School: Cill Mhuire (C.), Oileán Ciarraí (roll number 10395)

Location:
Kilmurry, Co. Kerry
Teacher:
Máiréad Pléimeann
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0449, Page 106

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0449, Page 106

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  1. XML School: Cill Mhuire (C.), Oileán Ciarraí
  2. XML Page 106
  3. XML “The Black Thief and the Steed of Bell”

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  1. (continued from previous page)
    After some days they arrived at their destination, and were cautiously approaching the stable, when the steed rang the bells.
    They were immediately captured by the guards and were brought before the Knight the following day for trial. They were found guilty, and immediate death by his fire was the penalty.
    The fires were in the making for the disposal of their bodies when the Black Thief requested the Knight of Glen to set the eldest boy free if he could tell him a story proving that he was as near to death one time himself.
    The Knight of Glen agreed, and the Black Thief began:-
    I was poor and in want of money as I am now. I heard of the death of a very rich man who had his gold buried with him, as I decided that I would try and get it.
    One night I went to a churchyard and dug up a newly buried corpse. I deposited the body in a dark corner of the graveyard where the rich gentleman was buried. This night I dressed the corpse in my own clothes and put him standing up on the wall of the church.
    They guards who were minding the body
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Folktales index
    AT0953: The Old Robber Relates Three Adventures
    Language
    English
    Informant
    Thomas Fleming
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Doolaig South, Co. Kerry