DOI: 10.7925/drs1.duchas_5008874
title: Collon

description: A collection of folklore and local history stories from Collon (school) (Collon, Co. Louth), collected as part of the Schools' Folklore Scheme, 1937-1938 under the supervision of teacher Bean Uí Mhathúna.
description: Churning / Maguire, Brigid -- Many are the moates, or raths, which may be seen around this district, and the following are some of them. / Hanratty, Kitty -- A round heap of earth in this district, usually found with a thorn bush growing on top is called a "moat", this when found on any farm is considered lucky, and would on no account be disturbed by the owner as it is said bad luck would follow. / Watters, Eithne -- There is a moate in a field owned by Tom Clarke Monknewtown, Slane, Co Meath. / Devine, Maureen -- Crocinalish on the river Mattock is a raised mound where music was heard and on the first of May at nine o' clock in the evening is supposed a small girl dressed in black and a white bandage round her neck and her mouth open from ear to ear is seen. / Reilly, Peggy O' -- Long ago the fairies used to travel from the North hills at the White mountains on to Mooretown mote, on to a cave in Rathbran where they would join with others, and begin dancing and singing and playing all sorts of music with pipes. / Birch, Mary -- On the summit of the Dunmore hill, a fort stands, and to south-east side of this is a raised mound of earth, seven or eight yards in length, which is called a Giant's grave, and on the summit of the hill to the south of the Dunmore, called Manning hill another fort stands. / Maguire, Brigid -- In Glassallan, Co. Meath a moate called Cook's moate where sweet music was heard, and elves were seen. / Reilly, Patsy O' -- Here are two examples of how a boy and girl was married long ago. / Hanratty, Kitty -- A time at which marriages most frequently take place is during Shrove. / Watters, Eithne -- The Local marriage custom was that when the married couple would be in the chapel there would be a bunch of old boots or cans tied on to the axle of the side-car that they were going for a drive on, and when they would be coming home in the evening, about a mile from the house, some one would run to meet the bride with a bottle of whiskey and when they would meet her, they would break the head of the bottle on the wheel and give the first sup to the bride. / Birch, Mary -- Long ago breadcrumbs, and rice was thrown at the married couple when they left the church. / Reilly, Patsy O' -- It was a custom when the bride and bridegroom came to the gate of their home to hand him a five naggin bottle of whiskey from which he drank a drop, then handing it to the bride, after that the bridegroom, taking the bottle threw it against the peer of the gate, saying "may we be happy" if the bottle does not break it is supposed ill luck shall follow them. / Reilly, Peggy O' -- Many are the ancient marriage customs of this district, a person had to jump over a bush three times and at a wake the man seeking a wife, went upstairs, while a number of girls gathered in the road under the one in which he was, then he dropped a ring, and into whichever girl it fell, she was then his wife. / Maguire, Brigid -- Match-making was very common in this district of Kellystown, Slane. / Devine, Maureen -- One of the most noted of hedge schools of this district, was at Mosseyconn in Strinagh, on the brow of the hill overlooking Reilly's cottage. / Hanratty, Kitty -- A hedge schoolmaster taught at Mosycon at Strinagh. / Reilly, Peggy O' -- The following are the hedge-schools which were formerly in this district at Balrenny, Slane, Co. Meath, there was a school, a small thatched hut and partitioned of this was a forge. / Devine, Maureen -- Old schools were numerous in this area long ago, each child had to pay a penny per week as a fee. / Maguire, Brigid -- There were various hedge-schools in our district in olden-times, in Belpatrick, Collon, Co Louth. / Watters, Eithne -- A hedge-school master taught at Strinagh. / Reilly, Patsy O' -- Long ago the people cures their ailments with herbs or charms. / Reilly, Patsy O' -- Many people suffer from what is commonly termed "the spoil of a boot", this is cured by an ivy leaf, which was heated at the fire, softened, and then put to the spot. / Watters, Eithne -- A wart is supposed to be cured if a person finds a black snail without looking for it, and rubs it to the wart, and then sticks it on to the black thorn bush. / Maguire, Brigid -- The following are th cures which were used in the district for the various ailments. / Devin, Maureen -- It is said, that if a person has a stye on his eye, and a boy or girl whose father and mother are both living get ten dalks of a gooseberry buch , and makes the sign of the cross before the eye of the person, with nine of the dalks, one at a time, and throws the tenth one away, this is the cure. / Hanratty, Kitty -- For a cold they boiled garlic or flaxeed and it was taken hot. / Reilly, Peggy O' -- A person who had never seen his father is said to be able to cure the foul-mouth, also two people of the same name who are married. / Halpin, Kitty -- The blackbird is black with a yellow beak, lays eggs of a skyblue colour, about four or five, and these eggs are sprinkled with little brown dots and, it builds its nest in a hawthorn bush. / Reilly, Peggy O' -- The birds seen around this district are, the robin, the wren, the blackbird, the thrush, the stair, the pigeon, the crow, the magpie, the snipe, the woodcock, the pheasant, the patridge, the oul, the curlew, the plover, the joy, the hawk, and the linnet, and during the Summer