1. dúchas.ie
  2. An Príomhbhailiúchán Lámhscríbhinní

An Príomhbhailiúchán Lámhscríbhinní

Cuimsíonn an bailiúchán seo gach gné de thraidisiún béil na hÉireann. Breis eolais

Scag na torthaí

Torthaí

120 toradh

  1. (gan teideal)

    “There was once a man and he was in league with the fairies.”

    CBÉ 0221

    There was once a man and he was in league with the fairies. It was a farmer, and the people used to wonder how he could get so much work done. The man employed a man to do anything, he was always able to do the work of the farm by himself. One time there was a man went to him and asked him would he cut a field of corn of him. He said that he would go over on the following day and cut it. When the next day came the man didnt turn up and the man who owned the field waited another day thinking he would turn up the next day. But the next day came and he didn't turn up, and he went to the man's house and asked the man was he goin to come at all.

  2. (gan teideal)

    “There was a rath in a certain place wan time...”

    CBÉ 0221

    him that they weren't a bit foolish, but they told him that if he went into it he would be twice as foolish. He said that he would certainly go into it, and that nothing ever would harm hum They told him that they would like to see him go into it. "Very good" says he so he went off down to the rath, and and it was in the night-time. He walked into it and he started whistling just to show the people that he didn't care much for the fairies, and also to make them believe that he was in the rath. The people were listening to him about forty yards away from the rath and soon they noticed that the whistling stopped all off a sudden. Not long after this he came out of the rath and he never spoke a word to

  3. (gan teideal)

    “I was another night out for a walk...”

    CBÉ 0221

    lot of chaps there that knew well, as they were going to school with me. I remember it well I was there for two hours from ten o'clock to twelve and I never noticed the time passing they were threshing with the light of the moon for it was a beautiful night. When twelve o clock came I started out for home and I was afraid of my life. There wasn't a chap of the whole number of them going my way and you may bet the state I was in. I came along anyway and everything was in my mouth fairies goblins Ghosts Banshees and everything else. Anyway about ten minutes walk to my own home I heard a great noise behind me. It was the sound as if there were two horses trotting side by side and then I also thought I heard

  4. (gan teideal)

    “There was a man and his wife and their six months old child living ...”

    CBÉ 0221

    that the child was gone. Herself and her husband were in an awful state then and they didn't know what to do about it. They went to the priest and he told them that the child would come back to them in nine days. The priest said that he himself would say Mass for her and told herself to pray also. So the priest prayed, and herself and her husband prayed and when the nine days were up, the child came back to them. It was found in the cradle that morning, but it was greatly disfigured. Its face was turned around and its nose was terrible crooked and it could hardly eat anything. After a few months however the child got better and finally it got allright. They say that if the fairies won't leave a changeling in the place of the child they will return the child after nine days.

  5. Stop Horse in Gap to Get Back Son

    CBÉ 0265

    One time there was a young man named Reilly of [Cristnacole?] taken away by the fairies in the middle of the night & he used be riding horses through the fields every night so she went to a witch & the witch told her to stand in a gap that the horses used be going out through & catch him by the leg & cling on to him & she would get him so she went & tried this plan at the gap but she missed her grab & she lost him. After a few nights she got a boy & told him all about it - he was a great chum of his so he went off to the gap & stopped in the gap & the horses was coming to it & he seen his chum on the horse & he sprung off the ditch & caught him by the leg & held him & brought him home but he leg for several years in the bed after

  6. (gan teideal)

    “Once upon a time there was a nurse and her name was Mrs Mary Kelly of Tichnock.”

    CBÉ 0265

    threw the child into the fire so the girl said "How much money am I to give you for your labour" "Oh" says Miss Kelly "I'll take nothing." "Oh" she says "you must take something. You'll have to take a bit of a green ribbon from me." "I won't" says Miss Kelly "Oh take it for a keepsake" so she took the piece of a green ribbon & she came on down & got into the carriage so they were driving out a mile of the road down this avenue when the driver said to her "Did you take anything from them. "Yes" says she "I took a bit of a green ribbon." "Did you take money." "Oh no" she said. "Well it's a good job for you & me for the last 15 yrs I am would the fairies &

