School: Baile Dubh (2), (B.)
- Location:
- Ballyduff, Co. Waterford
- Teacher: Seán Ó Murchadha
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0634, Page 420
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- (continued from previous page)When horses are coming into a ditch you must raise them with the reins but if you raised The Van Boy he would fall. You should always leave the reins down on his neck when he was going over a fence. He was such a good horse that they composed a song about him. In the parish of Conna not far from Fermoy, There was in my school days a horse named Van Boy
He was bred not for racing but drawing a big van and that's how the history of the Van Boy began
He hauled a bread van around the country for years until one day he stopped and laid down both his ears.
As if saying to his driver "I've blood and some pride,
I am no more a Van horse than famed Lady Bride.
The driver at once to his instincts did bow
And the Van Boy was sold to a farmer to plough
He was then groomed and cantered and taught how to fence
And down by the Blackwater his(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Master Laurence Farrell
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Marshtown, Co. Cork
- Informant
- Mrs Farrell
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Marshtown, Co. Cork
