Annie Corcoran
COLLECTOR; Annie Corcoran, Prizon school, Balla, Co. Mayo. Former pupil of Prizon school. She attended school in 1938.
Riddles
INFORMANT: Mr Coyle; Age; 57, Prizon, Balla, Co. Mayo
6th May 1938
1. Why does a Miller wear a white hat?
2. Why does a cow look over a wall?
3. My father gave me the seed to sow, the seed was black, and the ground was white riddle me that and I will give you a pint.?
4. Two n two o an l and a d put that together and spell it for me?
5. A small little house with so many windows that all the people in the big town couldn't count all the windows.
6. Purple, yellow, red and green, the King cannot leak it or the Queen, nor can the general with his coves so great. Tell me that riddle while I count to eight?
Answers:
1. To keep his head warm.
2. Because she cannot look under it.
3. Ink and paper.
4. London.
5. A thimble
6. A rainbow.
Story of an Old Cow
INFORMANT: Martin Corcoran, Age; 35, Prizon, Balla, Co. Mayo
9th May 1938
In the far-off days long ago, years before the Prison farm in the Parish of Balla was striped into holdings of land it is said there was an old cow that never dried of milk. She grazed on the Prison Farm. Nobody knew where she came from or nobody knew where she went to. Everyone came from near and far to milk her. She filled everyone's can with milk. This continued for a long time. The cow was talked about near and far.
At last a selfish person came to milk the cow and thought within herself when she would have her cans filled she would milk the cow on the ground. This she did and from that forth the cow never gave any milk to anyone and soon went away altogether.
The colour of this cow was black and red. There was a field in which she was very fond of resting. It is called Cow-park ever since. This cow was called Reevough and from that to this there is a field at Prison called Loughreevough.
This field belongs to us and Coyle’s and Murphy’s and Moran’s.
Story of a Holy Well
INFORMANT: Mrs Corcoran, Age; 33, Prizon, Balla, Co. Mayo
12th May 1938
About seventy years ago a holy well is supposed to have been neglected and disrespected in the North. One day the well arose up in the air and flew away towards the south. The people from the North followed it and kept it in view until they came to Ballinagran from there they saw the well falling at Balla. They let a shout or cry out of them when they saw it falling at Balla and from that day to this the place at Ballinagran is called Graig.
There was a saint called Saint Mochua living in the North at this time. He followed the holy well to Balla and built his church there. The altar stands in the old grave-yard at Balla still. The place was dedicated to Saint Mochua. Every year around the 15th August the people go around barefooted doing stations from the holy to the little altar that's in the grave-yard. The Holy well fell at a wall which is Balla from which Balla gets its name.
The remains of the prison wall. Balla, Co. Mayo
A Forge
INFORMANT: Martin Corcoran, Age; 35, Prizon, Balla, Co. Mayo
12th May 1938
There is a forge near Balla in Co. Mayo. In that forge there is a large fireplace in which they build a fire of coal. There is also a bellows to blow up the fire, when they want to redden the iron. There is a large block in the centre of the forge, and an anvil left on top of it on which the blacksmith hammers out iron to the desired shape. They shoe horses and donkeys there. They also make scufflers, cart and car tyres, harrow- pins, gates, and spades and a lot of other articles. This is how they make these things, first they cut a piece of iron the required length off a large bar of iron, then the black-smith puts it in the fire, blows the bellows, gets a very large fire until the iron gets red. Next, he lifts it out with a large forge tongs and hammers it into the desired shape. Then he pierces holes through it and fastens lengths together with iron bolts. The black smith hammers it with a sledge on the anvil.
It is very easy to work iron when it is red. There is something strange about a forge. People say that it isn't right for a woman to go into a forge. One night my father and another man were passing by the forge at a late hour. As they were passing by the forge door the bellows was blowing. There is a large round hole in the door of the forge, and they put their heads in and flashed two lamps. There was nobody to be seen. They then moved away and weren't far gone when there were two or three heavy blows of a sledge struck on the anvil. A blacksmith is supposed to have different power over a horse to any other man. If a horse has a bad temper and doesn't want to get his shoes put on, the blacksmith whispers something into his ear and the horse becomes very quiet.
Lime-Kiln
INFORMANT: Mrs Corcoran, Age; 32, Prizon, Balla, Co. Mayo
16th May 1938
A lime kiln is a round deep hole cut down into the ground for the purpose of making lime. The lime kiln is built with stones round about inside. At the bottom of it there is a little window or gullet built with stones for the purpose of ventilation.
