A Line Less Travelled - Ballaghaderreen to Kilfree Branch Line

Ballaghaderreen Station with train facing towards Edmondstown

The Ballaghaderreen to Kilfree Junction branch line opened in 1874 and closed on Saturday 2 February 1963. The distance from Ballaghaderreen to Kilfree was 9 miles. The speed restriction was 25mph and half an hour was the time allowed for the journey. The basic passenger service was three or four round trips per day until 1947 when it decreased to two round trips in the morning and early afternoon.

I grew up a few hundred yards from Edmondstown Railway Station and travelled on the train to Ballaghaderreen regularly. One of my enduring memories as a child is running with my mother to catch the train and being late. I can still see the guard, Christy Plunkett, or Joe Dorrington, I think, gesturing to us to hurry up! The guard was kind enough to hold the train for us.   

It was exciting to travel on the train with its sounds and smells of a time now long gone. I loved to open and close the windows which were held in position by a brown leather strap. Strangely, the compartment light fitting was filled with water probably because of a leaky roof.

No trip to the town was complete without calling into Nonny and Tess O’Donnell’s for a cup of coffee and a cake before catching the train home. I also remember going there after I made my confirmation. Life was simple in those days. Sadly, the premises were burned down some time later.

There was no need for a watch to tell the time when we worked on the bog all those years ago. The sound and sight of the steam train signalled lunchtime. I was enthralled by the sight of the old locomotive puffing out clouds of white steam against a blue sky. Sometimes the engine would proudly blow its whistle as if saying “Look at me!” If, by chance, the train was running late, my mother would wave something bright or colourful to attract our attention and let us know that lunch was ready.

Edmondstown Station

The railway line ran alongside our land near Edmondstown Station. When haymaking, it was always a thrill to watch the train as it passed, and I was guaranteed a ‘front seat’ view. On the other side of the track was Kelly’s field which had a spring well where we could get water to quench our thirst. Further up in the woods, and behind The Four Altars, was Taaffe’s well where the water was ice-cold even on the hottest of summer days.

One of the highlights of the year was the ‘excursion’ train to Strandhill. Local people, adults and children, gathered on the platform at Edmondstown to catch the train which took us to Sligo via Kilfree Junction. We were then transferred by bus to Strandhill for a day on the beach.

In the evening, there was time to visit Woolworth’s in Sligo before taking the train home. The store was noted for its collection of cellophane-wrapped chocolate rabbits and Guinness bottles which were always popular with the children.

The railway crossing at Edmondstown Station, with its large wooden gates, was a popular meeting point for local youngsters in the evening. Looking along the railway line towards Ballaghaderren, you could see the tall trees that marked the children’s burial ground at Caltragh. In the other direction was Island Road Station and Lough Gara. The line ran close to the shore giving an excellent view of the lake.

Kilfree Junction

On Saturday 2^nd February 1963, the train made its last return trip from Ballaghaderreen to Kilfree Junction, hauled by 0-6-0 steam locomotive 574, departing at 11:50am. I joined the 160 children and 30 adults who made the journey marking the sad end of an era. On the return from Kilfree Junction a local band played a farewell. The last train was a special cattle train which left Ballaghaderreen at 3:22pm.

Many years later I met an old lady who, together with her son, had a farm on the border between Oxfordshire and Warwickshire. When she heard that I came from Co Roscommon she told me that her late husband travelled to Ballaghaderreen to buy cattle which were then sent to England by cattle train. What a small world, indeed. 

Urlaur Abbey - County Mayo

 

Urlaur Abbey - County Mayo

The Dominican Friary (Abbey) at Urlaur was founded in 1434. A papal bill dated 18th March 1434, issued by Pope Eugene IV granted Fr. William Nangle and Fr. Thomas O’Grogan permission to remain in Urlaur and erect a regular monastery. Edmond Costello and his wife, Fineola Cusa, daughter of O’Connor Dun, were generous benefactors and they financed the building of the Abbey. It became the burial place of the Costellos.

