Aillebrack National School is situated in the townland of Aillebrack in the Ballyconneely area.
It is full of history.
A map of the Slyne Head peninsula.
Our sixth class recently interviewed some local people to find out about their townland.
Here is Shane Dowd’s interview with Nora Nee:
- What was Foregloss like in your youth?
Much the same, but we were poorer and there were smaller houses and bigger families.
- What jobs had people then?
They were mostly farmers. There were also roadworkers and some people fished.
- What has changed in Foregloss?
Not much, but people are a lot less neighbourly as you don’t see them as much because everyone is so busy.
4. How long have you been in Foregloss?
I was born here but I also lived in: Tuam, Mayo, England, and America. I have lived here for over 50 years.
5. Where did you go to school and what did you do after school?
I went to school in Calla National School. Afterwards, we would do the housework and tend the animals.
- What subjects had you in school?
We had: English, Irish, maths, history, sewing, knitting, catechism, bible, and singing.
- How many houses were there?
There were 13 houses, all lived in.
- Tell me something interesting that happened in Foregloss.
There was a huge flood that knocked a house and flooded a shed.
Shane also discovered some other information about Foregloss:
The townland is 913m2 or 91 hectares.
It is the 31,641st largest townland in Ireland so it is quite small.
It is in the Ballindoon and Islands civil parish.
In 1901, there were 115 inhabitants. Many spoke Irish, while illiteracy was common.
The surnames here in 1901 were Melia, Conneely, Joyce, MacDonagh, Reilly, Halloran, O’Donnell, Davis, Lee, Kelly, Conroy, Devane and McHugh.
Alannah Joyce also conducted an interview with her grandfather Joe Joyce (80) about Bunowen.
Do you like living in Bunowen?
Yes, I do.
What was Bunowen like in your youth?
The main difference is the huge increase in the number of houses, which have probably quadrupled in the last thirty years.
Most are holiday houses for visitors. Ironically, despite the increase in housing, the number of local people living in the area has gone down and the numbers of children attending school is probably down around 80%.
What jobs did people have?
There were very few formal jobs but people worked hard. They cut seaweed at the shore for manure for their potatoes in the spring. They cut hay and turf. They engaged in some lobster fishing if they lived close to the shore.
There was plenty of work to be done although there was very little money around!
The old schoolhouse in Bunowen.
What has changed in Bunowen?
In my youth, there were a huge number of houses thatched with straw. This straw was cut in September and then threshed, which involved the grain being removed from the stalks.
This thatch had a lovely golden colour initially although this colour didn’t last forever!
How long have you lived in Bunowen?
I have been here for 57 years.
Have you always lived in the same house?
No, I lived in my parents’ house, which was in Ballyconneely, the adjacent townland to Bunowen. I moved after I got married.
Where did people go to school?
I went to Ballyconneely and there was another school in Aillebrack and a third in Calla.
What did you do in school?
Much the same as you – Irish, English, history, geography etc. We played football at breaktime. After school, we herded cattle and minded sheep.
There was plenty to do – we saved hay, picked potatoes and sometime walked to the shop. There were few bikes and almost no cars.
How has the population changed?
It has gone down, especially the number of children as there are less children in families nowadays.
How has tourism affected Bunowen?
It has resulted in extra money coming into the area.
There are two views – tourists are welcomed to a certain extent, although they can be a nuisance to the older people who can no longer walk the roads as they are too busy.
What surnames were in Bunowen in your youth?
Most are the same today; King, O’Malley and Conneely. Dishenn was an unusual name here one time but it is gone now.
Can you tell me an interesting fact about Bunowen?
There was a reservoir and public water supply here in the 1930s which was unusual at the time.
Alannah also discovered that Bunowen was divided into Bunowenbeg and Bunowenmore for the purposes of the census.
Bunowenbeg is 0.92 square miles and is the 8,051st largest townland in the country. It borders Derrigimlagh, Bunowenmore, Emlagharan, Manninmore and Ballyconneely.