When people intend to burn lime they first put a layer of broken stones at the bottom. Next they put in about a half a cart of turf next a layer of broken lime stone, next a layer of turf.
They keep doing this until the lime kiln is filled level with the top. Then they cover it over with turf mould and scraws next it is put on fire by putting some kindled coals in the little window or gullet. It is left there to burn for two or three days.
Then the little window or gullet at the bottom is opened and the lime is shovelled out. It comes out very clean as nearly all the turf ashes falls down to the broken stones at the bottom.
The lime is very useful to the farmers. It is used to white wash the dwelling houses and out houses.
It is also used as a kind of manure for the land. Sometimes there is a small quantity of lime put into spring wells to purify the water. It is also used with blue stone to spray potatoes. It is also used for many other purposes.
Local Marriage Customs
INFORMANT: Martin Corcoran, Age; 35, Prizon, Balla, Co. Mayo
12th May 1938
In my Grandmothers and Grandfathers time the people were very plain and simple. They walked to church to be married. The men were very plainly dressed and wore strong heavy serge suits of clothes and grey flannel shirts with a handkerchief for a neck tie and strong nailed boots and home knitted socks of home spun wool.
The women were also very plainly dressed. with heavy flannel petticoats and heavy black skirts and strong boots and woollen socks. They wore no coats but carried heavy shawls of black or grey wool. Those grey shawls later got the name of Galway Grey. For a head dress the women wore a handkerchief of spotted cotton also a white silk tie or scarf.
When the wedding party came home there were large fires lit and there was great shouting and joy. When the bride entered the house, there was a nice cake left on top of her head, and there the cake was cut in four quarters by the bridesmaid. The cake was made since the day before by some friend of the bride. The cake is then cut up in thin slices and sent round to all the invited guests. Each person present gets a little slice. The young girls place their pieces of wedding cake under their pillows that night in order to see their future husbands in a dream.
When my mother and father went to be married they went by motor car. They had two motor cars and that is called a drag.
At the present day when people are getting married, they usually send to Dublin for a beautiful wedding cake. Which might cost anything from thirty shillings to five pounds.
The bride is usually dressed in white clothes & shoes & a beautiful lace veil. A week or two before lent sets in every year is a wonderful time for getting married, as marriages are forbidden during lent. Again, after Easter is a good
Time for marrying. The period in between is called the suraft. Friday is a very unlucky day for getting married.
Holy Wells
INFORMANT: Mrs Corcoran, Age; 32, Prizon, Balla, Co. Mayo
There is a well at Lecanvey near Westport in County Mayo and hidden in that well is a fish which bears a griddle mark on its back. There is a very old story about the fish which says that it was once caught by a fisherman and taken home. It was put down to roast on a griddle. When it was partly cooked it jumped up from the griddle and went out the door and made for this well. There it hid itself.
Every year people make stations in the Church nearby. These stations are offered up for some special intentions such as for the cure of some sick person. When they have their stations finished, they go to the holy well and with a stick or umbrella they stab the sides of the well. If their station is successful and if they get what they pray for the fish comes out of its hiding and shows itself to them. If what they desire is not going to be granted the fish will not show itself.
There is a story told about the holy well at Balla in County Mayo in the barony of Carra. Every year about the 15th of August people make stations from the old altar which stands in the old graveyard to the blessed well. They offer three stations for the same intention. Those stations are done barefooted, and it is very hard to perform them as the place is all nettles and sharp stones. When they have their third station finished, they go to the blessed well and place their feet in the water. If what they wish for is going to be granted the water boils up into bubbles. If their wish is not granted the water remains quite calm.
Bird Lore
INFORMANT: Martin Corcoran, Age; 35, Prizon, Balla, Co. Mayo
25th May 1938
These are the birds which stay around Prison, Balla, in the barony of Carra in County Mayo.
These are the birds that do not migrate, the Robin the Wren the Thrush the Blackbird the Crow the Jackdaw the Magpie lark Linnet Chaffinch the Goldfinch Yellowhammer Tomtits Pigeon Snipe Curlew Lapwing the Seagull the Starling the Martin the Sparrow.
These are the birds that migrate the Cuckoo and the Swallow.
A Sparrow has a nest built on the eave of our house for the last five or six years. In the spring of every year she lays her eggs and brings out her young ones. The young birds are called scalthauns. They remain there in the nest for two or three weeks. During this period of time the old birds bring them food which consists of worms and flies and so forth. By this time, they are fully feathered, and the old birds teach them how to fly. They leave the nest then and fly about from place to place. The nest is then empty. When the swallows come in May a swallow lays her eggs in that nest and brings out her young ones there. She treats her young ones the same as the Sparrow. They leave the nest when they are three weeks old, but they come back every night to sleep there until the nest gets too small for them. Then about September they leave this country. They go in big lots. Sometimes in foggy weather a lot of them get lost.
