DOI: 10.7925/drs1.duchas_4428266
title: Árd Bán

description: A collection of folklore and local history stories from Árd Bán (school) (Ardbane, Co. Donegal), collected as part of the Schools' Folklore Scheme, 1937-1938 under the supervision of teacher Briain Ó hEarchaigh.
description: Cistí Óir i bhFolach / Campbell, Bridget -- Cistí Óir i bhFolach / Campbell, Annie -- There is a churn in our house, and it is three and a half feet long. / Campbell, Grace -- Once upon a time there was a man and his name was Finn Mac Cumhail. / Campbell, Grace -- Once upon a time there was a boy called James Mc Groary hired with a man called John Ward in Eglish. / Campbell, Grace -- Once upon a time thre were five men in this district on board of a ship. / Campbell, Grace -- Once upon a time there was a great storm. There were two boys called John Ward who lived in Donegal, and James Mc Groary Drimarone. / Campbell, Grace -- In the olden times candles were made from boiled rushes. / Campbell, Grace -- Once upon a time there was a wedding down in Glenties. / Campbell, Grace -- In the olden times there was a church in Eglish. / Campbell, Grace -- Once upon a time there was a place in Eglish called the Mullach Mór. / Campbell, Grace -- People say that if a star fell on a hill and if any person found it before it was melted that it was the best cure for the mumps. / Campbell, Grace -- There is a fairy wrath in the school district. There is one down on Paddy Brogan's hill. / Campbell, Grace -- There is only one holy well in this parish and it is called Father Mick's well. / Campbell, Grace -- About 50 years ago there was a smith called John O'Donnill. / Campbell, Grace -- Once upon a time when the soldiers were looking for Our Lord they came to a field of corn and it was in breard. / Campbell, Grace -- Once upon a time there was a man and he went away to look for work. / Campbell, Grace -- Once upon a time there were three people living in a house a man a woman and a little girl. / Campbell, Annie -- People say that if potaoes were set on Good Friday that they were sure to grow. / Campbell, Grace -- This is a story about Fionn Mc Cumhaill. / Campbell, Grace -- Once upon a time there was a landlord up in Loc Easg. / Campbell, Annie -- Once upon a time there was a woman and a man living in a house in Glenfin. / Campbell, Grace -- The place that the cows are kept is called a byre. / Campbell, Grace -- At one time there was a little boy from Lettermore. His name was Denis Billy Shelia and he was employed. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- One time about 60 years ago there lived three brothers. Their name was Sweeney who lived in Meentachor. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- At one time there was a great disaster in Bruckless. There were up to thirteen heads of families lost. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- In the time of the trouble and when hedge schools were in Ireland on a mountain bordering Shanveen in a place called Crónagcearcfraoigh. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- At one time long ago, there was a great wedding in this district. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- A long time ago there was an altar of stone built in Eglish. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- In a townland called Sruhall there is a lot of hills which have queer names. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- Till the present day there is a cave which is called the "black rock" and which lies near Glenties. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- Till the present times there is a lot of old habits which are kept up such as the bonfire night on the twenty-third of June. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- About 40 years ago there was a great football match on our holm. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- It is said that Fionn Mac Cuaill was a very strong man and he did a lot of great deeds. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- There is a great stone in Clogher till the present day and there was a giant buried under it. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- In olden times some of the people had thatched houses and others had none at all. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- Till the present day there is a lot of old footpaths from place to place. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- In olden times the people all were over twenty years before they put on shoes. