A local history page

Following our successful trip to the Ceide Fields, Mrs. Casey decided to take us to see the dolmen at Knockleagha. Last Friday was a lovely sunny day so we set off after break. We had a treasure hunt on the way up. It was great fun looking for clues and answers to questions. We also did a tally of the traffic passing our school gates during the first ten minutes of our walk.
The dolmen is very interesting. It marks the burial place of the Four Maols  - They were brothers of  Guaire, who became King of Connacht. The real king should have been a man called Ceallach who became a priest and eventually Bishop of Kilmoremoy (Ballina).The Four Maols were under the tuition of the bishop and murdered him because he was the rightful heir. The brothers were brought to trial and hanged at Ardnaree (the hill of the execution). The bodies were later taken through a tunnel running under the river Moy and buried at Primrose Hill.
We drew pictures of the dolmen and Mrs. Casey and Pauline took lots of photographs. We wrote stories about our visit as well. We had great fun at the dolmen.

By L. Hogan and J. Kelly

Our class went on a field trip to Ceide fields. It is in Ballycastle, Co. Mayo fifteen miles away. We went on a big bus. When we arrived in Ceide fields there were sheep outside the gate. We went up a hill. Then we went inside the building. There in of me was a huge tree trunk made out of bogwood. We went into a field. Then she told us what Neolithic means it means New Stone Age. We got to see sphagnum moss. They used it for cuts bruises and bandages and Vikings used it for toilet paper. We got to see the remains of Stone Age walls. We went back inside to have a look around. She told us a    legend about Dhun Briste where St. Patrick threw a rock into a black hole of fire. Then the king started to retreat to his fort before he could back to fort the mountain collapsed and the king fell into the ocean.
  By J. Kelly.   

Our class went to Ceide fields yesterday morning. The Ceide fields is near to Ballycastle Co. Mayo, fifteen miles away from Ballina. We went by bus to Ceide fields and we heard about the Stone age farmers. We took turns to use the probe. Archaeologists used probes to find pieces of the walls. The farmers came to Ireland in 5,000 BC. We saw the lighthouse in Ballyglass. The bog can have butter buried in it and it will be preserved. The Ceide fields museum was shaped like a pyramid. The tour guide showed us some sphagnum moss.       
By L. Hogan