The Famine
INFORMANT: Mrs Corcoran, Age; 32, Prizon, North, Balla, Co. Mayo
25th May 1938
About ninety years ago there came a great famine in Ireland. The crops all failed. The potato crop was blighted, and a lot of people died with hunger. They had no food and it was very hard for them to live. The people died on the side of the roads and everywhere with hunger.
The poor farmers were badly hit as they had no money to buy food and when their crops failed, they had no food to live on. The shopkeepers would not give them any food when they had no money to pay for it. The children died in their mothers' arms.
Lucky Days
COLLECTOR; Annie Corcoran, Prizon school, Balla, Co. Mayo
INFORMANT: Mr Corcoran, Age; 35, Prizon, North, Balla, Co. Mayo
30th May 1938
Friday is a lucky day for changing from an old house to a new house. As a rule every body changing from place to place changes on a Friday. When my father and his people were changing from Loughill to Prison they changed on Friday. We also changed from our old school to the new school on Friday. It is supposed to be a lucky day to begin any kind of special work such as starting a piece of knitting or setting a piece of oats or so forth. But Friday is considered an unlucky day to get married.
Whit Sunday is an unlucky day for going near water as there are a lot of drownings around Whit Sunday.
Our Native Village
INFORMANT: Mrs Corcoran, Age; 32, Prizon, North, Balla, Co. Mayo
30th May 1938
My Native Village is called Prison. It is a very large village consisting of 27 houses and 125 people. Among this crowd of people there are about ten people who are over seventy years of age. Each of these people can speak a little Irish. There are about eight families of Reilly’s residing at Prizon so Reilly is the most common name. There is a large lake in the midst of the village called Loughnaminna. There is also a fair sized bog where the villagers cut turf. It is very hard to get turf as the lake is near the bog and the lake is not drained and the bog is very wet. There are parts of the land hilly and a large amount of it boggy and swampy. In this village there are the ruins of an old jail where people were hanged in years gone by. The plaster on those walls was supposed to be mixed with human blood. All that remains now are the chimneys of the jail. It used to be called the hangman's home. It was supposed to be from this jail the village got its name Prison.
Prison really consists of two villages. Prison North and Prison South.
Games
INFORMANT: Mrs Corcoran, Age; 32, Prizon, North, Balla, Co. Mayo
30th May 1938
The following are the games which we play around here,
Burrows, blind man's buff hide-and-go-seek kneel-on-the-carpet. This is how we play burrows;- first we all gather up together and count up to one hundred and whoever the hundred falls on has to stand in the middle of the place where we are playing burrows, and four others stand in four corners and run from corner to corner and the one marked one hundred has to catch the others and who ever she catches first has then to catch the others.
Roads
INFORMANT: Martin Corcoran, Age; 35, Prizon, Balla, Co. Mayo
1st June 1938
There is a road from Ballina to Claremorris passing through this district. It was made about seventy years ago. It takes about twelve months to make four miles of a road. First there are two banks built up one on each side of the road. Next there is a coat of large stones put for a foundation.
If the ground is soft there are whins or bushes put on it. There are whins put on it generally because they do not rot.
Tinkers
INFORMANT: Martin Corcoran, Age; 35, Prizon, North Balla, Co. Mayo
1st June 1938
Tinkers are a travelling race of people who roam about from place to place and never settle in one place for a long period of time.
It is said that there is a curse on them since the time Our Lord was crucified. When the blacksmiths refused to make the nails the tinkers made them to nail Our Lord to the cross. Some of them have little vans drawn by horses or donkeys.
Some of them make tin cans and saucepans and go around from house to house selling them and ask a charity in every house they go to. They gather more food stuff this way than they sometimes can use. These are the tinkers which stay around Prison, Ball, Barony of Carra Co. Mayo, Maughans, Wards, Myers, Reilly’s.
Weeds
INFORMANT: Martin Corcoran, Age; 35, Prizon, North Balla, Co. Mayo
3rd June 1938
There are a lot of weeds growing in the land around here, of which are thistle, clueawn, docket, chickenweed, hemlock, scutch, farrabawn. Nettles are very good feeding for young ducks. They are good for children who have the measles. Boil the roots in milk and give them the juice. Donkeys are very fond of thistles. Farrabawn Clueawn and scutch are the worst type of weed, for scattering on the land and the hardest to banish.
