Diocese of Limerick Heritage Project Home Index Search Help

Local Sites   Patrickswell-Ballybrown   Townlands
Famous People


The townland of Attyflin is translated as the site of Flan's house. This area is called after a local character called Flan O'Brien who had a castle here around 1540. Flan had a colourful lifestyle and was a supporter of the monks of Manister. The monks disapproved of Flan's behaviour but they still got their beef from his farm.

One day, Flan was not in good humour and sent a mocking note to the abbot of the monastery telling him that if his faith was worth anything, the promise would weigh as much as the beef. The abbot weighed the beef against the note of paper in front of Flan's messenger.

The piece of paper was heavier than the beef and the messenger went back to Flan and told him what happened. Flan raced to the monastery to see the weighing scales with his own eyes and once he did, he confessed his sins and became a monk in the monastery. Flan lived to be a great age and died in the monastery as an old man.

Heritage Project Home | Patrickswell-Ballybrown Home | Back to Top

Local Sites         Townlands