Blanchardstown Folklore??

[Jade182]

I'm currently doing a course with a Folklore module and the lecturer was trying to get each of us to come up with a snippet of folklore about our area. This got me thinking and I was wondering, does Blanchardstown have any Folklore? Does anyone know of anything in the Blanch area that has folklorish background? For example, wishing wells, supersticions, haunted houses, well-known fairy rings etc etc?

[deelite]

Not sure if this is what you're looking for. A few years ago (probably 1980's) there used to be a 7th son of a 7th son who apparently had a "gift". He used to have crowds of people around him on Sunday's - near Ladyswell I think all looking for his "healing powers". Not sure if he's still around or not.

[Thaedydal]

Why not try the library?

[Jade182]

Yeah the library is a good source for that stuff but I was wondering if anyone had any local stories, maybe told to them by word of mouth by elder people or people from past generations that I maybe wouldn't find written down. I'm really interested especially in things like haunted houses (I heard theres meant to be one in Coolmine, I visited it but it didn't seem all that different really to the other houses lining the street,I certainly didn't get any strange feelings though the people with me at the time refused to even cross the road to get a closer look).
The seventh son of a seventh son sounds interesting. Where did you hear about that?

[tony 2 tone]

Originally Posted by deelite

Not sure if this is what you're looking for. A few years ago (probably 1980's) there used to be a 7th son of a 7th son who apparently had a "gift". He used to have crowds of people around him on Sunday's - near Ladyswell I think all looking for his "healing powers". Not sure if he's still around or not.

I remember hearing that story too. I think he was operating at the well in Ladyswell, on the left hand side as you go up to Tyrellestown.
The only stories of haunted houses and fairy rings were ones made up by the older kids to scare the younger ones.
Any house that was left empty for a while automaticaly became a haunted house in our eyes.

[loldrg]

There's a supposedly haunted house in Roselawn. As you head along mainstreet Blanch towards The Bell (Davey&Phelans), and take the fork to the right (towards Castleknock, The Bell is on your left, Scoil Bhríde on the right). Head down that road to the turn just before the hump back bridge. The road to the right takes you up to Roselawn. The corner house on the far side of the road (as you would be looking at it) is the haunted one as far as I know.

As for other info... there's a book 'Blanchardstown, Castleknock and the Park' by Peter Sobolewski (ex-teacher from Coolmine Community School). It has some older places (churches, Castleknock Castle etc) and newer stuff (e.g. Clonsilla Train Station) which you mightn't be interested in as much. I think you can buy it in Easons in the Blanch Shopping Centre. I'm not sure what other books Sobolewski has written but I'm fairly sure he has written a few. Blanch Library might be your best bet to find them.

If you can track him down he'd have even more information (I remember him telling me about some Viking tomb in the local area before... was a curse on it and when they went to build on it there was an accident or something along those lines). I'd say his book might be a good starting place.

[suey71]

There's a great book called "Candle in the Window" by a local man called Jim Lacey. It has everything you'll need for your assignment.

Brilliant read.

[Jade182]

Thanks everyone, especially for the book references, ill go check them out. I also might nip up to the roselawn haunted house for a look see
Sorry for late reply and thanks for everyones information!

[Kaldorn]

those directions to the haunted house in roselawn are perfect. we were told that house was haunted for years..There were a few fairy rings in the new millenium park in the centre of the old structure that is where the Blanchaird Family used to live and where the area got its name. apparently in the middle of the structure where two evergreen trees meet there is a fiary ring there.. dont know if its still there. also there is a haunted house just after mochtas shool just beside the canal..its a really old building with locked gates..i took a stroll into it during the summer but was too freaked out to go any further. i also met the 7th son of a 7th son about 15 years ago on jo maxi's bites back. but as far as i am aware now he is just a buzzy chancer.

[suey71]

That haunted house beside saint Mochtas School is actually the origional St. Mochtas school. It dates from the 1830's and has an interesting history. There is ment to be a hooded figure who haunts the school and its grounds.

The fairy ring in the Millenium park beside the bus stop at the junction of mountview road is said to be the origional site of St. Mochtas Monastery c.400 AD or thereabouts. About a hundred years ago athe farmer that owned the land decided to dig on the site, he found shedloads of bones. They where reburied in consecrated grounds.

Kaldorn, where abouts in the Millenium Park is the Fairy ring where the old Blanchaird family used to live. This is a new peice of info to me and I would love to go and see it.

I cant recommend the book A Candle In The Window by Jim Lacey enough if you are interested in D.15's history.

[suey71]

There is also supposed to be a ghost that haunts the surrounding grounds of Castleknock Collage. On one of the the hills in the grounds there is an old castle, which in its day was one of the most important castles in Ireland. In the early 13th Century the castle was owned by a Tyrrell. He was a crual SOAB and on hearing that a Chiefton had set up base in what is now Ballyfermot and that his daughter was beautiful, he decided to kidnap the girl and take her to his Castle where he would have his wicked way with her. Her name was Eileen Byrne and was about 13 years old.
While locked in the Castle, she took her broach and cut her wrists and died rather than let that evil git have his way with her.

She is said to haunt the Grounds on the 7 or there abouts of December every year. And the boarders in the Collage as a kind of sick tradition would get one of the first years and tie him to a tree in the old ruins every year on this date.

It was the 7th last night so I wonder did some poor guy spend a cold scary night on top of that old hill.

[hapenny]

there is a huge fairy ring in corduff park and there used to be a big fancy house there that burned to the ground.. could be worth looking into

[recylingbin]

This sounds too fantastic to be true, but I'll post it anyway and let you decide for yourself.
Supposedly there was this guy driving from town out to Blanch and apparently it didn't take him the best part of an hour and a half to get there.

I know, unbelievable.

[Slaygal]

The so called 'Haunted' house on Roselawn came from the fact it was a short term rental property,people moving in and out again after a couple of weeks/months because the deeds for the property where lost.