Hemlock is poisonous.
In rainy weather farmers have a hard time killing the weeds, as they grow very fast and if they were left growing they would ruin the crop as they spread and grow very quickly. Cattle and donkeys are very fond of some of these weeds but there are some of them they don't like at tall because of their bitter taste.
St Stephen's Day
INFORMANT: Martin Corcoran, Age; 35, Prizon, North Balla, Co. Mayo
8th June 1938
On the twenty sixth of December the young boys dress up in old coats turned inside out and in false faces so that no one will know them. They get up very early in the morning and go around from house to house collecting money. They knock at every door and say "Honour the Wren" Sometimes they say this rhyme. "The Wren, the Wren, the king of all birds. St. Stephen's day he was caught in the wood, for it's up with the kettle and down with the pan a penny or two to bury the Wren. Although he is little his family is great, get up landlady and give him a treat."
They get from a penny to six pence in every house. But before they get the money they play some music on a tin whistle and some of them dance step-dances. They have also a nice box made into a little cage and the Wren within in it. The person who carries the Wren is the first to knock at the door. When the knock is answered the first thing they do is to draw your attention to the Wren. and then they say the rhyme We have a churn in the house. It is one foot and two inches in breadth and one foot eight inches in height. We have it six years now. It is a machine churn. There is an axle in it which can be removed. There is a handle at the out side and a screw to tighten it.
Our Churn
INFORMANT: Mrs Corcoran, Age; 32, Prizon, North, Balla, Co. Mayo
10th June 1938
We churn about seven gallons of milk twice a week.
We take about two pounds of butter out of each churning. It is very easy to churn with the churn we have, as you have only to turn the handle round and round.
Every twist you give the handle the axle goes around inside and makes the butter.
We have the churn painted red on the outside and the inside is always scrubbed white and clean.
We wash it a couple times a week and leave it out airing on the wall. Then after a couple of hours it is very fresh and clean to put milk into. we would not swap our churn for the old-fashioned ones for there is a lot more labour with them. They are called dash churns.
When anyone enters a house when people are churning, they always churn for them. If a person came into a house while a churning was going on and did not help to churn and if he went out with his coat on his shoulder and lit a fire outside and left his coat on the ground he would find the butter in his coat and there would be no butter in the churn.
Farm Cows
INFORMANT: Martin Corcoran, Age; 35, Prizon, North Balla, Co. Mayo
14th June 1938
We have four cows and we call them Betty Jessie Polly and Hornie. When we are driving them, we say "hursh" and "how" and when we want them to stand we day Prigeen.
Before people have a cow to calf, they tie a red tape around the cow's tail which means no one can make a bad eye at the cow.
We tie the cows with a chain around the neck. The chain is fastened to a peg of timber in the wall. We have them tied in during the night and out in the day.
Local Sayings
INFORMANT: Mrs Corcoran, Age; 32, Prizon, North, Balla, Co. Mayo
16th June 1938
Never put off till tomorrow what you can do to-day.
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
When all fruit fails welcome haw.
An té nach cuirfidh ní bhainfidh sé.
All that glitters is not gold.
Make the hay while the sun shines.
Hills are green far away but not grassy.
A penny saved is a penny earned.
Its a wise man who carries his coat a fine day.
A closed mouth catches no flies.
November Eve
INFORMANT: Mrs Corcoran, Age; 32, Prizon, North, Balla, Co. Mayo
20th June 1938
November Eve is so called because it is the evening before November. It is a great night for playing games and tricks. Every November Eve all the children of the village gather up to one house and play lots of different games. Every boy goes out kicking cabbage so the next day the roads are white with it.
Long ago the girls used to go outside the door and listen until they would hear a man's name mentioned and that would be the name of their future husband.
We get three saucers and put water into one and clay in another and a ring in one. One person puts a dallóg on his face and puts his hand into one of the saucers. If he puts it into the saucer with the ring he will be married first, if he puts it into the clay he will die first. If he puts it into the water, he will be crossing the water before the year is out.
Care of a Horse
INFORMANT: Mrs Corcoran, Age; 32, Prizon, North, Balla, Co. Mayo
23rd June 1938
Tailors
INFORMANT: Martin Corcoran, Age; 35, Prizon, North Balla, Co. Mayo
24th June 1938
Everyone takes great care of horses because they are very useful. We have a barn for our horse in which he stays during the winter. In the summer he is out in the field night and day. In the winter we give the horse hay and oats in the morning. In the middle of the day we give him Clarendo; and hay in the evening and oats or clarendo.
