St. Patricks day

On St. Patrick's day all the girls wear blue ribbons and the boys gather sham-rock for their jackets.

Festivals, National Folklore Collect, Country Life, Dùchas.ieDúchas14 March 2021Annie M. Reilly, Prison North, Mary Kate Kelly, Patsy Ansbro, Festivals, St. Patricks DayComment

Local Roads

Tavanagh Road which is east of this school is 1,000 years old. It leads from Bohola to Balla.

Mary A. O' Doherty, National Folklore Collect, Patsy Ansbro, Local Roads, School Collection, History & FolkoreMary A. O' Doherty11 April 2018local, roads, Patsy Ansbro, Ansbro, Tavanagh, Prizon, Cregg, BallaComment

Games

The games played in Patsy's childhood were top spinning, taws (marbles) ball playing.

INFORMANT: Patsy Ansbro, Age 84, Address, Prison, Balla Co. Mayo

National Folklore Collect, Mary A. O' Doherty, Patsy Ansbro, Games, Dùchas.ie, School CollectionMary A. O' Doherty11 April 2018Games, Patsy Ansbro, AnsbroComment

Fairy Forts

Myth, National Folklore Collect, Dùchas.ie, History & Folkore, Customs & CuresMary A. O' Doherty31 March 2018Mayo, Patsy Ansbro, FairiesComment

Hidden Treasure

A family named Herons who lived in Balla were digging a foundation for a cottage where stands the McEllin Hotel at present. They came on a pot of gold supposed to contain 2,000 guineas...

COLLECTOR: Mary A. O' Doherty, female INFORMANT: Patsy Ansbro; Gender; male, Age; 84, Tawnaghmore, Co. Mayo

Mary A. O' Doherty, , Patsy Ansbro, National Folklore Collect, Dùchas.ie, Hidden Treasure, History & Folkore, History & FolkloreMary A. O' Doherty31 March 2018Hidden Treasure, Tawnagh, Tawnaghmore, Treasure Discovered, Barony of Carra, gold, Patsy Ansbro, Ansbro, BallaComment

Riddles

Some riddle by Mary Kate Kelly. See how many you can answer?

Fairy Forts

Myth, National Folklore Collect, Dùchas.ie, History & Folkore, Customs & CuresMary A. O' Doherty30 March 2018Mayo, Patsy Ansbro, FairiesComment

Travelling Folk

They then go to the houses in the district selling their wares. The woman do the selling generally, the men do little jobs of work- making cans, saucepans, soldering damaged pots etc.

National Folklore Collect, Dùchas.ieMary A. O' Doherty30 March 2018Travelling folk, Thinkers, Patsy AnsbroComment

Lore of Certain Days

1st crop of wheat is set in February.
Turnips are set in May. Turf is cut in this month too.

Festivals, National Folklore Collect, Dùchas.ie, History & FolkoreMary A. O' Doherty30 March 2018Days lore, Patsy AnsbroComment

In the Penal Times

Mary A. O' Doherty, National Folklore Collect, Dùchas.ieMary A. O' Doherty24 March 2018Patsy Ansbro, AnsbroComment

Local Place Names

National Folklore Collect, Old ruins, History & FolkoreMary A. O' Doherty24 March 2018Patsy Ansbro, AnsbroComment

Old Ruins

The ruins of a prison stand in this place and from that prison this district got its name....The hangman's name was Neilén Brady. He had a farm of sixty acres of the best land in Prison and this land is to this day called "Trían Neilén."

Old ruins, Dùchas.ie, History & FolkoreMary A. O' Doherty24 March 2018ruins, history, Area, Prison, Old Prison, Jail, Patsy Ansbro, AnsbroComment

Local Marriage Customs

"Straw-boys" or "clubberas" visit the houses on the night of the marriage feast. They dance and make fun. They dress in straw hats with sugans round their knees, false faces etc.
They expect to get drink and make mischief if they don't.

National Folklore Collect, Dùchas.ie, History & Folkore, Customs & CuresMary A. O' Doherty19 March 2018Marriage, Strawboys, dowry, clubberas, drag, Patsy Ansbro, Ansbro, TraditionsComment

Old Crafts

The people then brought it to a little kiln on their farms and dried it there. It was then beatled with a beatle (a beatle resembled a cricket bat I am informed). It was then scutched with a scutcher ( a scutcher is also made of timber but is much lighter than the beatle, it is almost as thin as a knife).

Local Heroes

There was a Jack Mahon in Ballymahon, Balla parish , who was supposed to have a "charm" for mowing. He would whet his scythe in the morning and mow till night and he could do as much work in one day as two men would do in two days.

Mary A. O' Doherty, Patsy Ansbro, Local Heroes, Dùchas.ie, History & Folklore, Story, StoriesMary A. O' Doherty19 March 2018George Robert Fitzgerald, Counsellor McDonnell, Denis Browne, Great Mower, Dancer, Pat Corrigan, Patsy Ansbro, AnsbroComment

Leprechauns

This happened at Ballinamore, Parish of Kiltimagh, Mayo. The woman was a Mrs. Quinn. The neighbours always said that the family might thank the lepruchaun for their "good means".

Mary A. O' Doherty, National Folklore Collect, Patsy Ansbro, Myth, Dùchas.ie, History & FolkoreMary A. O' Doherty16 March 2018Leprechauns, Fables, Little people, Patsy Ansbro, AnsbroComment

Local Fairs

The fair is now held on the street of the town, but some years ago before the land was divided and when the large farms were grazed entirely the fairs were so large that they had to be held in the fair-green.

Mary A. O' Doherty, National Folklore Collect, Patsy Ansbro, Dùchas.ie, History & FolkoreMary A. O' Doherty16 March 2018Fairs, Farming animals, Patsy Ansbro, Ansbro, ShopsComment

The Holy Well in Balla

The pilgrims used to bring water from the well in bottles and leave little gifts behind as offerings to God. The women would leave a little of their shawls or cloaks.