Photos from Michael O'Donnell
The old photos here are  photos of my father & mother, Bernard & Beatrice O'Donnell  on honeymoon at the farm of my father's uncle Jim O'Donnell in  Cashelduff, 1957. They show Jim & his wife Mary Ann, and his nephew Gerard Healy  (brother of the well known local journalist John Healy). I've recently started doing some family history research and would  like to put out an appeal via your website for any stories, memories,  old photos etc. which anyone  read more

The Case of the Burning Bush
  On the 28th April nineteen hundred and sixty five, at approximately three fifteen in the afternoon, it was stated by Garda Reilly at Cloonfane District Court that whilst travelling through the townland of Cloonfane on the Dublin Road, he, along with colleagues, observed a pall of smoke crossing the road from north to south. With no incinerator in the region this was concluded to be suspicious. On closer inspection by Gardai a whin bush was pinpointed as the probable sour read more

John Healy and ' Nineteen Acres'
The Cloonfane and Carracastle area is known for a variety of reasons. One is just a couple of hundred yards down the road from the old school, the John Healy Forest Park, a reminder and a tribute to the late journalist, of national reknown, who wrote a book called 'Nineteen Acres'. The late John Healy had a great fondness for the area which spawned the book. It was the place where his mother was reared and the place where he and his brothers spent many a happy hour helping their grandfather, J read more

1901 Census
Almost all the 19th century census records were largely destroyed by fire at the Public Records Office in 1922 and by official order later. The fragments that survived are available at the National Archives of Ireland.  The first census of Ireland to survive intact is the one taken on Sunday 31st March 1901. This extract contains selected details of everyone staying in Carracastle and surrounding townlands, the full census details also includes religion, education, where born, i read more

Casey's of Barroe
The Casey family lived in Barroe from at least the mid eighteen hundreds. Mary, Martin and Bridget were children of Jim Casey. Jim had several brothers (John, Michael, Willie, Roger, Pat, Martin) and one sister, Catherine. They all attended Cloonfane School. John Roger and Pat emigrated to England;  Willie also went there and then on to Rhodesia. Martin and Catherine emigrated to the USA; Michael lived in Sligo and Jim in Barroe.Their father's name was Jim and his father before him was Ma read more

Through the Years
Written by Margaret Owens Henry    I have thought many times of a school reunion and what memories it would bring to the surface, when the wheels were set in motion. I always felt I would be involved, so here I am �in the middle of it� so to speak, and time racing on.     My feelings are a mixed bag of emotions. Two years ago approximately Martin Casey, John Kearney and I, accidentally met in the Community Centre an read more

Memories
Written by Kathleen Flannery (nee Owens)    I started school in Cloonfane at the age of five years old. After spending nine happy years there I left in 1925 at the age of fourteen. At that time it was an all - girls school at one end and an all - boys at the other end. There was a six-foot wall between the two. School started at 9.30 am and finished at 3pm. There were eighty pupils on the Roll. We had two Lady Teachers. Mrs Caulf read more

From A Different Angle
Written by Mike Caulfield    As Dad and Mam were teachers, I often wondered if my school days were any different from other lads. I don't think so. Dad headed off to school early. Mom followed with three or four of us hanging on to her. She met the Priest one day and he said "I saw you go round the corner with all the chickens following ".  On another occasion she got to the school gate to find the Inspector there sitting in his car. "Just read more

Saoires School Days
Written by Marie Finn-Kearney    It is almost two score years and ten. Sean Kelly was President of Ireland, John A Costello, leader of Fine Gael, was Taoiseach, Pius X11 was Pope, and Dwight Eisenhower was President of the United States. Eisenhower was engaged in a Cold War with Khrushchev of Russia. America was very concerned about the emergence of communism in places like Russia, Cuba and Vietnam.   The US and its read more

Thoughts on Larry
Written by Paddy Phillips    My memories of Cloonfane School started for me in the summer of 1926.   My first teacher was Bridget McDermott, who came from Rooskey, but was living in the cottages at Carracastle. Then Margaret Caulfield, then John Caulfield who became principal when Peter Marren retired. Other teachers at school were Tom Griffin from Coppelcurragh, and Peg Giblin from Cloonfane who were both temporary teachers. &nbs read more

The Fifties Remembered
Written by Frank Davey    Nowadays, every time I pass Cloonfane School and Carracastle the memories of life for me in the fifties come flooding back. The school building is still there, but alas, it is no longer �open' for business�. Daveys is still there also, still open for business but under new ownership. Many is the Monday morning I set out with dread, compositions undone, or half done, to walk reluctantly the three quarter mile to my cer read more

The Black-and-Tans go to School
Written by John Owens    I am an old man now of four score and eight, but I remember well my first day at school. I was four years old then and I went until lunchtime. As was the custom when living near the school pupils were allowed home for lunch. Safety issues didn�t arise - there was more of a chance then, of being knocked over by a bicycle without brakes than a motor car and that wasn't deemed a safety hazard. Fear of being kidnapped didn't ar read more

Sonny Shoemaker R.I.P.
The life and times of the late John Gallagher. Better known as Sonny Shoemaker R.I.P.  My father went to Cloonfane school and as far as I know was taughtby Mr Marren, or as He referred to Him as Peteing Marren, He leftschool at eleven years of age and He always read more

Fr. Sebastian John Owens, OP
 Fr. Owens has an unusual history in coming to this Province.  He was born in Carracastle, County Mayo, Ireland and received his early education there, studying with the Christian Brothers at the college in Waterford, Ireland. He was received into the Order in Coublevie, France joining the Lacordaire Congregation.  He made his studies in France and Fribourg, Switzerland, being ordained in Fribourg.  He had at this point theological training as well as a degree in Higher Educ read more

Schools of the Parish
Before the present system of national schools was established in 1831 following the Catholic Emancipation Act the only primary schools in existence were either hedge schools, where the teachers were paid by the children attending, or day schools maintained partly by parents and partly by Protestant societies. A Commission of Inquiry set up in 1826 to report on these hedge and day schools lists the following hedge schools in this parish :- 1. In the church in Carracastle a school w read more

Rooskey National School
While it is on record that there was a national school in Rooskey in 1866 with 178 boys and 92 girls on roll and an annual average of 49, not much more information can be obtained about the building. On 16th November 1886 a new school was built costing £540-16-0, a government grant of £360-11-0 and a local contribution of £180-5-6, (one third of the total cost). The school was for 200 children and the principal teacher was Mr Tom Caffrey at a salary of £35 per  read more