Oddly, Bunowenmore (which had the suffix mór, meaning big) is smaller at 0.38 square miles.
It is the 29,454th largest townland in Ireland.
In 1901 jobs in Bunowen included farmer, rigger, blacksmith, land steward, barrister, servant and labourer.
Odhrán Mannion studied Murvey, his home townland.
He interviewed his grandfather, Michael Martin Mannion.
How long have you been in Murvey?
I was born in 1945 and I am still in Murvey although I don’t live in the same house!
Where did you go to school?
I went to Murvey National School
What did you do at school?
We did our lessons at school and all our homework afterwards.
We had to do our little jobs around the farm after school as well.
How has the population changed?
The population is less than fifty percent of what it was in my youth.
How has tourism affected Murvey?
There are too many tourists in the area in my opinion.
Are there any surnames in Murvey that are no longer there?
Adleys, McDonaghs, Gorhams, Burkes, Folans. They are all gone now, they were local people in the village.
What jobs did people have?
There were no jobs really, fishing and farming.
What has changed in Murvey?
There are a load of tourist houses today – more tourist houses than locals now.
Odhrán also found that the townland is quite large at the 1,789th largest nationally.
It borders Errisbeg East and Dolan.
He also discovered that the 1901 census indicates that there were 45 people in the townland with the surname ‘Mannion’ most of whom were related to him.
Nearly everyone in the townland gave their job as that of a farmer or fisherman.
Aodhán Roche spoke to his father John about Dunloughan in days gone by.
- Has Dunloughan changed much since your youth? There was a lot more hay fields saved then and more potatoes and vegetables sowed.
- Were there more people in Dunloughan in years gone by? Yes, there were a lot more houses and people in the townland, and there were a few single men with no families as well.
- Was there much livestock in Dunloughan? There was a lot more families, a lot more herd numbers and more animals there as well.
- Have many of the buildings changed since when you were young? Yes, I have built my house and so have several neighbours. There are a lot of tourist houses in the area as well.
- Have any local families moved away? Yes, some surnames are gone and several of the older men have passed on since my youth.
Ansel Deane did some research on the townland of Mannin.
He found that Mannin, like Bunowen, was divided into two, Manninmore and Manninbeg.
Manninbeg was 0.53 square miles, Manninmore was 0.97 square miles.
Conneely was the most common name here in 1901. The townland borders Truska, Derrigimlagh, Emlagharan, Bunowenbeg and Knock.
Most people were farmers.
The two schools have, over the years, welcomed children from a number of townlands in the locality. Here are some of the townlands and where their name come from:
Aillebrack/Áill Bhreac: The main townland which has sent children to the school of the same name, Aillebrack comes from the Irish words “Aill Bhreac” meaning speckled cliff.
Ballinaleama/Baile na Léime: The town of the leap
Ballyconneely/Baile Conaola: The local village of the area, its name comes from “Town of the Conneelys.” Unsurprisingly, Conneely is still one of the most common surnames to be found here.
Bunowen/Bun Abhainn: Bunowen, which is divided into Bunowenmore and Bunowenbeg, comes from “Bun Abhann” meaning bottom of the river.
Creggoduff/Creig an Duibh: Black crag
Derrigimlagh/Deirgimleach: Hill of oak trees
Dolan/An Dólainn: Inlet
Doohulla/ Dúmhaigh Shalach: Mound of willows
Dunloughan/Dún Locháin: Fort of the little lake.
Emlagharn/ Imleach Árann: The name comes from the Irish for hill ridge.
Emlaghmore/ Imleach Mór- Big hill
Foregloss/Fothair Ghlas: Green slope
Keeraun South/Caorán Theas: South moorland hill
Keeraunmore/Caorán Mór: Big moorland hill
Knock/Cnoc: Hill
Leacarrick/Liathcharraig: Grey rock
Lehid/Leithead: Flat hill
Mannin/Mannain: Takes its name from Manannan, the mythical sea god.
