School: Gortnacart (roll number 15554)

Location:
Gortnacart Glebe, Co. Donegal
Teacher:
León Ó hÚallaigh
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1042, Page 2

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1042, Page 2

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  3. XML “The Curious Looking Rock”

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  1. Long ago the seancuidhthe tell us that in the parish of Ardara there was once a rock, where music could be heard about one oclock every night. The first person who heard this music was a man who lost his sheep. He did not know where to look for the lost one so in searching between rocks he heard this strange music and all at once he saw a stone slab being used as kind of a door. He opened the door and went in and there he saw a lot of fairies singing and one if them was bleating like a sheep. The head fairy asked him what took him here and he said searching for his lost sheep. Then she said that his sheep was a fairy now but that if he wished he could have the fairy home with him. He said that it would be grand to have a fairy that would do all his work besides his wife always bossing him. He took the fairy home with him and killed his wife. It happened to be that there were some witches near the place so one night they transformed the fairy into a witch. When the man got up in the morning he saw the fairy with a sword in his hands trying to him. He ran out of the house but was met by a number of witches that killed him. Then the Landlork who owned the place came to live in it himseld but he had no luck in it. Everything he would to right one day was wrong the next day. He looked about and found a witch up in the thatch in the roof. He tried to kill it but it killed him.
    Every since no one has lived there, and the house has become bollogs since.
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. objects
      1. man-made structures
        1. historical and commemorative structures (~6,794)
    Language
    English
    Informant
    Cassie Gallagher
    Gender
    Female
    Age
    44
    Address
    Doochill North, Co. Donegal