Volume: CBÉ 0407 (Part 1)

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1. Father Clowry (continued)

   

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   assured. These facts cannot, and must not be published for very evident reasons. I simply record them privately in my capacity as folklorist.
   The old priest lingered on for some time. When some of the most ardent of his enemies lost patience they determined to murder him. Three or four masked men appeared in his room one night. Father Clowry asked them as a sp. request not to take his watch, heirloom in the family and "worth a prince's ransom". "It's great company for me at night to hear it ticking there on the post of the bed". They lay hands on him, attacking him with heavy cudgels and left him for dead. In the morning, however, he regained consciousness and spoke as follows : "The blacksmith with the little finger (1) was among those ruffians last night. The day will come when their own people (i.e. the Protestants) will rise against them and drive them out of the place"

   (1) The little finger on Purser's right hand was not much over one inch in length and about as thick as an ordinary lead pencil. The phenomonon is the direct opposite of elephantisis (medical). Wm Weir of Staplestown, had an ex-black-smith in his service when I was young. I knew him intimately. The thumb of his left hand was about 9 ins long and about 2 1/2 ins in diameter - an evident case of blacksmith's elephantises. His thumbs had all the appearance of a good big cucumber except in colour alone.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Date

   1908

   Item type

   Lore

   Language

   English

   Writing mode

   Handwritten

   Writing script

   Roman script

   Informant

   • Pádruig Mac Domhnaill