Murvey/ Muirbhigh: Sea plain
Pollrevagh/ An Poll Riabhach: Grey hollow
Silver Hill/Cnoc an Airgid: Hill of silver
Truska/ Troscaigh: Dry water
Below, we have included some history about some of the special places and events that make our community so special.
Doon Hill
The medieval parish of Ballindoon is said to derive its named from a chapel built at the foot of Doon Hill. The hill, which was formed tens of millions of years ago. is a landmark that can be seen from miles away by land or sea with the ruins of Bunowen Castle at the bottom. The first glimpse of it can be spotted coming out from Galway at Goulane. Fishermen use it as a landmark to guide them into Bunowen pier. On a clear day the view from the top is spectacular. Across Ballyconneely Bay, one can clearly see the Aran Islands and the North Coast of Clare on a nice day. The name comes from “Dún” meaning fort. It is believed that in Celtic times there was a fort on top of the hill. There is a monument on top of the hill commemorating the repeal of the Corn Laws (laws which stated that Ireland could not sell corn to other countries.) It was thought necessary to build a watchtower on top of the hill during World War II, even though Ireland was a neutral country. There was worry that foreign vessels would land on our shore and guards were posted to the top of the hill. They may have seen Aillebrack National School burning in December 1940. Its ruins can still be seen clearly on the top. Some people say there is a fairy fort on the castle and lights can be seen mysteriously dancing at night. Who knows!
Nora Flanagan (teacher in Aillebrack) and Nonie Connolly (Duane) atop Doon Hill, 1963.
The Sinking of the SS Lapwing
The SS Lapwing was sunk by German Submarine U-124 at early dawn on 26 September 1941. They were on their way back to Britain from Gibraltar when an aircraft, the Condor, located them and circled above for a couple of hours. It communicated the ship’s location to the nearest U-Boat. The U-Boat fired a torpedo into the Lapwings post quarter. The shop went down quickly, with many of the surviving men jumping overboard and floundering at sea, some for several hours. The Lapwing’s lifeboat then miraculously crossed their path and picked them up. There were fifteen men in total on board. There were very few supplies; a small amount of water, hard biscuits, corned beef and condensed milk. There was no compass or navigational instruments. The men on board, using excellent navigational skills, headed in the direction of Ireland. For fifteen days they drifted at sea, coming heartbreakingly close to being rescued on several occasions. Eventually, as food and water ran out and a hole appeared in the boat requiring constant bailing out, large birds flew overhead indicating that land might be close. Next, a light was spotted in the distance. It was a lighthouse. As it was wartime, only neutral countries showed lights. It must be Ireland! They looked for a stretch of beach to land on, seeing one that looked perfect. There were fishermen’s boats already on the beach, indicating that this was a good landing spot. As they approached the beach, the waves were crashing furiously – the captain was shouting instructions telling his sailors to avoid large rocks on the left and right. They could see people running down to the shore. It was the beach beside Slyne Head lighthouse.
There was a crunching sound and the boat landed on the beach. Many of the men collapsed from hunger, thirst and exhaustion. Several of them could barely walk. Local fishermen brought water and tea before bringing the men to cottages belonging to the McNamaras, Coyneyses and the Conneelys. The cottages were not very close by and the men struggled to walk. The owners were very kind, feeding and clothing the men in front of a turf fire until cars were available to bring them to the Railway Hotel in Clifden. (Now Foyles) Four men in total died, including a Filipino who died after arriving in Ireland. He is buried in Ardbear Cemetery, Clifden. The surviving members of the party mentioned frequently how kind the local people were and how much help they had given them in their time of need.
St. Caillin
Our school is named after St. Caillin, who is a very important in our local area. We are proud to be named after him and we believe there is only one other school in Ireland that bears his name: that is situated in Fenagh, Co. Leitrim where he was born in 540 AD. When he was a young man of about 20, St. Caillin came to Keeraunmore, before eventually establishing a hermitage on Chapel Island. There is still the ruins of a small chapel on the island which he built. The saint stayed there for several years, praying and fasting, and managed to banish the rats from the island too. An old saying in Aillebrack goes that if you take a handful of soil from Chapel Island, wherever you drop it will keep rats away.
