School: Cromadh (B.)

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   “Gilligín Gabhair = (? Gligín Geamhair) = Cuckoo-pint or Wild Arum = also locally "Weasel-poison" and I think it was to the scarlet berries of this plant that in my native place (Tiob. Ár) was applied the name "Whitten berries".”

   

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   of the deadly nature of the poison of those berries was made on me in my youth, that to this day I have a certain reluctance to meddle with them.

   It was in "Casting about" for corroboration of the name Gilligín Gabhair that I got the name "Weasel poison". Anthony Kavanagh of Croom, aged about 35 that furnished me with that. He explained it by saying that when a boy, his mother used to frighten him off touching the scarlet berries of this plant by telling him that if he did so the weasels would come through the keyhole at night and punish him. That threat was quite sufficient to guarantee non interference on Anthony's part, with the luscious looking berries.

   Again, I got the lads at school to ask their parents for the home-name of the wild arum. In two cases, between which there was no possible connection, the parents called the plant "Ladyfingers" and in one other case, I was informed by a boy that the berries of the plant poison weasels. (The presumption for me is that weasels eat it). There was therefore obviously some connection between this plant and the weasel in the local tradition, but I have not been able to get farther with it.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

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2. (no title)

   “Lá éigin le déidheannaighe dá raibh bean aimsire ag obair nár dtighne, bios ag féachaint uirthi ag déanamh císte aráin.”

   

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   La eigin le deidheannaighe da raibh bean aimsire ag

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   Irish