Carraroe House
Built by Sir Thomas Burke in 1856, standing on an elevated site, Carraroe house commands a splendid view of the village of Ballinakill.
It became the home of Anna Rafferty , pianist of The Ballinakill Band during the early 20's. Here the band practised ad here also the tune entitled "The Carraroe jig" was composed. |
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Aille Castle
It is set in a sylvan setting, it is always worth a visit.Built by the Gobán Saor who foretold that it would last 'till the end of time. A well, locally called "the castle well" supplied the locals with fresh water for centuries.
One of the outstanding features of the castle is the stone stairway which gives access to explore the upper regions. |
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Paddy and Michael Rafferty
Paddy and Michael both Raffertys but unrelated, rehearsed and travelled the length and breadth of Ireland - competed against each other and then travelled home to Ballinakill together. So long as one of them took the trophy, they were both happy.
Paddy and Michael involved themselves in the living tradition of Ballinakill. They attended concerts, feiseanna and mummer festivals.They have recorded for Matt Molloy and featured in the programme "Bring down the lamp". |
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Éire Óg
In this instalment , we dedicate this video to the memory and achievements of the Éire Óg athletes. During the years 1940-1960 they reigned supreme in both sport and entertainment. Memories of the first sports under NACA rules in Moyglass followed by outings in Shanaglish are still remembered.
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The Night of the Big Wind
A night which changed to a great extent the construction of houses! Thatched roofing was replaced with slating . We note the mortality rate due to the storm ... seventeen bodies floated ashore in Clifden, Galway City had seven casualties , twenty three people that left Galway harbour were unaccounted for and one man lost his life in Ballinakill.
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The Cuirtí Houses 
In bygone days , The Cuirtí Houses may be regarded as the universities of Ireland. There, we learned times to sow and times to reap, times to sell and times to buy.
School going children were assisted in their homework. Cuirtí Houses played a large part in cultural events, singing and dancing. And above all, the old stories were told and re-told. We owe a lot to the Cuirtí Houses for our folk tales and folk songs of past centuries. |
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The Hedgeschools
The origin of the Hedge school goes back to the beginning of the 18th century . School was held on the sunny side of the fence or in an outhouse supplied by a trustworthy farmer. One student was placed on guard to warn of the approach of strangers.
In the parish of Derrybrien Ballinakill there were five hedge schools . In Derrybrien , there were two, one taught by Ned Kelly , the other taught by Martin Tully. Ballinakill had three schools taught by Mr. Smiley, John Egan and Laurence Murphy. |
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The Woodford Mummers festival
The poet Sigerson Clifford penned the following in his poem "Bárr na Sráide" - "We jumped for joy, beneath the sky, Life held no print nor plan. As we boys of Bárr na Sráide, went hunting for the wren"
In Ballinakill / Woodford, we do not "hunt the wren" Instead , we call them "Mummers". |
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Sarsfield's retreat to Woodford 
The story of the Battle of Aughrim disaster has been told and retold. One questions the San Ruth leadership led to the downfall of the Irish Army. Five thousand were killed, with one thousand seven hundred of the Williamites . Had Patrick Sarsfield been posted too far from the battle centre in a distant area now called Gleann na Fola?.
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The Woodford Iron Mills
Woodford, a town of peace and tranquility , is the ideal holiday destination.Yet, in the 15th and 16th Century, it was a town of industrial employment. The hamlet was transformed into an international Iron production area.Workers arrived from Wales and the local area. The iron mills were initiated by Sir Henry Waddington and later by Thomas Croasdaile.
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