School: Cill Mhuire, Sráid na Cathrach (roll number 13942)

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1. Giants and Witches

   

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   There was a great number of witches in Ireland long ago. They used live in caves and huts. Those witches would change themselves into anything they wished.
   Long ago there was farmer thatching his house by the roadside. He saw a hare coming and a dog after him. He threw his thatching knife at the hare and struck him on the hip. The hare disappeared and the man did not see itself or the knife for the day again. The man had a colt and when he got up next morning he had disappeared. He searched everyplace for him but could not him. After a year an account came to him that his colt was in Roscommon. He went to Roscommon and his hound followed him. When he reached Roscommon he went into the house where the colt was and asked for lodging and got it. After a few hours the woman's son came in and kicked the hound. When the man saw this he said anyone that would strike his hound would strike himself. The boy said he would strike him but his mother made peace between them.
   Then they sat into a supper which the boy's mother had prepared. When the man sat into the table he got the knife at table he threw at the hare the day he was thatching. Next morning the boy told him to bring his hound to a fort near by

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Teresa O' Brien

   Gender

   Female

   Informant

   Mr Patrick Egan

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   84

   Address

   Coillte, Co. an Chláir