The Church is rectangular with doorways in the western and southern walls, windows and three gothic arches. There is an aperture where lepers could rest and hear Mass. The Abbey also had other buildings such as the kitchens, the refectory, the boathouse for a quick escape and, up the steps, the dormitory where the friars slept.

The Urlaur Pattern is still held each year on the 4th. August to remember the feast of St. Dominic. The chief duty of the Dominicans was to preach. They also helped the sick and lepers and provided shelter for pilgrims and travellers though living on charity themselves.

The Dominicans are named after their founder Saint Dominic who was born in Spain in 1170. He chose a life of penance and poverty and gathered together a band of preachers in southern France in the early part of the 13th century. The preachers were sent to cities where the Universities and other seats of learning were to be found. The Dominican Friars came to Oxford and London in 1221 and to Dublin in 1224 and are known as the Order of Friars Preachers. The Order spread quickly through Ireland forming communities and churches. Twenty-Four Dominican communities were founded in Ireland in the thirteenth century.

In 1385, the MacDermots Roe are said to have established the Dominican Priory of the Holy Cross at Cloonshanville, near modern day Frenchpark in County Roscommon. Theobald Dillon got possession of Cloonshanville after the dissolution of the Monasteries. The Dillon’s settled in Ireland after the Norman Conquest in 1169 and were a landlord family from the 13th century in a part of County Westmeath called 'Dillon's Country'.

Four Altars

It is said that Myles Costello who lived in Creggane-na-gCrann erected the Four Altars, near Ballaghaderreen, sometime between 1720 and 1750. He was a descendant of the Costello’s of Castlemore. The priest who celebrated Mass at Ateen-taggart in Bockagh, near Ballaghaderreen, also read Mass here when circumstances permitted and usually resided with the Costello family in Creggane-na-gCrann. Rev. Thomas Costello, whose family built the Four Altars, died on 21st March 1846 at the age of 77 years and is buried beside the St John’s Church in Tiverton, Devon.

The Costello’s of Tallaghanmore or Edmondstown were another branch of the family. The last member of this family was Captain Costello who built the residence of the Bishop of Achonry. This latter family became Protestants somewhere around the beginning of the 19th Century. It was said that Sir Robert Peel, who was Chief Secretary for Ireland (1812 to 1818) and later became British Prime Minister, the man who established the Royal Irish Constabulary (the Peelers), regularly visited this family of Tallaghanmore for the shooting season.

Most monasteries in the West escaped suppression until the reign of James 1. Following inquisitions in 1608 and 1610, the friary was declared suppressed and its lands given to Sir Edward Fisher. Later it passed into the hands of Sir Theobald Dillon although the friars went on living quietly at Urlaur.

Stairs leading to the Dormitory
Urlaur Abbey

The situation deteriorated further under Cromwell. Fr. Dominic Dillon and Fr. Richard Overton of Urlaur were put to death at Drogheda. Cromwellians killed a Fr. Mac Costello and Fr. Gerard Dillon died in prison. Despite the mayhem and terror of the time, eleven Dominicans met at Urlaur to discuss the affairs of the Order.

In 1698 the friars were forced to flee the Friary again because of the Penal Laws. Facing the threat of transportation and possibly death, five friars remained in the area including Fr. Pierce Costello and Fr. Redmond Costello. The late 18^th century saw the Friary in ruins and a dwindling community. The last friar was Fr. Patrick Sharkey who died in 1843.

‘The Friars of Urlaur’ is dark but highly amusing tale of morality whereby the Friars seek to banish a foul and evil spirit which had invaded their peace. The story appears in ‘Legends of Saints and Sinners’ a book of Irish Christian folklore, collected and transcribed by Douglas Hyde and published in 1915

Some evil spirit found its way to Loch Urlaur. It came at first in the shape of a black boar. One day the friars were walking by the brink of the lake when they saw the big black boar. It let a screech out of it and rose up then on its hind feet screeching and dancing for a couple of hours. Then it leaped into the water and an awful storm followed with lightning and the thunder, and everybody thought that it was the end of the world.