  7. Raheen Story

    CBÉ 0265

    About 50 yrs ago there was a man passing a rath in Knocknaboley about 2 o'c in the night looking for a sow. He saw a sow and 9 boneens in the rath so he went to hunt the sow but the sow wouldn't move only grunt at him so a whole lot of little men came round and they said "Leave that sow there thats not your sow. Thats our sow." "Your liar" he says to the fairies "thats my sow" so one fellow said "I'll give you one chance more and if you don't go away the sow will eat you" so the sow said to him "go away good man." "Its time to go now" says he "when the sow is speaking" so he went home and he and another

  8. Raheen Story

    CBÉ 0265

    man was ploughing in the field next to the rath next day and says the other man Jack Byrne to him "there is no such thing as fairies." "There is" says he "because I was looking for the sow the other night and I seen a sow and 9 boneens in it". "Ah go out that man there is no such thing. If they don't leave bread and butter there for me I'll plough up the rath." "Don't do any such thing. There is a rath there and the good people are in it." So begor they came around and in the rath there was a table cloth spread out and bread and butter and cheese and currant cake and every class there so "Now" says he to Byrne will you ate it but no begor they wouldn't ate it. They ploughed around the field

  9. The Hare, Lion, Eagle and Spider

    CBÉ 0265

    cut it." "Oh cut it" says she "you'ld never get to open the knot so Jack cut the hair and when she got down she was a fine girl. "Now Jack you'll have to come down along with me. Bring your master's horse" says she "and I'll let it out on the avenue" says she "and it'll go home itself." So Jack brought the horse down to the avenue and the lady let it out and the horse went home alright. "Now Jack" says she "I'm taken with the fairies here and you'll have to do 3 things and if you are able to do them 3 things you'll relieve me." "Well if I can do 'em" says Jack "I will". "First" says she "tonight you'll be cut up into bits with a hatchet and you'll be burned into ashes" says she " and be nailed to the wall and Jack" says she "I'll be able

  10. Digging for Gold

    CBÉ 0460

    not to mind the soldier in the least but to carry on with his work the very same as if the soldier wasn't there at all. Then he said to himself that he was an awful fool to mind the soldier at all. Well he said to himself that he would no more the next time and wouldn't mind him at all. When all the boys heard him saying this they said to themselves that it would be a good idea to tell him that there was gold in another place. They weren't long finding out. They went to the oldest man in the neighbourhood and asked him where did any gold ly. The old man told him several stories about gold being buried in various places. He said that he knew of it being buried in a field where there was a lone bush and in another where it was covered with a large stone. Then he said that the gold buried where the lone bush was, was guarded by the fairies but that the

  11. Digging for Gold

    CBÉ 0460

    gold buried underneath the stone was guarded by a soldier. The boys all then said to themselves that it would be much easier to act wan soldier than to act a lot of fairies. So they set about preparing for the great night. Wan night they went to the spot where the gold was supposed to be and they dug a hole about three or four yards away from it. This hole was about four feet in depth and about three feet in breadth. This was supposed to be the hiding place of the soldier. Not long after this the great night came along and wan of the boys went to the nearest public house and got fairly well shot with whiskey and then he went to the place where the money was supposed to be and got down in the hole that was made a few nights before that and there was a covering of grass that had been carefully made the night before and he pulled this over him and

  12. Treasure

    CBÉ 0460

    There was a fellow by the name of Daley and he was going Carro' to Taghmon wan night and he was put astray by the fairies. What ever way he was brought away he found himself in Rath na gCuoireach, but he didn't know where he was. He went into a house anyway and there was no wan it but an old woman sitting by the fire. She welcomed him and told him to sit down and take a hate to the fire. He sat down and whatever look he gave around he saw a little room off the kitchen and 'twas full up of gold. He said something to the woman: "Begob that's a fine room of gold" or something like that. "Musha", says she, "what good is it to me!" Wasn't it very blind

  13. Irish Words and Phrases

    CBÉ 0189

    a lot of children that would be a Cith Cá. Also at weddings money used be thrown up amongst poor people; that was also called a "Cith Cá".
    "Luchán" The smallest baneen (banbh) in a litter is called a "luchán" (in Cork it is called the "iochtair")
    "Wuingeán (whuingeán)" a very delicate child, also name given to a child left by the fairies in exchange of the right one (In Cork the name is "Íarlais")
    "Screet a' mhadair" = "Son of a bitch"

  14. (gan teideal)

    “There was a family lived in Kilquawn by the name of Cardiff...”

