Old Ireland community once sat on the Monroe County line between Burnt Corn and Pine Orchard

Historical marker near old Ireland community.

Once upon a time in the Monroe County’s early history, there was a community named Ireland. This small community was located about halfway between Burnt Corn and Pine Orchard on the Old Federal Road. Today, most folks know this road as County Road 5, which makes up much of the border between Monroe and Conecuh counties.

I found myself traveling down County Road 5 last Friday afternoon and stopped for a few minutes to read the historical marker near the site of the old Ireland community. According to that marker, a settler named Garrett Longmire had an early trading center, tavern and stage stop near here. He served as the postmaster when his store became a post office in 1818, one of the earliest in what was then the Alabama Territory.

As I stood there, I remembered that the old Ireland community once also had its own post office from 1879 to 1883. According to local historian Steve Stacey, that post office was established by an Irishman named Patrick McGlinn, a popular early Monroe County businessman who had a store there called P. McGlinn & Co. In addition to a post office, this old store specialized in dry goods and groceries brought up the Alabama River to Claiborne by riverboats.

As I walked back to my truck in the tall, green grass, I also recalled that I was very near what people in this area call “Booger Bottom.” Over the years, I’ve had a number of older people tell me all sorts of unusual tales about this spooky location. One woman told me years ago that when she was a young girl growing up around Burnt Corn, older members of the community would scare children with stories about “Booger Bottom.”

Supposedly, something lived in the woods there that would carry you off if you lingered too long in that area. She said that she used to be so scared of this area that even when she got old enough to drive, she would drive a little faster to get through that area, especially at night. Many in the reading audience would know this lady if I were to give her name, and they would also know that she isn’t the type to make up wild stories and tall tales.

Over the years, others have also told me about an entity called “Hairy Bill,” who supposedly lived at “Booger Bottom.” Some say that “Hairy Bill” was a fictitious character created by older adults in the community to keep small children from playing in and around the logging woods. Others say they’ve seen “white thangs” run across the road at night in this area, and in olden times horses would balk at traveling through this area in the dark.

I myself have traveled this length of the Old Federal Road more times than I can remember, and I’ve never seen anything out of the ordinary. Perhaps, I just didn’t pass through at the right time. One thing is for sure, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a part of the county more steeped in local history or with friendlier residents.

In the end, let me hear from you if you know any additional information about the Ireland community’s history. I’m especially interested in any old ghost stories, local legends or Indian lore from this part of the county. If you know of anything along these lines, please let me know so that this information can be documented for future generations to come.