After much tormenting by the creature, the friars enlisted the help of the bishop to rid themselves of the evil spirit. "Seize the villain, seize him," says the bishop. "You didn't seize me yourself," says the villain, "when I was your pet hound, and when you were giving me the meat that you would not give to the poor people who were weak with the hunger; I thank you for it, and I'll have a hot corner for you when you leave this world."

The evil spirt was finally destroyed by a local piper who was said to have done more good on this world than all the priests and friars in the country.

Urlaur Abbey now lies in ruins but the annual pattern held on 4th of August brings locals and visitors to the area. Mass is celebrated in the old Abbey and a sense of peace is evident among the hallowed stones.

For further information please see:

 http://www.ouririshheritage.org/page_id__97_path__0p2p.aspx

 https://pilgrimagemedievalireland.com/2016/03/30/urlaur-abbey-co-mayo/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssrSvcJVRlk

https://vimeo.com/110415262

Children’s Burial Ground: Creggan, Co. Roscommon

Mattie Lennon, writing in Ireland’s Own magazine recently, described a burial ground for unbaptised children off the coast of County Donegal.  It is called Oilean na Marbh (the island of the dead). It reminded me of the children’s burial ground I knew as a child growing up in County Roscommon.

This graveyard, known locally as Caltragh, is located within a ringfort in the townland of Creggan near Ballaghaderreen. It consists of a rectangular grass-covered area approximately 21m x 14m. The ringfort is roughly circular measuring 57m x 53m and is partly surrounded by a drystone wall. Mature deciduous trees are growing inside the perimeter making it visible for some distance.

In the background: Children's Burial Ground
Creggan, County Roscommon

Children’s burial grounds are thought to have been first established in the medieval period.  In the fifth century AD, Augustine of Hippo declared that all unbaptised people were guilty of original sin. This prompted a debate in the Church which was to last for several centuries.  

From the sixth century the burial of unbaptised individuals in consecrated ground was forbidden. In the twelfth century the church declared that all newborn children had to be baptised. Parents had to bury their unbaptised children in alternative unconsecrated burial grounds.  As Mattie Lennon points out, we can scarcely imagine the heartbreak of the women in Ireland who were left to grieve silently as their babies were taken away at night to be buried secretly.  

Although children’s burial grounds are normally associated with stillborn and unbaptised children, others were buried there including people who committed suicide, mentally disabled, the shipwrecked, criminals, famine victims, strangers and even women who had not been ‘churched’ after childbirth.

These burial grounds are frequently associated with earlier monuments such as early/medieval ecclesiastical sites and ringforts. It is not unusual to find ogham stones at these sites. Some experts have noted that children’s burial grounds are often located close to field, lakeshore, seashore or townland boundaries. Archaeologists have suggested that this choice of location may have served to separate these individuals from ‘normal’ society.

The County Roscommon Graveyard Survey carried out in 2005 identified a total of 287 graveyards in the county. Children’s burial grounds accounted for 25% of the total surveyed. Over half the graveyards in the county are recorded on the Record of Monuments and Places. This is important as it means that these sites are protected under the National Monuments Act 1930-2004. They are nearly always listed on ordnance survey maps as Cillin/ Killeen, Lios/Lisheen, Caltragh, Teampaillin, or simply as Children’s Burial Ground.

Individual burials are frequently marked by small stones placed around the margins of the graves with the remains interred in a cist-like structure. Wooden coffins were often used while some individuals were wrapped in shrouds fixed with pins. In some respects, these burials were similar to those in contemporary consecrated burial grounds and simple stone grave-markers are still to be seen in old graveyards.

