1. dúchas.ie
  2. The Schools' Collection
  3. Tuairín Árd

School: Tuairín Árd (roll number 14078)

Location:
Tooreenard, Co. Kerry
Teacher:
Liam Ó Murchadha
Browse
Mode:
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0450, Page 019

Archival Reference

The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0450, Page 019

Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.

See copyright details.

Download

Open data

Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

  1. XML School: Tuairín Árd
  2. XML Page 019
  3. XML “The Thankless Mother”

Note: We will soon deprecate our XML Application Programming Interface and a new, comprehensive JSON API will be made available. Keep an eye on our website for further details.

On this page

  1. The Thankless Mother (continued)

    Share Share Post
    (continued from previous page)
    He awoke the third time and said "I have dreamt like I dreamt before. "I must go to them at any cost.
    Getting up, man and wife they prepared for the road. On and on they went until they came to the rock. He found the "slaitín ruadh" where he dreamt. He caught it and hit the rock, and out it jumped out of the (cave) mouth of the cave.
    The post-man says to the wife. "Tis better for you "stay above". "Indeed then I wont", says she, I'll go down along with you.
    Down they went. He found his belt and sword where he dreamt of them. He put on his belt and handled his sword. The giant heard him, and appeared with his sword in his hand. "Who is that", says the ould mother appearing. "My God" says she, how did he get his sight.
    "Come", said the giant, "are you fit to fight". "Yes," said the post boy. The welting took place and every stroke the giant was drawing a bit of his sword was flying. At length the post boy drew a stroke that nearly cut him from ear to ear.
    "Spare me my life, said the giant, "as I spared yours. "Yes said his wife but pick out his two eyes. No sooner said than done and the giant was stone blind.
    "Come, said his wife to the post boy, make ribbons of that ould mother of yours. He slashed her to pieces.
    The two were drawing gold and diamonds out of the cave until they were tired, and if they weren't happy that we may and when they were drinking bogwater may we be drinking tay.
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    History Edit
    Folktales index
    AT0461: Three Hairs from the Devil's Beard
    AT0590: The Prince and the Arm Bands
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Liam Ó Murchadha
    Gender
    Male
    Occupation
    Teacher
    Address
    Knocknagashel, Co. Kerry
    Informant
    Michael Doody
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    68
    Occupation
    Oibrí
    Address
    Ahaneboy, Co. Kerry