months there number is added to by the coming of the cuckoo, the swallow, and corncrake. / Hanratty, Kitty -- The crow, robin, blackbird, thrush, linnet, yellowhammer, wren chaff-finch, phesant, lark patridge, water-hen, plover, martin, pigeon, wood-cock, magpie, crane snipe, wagtail, wild-goose, curlew, hedge-sparrow, are the common wild-birds seen in this district during the Winter, and in the Summer, the swallow, cuckoo, and corncrake, are added to the number. / Maguire, Brigid -- The robin is one of the commonest birds of our district, when this bird comes to the door step, during Winter, the old people believe that cold weather is approaching. / Watters, Eithne -- Wild geese, and wild ducks pass through this district going southwards in Winter time but they do not rest on their way. / Halpin, Kitty -- The following are the wild birds which are known in the district, the robin, wen, stone-chatter, chaffinch, jay-thrush, wag-tail, house and hedge-sparrow, magpie, crow, sgal-crow, black-bird, sea-gull, crane, pheasant, wood-cock, and curlews or cold birds as they are mostly called. and wild geese. / Devine, Maureen -- When a person hears the bells and trains in the South its a sign of bad weather. / Reilly, Peggy O' -- When smoke goes straight up from the chimney it is a sign of good weather, but when it turns downwards, it is a sign of rain. / Devin, Maureen -- A rainbow at morn is a sailor's warn. / Halpin, Kitty -- When the curlew calls or when the swallow flies low, or when the smoke of the chimney is blown downwards it is a sign of rain. / Maguire, Brigid -- When the cat sits with its back to the fire, its the sign of a storm, when the springs rise, when the wind is south west, when Mt. Oriel is capped, when the hens pick themselves, and stand round under the hedges, when the sky is mackerel, when there's a misty circle round the moon, when the walls and stones get damp, when the train can be heard coming into Dunleen, or when Tenure bell can be heard ringing, when the dog eats grass, when the soot falls down the chimney, when the horse stands with its back to the ditch, when the smoke blows down the hollows, when the smoke puffs back down the chimney, when the will o the wisp comes and blows the hay and corn through the barns, all these foretell the coming of rain. / Hanratty, Kitty -- The relatives of Mc Cluaire who discovered the North West Passage were natives of Collon, Drogheda, Co. Louth. / Watters, Eithne -- In the townland of Ashville about two miles north west of Collon St Enda was born. / Halpin, Kitty -- Doctor Patrick Lyons Bishop of Kilmore first saw the light of day in Belpatrick two miles from Collon, but in Collon parish. / Reilly, Peggy O' -- John Boyle O' Reilly is the only man in the locality who has won for himself a great name. / Devin, Maureen -- Eddy Madden from Grange Gate carried three hundred weight of an iron stone, across two fields, and went up a ladder with it on his back, and put it in as a corner coin, in Reid's house on the Kells Rd and the same man got the loan of a donkey and cart of a man named Elliot in Grange, and went to Drogheda wit it, and when he was coming home, he donkey got lazy and Madden drew a lick of a thick stick on the donkeys head, and knocked him kicking in the cart, and when he found out, that he had killed the poor beast he loosed it out of the cart, and threw it into it. / Hanratty, Kitty -- A certain man was working in Dublin, and he was stopping in a boarding house. / Hanratty, Kitty -- In the parish of Grange, Slane, Co Meath, there were two brothers by name Pat and John. / Devin, Maureen -- There was once and is still a carpenter in Collon, who was anxious to be also a farmer. / Reilly, Peggy O' -- A deaf carpenter who lived on the Drogheda Rd. was in the habit of working on the roadside. / Halpin, Kitty -- A countryman once went to work to Belfast, when he was seated in the hotel eating his dinner, the waitress asked him would he like a napkin, and he answered "well I never ate one but I'll try it." / Maguire, Brigid -- He said that while patching his trousers one evening by the fire a fox came in through the open door and snatched a hen which was picking on the floor. / Watters, Eithne -- Local Industries / Watters, Eithne -- Local Industries / Hanratty, Kitty -- Local Industires / Devin, Maureen -- Local Industries / Reilly, Peggy O' -- Local Industries / Halpin, Kitty -- Festival Customs / Reilly, Peggy O' -- Festival Customs / Hanratty, Kitty -- Festival Customs / Maguire, Brigid -- Festival Customs / Watters, Eithne -- Festival Customs / Halpin, Kitty -- Festival Customs / Devin, Maureen -- Local Travellers / Devin, Maureen -- Local Travellers / Halpin, Kitty -- Local Travellers / Watters, Eithne -- Local Tailors / Maguire, Brigid -- Local Tailors / Reilly, Peggy O' -- Local Tailors / Watters, Eithne -- Local Churches and Towers / Halpin, Kitty -- Local Churches and Towers / Reilly, Peggy O' -- Proverbs / Hanratty, Kitty -- Proverbs / Reilly, Peggy O' -- Graveyards / Watters, Eithne -- Graveyards / Hanratty, Kitty -- Graveyards / Halpin, Kitty -- Old Roads / Halpin, Kitty -- Old Roads / Watters, Eithne -- Old Roads / Maguire, Brigid -- My Home District / Hanratty, Kitty -- My Home District / Devin, Maureen -- My Home District / Halpin, Kitty -- Buying / Hanratty, Kitty -- Buying / Maguire, Brigid -- Local Prayers / Watters, Eithne -- Local Prayers / Halpin, Kitty -- Local Prayers / Maguire, Brigid -- Local Songs / Watters, Eithne -- Local Customs / Watters, Eithne -- Local Customs / Hanratty, Kitty -- Local Customs / Watters, Eithne
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.