Anna Sexton the post-mistress at Grousehall Post Office in Bailieborough tells Frank Hall about local traditions and superstitions.
Grousehall is not a townland but is in fact named after a local hunting lodge. While there are several places in Ireland with this name, local historian Anna Sexton thinks the Cavan one is most famous, mainly because of a police sergeant there who spent all of his time hunting poitín. Grousehall is not necessarily well known for poitín making but,
Like everywhere else in Ireland Frank they never made it, but still they had it.
Some of the locals were in fact renowned poitín makers and they had ingenious ways of hiding it from the authorities.
Anna goes on to explain some local prophesies such as predicting weather signs, although she can never remember which prophesies are local and which are attributed Saint Colmcille or Saint Malachy.
These traditions and prophesies are generally connected with older people young people tend to be more sceptical. Older farmers often predict the weather and have the time to watch for the signs,
Frogs change colour, sheep come down from the mountain...goats go mad before thunder, things like that.
While many of the prophesies have come to pass, the end of the world is not nigh.
There was supposed to be a great prophet to come from the west, we’re waiting on him yet.
This episode of ‘Hall and Company’ was broadcast on 14 December 1986.
