School: Lisball
- Location:
- Lisball, Co. Cavan
- Teacher: S. Doherty
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1010, Page 029
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- XML “Legend of the Cailleach Gargan”
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- (continued from previous page)devouring them one by one as they crossed her path.The Saint who was in the vicinity, hearing the tumult and learning the cause, quickly made his way to the spot. Going down on one knee, he hurled his holy water brush in her direction, whereupon she was blown into 4 Quarters, each going in a different direction -- one to Lenanavragh lake, one up in the air, and the other two to respective places in and alongside the roadway leading to Tierwoker, where the present Catholic Church is situated.But the legend has it, that prior to her demise, she pronounced a sort of anathema on the dist in which it was stipulated that when 99 generations of red-haired Gargans crossed the stream on the roadway wherein she lies, she would rise again and destroy the land. So persistent was the belief in this tradition that up to the middle of the last Century, funerals and other processions of people would avoid crossing the particular spot by going into the fields.A strong aversion to crossing it at all, existed in some people's minds up to recent times. At the other place where part of her body is supposed to have been deposited in the townland of Cornaville, and near the Church of Tierworker is a huge dolmen or "Giant's Grave," but the tradition does not connect this dolmen with the Story of this female monster.(continues on next page)