St. Caillin is the local saint of fishermen and his feast day is 13 November. Historically, celebrations lasted for three days and dances went on from night till morning, especially back in Keeraunmore. People would travel long distances often on foot, especially from Carna, Carraroe and areas of South Connemara. They were often accommodated in the local houses. Nowadays many people visit the well and go to Mass on the day. Today, St. Caillin’s Bell can be found in the church in Fenagh, Co. Leitrim; on 13 November 1990 it was brought to Ballyconneely and rung there on his feast day.
St. Caillin’s National School Aillebrack has always closed in honour of its eponymous saint, as did the schools of Dunloughan, Calla and Ballinaboy in the days when they were open. Patrick McHale was principal of Aillebrack National School for more than two decades around the turn of the 20th century. In 1910, he sent word to the principals of Dunloughan and Calla NS not to open their schools on St. Caillin’s Day, as was the tradition. The schools duly closed on that Monday. The following morning, at 10am, parish priest of Clifden at the time, Monsignor McAlpine, arrived to the school. The priest had not seen eye to eye with Mr. McHale for political reasons for some time and bellowed from the gate “McHale, you pup! What do you mean by closing the school on St. Caillin’s Day?” McHale is said to have banged the desk and responded “Not for you, nor for the archbishop, nor for the cardinal, nor for the Pope, nor for anybody down God Almighty himself will I open this school on St. Caillin’s Day!” Needless to say, in the intervening 110 years the school’s doors have remained firmly shut on the 13th November!
Marconi Station
The Marconi Station was a hugely important piece of local history which provided employment for the Ballyconneely area for many years including for many people from Aillebrack and Dunloughan. Marconi was a radio engineer who pioneered the wireless. Derrigimlagh was chosen as the perfect site to send and receive transatlantic messages, due to its proximity to the west coast and the lake nearby, as well as the bog which provided cheap fuel to run the plant. There were 150 permanent staff working three eight hours shifts throughout the day, with several hundred others employed to cut turf in the summer months. The first message was received at the site in 1907. In 1914, it was taken over by the British government and managed to operate successfully until 1922 when it was burned by the IRA during the Civil War. The site was sold and divided amongst local farmers in 1930. Today, the Marconi site is a popular tourist site and a testament to the amazing innovation that occurred there over a century ago.
The Marconi Site today
Alcock and Brown
The first flight to successfully cross the Atlantic Ocean non-stop left St. John’s in Newfoundland, Canada on the 14 June 1919. The crew consisted of two British aviators. The pilot was Captain John Alcock and he was assisted by Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown. The men’s destination was London, their aim being to become the first aviators to cross the Atlantic Ocean non-stop. Alcock was born in Manchester and had worked in the British Air Service. Brown was a native of Glasgow but had also spent much of his life in Manchester. Both men had been shot down during World War I and held as a prisoners for a time. After their release, both retained an interest in flying and decided to attempt the dangerous voyage when the competition was announced.
Preparations for the flight were rushed as two other aviators were also looking to set off for the same goal. Alcock and Brown brought coffee, sandwiches and brandy to sustain them on their way. The 19-hour journey would prove long, dangerous and scary. Freezing mist was ever present, despite the time of year, and it interfered with their speedometer and other flight instruments. There were several lucky escapes until eventually the men spotted land below. They knew it must be Ireland. After circling Clifden, Alcock spotted Marconi’s mast, and realising where they were, chose to land on what looked like a reasonably level piece of ground. He wasn’t to know that below lay Derrigimlagh Bog which had soft and wet soil. The plane landed, before the nose sunk into the peaty soil and it nearly overturned. The plane was badly damaged on landing but amazingly, the two men were unharmed and stepped safely onto Irish soil.