After a hard day's work his legs get a good brushing with a soft bit of hay so that they won’t be stiff the following day. Every morning during the winter his coat gets a good combing with a comb called a curra-comb. This frees him from the dust of the hay in the barn.
In the summer he does not need this combing as he keeps himself clean out in the grass. When he feels he is not clean he rolls on the grass and tumbles over and over until he feels himself quite clean
Local Fairs
INFORMANT: Mrs Corcoran, Age; 32, Prizon, North, Balla, Co. Mayo
24th June 1938
Balla is a place where some fairs are held each month. The seventh of November is the biggest fair in this town. There is a fair green at the end of the town, but it isn't big enough, so the cattle are allowed all through the streets. At those fairs there are cattle, horses, sheep and donkeys sold.
There is an old story told about the Balla fair. It is said that this fair was held at Brise one time. Brise is a place between Balla and Claremorris about halfway between both. It is said that at the fair of Brise one time ago there was a man selling a goat and another man buying him.
The bargain was made, and the buyer told the seller to put out his hand to clench the bargain and with the slap their hands made the goat took fright.
The seller was holding a rope which was tied around the goat's neck.
The goat ran off towards Balla. The man held on to the rope and the other man held on to the rope and all the rest of the men followed. The goat never stopped until he landed at Balla, and the fair was held at Balla that day and ever since.
There are not many tailors around here. There is a tailor in the town of Balla named Phil Heneghan. He has a few workers always working in the house sewing as he gets a lot of work to do. It takes about two days to make a man's suit.
Local Food Long Ago
INFORMANT: Martin Corcoran, Age; 35, Prizon, North Balla, Co. Mayo
1st July 1938
Long ago, the people had not as much food as they have now. They had no tea or flour and they had Indian meal or potatoes for the breakfast. They used to have oatmeal cakes also. The oatmeal cakes were made by wetting the oatmeal. Then they made it into a round flat shape. This was baked on a griddle beside the fire not in an oven.
When people had some people working for them, they would get plenty of potatoes and butter for the dinner and an oatmeal cake for the tea and butter and milk also.
Later on, the people began to use the white flour and tea and now they cannot live without it.
Long ago the people were a lot than they are now-a days. People wore no shoes until they were twelve or thirteen years of age.
Blessed Virgin
INFORMANT: Mrs Corcoran, Age; 32, Prizon, North, Balla, Co. Mayo
20th July 1938
One day the Blessed Virgin, and her Divine Son, and Saint Joeseph were journeying along a road until they came to a well where they rested.
The sun was setting and the Blessed Virgin was sitting under the shade of a palm tree which overshadowed the well, with her baby in her arms. Saint Joseph was leaning heavily on his staff. Along the road came a beautiful carriage One day the Blessed Virgin, and her Divine Son, and Saint Joeseph were journeying along a road until they came to a well where they rested.
The sun was setting and the Blessed Virgin was sitting under the shade of a palm tree which overshadowed the well, with her baby in her arms. Saint Joseph was leaning heavily on his staff. Along the road came a beautiful carriage "Peace be to all here".
The woman in the carriage admired her Divine Son and praised Him. Then she pointed to her own little Son in the corner. It was a hopeless pitiful cripple. It was almost inhuman. The Holy mother bent tenderly over the pitiful little object. She caught the first wee little finger of her own Sons Baby hand and drew on the forehead chest and limbs the sign of the cross. The woman told the Holy mother that she was taking her son to the temple and as she spoke she was choked with sobs. Do not fret anymore, May my little Sons peace be always be with you. Then she went away. Next day the woman took her child to the temple and when she returned he was completely cured.
Houses
INFORMANT: Martin Corcoran, Age; 35, Prizon, North Balla, Co. Mayo
21st July 1938
Long ago there were not many slated houses. In the thatched houses there were two rooms and a kitchen. There was a place for a bed in the corner of the house and it was called a "hag" or "cailleach" and there were curtains hung outside the bed. It is a very warm place to sleep in. In the houses where there were small families they made the hag into a press where they kept bag stuff such as flour and meal and bran etc.
Blessed Virgin
INFORMANT: Martin Corcoran, Age; 35, Prizon, North Balla, Co. Mayo
21st July 1938
One day there were two women with Our Lady and a thirsty dog ran between them and they drove him away. But Our Lady was grieved and she took off her shoes from her feet and gave the dog a drink.
