Dúchas Links to Burriscarra NS

Stories Contributed by Pupils from Carnacon Region.

Dúchas is the online source of the stories, fairy tales and famous people compiled by the Folklore Commission in 1938-1939 by the pupils of Ireland. There are a total of total of 27 stories that mention or relate to Carnacon. Below is just a small selection (including the transcribed text taken verbatim from the copies of the pupils. For the full list please visit the Dúchas website using this link which will bring you to the compiled list of references to Carnacon.

Burriscarra Abbey

Burriscarra, Killawalla and Touaghty were the three divisions of this parish which is now called Carnacon.
Carn = Cairn - a heap of stones.
Na gCon = Of the hounds.
There is a tradition that when St Patrick was passing this district some young boys threw stones at him and then he called the district Carnacon.
Burriscarra abbey was next in importance to the abbey of Ballintubber.
It was founded in 1297AD by Adam Staunton a Norman Lord who had built Castlecarrol which was quite close to this abbey. It was inhabited by the Carmelites until 1412A.D. It was then transferred by order of the Pope John XXIII to the Augustinian Hermits who lived in Ballinrobe.
The abbey was suppressed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1542 A.D. and the abbey and lands were granted to Sir Henry Lynch.

James Joseph McDonnell

James Joseph McDonnell of Carnacon house who was nicknamed "Séamus Ruadh" was colonel of the united Irish men. He marched to Ballina to meet General Humbert. He led his men to Castlebar and fought against the English at Stabawl hill in Castlebar town. He also fought at French hill outside Castlebar. He accompanied Humbert to Colooney hill in Co. Sligo. From there he went to Ballynamuck in Co. Longford. After Ballynamuck he hid in a field. He was discovered by an English officer who attempted to arrest him but McDonnell drew a purse from his pocket containing twenty gold coins and offered then to him. The officer said he would get no reward for arresting McDonnell so he released him and took the coins McDonnell came again to Carnacon. The English were watching him and he had to remain hidden at last he got word that the English were coming to surround the place where he was. He went to Murrisk on Clew Bay about five miles from Westport. Here Ó Máile the well known smuggler had a boat and he sailed with him to France. He lived for some time in Paris. It is supposed that he went to America and died in New York.

My Native Village

The village I live in is called Kelladeer. The word Kelladeer means The wood of the deers. As people say there were wild deers in it long ago. It is in the parish of Carnacon & the barony of Carra. There are sixteen houses in our village. Long ago there were twenty-five. But there owners were poor & not able to pay their rates & the landlords came & turned them out on the road & there houses fell but. the ruins of them are still to be seen.