Planes were unheard of in the west of Ireland in those days and one can imagine the surprise of the local people in the Aillebrack area to spot the machine flying above at 8am on the morning of that summer’s day. The Vickers-Vimy bi-plane had taken 16 and a half hours to travel the 1,900 miles over open sea before crash-landing into the bog.
Alcock and Brown’s plane after crash-landing in Derrigimlagh Bog.
Curious local people flocked to the sight of the crash landing where astonishingly the two airmen were found to be safe. They were presented a Claddagh ring each on landing and received a hero’s welcome. They returned to London where they were presented with the £10,000 from a competition sponsored by the Daily Mail for completing the successful flight, whose planned destination had been London. Johnny Pete Conneely from Dunloughan recalled the fateful day. “I remember the day when Alcock and Brown landed in Clifden. I was only ten and my sister was twelve. We heard a noise and didn’t know what it was. The fog was dense and you could not see anything. You could only hear the roar of an engine over us. My sister was scared and jumped down. When my mother came home from milking the cows, we told her and she said “That was an aeroplane,” because she knew about planes from her time in America. That was the very morning Alcock and Brown flew over the house here.” Local people talked about the landing for many years afterwards and remembered the local airmen fondly. Several people managed to get souvenirs from the plane’s wreckage. In an area full of history, this may have been the most historic day of them all.
The Commonage
Today, the commonage is a focal point for the community in Aillebrack and many close-fought races and exciting football games have occurred there over the years. The local area could have been so different if a national project, provisionally earmarked for the commonage, went ahead in the 1930s.
In the 1930s, air travel was becoming more common and Ireland realised that they were in a unique geographical position to capitalise on the desire of many to fly to North America. The West Coast was the closest point to the North American mainland and talk turned to a possible site for the new transatlantic airport. Aillebrack was quickly in the running. The area had already become famous amongst aviators and was visited by Amy Johnson and Jim Mollison, two famous pioneers of air travel, in 1932 when searching for a take-off spot to cross the Atlantic. By 1935, talk had begun that Aillebrack could potentially be chosen for the site for the airport. A close proximity to the west coast, a firm sand-based landing ground and a steady wind combined to make the area seemingly ideal for the ambitious project. Many places, including Dublin, Galway City and Derry were making claims as the best site. An Aillebrack Development Committee, with the help of TD Gerald Bartley, was set up which sought engineer’s reports and prepared maps of the area which they considered ideal for the project. German and Dutch Air Experts also visited the site. Canadian opinion expressed approval of the western site and by the end of 1935 it appeared increasingly likely that Aillebrack could be chosen. Unfortunately for Aillebrack, the Taoiseach at the time, Éamonn de Valera, was also interested in the process. His constituency, Clare, had a point named Rineanna which was also suitable and pipped Aillebrack’s effort at the post. Today it is the home of Shannon Airport. What might have been…
Bunowen Pier
Bunowen Pier is an important local amenity and for many years has provided leisure and employment facilities for locals and tourists alike. It has played host to many fishermen, swimmers and pleasure cruisers and has witnessed many interesting occurrences. One of the most exciting concerns two Canadian adventurers who bit off more than they could chew when going to sea in the 1960s.
In 1967, two Canadians named Louis Lourmais and Vint Lloyd attempted to cross the five thousand open miles of water in the Atlantic in a 22-foot currach. This was in an attempt to prove that St. Brendan managed the same feat over a thousand years before and they planned to only used navigational instruments that would have been available in his time as well. The pair left Fenit, Co. Kerry on 25 August 1967 but two days later were forced to moor at Bunowen Pier after a five-inch crack appeared in the side of their boat. After spending the night at the home of a Mr. Patrick Duane from Clifden, two 85-year-old Currach men from Roundstone, namely Martin Connolly and Martin Woods, helped to repair the vessel. The Lloyd and Lourmais described the incredible hospitality of local people and said they stayed a couple of nights longer then intended due to the comforts offered by the locals!