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- About 60 years ago there was a smith call Patrick Kenny who lived in the parish of Inver. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- In olden times there were only two graveyards in this parish. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- In olden days there was an old church on Capnawean. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- in olden times there was a leaprachan in Eglish. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- In olden times there came a witch to Ownbuide. / Shane, Aloysious Mac -- About one hundred years ago there was a smith who lived in Golands and manufactured iron and steel into a lot of articles. / Shane, Nora Mac -- The society known as the Molly's Men sprung from an incident in a remote district. / Shane, Nora Mac -- Long ago when the milk was churned there was no butter. / Shane, Nora Mac -- I am an old gunman, Just aged thirty four. / Shane, Nora Mac -- One day Fionn Mac Cumhaill went in search of the King's daughter. / Shane, Nora Mac -- It was all "cros" that were long ago. The people had no chimneys so they put creels without a bottom in them sitting for the chimney... / Shane, Nora Mhac -- Once upon a tiem there were three men living in a house. / Shane, Nora Mac -- At one time there was a great ice on Louch h-Iasg and also all over the county. / Shane, Nora Mac -- There was a school at John McGroary's house of Tullynaha in the year, 1821. / Shane, Nora Mac -- There is a townland named Meenaulderg got its name because of a park that there was blood spilled in the time of the trouble. / Shane, Nora Mac -- Long ago it was all oat bread that was eaten. / Shane, Nora Mac -- The houses in olden times were different to the houses nowadays. / Ward, Bridget -- Once upon a time a man went away to look for work. / Ward, Bridget -- Once upon a time a great storm came. It was said that on the 10th of January 1897 it tossed houses and bridges. / Ward, Mary Rose -- about 1749 AD there was a school in Letterfad. / Ward, Mary Rose -- In the month of July the chick weeds destroy all the crops. / Ward, Mary Rose -- There was a man called John Ward of Meenalig. / Ward, Mary Rose -- The people in olden times used to eat three meals in the day the breakfast the dinner and the supper. / Brogan, Anna Bella -- The people usen't to get as many kinds of bread in olden times as they get now. / Brogan, Anna Bella -- Once upon a time a man went away to look for work. / Brogan, Anna Bella -- Once upon a time there lived two men in a house in Drimkellan and they had a big farm. / Brogan, Bella -- Once upon a time there lived two children a boy and a girl and their names were Pat and Mary. / Brogan, Anna Bella -- Jimmie McGroarty that lived in Drimboarty was a very good mower. / Brogan, Anna Bella -- In olden times the people used to be talking about the lucky days of getting married on. / Brogan, Anna Bella -- In olden times there was a lot of priests killed and hunted in this part. / Brogan, Anna Bella -- There is a caoran at our house called the molly-bán. It got this names because there used to grow white grass and fog on it. / Brogan, Anna Bella -- There is a spot in Dan Quinn's hill in Drumboarty called Páirc Garbh. / Brogan, Anna Bella -- The cure for the Rose is McCahill's blood and butter. / Brogan, Anna Bella -- Tullynaha is the name of the townland in which I live and it is in the parish of Inver. / Brogan, Anna Bella -- The farmers put in a crop every year. They put manuer and lime on them to grow better. / Brogan, Anna Bella -- The people in olden times used to be twenty years when they started to wear shoes. / Brogan, Anna Bella -- There was a tailor living here a long time ago the names of John Meehan and he used to make every kind of clothes. / Brogan, Anna Bella -- There is a stone the shape of a tombstone in Clogher in Cathrine Kelly's hill. / Brogan, Anna Bella -- There is an old castle down in Glenties. The farm of land that it is on is belonging to men called Wards. / Brogan, Anna Bella -- There is a stone in Dysart where a landlord was buried. / Ward, James -- Once upon a time there was a witch living in Ireland. A little boy lived with her. / Ward, James -- In old times the houses were made of sods and clay. / Ward, James -- About one hundred and fifty years ago a wolf had his den in Letternacaugh, (the adjoining townland). / Kerrs, John -- It is not lucky to set potatoes before the 25th of March