School: Gort Sceithe (roll number 13062)

Location:
Gortskehy, Co. Mayo
Teacher:
Tomás Ó Cléirigh
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0105, Page 224

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0105, Page 224

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  3. XML “The Gold Fish”

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  1. (continued from previous page)
    like to tell her but she begged so much that at last he had to tell her. All at once the house turned into a very poor house again because he had told what had made the house so beautiful.
    The man went to the fish again and told it that he had to tell the wife because she begged of him so hard to tell her. The fish told the man to go home again and that he would find his house very beautiful. The man went back home and found the house once more beautiful.
    Again the wife begged of him to tell her what made the house so beautiful, and she begged him so much that he had to tell her. As soon as he had told her the house turned into the poorest house you ever saw.
    This time when the fish heard the news he cut himself into six pieces of gold. He told the man to take them and give two pieces of them to his wife, and that she should have two golden boys in the morning; to give two other pieces to the horse and that she would have two golden foals; to sow the other two pieces of gold and two golden flowers would grow out of them.
    When morning came the wife had two golden boys; the horse had two golden young horses; and two golden flowers had grown where the two pieces of gold had been sown.
    Whenever any of the flowers faded there was something wrong with one of the boys. When the flowers were lively and healthy the boys were safe.
    One morning, when one of the boys was going to work, he heard a dog barking. He picked up a stone and threw it at the dog. That moment a woman took a magic wand and struck
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Tomás Ó Cléirigh
    Gender
    Male
    Occupation
    Múinteoir
    Address
    Annefield, Co. Mayo