Pisreoga
“If your nose is itchy you are going to fight.”
CBÉ 0265
If you kill a swallow the cows will milk blood.
The Main Manuscript Collection
This collection includes every aspect of the Irish oral tradition. More information
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Jack the Giant Killer
CBÉ 0190
Jack the giant killer. Jack was a powerful man, he was seven or eight feet high. When he was twenty years of age he went off in search of his fortune. There was a giant lived in a certain part of the country and he was an awful man. He used to kill people and eat them, and nobody could get rid of him. There was a sum of money offered to anybody who would kill him Jack said to himself that he would have a try at him. So he went the night to the giants' castle and said he wanted lodging for the night. The giant, of course gave him lodging, because he wanted to kill him and have a feed on him sometime. Jack was given
(no title)
“Soon after the troubles in Wexford during "Nintety Eight" as the sheriff of the county and a few other...”
CBÉ 0220
opposite colours , so they argued for a long time until about after a half an hour or so the chap thought of himself again and the load of hay and he jumps up up and says "oh me father me father' ll kill me if they don't come quick." "O Sit down on that" said the ould man "what about yer ould father won't the lads be here in a few minutes." So the chap sat down and drank the tay and ate away for half an hour and got into talking on politics again and after about another hour he jumped up again and shouts out "me father, me father'll kill me." "what about yer ould father" replied the ould man "What about him or where is it" "Oh sure he is under the load of hay" replies the chap.
(no title)
“There was a doctor wan time and he made a bargain with a man...”
CBÉ 0220
There was a doctor wan time and he made a bargain with a man, whose wife was sick, that if he'd kill her, or cure her he'd get fifty pounds.
The Doctor attended her for a while but the woman died. The doctor came along and demanded his money. The man did want to pay. "Didn't you make the bargain that if you'd kill her or cure her that I was to give you fifty pounds"? says the man. "Yes" says the doctor.
"well, you didn't kill her or cure her" says the man. "She died".
The doctor had to go without anything.
(no title)
“There was a man once and he had an evil eye.”
CBÉ 0221
There was a man once and he had an evil eye. There was no harm in the eye until he was twenty wan years of age. Then it suddenly became bad and it was said that he could kill people with wan look of it. If he didn't kill the people by looking at them it would almost be as bad for they wouldn't have any luck at all. Their horses and cattle would die or something else would happen to them. So he had to keep that eye covered all the time when he began to find out that it wasn't good. But sometimes he would forget himself and take the covering off it and then something awful would happen. Four or five times it happened that he uncovered this eye. One night he was coming home from the town and going full of beer. He was hardly able to walk he was so bad. So he ran down in the ditch and rested for
Farmer and Three Sons
CBÉ 0265
& sent him home so Tom said to the mother "Kill me the cock & bake me the cake & I'll go seek my fortune so she asked him which would he have the half of it with her blessing or the whole of it with her curse so he said he would have the whole of it with her curse so she got out on top of the ditch & he going away "My curse go high & my curse go low & my curse go with you wherever you go" & he went until he came to this little bridge so he met the same fate as Bill so Jack, Jack was the youngest says "Bake me the cake Mother & kill me the cock & I'll go seek my fortune" & Jack took half the cock & half the cake with her blessing & the mother got out on top of the ditch & she says "My blessing go
Long Story - Jack and the Giants
CBÉ 0460
from the pocket of the overcoat with the dagger in his hand: "Steady me mon, Sure you're not going to kill a woman Kill me if you are able!"
The giant laughed at him & said: "You're a very plucky little man you'll be wonderful when you'll grow big"
"I'm as big now as ever I'll be", says Jack
They made peace again anyhow, and their two went and ate their supper, and went off to bed.
When morning came the giant got up and the first thing he did was to go and see if Jack was alright in his box; and he was. He called his mother to get up and get his breakfast, that he should go off to fight the soldiers today again.
