School: Killea (roll number 3219)

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1. Rattlers Hole (continued)

   

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   and Co. Leitrim. It is called "Rattlers Hole" because of a man called "Rattler" who took up his abode there. This man lived by robbing the people in surrounding farmhouses. He used to come out at night and he carried the blade of a scythe with him. At first he used to go into the houses and demand from the people food adn other things such as clothing and money but as times went on the people left them outside the door for him. He lived in this district about the year 1805. When people were building houses then they put very small windows on them especially on the back so that "Rattler" could not force an entrance. On the outside of the window sills (back and front) of the house in which I live there were iron bars which reached three-quarter ways up the window. These were pointed at the top and there was one cross bar about half way up. There were seven of them on the back windows and five on the front. These were to ensure safety against "Rattler'. When one goes beside the hole some people say that one will hear the robber or his ghost rattling below in it. This noise resembles the croacking

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Location

   Sraduffy, Co. Leitrim

   Collector

   Brigid Mc Gourty

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Lugasnaghta, Co. Leitrim

   Informant

   Owen Regan

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Glenkeel, Co. Leitrim