School: Ardagh (roll number 8929)
- Location:
- Ardagh, Co. Donegal
- Teacher: R. W. Cunningham
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1106, Page 257
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- XML “A Gentle Bush Story”
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- In the centre of a large field in East Donegal there once grew a large old and ugly thorn bush, which interfered greatly with farming operations and the farmer decided to have it removed although every one told him he would suffer for his action. This tree had long been regarded as a "gentle bush". The popular opinion was that it belonged to the fairies and therefore should be allowed to grow on, where it was untouched by the pruner as long as it wished to live. Superstition had it that ill luck would befall those who dared to meddle with its growth in any way. Notwithstanding all this the farmer ordered his servants to uproot it but they flatly refused. Then he and his brother got to work themselves, dug out the old tree and laid it in a corner of the field, where it crumbled away - no one daring to snatch a branch for fuel.
The spot where the tree grew was levelled up and the men in doing so found a large quantity of white stones embedded in the soil. (These stones were gifts to the fairies in olden times).
The Spring following oats were sown in the field but when harvest came(continues on next page)
- Collector
- R. W. Cunnigham
- Gender
- Male
- Occupation
- Teacher
- Informant
- Mr A. C. Alexander
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Drumbarnet, Co. Donegal
