School: Inis Céin

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1. The Highland Soldier and the Irishman (continued)

   

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   country, so two chaps (locals) who thought they could watch him unnoticed lay in hiding one night near the scene of the apparition. They came to their hiding place about half past nine on a fine Summer's night in order to be before the ghost who they expected would come any minute after ten o clock; they wanted to fine out all they could about his movements, but instead they saw more than they expected. They lay quite still with eyes and ears strained to see or hear any movement of the ghost; they thought every hour was a week. It was coming in to midnight when all of a sudden they saw the "Petticoat crawl over a ditch which was built across the old road some time before that. When he came over the ditch he stood to attention, then he put his musket on his shoulder, and paced up and the old road for about ten minutes. One of the chaps said to the other he is doing sentry over his own dead body which was buried just inside the ditch. Then all of a sudden he again stood to attention, wheeled around in the direction of the watchers and came on straight for about thirty yards, keeping still in their direction, all of a sudden he stopped and putting his musket to his shoulder aimed straight at the two lads who were watching him. The hair stood on their heads and they were for a long time paralysed with fear. They thought for a while that they would have great sport watching the (lad) as they called him and as they were in such cover they were sure he would not see them at all. The ghost kept still aiming at them and when they found out he did not fire they plucked up courage and bolted through a gap which was close at hand

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Séamus Ó Lordáin

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Enniskean, Co. Cork

   Informant

   Peter O' Neill

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   63

   Occupation

   Farmer

   Address

   Ardkitt West, Co. Cork