, thought to never reburied! have been used for holding Ballinagare is stiU a lively water on an altar, were also spot and has improved found in the bog near the considerably in appearance church. since Isaac Weld visited The standing stone at there. Its historical traditions Cloch a' Tiompain is a great are second to none and it has mystery to all who see it. It is had many noted inhabitants immense in size - over 10ft Gravestone in Calfra, Hermitage childrens' burial ground. and visitors throughout the in height overground, 8ft in years. The first General width and 3ft in breadth. It is sunk 6ft into the ground. Secretary of the G.A.A., Padraig 6 Caoimh, was born in What is strange about it is, that it is not composed of stone what is now the Presbytery. It is a quaint and picturesque native to this district, and must have been transported there village, a source of pride to all who are familiar with it, and for some reason. Considering its size and weight and well worth a visit. 19 BALLINAGARE BOYS' N.S. c.1924 Front Row (L to R): Mrs. Scott, Cait Scott, Gus Connaughton, Huberl Geraghty, Patrick John Geraghty, Bernie Collins. 2nd Row: Mrs.