School: Drumloughan (Dromlachan) (roll number 15665)

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1. A Cruel King (continued)

   

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   great grandfather to come and dig me out. They came and after a long time they dug me out and we gathered up the corn, threshed it and brought it to the market. I had no way of bringing it to the market but on my old grey horse. The horse wanted to be shod so I brought him to the forge and got a new set of shoes on him with eight nails in each shoe, that was 32 nails in all. So I came home and placed my sacks of corn on the horses back. I then started for the market and on my way I had to cross a river and in this river there was a monster salmon. The 32 nails caught in the salmons back. The horse pulled and pulled and strained and strained and the sweat rolled off him in bucketfulls and at last with the pulling and straining and sweating the poor horse broke his own back. I took off the load of corn and with the dint of my own strength I lifted up the horse. Then I looked around me and I did not know what to do. At last I saw a pack of sheep feeding on the hill top, so up I went, caught a sheep, killed him, skinned him and coiled the skin round my horse's back. I had nothing to tie it so I went and cut a lock lucky briar and tied on the skin tightly with it. And what do you think?

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Folktales index

   AT0852: The Hero Forces the Princess to Say, “That is a Lie.”

   Language

   English

   Collector

   P. Mac Giolla Choinnigh

   Gender

   Male

   Informant

   John Mc Kiernan

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   60

   Occupation

   Farmer

   Address

   Sunnagh More, Co. Leitrim