School: Seamar

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1. Gleann Daoine Marbh

   

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   At a cross roads about half a mile on the south side of this school there is a deep glen called Gleann Daoine Marbh. This glen is in a very quiet place and years ago when this village was not so thickly populated it was a very suitable place for robbers to pounce upon victims. A long time ago there was a man in this district coming from England with most of his year's earnings in his pocket. He had to pass through this glen where he was attacked by robbers and cruelly murdered. It is supposed that he was buried in a stone coffin in the hillside. The coffin is still to be seen and there are traces of blood on some stones beside it.
   It is supposed there were many people killed in this glen and buried in the hillside. It was the custom of the murderers to cover the graves with heaps of stones called cairns, and these stones are there to this day as people think it unlucky to touch them or use them.
   On another occasion a tinker, his wife and children were camped in this glen. One evening the man returned from Kilkelly and he was very drunk. He started to fight with his wife who had a child in her arms. In the end he fired a stone at her and killed the child. This child was buried in the roadside. On account of all the

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Mary O' Hara

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Shammerdoo, Co. Mayo

   Informant

   Mrs Winifred O' Hara

   Relation

   Parent

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Shammerdoo, Co. Mayo