and it is not right to look in the glass on Whit Sunday or to leave to go to another country on June 30th. / Kerrs, John -- There is a Fairy Fort in Tullynagrena about one and a half-mile from Ardbane. / Kerrs, John -- There was a shop in Anne Thomas's of Golands 40 years ago. / Kerrs, John -- The houses in olden times were all thatched. / Kerrs, John -- Once upon a time a woman began to churn one day. / Kerrs, John -- There was a house built by night in Tullynagrena. / Kerrs, John -- There is a castle in Lough Easke in the county of Donegal. It was to a chief the name of O'Donnell that this castle belonged. / Campbell, Bridget -- Once upon a time a man went away to get off a hump. / Campbell, Bridget -- Once upon a time there was a boy named John and he always used to sit in the corner. / Campbell, Bridget -- Once upon a time there was a castle in Glenfin. / Campbell, Grace -- About seventy one years ago there was a school in Eglish between Denis Ward's and Bernard Wards. / Campbell, Bridget -- Once upon a time, priests used to read Mass in Eglish and that is where it got its name from. / Campbell, Bridget -- Once upon a time there was a poet named Patrick Burke of Clogher (in this district). / Campbell, Bridget -- There was a grievious famine all over this country. / Campbell, Bridget -- In the olden times, the people used to eat only two meals in the day. / Campbell, Grace -- Long ago there was a Saint named Oliver. He was living in the Parish of Inver. / Donnell, Kathleen O' -- Once upon a time the English giant heard about Finn Mac Cumhaill being a great warrior so he came over this day to fight Finn. / Donnell, Kathleen O' -- Long ago there was an old master teaching school in Tullynaha. / Donnell, Kathleen O' -- Once upon a time there was a man named John Meehan. This man was going to a fair in Glenties. / Donnell, Cathleen O' -- Once upon a time there was a boy who went away to look for birds nests. / Donnell, Cathleen O' -- Long ago people used to make dolls out of straw. / Donnell, Cathleen O' -- Once upon a time there was a woman named Friel who was blind. / Donnell, Cathleen O' -- Once upon a time, there was a man that was going round begging. / Donnell, John J. O' -- Once upon a time, there was a man who lived in the townland of Eglish. / Donnell, John James O' -- Once upon a time there was a man named John Boyle. This man was a good maker of candles. / Donnell, John O' -- Once upon a time thre lived in the townland of Letterfad three men. These men were very good swimmers. / Donnell, John J. O' -- In the year 1846, there was a great famine and scarcity of food. / Donnell, John J. O' -- In olden times, the people used to have a lot of old sayings. / Donnell, John J. O' -- Once upon a time Finn MacCumhaill wrote a letter to the high champion of Connaught saying he was going to fight him and for him to be ready. / Donnell, John J. O' -- Once upon a time there was an old altar built up in Clogher. / Groary, Jim Mc -- Once upon a time there was a house built in Tullynaha. It was built and roofed three hours before day. It was the Molly's men that built it. / Groary, Jim Mc -- It is said if anyone has a black lamb that someone will die in that house. / Groary, Jim Mc -- Once upon a time there was a wolf in the parish of Inver. / Groary, Jim Mc -- It is unlucky to meet a hare on the road when one's getting married. / Groary, Jim Mc -- There was a great storm in the year 1839. / Mohan, Joseph -- It is said that if a man misses a ridge when setting potatoes there is some one to die in that house before a year. / Mohan, Joseph -- In the townland of Dysart there is an old graveyard. Long ago, there used to be buried there unbaptised children but it is all filled up now. / Groary, John Mc -- Once upon a time there was a wild deer in the parish of Inver. / Groary, John Mc -- Once upon a time there was a man and a woman getting married. / Groary, John Mc -- Once upon a time there lived in the town land of Drumkeelan (and) a man and his name was Pat Doherty. He was a great candle-maker. / Groary, John Mc -- Once upon a time there was a family of the Wards going round begging bread and potaotes. / Groary, John Mc -- Once upon a time Fionn Mac Cumhaill was out hunting with his men and it came on very late. / Groary, John Mc
description: Supported by funding from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Ireland), University College Dublin, and the National Folklore Foundation (Fondúireacht Bhéaloideas Éireann), 2014-2016.