We started cataloguing and indexing the school manuscripts early in December. The national school pupils wrote the manuscripts in the school year 1937-38. The Folklore Department of U. C. D. undertook this project and children were asked to talk to their grandparents or any old people in their area. The children wrote up their findings and in this way a lot of folklore was collected. The Folklore Commission kept these manuscripts in U.C.D for fifty years. In 1987 manuscripts were sent down to the County Library in Tullamore. We had to get permission to photocopy them for our FÁS training course. There are twelve trainees on the course and we all worked in two’s cataloguing, indexing and typing up each school. The information was then put on computer for future reference.
Many different areas of folklore are covered such as:
Townlands, Local places, Landlords, Farm animals, Weather, Crops, Canals, Gallen brickyards, Old games and Pastimes, the Supernatural, Superstitions, Proverbs, Customs, Cures, Riddles, Prophecies, Traditions, Crafts, Monasteries, Old schools, Graveyards, Local heroes and poetry.
Each of the manuscripts was signed by the boy or girl who collected and wrote it.
Any of those who are alive today would be 76 or 77 years of age.
The following is a list of the schools, teachers and pupils who were involved in this project.
Boher Boys’ National School
Teacher : G. O’ Suilleabhain
Buckley, Kevin / Colgan, Thomas / Concannon, Joseph / Daly, Brendan / Fenlon, Michael Geraghty, Joseph / Horan, Joseph / Salmon, Maurice
Bun National School
Teacher : C Ní Mhaolghuala
Brien, Patrick / Dolan, Michael / Guinan, Bridget / Guinan, Delia / Guinan, Maggie / Moore, Joseph
Cloghan Girls’ National School
Teacher : Margaret Gannon
Bennett, Bridie / Brazil, Josie / Colgan, Maureen / Daly, Rosie / Feighery, Brigid / Feighery, Winnie / Flynn, Lizzie / Kenny, Margaret / Ryan, Kitty
Cloghan Boys’ National School
Teacher : Francis O’Connor
Butler, Thomas / Colgan, Kieran / Dalton, John / Daly, Martin / Donnelly, Patrick / Garahy, Patrick / Horan, John / Judge, Daniel / Kenny, Michael / Loonam, Thomas / McIntyre, Gerard / Robinson, Bernard / Mulhare, Tim / Robinson, John / Ryan, James / Smith, Michael
Clonfanlough National School
Teacher : E. Ni Mhionachain
Corrigan, Rosie / Edwards, Danny / Edwards, Ciss / Edwards, Lizzy / Egan, Tommy / Egan, Willie / Kelly, John / Kelly, Mary Angela / Kelly, Mary / Kelly, Mick / Lowe, Annie / O’Ceallaigh, Seamus / Redican, Paddy / Shea, John
Clonlyon National School
Teacher : Mary Macaulay
Caulfield, Mary / Flannery, Kieran / Gunning, Denis / Maleney, Kathleen / Maleney, Kieran / Molloy, Bridge / Molloy, Kieran / Molloy, Michael / Moore, Mary
Gallen National School
Teacher : Tom Goodwin
Bell, John / Bell, Margaret / Bennet, Nancy / Bennet, Owen / Bennet, Patrick / Coughlan, Rosie / Coyne, Tessy / Devery, Maureen / Devery, Owen / Dolan, Kitty / Dolan, Peter / Doolin, Anthony / Doolin, Elizabeth / Doolin, Teresa / Fogarty, Mary-Ann / Gavin, Mary / Kearns, James
Ferbane Boys’ National School
Teacher : Tadhg MacCarthy
Brazil, James / Brazil, John / Daly, Eamonn / Daly, Edward /Daly, Patrick / Devery, James Devery, John / Flaherty, Andrew / Flaherty, James / Flaherty, Thomas / Gleeson, Hugh / Gleeson, James / Guinan, Donald / Guinan, John / Kenny, Michael / Kenny, Patrick / Kilmartin, James / Madden, Edward / Maher, Patrick / Maher, Thomas / Maher, William / Moore, Patrick / Robinson, George / Rooney, John
Ferbane Girls’ National School
Teacher : Sr. Patrick
Donlon, Josie / Dunican, Kitty / Egan, Angela / Egan, Peggy/Foley, Gretta / Gilligan, Aine Gleeson, Brigid / Gleeson, Rosie / Guinan, Molly / Healy, Sarah / Jennings, Mary B. / Keena, Margaret M. / Kenny, Imelda / Kenny, Mary Josephine / Kenny, Nancy / Kenny, Peggy / Kilmartin, Mary Kate / Meagher, Mary B. / Robinson, Madeline / Sheridan, Eileen / Sloan, Muriel / Smith, Molly
High Street Boys’ National School
Teacher : Matt Rigney
Cassidy, Edward / Daly, John / Egan, Kieran / Fitzgerald, James / Murphy, Martin / Reddin, James
High Street Girls’ National School
Teacher : Annie Phelan
Brazil, Kathleen / Cassidy, Kitty / Doolan, Kathleen / Duffy, Margery / Feighery, Teresa / Fox, Mary Kelly, Mary / Kenny, Mary / Lally, Kitty / Lally, Rosie / Reddin, Martha
Leamore National School
Teacher : Kate Egan
Dooley, Bernard / Egan, Eileen / Egan, Patrick / McLoughlin, John
Shannon Harbour National School
Teacher : Winifred Molloy
Barnett, Sheila / Egan, John / Flynn, Maura / Gallagher, Brigid / Gallagher, Eibhlin / Gallagher, Joseph / Hynes, Patrick / Hynes, Seamus / Mc Cormack, Ann /
Mc McCormack. Joseph / McCormack, Mairead / O’Meara, Lily
Tisaran Church of Ireland National School
Teacher : M.Ni Eireamhoin
Kearns, Domhnall / Fletcher, Alfred / Fletcher, Eric / Watson, Eileen