School: Cúl Chaonaig (Coolkenney) (roll number 14631)

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1. The Old Story (continued)

   

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   a long space into a grand palace.
   It was all electric lights. She looked at him and at the woman in bed. She thought her eyes never beheld anything more beautiful than the both. When the child was born she washed and dried it. The man gave her a box of ointment to rub all over the child and told her for all sakes not to let it touch her own skin. He gave her a basin of water to wash and dry her hands clean. While dressing the child she scratched one of her eyes with her finger and the ointment touched it. When she looked at them with that eye they looked the ugliest old hags that ever were seen child and all. And when she looked at them with the other eye they were more than beautiful. The man said to her "you're finished now I'll leave you home". He put his hand in his pocket and gave her a sovereign. When she looked at it with the other eye it was an ivy leaf. Out they went and the white steed was an old wooden plough. He left her home and she did not tell him about her eye, and the castle was not twenty yards from her own house in a rocky hill at Dunmore Culdaff. She saw him afterwards in Carndonagh and spoke to him.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Anthony Houten

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Culkeeny, Co. Donegal

   Informant

   Patrick Houten

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   Over 60

   Address

   Culkeeny, Co. Donegal