School: Carlanstown (roll number 884)
- Location:
- Carlanstown, Co. Meath
- Teacher: Séamus Ó Gérbheannaigh
![The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0708, Page 001](https://doras.gaois.ie/cbes/CBES_0708%2FCBES_0708_001.jpg?width=1600&quality=85)
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0708, Page 001
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- On the road leading from the village of Carlanstown, north of Kells in the County Meath to Ardee in Louth there once -about fifty or sixty years ago-lived an old and very, very unpopular man named Thomas Reilly or as he was more commonly called on account of his extremely uncivil, contrary and altogether obnoxious manner-"Cranky". He was a bachelor and lived with his sister in a large, stone-built, thatched house near the narrow streamlet known locally as the "Ruhen"-or-"An Shrutáin", which I believe is the Irish for - The Stream.
In his younger days this rough-spoken, uncouth individual had been a sailor and many were the yarns he could relate in his good-tempered moments (which were few and far between) of his adventures on the high seas and his many hair-breath escapes from pirates, sea monsters of the most alarming descriptions and the many gallant rescues he accomplished during ship-wrecks on the stormy ocean.
In relating these stories it is said that he used some horrible language and made use of some strange and I am told ugly expressions common to sailors and some of the God-fearing, pious old Irish mothers in the locality often came at night to take home their innocent boys and girls from this old fellow's fire-side; for even though he was a sour, bad-tempered old wretch and most of his hair-raising yarns were inventions still they loved to be listening to his quaint manner of speaking and in some instances ludicrous descriptions of old sea captains, black sailors etc.
He was very superstitious as are all sailors, I suppose(continues on next page)