School: Carrickerry (B.) (roll number 11280)

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1. The Blue Coated Man (continued)

   

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   with golden horns. Jack went away home with the goats and when he had the goats milked, he drove the goats down the mountain. Next morning Jack was awakened by the bellowing of the cows. He was in a great puzzle looking for neighbours to milk them.
   When they were all milked he said that he would not forget to look after the goats. He went down the field but he was not down far when he met the man. He asked Jack to have another game and Jack said he would. They played and the man won it. Jack asked him what would he wish for. The man said to Jack that if he did not find his house in a year and a day and do three jobs his head would come off.
   Next morning Jack bought a horse from a neighbour and set off to look for his house, and he carried a big bag of bread, and he was not gone many miles when he got hungry. He sat down near a well and he ate, and he gave the crumbs to a bird.
   "I know", said the bur[?] bird, "where you are going. Many a man has gone there but has never returned. I have three brothers. One of them is a hundred miles from this and the other is a hundred miles from him, and the other is a hundred miles from him." The bird took out a ball from under her wing, and she told Jack to follow it, and it would stop at the gate of her brothers house so that he might know where it was.
   He went away and the ball stopped at the gate

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Folktales index

   AT0313: The Girl as Helper

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Seán Ó Gráda

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Bauraneag, Co. Limerick

   Informant

   Nóra Sheehy

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   77

   Address

   Bauraneag, Co. Limerick