When they finally left Bunowen Pier on 30 August, another currach filled with local people, including Rev. Paul Costello, escorted the seamen out of the harbour. Unfortunately, the men could not round Slyne Head on the first occasion due to high winds and were forced into Roundstone Harbour. After eventually being towed around Slyne Head by a local trawler, the men made it as far as the Inishkea Islands off North Mayo where their craft was dashed against a rock. The men were unhurt but disconsolate after the disappointing end to their 150-mile journey and said that they had lost £45,000 in their quest. They did speak highly of the people of the Ballyconneely area, however, and praised their generosity and helpful nature.
Graunuaile’s Castle
The Flahertys were a powerful family in Galway who were driven to Connemara by the Normans. They went on to rule much of the western seaboard, building large castles at Ballinahinch, Renvyle Point and Bunowen at the foot of Doon Hill. Grace O’Malley, commonly known as Granuaile, was born in 1530 in Co. Mayo. She is well known due to her seafaring exploits. She accompanied her father, Donal, on many of his journeys and developed and restless and brave spirit and a love for the sea. She was nicknamed “The Pirate Queen,” and she refused to bow to authority, English or otherwise. In 1546 she married Donal O’Flaherty, chieftain of the Barony of Ballynahinch making her new home in the Castle. She died in 1603. Meanwhile Cromwell’s army burnt the castle in 1650 and the Geoghegan family, who came from Westmeath, planted the area shortly afterwards. They built a new home which they called Bunowen Castle. Stone from Granuailes Castle was used in the construction.
Bunowen Castle
The Geoghegans were declared bankrupt during the Famine and sold the castle. It was used as a poor house during the famine and was occupied by the Blakes afterwards who lived there until independence. The roof was removed during World War II due to excessive rates and the land is now under the ownership of the McDonagh family who often kindly allow the children of Aillebrack NS to climb to the summit of Doon Hill. The ruins of Bunowen Castle are still visible out the window of Aillebrack NS.
John McDonagh, a member of the family who own the land on which Bunowen Castle is located, wrote a little about the colourful events which led his parents back to Bunowen.
My father, Patrick McDonagh, was known as Sailor McDonagh because of his years in the Merchant Navy. His time in the navy included years during World War II. When he left the navy, he met my mother Celia in London. Originally from Donegal, my mother moved with her family to Luton, England when she was eight years old. My mother vividly remembers her time in Luton during the war. To this day, she talks with sadness about German bombings and having to run to bomb shelters while in school. My father at the time was a young sailor working on ships, travelling all over the world. During the war years, he worked mostly in the North Atlantic on a shop that was a part of a convoy. Those convoys were often unprotected without a gun-ship’s escort. May sailors were killed on their maiden voyage, and my father thought he was lucky to have survived. He joked about how he and his fellow seamen dreaded being torpedoed on their way into port as they would have just been paid. They would much prefer being torpedoes after leaving port having spent all their wages!
My parents settled in Birmingham, England where my father became a building contractor, constructing roads and foundations. He had a great interest in horse-racing and owned a number of thoroughbred race horses in England and Ireland. Briefly, for about three years, he owned an Irish night-club in Birmingham called the Delmonico. My father named it after a place he had seen in South Africa during his time in the navy. Myself, my brother Patrick and our three sister Lorraine, Celia and Anne were all born in Birmingham. Our family moved to Galway City in 1973 after my father bought the Harbour Bar, which he owned for six years.
My parents returned to Bunowen in 1979 where they planned to take life a little easier. My father enormous personality, his high energy and his love of meeting people made that difficult however! In August of that year, he organised a concert at Bunowen Castle. The line-up included the Fury Brothers, Christy Moore, and the Phantom Orchestra, to name but a few. The dates were the 3rd and 4th August and everyone was expecting fine weather. A storm of gale force eight hit and up to ten thousand people who had planned to go could not attend! Two thousand still braved the conditions. As the Fury Brother were going on stage on the Saturday night, the rain got even worse and the crew had to remove the equipment from the stage! It calmed a little the day though and Christy Moore and the Phantom Orchestra were able to finish the set!