| John Feely had a family of
fifteen children and lived on his own lands at Woodbrook. John had a dispute with
Kirkwood, a noted family living in Woodbrook House. John lost the court case and after
that Lord Cooke of Cootehall evicted him from their lands. The family broke up and some
members went to Croghan and Drumlion and the remainder, with John, went to Rockingham
where they started a small quarry from which they supplied stone to building houses and
memorials. This quarry was inside the second gate of Rockingham on the Abbeytown roadside,
near the house of Pat Flanagan. The Feely family was in turn evicted from this property by
the King Harmons on the setting up of Rockingham. They were given a quarry to rent at
Greatmeadow. This quarry was on the lands, which belonged to Rockingham. John Feely’s wife was Maxwell from Hughestown. One of her
brothers was married to John's Sister. Some members of Maxwell family joined the French
Army and returned to Ireland with General Humbert in 1778. ( Humbert’s army camped at
Greyfield, Keadue on their way to Ballinamuck where they were defeated by the English
forces.)
Lord Cooke who gave his name to Cootehall
had a desire on one of John Feely’s good-looking daughters who had a beautiful long
black head of hair. He advanced on her one evening in the stables but she would not yield.
He went mad with rage and tied her hair to a horse’s tail and sent the horse
galloping across the countryside. Her head came off at a ditch on the hill of Usna,
Ardcarne near Woodbrook. A tree grew up to mark the spot until it was blown down by the
big storm Debbie in 1965.
John Beirne, a noted local
historian, from Cavetown, Croghan,
told this story to Barry Feely
The Bucko Feely from Grange was a first cousin of Patrick
Feely my grandfather. He earned his living as a drover, driving cattle to and from Fairs.
He had no family so in later years Luke Dempsey went to live with him and his wife. The
bucko was a noted quack for animals. Luke inherited his lands of approximately
twenty-seven acres. The bucko also passed onto the lake his cure for scurvy. Years ago
people contacted scurvy from cattle and it was a particularly nasty rash, which would
spread all over the body if not checked. Luke in turn was noted for having this cure. He
could never accept money for it but would accept cigarettes. Luke passed the cure onto me.
There is very little call for it now but of the few people who have called most of them
were from the Ballymote / Culfadda area. |
