School: Cluain Meacan (roll number 11451)
- Location:
- Cloonmackon, Co. Kerry
- Teacher: Liam Ó Catháin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0407, Page 144
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“In olden times during the winter months it was a great practice for men to go out at night torching for birds while they were asleep in the hedges.”
(continued from previous page)When they arrived in the wood they lighted the torch and went up to a hedge where they expected to find birds sleeping. They examined the hedge and saw two blackbirds sleeping on a branch, one of the men raised his stick to strike the birds and as soon as he did this the torch suddenly went out. The torch was lit again but the birds could not be seen on the branch. The men went to another tree and were just going to strike at a bird when the same thing happened. They lit the torch again and came on to a holly bush and examined it. They saw a thrush asleep near the top. One of the men put one leg on the ditch on which the bush was growing and was about to strike the bird, when a naked man appeared within the bush and shouted "ná bhuail ná bhuail". The torch went out again and the men ran away frightened. They were going astray all night until morning.
- Informant
- Thomas Halpin
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 38
- Address
- Dromin, Co. Kerry