School: Losad
- Location:
- Losset, Co. Donegal
- Teacher: Úna Bean Uí Laoghaire
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1072, Page 308
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“There lived in Derryveagh a man named O Donnell who was considered a great pikes man. The pike was commonly used as a weapon in those days and it was considered a great offence for a man to own one.”
There lived in Derryveagh a man named O Donnell who was considered a great pikesman. The pike was commonly used as a weapon in those days and it was considered a great offence for a man to own one. The officers of the law found out that O Donnell had a pike, and they went to Derryveagh to arrest him. In those days men were arrested for very little. They took O Donnell with them but said they would give him a sporting chance, e.g. if he could beat an officer on horseback with his pike they would give him his freedom. Next morning they met the officer mounted on his horse and armed with a sword. O Donnell with only his pike.
The officer made a rush at O Donnell intending to kill him with one blow of his sword but O Donnell pierced the horse's leg with the pike and the horse fell toppling the officer. O Donnell jumped up and beat the officer until he killed him. The people looking on were enraged, and were going to make a rush at O Donnell but an officer of high rank stopped them saying that the bargain was that O Donnell should get his freedom if he beat the officer so O Donnell was set free.
- Collector
- Agnes Kerr
- Gender
- Female
- Informant
- John Harkin
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 44
- Address
- Church Hill, Co. Donegal