It is now believed that many of these ancient burial grounds are much older than previously thought. An excavation of a cillin in Tonybaun, County Mayo in 2003, identified a total of 248 burials of which 147 were infants and 23 were children aged between two and six years. None of the burials were earlier than the fifteenth century.

This excavation revealed that many of the bodies had been placed in wooden coffins. Some 55 adult burials were identified providing evidence of the practice of using such burial grounds for adults who were not considered eligible for burial in consecrated ground. The presence of items such as shrouds, pins, buttons and a small crucifix show that care and religious observance was associated with these burials.

In 2005/06 archaeologists excavated a children’s burial ground at Carrowkeel, County Galway. This site comprised an early medieval enclosure ditch with a cemetery in the eastern half. The remains of 158 individuals, mainly children, were identified with the burials taking place over 800 years from the seventh to the fifteenth century.

In 2004, Pope John Paul 11 appointed a Commission to study Limbo and it reported its findings in 2007. The report, signed by Pope Benedict XV1, stated that it reflected a ‘restrictive view of salvation’ and that it was reasonable to hope that the souls of unbaptised infants are admitted to Heaven by a merciful God.

As Mattie Lennon states, such burial places serve as a reminder of our unenlightened past and a monument to centuries of heartbreak.  For this reason, children’s burial grounds deserve to be preserved, suitably marked and maintained.

Ballaghaderreen Bypass - Evidence of Prehistoric Occupation Revealed

An initial archaeological assessment by Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, on behalf of the National Roads Authority, of the route of the new Ballaghaderreen Bypass has provided an opportunity to explore the rich archaeology of this area. Between August and October 2010 archaeologists undertook an examination of the 13.6 km-long route of the bypass and excavated fourteen areas.

The earliest archaeological evidence along the bypass was found in the townland of Toobracken where a series of pits and post-holes were excavated. Some of the pits were interpreted as hearths owing to the presence of scorched clay and charred hazelnuts. Prehistoric pottery was also found at the site dating from the Early Neolithic period (3900 – 3500 BC). Other pits and hearths were identified to the south of this site and these were found to contain a small number of chert and flint items. Another Neolithic site was identified at the eastern end of the bypass. A radiocarbon date of 2460 to 2150 BC was established for this site.

Archaeologists believe that these finds relate to a habitation site located on the edge of a shallow wetland. The stone tools recovered at this site are believed to represents Neolithic/Bronze Age activity.

Archaeologists also excavated seven burnt mounds in the townland of Bockagh located on marginal land between a wetland area and a drier slope to the north. These mounds consisted of kidney-shaped mounds of heat-shattered stone. The stones had been used to heat water in rectangular troughs some of which were wood-lined.

The trough discovered at Bockagh was lined with alder. The same wood together with oak, hazel and holly were used as stakes. It is conceivable that alder was deliberately chosen because of its waterproof qualities. The date range for this site was 1489-1317 BC to 1299-1059 BC. Another timber trough found at Bockagh showed evidence of the use of a number of axeheads to work the wood. This particular site was dated to 1900 – 1740 BC.

Three burnt mounds were also discovered at Bockagh with unlined troughs at two of these. Charcoal from one of the mounds gave a radiocarbon date of 1208-1012 BC. Evidence was also found of flint tool making in this area in later prehistory. A further three toughs and two associated burnt mounds were found in Bockagh. Alder, hazel, willow and oak had been used to line the troughs. The wood was radiocarbon dated 2461 -2209 BC to 1041-911 BC.

A further three burnt mounds were identified close to each other, south of the Lung River one of which was at Banada and the other two at Keelbanada. Two troughs were found beneath the mound at Banada. Planks of oak and ash, two split Alderwoods and stakes of ash and hazel were used to build the main trough at this site which was dated to 2009- 1771 BC.