She wasnt long getting up and preparing the breakfast for him and Jack got up and ate his too. Like the day before Jack got into the pocket of his overcoat and went off the help him kill the soldiers. This day the giant was damn hard set, so begob Jack went
The Bad Times
CBÉ 0189
milk in a bottle, and the cake in his pocket; and he said they'd ate it by degrees on the way. If he ate it al together 'twould kill him. The people used pluck nettles and ate them that time.The nettles used kill 'em too in the end.
Black Dog
CBÉ 0189
Down near Carrigbyrne a big black dog used be seen every night at the same hour. There was an ould man living there and he used see him every night. The ould man thought that it was some dog prowling around looking to kill sheep or ate eggs or kill fowl, so he decided this night that he'd shoot him. This night he hid inside his own barn door with a gun ready. 'Twasn't long 'til the dog came into the yard. He raised the gun to fire, but his two hands fell helpless to his side, and the gun fell on the ground. In that instant the dog disappeared. The man always believed after that that it was the devil was in it.I always heard that you should never interfere with anything that doesn't interfere with you, especially in the nighttime.
Go and Kill a Hussian for Yourself
CBÉ 0220
was too superior with the pike and soon the horse received a prod that brought him down rider and all and soon the rider was down never to rise again.
There was a general uproar and a rush commenced, but the commander shouted to the men to keep their ranks. "That yeomen" said he tempted his fate our enemy only acted in self-defence, and if he doesn't insult this fallen yeomen let him go about his business. Soon the croppy was stooped down and he raiding the yeoman's pockets like wan man when in comes a comrade of his and he asking for a share in the plunder "Oh its all damn fine" said the first croppy "Go and kill a Hussian for yourself."
That sayin' is used still. For instance if wan chap found a cherry tree laden with cherries and another chap comes and starts eating them the first chap says "Hey go and kill
An Tarbh Breac
CBÉ 0463
on his back again and hold on tightly. All happened as the bull had told him. The Queen was so anxious to see the bull killed that she came out to the stable to see the deed done. She stood in the doorway with a hand on each jamb.
Just as the butcher drew the knife to kill the bull, the bull turned, put his horn through him, the boy jumped on his back - the bull made through the doorway, stuck his two horns in the Queen, tossed her up in the air and she fell down dead. The bull made for the mountains with the boy on his back. Having reached the mountains the bull told him that the time had come when they should part. He told him that he was to kill him but this the boy refused to do. Then he told him that by killing him he was doing him a good 'turn' - that by some magic power he was changed into a bull but that he would regain
(no title)
“There was two youngsthers at wan time, a boy, an a girl.”
CBÉ 0485
They was movin' away anyway, for they saw no use in heedin' the little man any longer, when they heard a sthir among the bushes, an' presently a great wild boar appeared, an' he made sthraight for the little man. The little man when he saw him, began to scream an' shout at the top of his voice, for he knew that the boar was comin to kill him. "Kill them two" he shouted to him pointin to the young boy, an' girl. The boar never heeded his screamin however, only stharted to nose round him, an' he was jusht goin bitin his head off, when what aught to come boundin' along but a great wolf-hound. The wolf-hound jumped on the boar, an' in a second the pair o' them was fightin for life, an' death, but in the end the boar was overcome, an' the wolf-hound killed him. The little man was jusht goin ta sthart scoldin the wolf hound for not comin sooner, an' allowin him to get such a fret, when the wolf hound turned on himsel', an' before the little man had time to say anymore, he ripped his head off.
The little boy an' girl ran back to see the lasht o' the little man, but no sooner had the breath left the little joker, than the wolf hound was
(no title)
“When the Danes were here in Ireland they would make wine out of the heath. ”
CBÉ 0190
other man went and killed the Danes son. "Now" says he to the Dane, "you can give me your secret". "No", says the Dane, "you can kill me now and you'll never get the secret".
