School: St Columba's, Cloonagh, Granard (roll number 12813)

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1. Paddy Kavanagh and His Wife Nancy (continued)

   

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   some mysterious way of enticing the fish, because he could catch a string of fish, when other fishermen could not catch any. It was always noticed, that he never went to fish, but he carried the cripple boy with him, and left him sitting on the shore, while he was out on the lough, and often the neighbours rebuked old Paddy, for leaving the disabled boy exposed to wet and rain & Paddy would only reply that it would only make him strong and hardy.
   Nancy was by no means lazy, she worked for the neighbours around, and each night she returned to their cabin with a puck of potatoes, milk & butter or whatever goods the farmers could afford to give her, in payment for her days work. In this way, Paddy and Nancy were able to support the seven hungry lads, that God was pleased to send them, and of the seven, the cripple was the hardest to feed.
   Every country has its fat and lean years, and none more so than Ireland, with its variable climate
   The potatoe crop that they depended so much on for food failed that year from excessive damp in the beginning when the crop was first sown, and then a long spell of intense heat and drought set in, that baked up the clay and the splits took a dry rot.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Folktales index

   AT0329: Hiding from the Devil

   AT0531: Ferdinand the True and Ferdinand the False

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Mr Joseph Kiernan

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Corbaun or Leitrim, Co. Longford