RAGH CHURCH AND GRAVEYARD​

BAWNMORE'S MOST FAMOUS CHARACTER  WAS THE ONE AND ONLY ,PADDY 'BAWN' RYAN .A MAN OF GREAT WIT HIS COMMENTS AND ANTICS ARE FAMOUS COUNTRY WIDE AND HE WAS HIGHLY REGARDED IN HIS OWN AREA.A MAN WHO DIDN'T MINCE HIS WORDS HE WAS PROBABLY BARRED OUT OF EVERY PUB IN THE LOCALITY At ONE TIME OR ANOTHER.HIS MODE OF TRANSPORT WAS THE HIGH NELLIE BIKE.

THIS ALLOWED FOR PIT STOPS AT HIS NEIGHBOURS HOUSES WHERE HE REGULARLY CALLED WITH NEWS OR IN SEARCH OF THE LATEST GOSSIP.A

LIFE-LONG KILKENNY SUPPORTER AND G.A.A MAN HIS SUDDEN DEATH AT THE BLACK BOTTLE ON NEW YEARS DAY WAS A GREAT SHOCK TO EVERYONE.TO THIS DAY ,HE IS STILL TALKED ABOUT AND HIS JOKES AND YARNS ARE RECOUNTED REGULARLY TO THE GREAT AMUSEMENT OF EVERYONE.BELOW ARE A SAMPLE

 

 

 

THE BAWN WALKED INTO THE CORNER PUB IN THE SQUARE IN JOHNSTOWN.HAVING BEEN BARRED THE PREVIOUS WEEK HE WAS UNSURE OF THE RECEPTION HE WAS GOING TO GET.THE OWNER WAS OFF-DUTY AND THE UNSUSPECTING BARMAID SERVED THE WELL ON MAN HIS POINT.HE HAD JUST TAKEN A SIP FROM THE PINT WHEN THE OWNER SPOTTED HIM FROM THE KITCHEN.HE WENT INTO THE BAR AND TOLD THE BAWN, "BAWN RYAN URE BARRED OUT OF THIS PUB,GET OUT NOW".NONE TOO IMPRESSED BAWN HEADED FOR THE DOOR AND TURNED AS HE LEFT AND SAID IN A RAISED VOICE SO AS THE WEXFORD PUB OWNER AND THE CUSTOMERS COULD HEAR ,"THERE DID NOTHING COME OUT OF WEXFORD,ONLY STRAWBERRIES AND KNACKERS AND URE NO STRAWBERRY".

 

 

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IN THE RUN UP TO THE 1991 ALL-IRELAND HURLING FINAL BETWEEN ARCH RIVALS KILKENNY AND TIPPERARY BAWN WAS CYCLING UP THE STREET IN URLINGFORD WITH HIS STRAW HAT  DISPLAYING THE KILKENNY COLORS AND A HURLEY IN HIS HAND.SOMEONE WALKING ALONG THE STREET ASKED HIM IF HE WAS PLAYING ON SUNDAY IN CROKE PARK.THE BAWN'S REPLY WAS : THIS IS ALL OUT WAR AND ANYBODY COULD BE CALLED IN,I'M READY FOR THE CALL UP.

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KILKENNY HAD JUST WON THE ALL-IRELAND IN '93 TO WIN BACK TO BACK ALL-IRELANDS.THE BAWN HAD ACQUIRED A CALENDER OF THE KILKENNY TEAM PLAYERS.WHEN HE RETURNED HOME TO HIS KITCHEN HE LOOKED AROUND THE KITCHEN WALLS TO FIND A PLACE TO HANG THE CALENDER.

A PHOTO OF OUR LORD  TOOK PRIDE OF PLACE ABOVE THE SACRED HEART LIGHT.WITH THE WORDS 'I KNOW JESUS YOU WERE A GOOD ONE BUT THIS KILKENNY TEAM IS SECOND TO NONE,YOU'LL HAVE TO MOVE ASIDE '.WITH THIS THE KILKENNY TEAM WERE POSITIONED ABOVE THE SACRED HEART AND WERE THERE TO STAY.

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