School: Ballyheedy, Ballinhassig (roll number 15550)
- Location:
- Ballyheedy, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Seán Ó Haonghusa
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0322, Page 214
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“There was a story told in this district once about Fionn Mac Cumhal. ...”
There was a story told in this district once about Fionn Mac Cumhal. A champion from Norway came to test him in a duel. Fionn wanted to see how he would take an insult first, so he dressed up as a baby and went into a big cradle that was in the house.
When the Norwegian came he asked Fionns wife where was Fionn. She said he was out and that there was nobody in the house but herself and the baby. He asked if he could see the baby and she said he could. When he felt the baby's mouth to see if he had teeth, the baby bit his finger off. "He's a hardy baby", he said, "he has teeth anyway." He did not know that the baby was Fionn.
"What do the men here be doing in their spare time?" he said after a while. "You see that big rock", she said "well, they throw it over the house and then run round behind the house and catch it before it touches the ground and throw it back. One man does that." "Oh that's easy", he said, and he went out to test his strength. But when he caught the rock he could not stir it. He was so ashamed that he went away and never came near Ireland again for he was afraid Fionn and the Fianna would laugh at him.
- Collector
- Humphrey Hennessy
- Gender
- Male