School: Lathach Barr

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1. A True Story (continued)

   

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   “Come out, Pat, come out” roared all the men, and Pat almost dead with fright, crept out.
   He staggered on under the weight of the corpse until he reached Kiltown Abbey, a turn festooned with ivy, where the brown owl hooted all night long, and the forgotten dead slept around the walls under dense, matted tangles of brambles and ben-weed. No one ever buried there now, but Pats’ tall companions turned into the wild graveyard, and began digging a grave.
   Pat seeing them thus engaged, thought he might once more try to escape, and climbed up into a hawthorn tree in the fence, hoping to be hidden in the boughs. “I’m tired said the man who was digging the grave; here take the spade”, addressing the big man, it’s your turn.” Faith an’ troth [sic] its no my turn “replied he, as before. “There’s Pat Diver in the tree, why wouldn’t he come down and tak’ his turn.”
   Pat came down to take the spade, but just then the cocks began to crow, and the men looked at one another. “We must go” said they, and well it is for you Pat Diver that the cocks crowed, for if they had not you’d just ha’ been bundled into that grave with the corpse.
   Two months passed and Pat had wandered far, and wide over the county Donegal, when he chanced

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Folktales index

   AT2412B: (The Man Who Had No Story)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Nora Gallagher

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Rathtinny Glebe, Co. Donegal

   Informant

   Mr Gallagher

   Relation

   Parent

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   46

   Address

   Rathtinny Glebe, Co. Donegal