School: Banahoe
- Location:
- Banagher, Co. Cavan
- Teacher: A. Mac an Bháird
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0978, Page 029
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- XML School: Banahoe
- XML Page 029
- XML “Fairy Story”
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- Many years ago the fairies used to steal baby children and leave sickly crying ones in their place. Not far from the village of Crosskeys there was a woman who had a beautiful child and it suddenly became sickly and wailing and seemed to be pining away. The poor woman didnt know what to do with it, so she consulted a wise woman who had a knowledge of the fairies. I think she was called a witch woman.So she told her that her baby was stolen by the fairies and a changeling left in its place and she told her to put a pot on the fire and to put water and egg-shells into it then to put a iron rod in the fire and have it red. The woman did as she was told and the baby boy was in the cradle looking out at her. He asked
"What have you in the pot mammy"?
and she said "I am making a brewing of egg-shells". "I am on the world this hundred years and I never heard of a brewing of egg-shells before." "Well you will be on it no longer" says the woman seizing the red iron and running to the cradle. The baby jumped out and gave a wild screech as it disappeared out on the door and when the woman looked in the cradle her own child was lying asleep in it
- Informant
- Mrs Coby
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 45
- Address
- Lonnogs, Co. Cavan