Woman and Three Daughters
CBÉ 0265
There was a woman & she had 3 daughters & the eldest said that she would go off to seek her fortune. "Very good" said her mother "I will kill you a cock & make a cake & you can go off & seek your fortune". She made the cake & killed the cock & she started off. On the road she sat down to eat her lunch & a robin came up the road & began to pick the crumbs. She says to this robin "Go to hell" & when she was finished she stooped down to get a drink but
Woman's Escape
CBÉ 0265
in Kyle where the herring man was killed. They put her to sleep & in the middle of the night she heard them going in and out & then she heard them saying that they had all ready now for to kill her so she got out and ran over along the road until she met a man with a horse & car & she asked him to save her. He put her into the car & covered her up with sacks & when the others came & asked him did he see a woman passing he said "No" & they went on along the road.
Landlord
CBÉ 0485
Sandford was a severe Landlord and had little respect for Catholics. Any man found pourching on his demesne was taken into Court where a severe sentence was passed on him for such a slight offence, for slight it was in the sight of God or man - to kill a hare or rabbit for food when his-
Long Story - Jack and the Giants
CBÉ 0460
lay down on the grass to rest himself quite satisfied with himself, saying that he was a right now. While he lay resting himself Jack slipped away back and crept into the coat again.
After a while the giant said he would go & get his coat and go home. As soon as he arrived home he met his mother and she crying
"What's wrong with you mother?" says the giant.
"Oh" says she, the little man we had last night is gone away, and I'm tried looking for him everywhere. Im sure he must be drowned in a cow track or something"
"If anything has happened to him remember I'll kill you, although you are me mother" says he.
The poor woman began to cry and said she couldnt help it for when she went to look in the box he was gone.
Begob the giant got very mad and he was just pullling out his sword to kill his mother when out jumps Jack 
(no title)
“I was jusht thinkin o' alittle short sthory since ye war here lasht...”
CBÉ 0485
o' her, but no kill, an' in the evenin' she'd disappear into the cabin.
Well this day anyway there came a sthrange young huntsman wit them, an' they had the usual day's sport plenty o' huntin' but no kill, an' in the evenin' the hare disappeared from them in the usual way. The young huntsman when he saw that, knew that there was somekind o' a thrick in the way the hare got on, so the nexht time he came huntin' he brought a black hound wit him, for it was always believed that black hounds, had more power over thricky hares than greyhounds.
He ruse the hare is usual, an' had a good hunt, but it was plain to be seen comin on evenin' that the black hound was gettin the betther o' the hare for she was very spent, an' when she got is far is the cabin she made a jump in on the winda. The hound was very close to her at the time, an' jusht is she was disappearin' he caught her be the skut, an' pulled it off her.
The huntsman went inta the house ta thry an' find her but all that was ta be seen was an ould woman sittin at a spinnin' wheel.
He didn't throw any heed on her at firsht only looked round the house for the hare, an' when he couldn't-
(no title)
“When the Danes were here in Ireland they would make wine out of the heath. ”
CBÉ 0190
When the Danes were here in Ireland they could make wine out of the heath. The Irish people of course would have liked very much to find out the secret but they couldn't get it from the Danes. There is a story told that after the battle of Clontarf, all the Danes that escaped went on board their ships or boats and set sail for their own land, but there were two of them left behind, the only two danes in the country. A father and a son. Some man got on very friendly terms with them and asked them to give him the secret about making the wine. They said the couldn't give it so this man got mad and said he would get the secret sooner or later. "Well", says the old Dane, "you kill my son and I'll give you the secret." The 
(no title)
“There was a king wan time and had three sons.”
CBÉ 0221
in it.""Well" says the boy won't they kill me if I have to pass through this wood?" "No they will not" says the old man "I will give you two loaves of bread and throw it to them when you see them coming and they won't harm you." The old man then went inside and he got the two loaves of bread and gave them to the king's son He thanked the old man very much and then he set out on his journey. He travelled on until it was about five oclock in the evening and then he saw a great big wood in front of him. He knew then that this must be the wood that he must go through. So he started off down through it. He hadn't gone twenty yards when two big wolves came for him like lightening with their tongues out over their under teeth and