    CBÉ 0190

    she was mad but anyhow they did as she ordered. The coulter was put down in the churn and there was a great roar and a bawl and a little black fellow jumped out of the churn and ran out in the door, and away like a shot out of a gun. They put the lid on the churn again and started to work and it wasn't long until they had plenty of butter.
    It was said that the fairies used be taking all the butter in the locality. A lot of the very best of butter sued be seen in the raths and the fairy butter would be seen stuck on posts and walls all around the farm houses.

  15. (gan teideal)

    “There is another story told of a man who was always drinking.”

    CBÉ 0221

    public house. They remained there for a long time and then the other man went home and left Tom Grady by himself in the house for the simple reason that he couldn't get him out of it.
    Tom stopped in the public house until he was chucked out of it, and then he was hardly able to walk. He strolled along anyhow and didn't know where he was going and he didn't care much either. He was singing away for himself merrily and didn't mind where he was going until he stumbled into a rath or fort where the fairies live. There was a big mound in the centre of the rath, and Tom sat down on it to rest himself. He fell asleep and after a few minutes he was awakened by a great noise, and looking up he saw a great crowd of little fellows all around

  16. (gan teideal)

    “There is another story told of a man who was always drinking.”

    CBÉ 0221

    The strange man took off his cap and then Tom saw that he had a pair of horns on him. He got some fright then I'm telling you. Anyhow he played away and he found that he was winning. He had surely two or three pounds won off the strange man in about an hour. Then begor the luck turned and Tom began to lose, and he never stopped till he had lost all the money he had in his possession. The it was nearly daybreak. Tom got up and went home and then he got fairly sober. I'm telling you when he got home his wife was up and you may swear that he got a bit of a reading.
    Tom went to the priest soon after this and told him all he was after going through between ghosts, fairies and black men. The priest told

  17. (gan teideal)

    “There was a family of people living in Galbally by the name of Laffan...”

    CBÉ 0221

    passed by the strange spot the very same as if something had happened.
    Some of the old folk say that it was the fairies that was passing that time & on their way back to their rath or fort and they generally go back just before cock crow every morning. There is something curious about horses for they can always see there things before a human being.
    There was a man lived in Galbally one time and it was believed that he had something to do with the good people. He was called the fairy man. Some people say that he was a fairy changeling. He was only a small man but he could do as much work as five or six men. He was one day sent out to cut a ditch of briars

  18. (gan teideal)

    “There was a family of people living in Galbally by the name of Laffan...”

    CBÉ 0221

    time they heard him and he saying "Easy boys Easy boys". So then they knew that it was fairies that were helping him. The man who told me these stories said that he was one day coming home with a load of straw he was after getting in a certain farmer's place. He said that the load was everywhere except on the car. He met this fairy man on the road and told ty one of the ropes as it was after getting loose. He did so, and the fairy went on his way. Then this man with the load got down off it to have a look at it and he said a person would swear it was built in a model.
    This old man also told me, John Dillon is his name. that he went into the house

  19. (gan teideal)

    “There was a cobbler wan time and it was said he was a fairy man.”

    CBÉ 0221

    fall out mended.
    This man was sent out wan day to stack oats and it was a fairly big field and he had it all stacked at dinner time. About one hundred stacks made. Nobody could believe it at all that he could do so much work, but some of the old people shook their heads and knew well enough that it wasn't himself that done all the work at all.
    He was another day and he went to the sand pit for a load of sand and when he was coming home the horse wouldn't draw the load up some certain hill. So he unnyoked the horse and tied him to the ditch, and then he called upon the fairies and they came in the next whirlwind, as they cannot travel without it and they got behind the ear and they shoved it up the hill and he had the shafts and

  20. (gan teideal)

    “It is surprising what stories one hears...”

    CBÉ 0221

    nothing to do with their places of abode.
    There is another story told of a man who cut down all the trees on a fairy rath and all the bushes that were growing there as well. About a week afterwards he got a great lightness in his head and then he got pains all over his body and he sent for the doctor and he came and when he examined him he found nothing the matter with him, but the man told him that there was everything the matter with him. He got all weak and pined away and the doctor did all in his power for him and it was no use. Not long after this he died and and the, the doctor couldn't make out what he died of.
    So it is very unlucky to have anything to do with fairies.