Archaeologists discovered two shallow pit features containing charcoal at Teevnacreeva. One of the pits contained burnt animal bone and has been radiocarbon dated to AD20-220. What is thought to have been a medieval cooking pit dated AD1048-1218 was found at Toobracken. This pit was 1.4 m in diameter and 0.2 m deep and contained heat-fractured stones and charcoal rich clay. Evidence of a medieval settlement dated to AD1023-1155 was found in the area 600 m to the south east.

The archaeological excavations carried out revealed Bronze Age burnt mounds which would have been located deliberately on the edge of wetlands to ensure access to water. Archaeologists believe that settlement evidence for this period is likely to be located on the better drained surrounding slopes. The better drained land along the route revealed some evidence of Neolithic, Iron Age and early medieval activity and settlement indicating that this area has been occupied since early pre-history.

The Four Altars

I was born in the shadow of the Four Altars, which stands proudly on a hill overlooking the present or ‘new’ road from Ballaghaderreen to Monasteraden. This monument is located in the townland of Creggane, which in the past was called Creggane-na-gcrann because of all the trees in the area.

During the Penal times priests risked their lives saying Mass in people’s houses, on the hills and behind fences. The Four Altars offered protection to the priest from the wind and rain while saying Mass. For example when the wind came from the north, the priest would say Mass at the alter facing south. From the beginning of the 18th Century places were named after the local Mass hill or Mass rock.

The priest who read Mass at Ateen-taggart in Bockagh also read Mass here when circumstances permitted and usually resided with the Costello family in Creggane. It is believed that Mass was said at least once in the 19th century, about 1820 when Father Farrell lived in the district.

The penal laws were not rigorously enforced as regards worship in many parts of the country, especially the west, after 1700. The rigour of the laws depended to a large extent on the landlord. Orlaur Abbey, for example, survived right through the penal laws. There is no evidence that Mass was said at the ‘Four Altars’ in more recent times. We know that about the year 1897, Father O’Connor, a curate in Ballaghaderreen, gathered the neighbours together to recite the rosary one October evening. I remember an elderly neighbour of mine proudly showing me a photograph of the occasion.

It is said that Myles Costello who lived in Creggane (Creggane-na-gCrann) erected the building sometime between 1720 and 1750. He was a descendant of the Costello’s of Castlemore. This family is now extinct. It was built as a monument to the faith and sufferings of the Irish.

Castlemore was the ancient seat of the family who were originally Norman settlers in Meath, called de Angulos or Nangles but later adopted the name Mac Costello or Costello. After getting the O’Gara lands they set up their headquarters at Castlemore about 1300 and prospered until ousted by Sir Theobald Dillon in 1587. In 1595 Castlemore castle was destroyed by Hugh O’Donnell.

The Costello’s of Tallaghanmore or Edmondstown were another family. The last member of this family was Captain Costello who built the residence of the present bishop of Achonry. This latter family became Protestants somewhere about, the beginning of the 19th Century. It was said that Sir Robert Peel, who was British Home Secretary from 1812 to1818, the man who established the Royal Irish constabulary (the Peelers), regularly visited this family of Tallaghanmore for the shooting season.

On 10th November 1967 the Roscommon Herald published a letter from a Rev. P. Kilgarriff who resided in Sidmouth, Devon. The writer provided additional information about Rev. Thomas Costello whose family built the Four Altars. The letter mentions that a biographical account of his life is contained in a ‘History of the Catholic Religion in the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wilts and Gloucester’ by the very Rev George Oliver a noted historian and friend and contemporary of Rev. T. Costello.

This account states that in the spring of 1821 Father Costello took up a post in Plymouth where he ministered for thirteen years. On the 25th April 1834, he was transferred to Cannington and on 29th January 1837, he moved to Calverleigh Court where he remained until the establishment of St. John's near Tiverton on 19th May 1839.

He died on 21st March 1846 at the age of 77 years and is buried beside the St John’s Church in Tiverton.