School: St Peter's, Phibsboro

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1. Strange Animals (continued)

   

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   known as the 'Loll Leech'. I give a phonetic rendering of the word. I have never seen it in print, and I cannot trace its origin.

   A retired National teacher told me that the Irish for leech was "Gardablinge". Nicholas Campbell was the teacher referred to. He taught in Broomfield N.S. and died in 1917 aged about 75. He had no written knowledge of Irish and the word given is a phonetic rendering.

   
   Eels:-

   Very many people in Farney district would not eat an eel as they look upon eels as carrion. They say that eels feed on the carcases of dead animals. Others somewhat partial to eels, while not contradicting this belief, hold that there is only one species of eel which feeds on decayed animal matter, namely the yellow bellied eel while the white bellied eel is clean in his feeding habits and can be eaten with safety.

   
   Large Eels:-

   The largest fresh water eel caught in the Broomfield district measured over five feet in length. He was caught by Peter Callan of Taplagh in a bog on his land about 1904. People who saw the dead eel say he had a slight mane of red hair. This story may have been exaggerated. It shows

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. gníomhairí (~1)
      1. seanchas ainmhithe (~1,185)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Séamus Breathnach

   Gender

   Male