School: Naomh Breandán (B.), Blennerville (roll number 16898)

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   “About the year 1780 there lived in the town of Tralee a celebrated card player.”

   

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   a file of soldiers who would take him off into captivity and death for robbing a gentleman of his gold. He remained in his cabin during the day until encouraged by the curtain of darkness he wandered into the streets again and even went to one of his former haunts to play cards. He was very lucky, he won all the money of his opponents in the game. He returned home late and was very pleased at his good fortune. Now he felt certain that his luck had come and that this gentleman whom he had met on the road was just the landlord who was so drunk that he did not know what he was doing and as well had so much money that he did not know what he would or could do with it all.
   At last the lucky player at cards went to confusion and told the whole story to the Parish Priest who was his confessor. The priest took a very serious view of the contract which the card player had made with the strange midnight gentleman. He found the date for the fulfilment of the contract and accompanied the card player to the trysting place on the specified date. The three men met at the appointed and at once the priest recognised the strange gentleman as the prince of darkness. A fierce struggle ensued between the holy priest and the Devil. He tried to save

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Folktales index

   AT0810: The Snares of the Evil One

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Mícheál Ó Scannaill

   Gender

   Male

   Occupation

   Múinteoir

   Informant

   Mrs Mac Carthy

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   90

   Address

   Upper Castle Street, Co. Kerry