School: Ballyduff B. N. School

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1. Local Story of Oliver Cromwell

   

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   Oliver Cromwell was but a cobbler's son before he joined the British Army. He gave up his religion and he came to Ireland. One day he was going through Limerick, and he met a Saint fishing. He took the net from the Saint and he threw it out in the river and caught a trout. He cut the tail off the trout and threw it out again and caught it again. He asked the Saint if he saw anyone to do that. The Saint said that anyone could not do that except Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell wrote a letter and he gave it to the Saint, and he told him to give it to the Officer in Cork. What did the Saint do, but gave it to Cromwell's brother, and he gave it to the Officer. The officer read the letter, and what was in it, was to shoot the bearer, and the officer shot Cromwell's brother, because he was the bearer. Oliver Cromwell thought that the Saint would deliver the letter, but the Saint was too smart for him. Cromwell asked the Saint before he sent him to Cork how long would he reign in Ireland, and the Saint said that if he crossed a certain bridge in Limerick he would live for many a long day. When Cromwell was about a quarter of a mile from the bridge his horse lost a shoe. He went into a forge to get a shoe for

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Timothy Lawlor

   Gender

   Male

   Informant

   John Barry

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Aghabeg Middle, Co. Kerry