School: Lisball
- Location:
- Lisball, Co. Cavan
- Teacher: S. Doherty
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1010, Page 030
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- XML “Legend of the Cailleach Gargan”
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- (continued from previous page)The stone on which St Patrick is supposed to have knelt, when he hurled the holy water brush at the monster was shown in the dist till some years ago, when it was wantonly destroyed.The imprint of his TOE AND KNEE is said to have been deeply outlined in the stone.
Some miles from Moybolge is the sacristy wall of Clannaphilip Church, there is the sculptured head of a wrinkled old woman, which is claimed to represent the Cailleach Gargan.Among the pictures which covered the walls of the famous "Painted Parlour" of Quilca, which existed at the time of Dean Swift, there was one which was supposed to represent this female monster.The paintings were the work of a London Artist and scene decorator named Lewis, who worked for the Sheridan family. A visitor to Quilca in 1852 described the legend as it was then told to him.According to the narrative the body of the "Gargan Maw" (?) was buried in the "Mound of Moybullagh." Where like an over-fed Esquimaux (?) she reposes after the toil of her carnivorous achievements.Whatever may have been the origin of this story, which has come down through the centuries, it still remains in vivid local memory. It is fairly evident that the legend of St Patrick's visit to Moybolge is as definite as evidence of such a nature can ever be.
