School: Port Omna (B) (roll number 2174)
- Location:
- Portumna, Co. Galway
- Teacher: Seán Ó Broin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0057, Page 0152
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- About sixty years ago, the town of Portumna was the scene of a marriage between a poor girl names Mary Coen, and a millionaire named Miller.
Mary Coen's father - a cobbler lived in abbey St, in the house now occupied by J. J. Hogan Publican. He had three sons and one daughter. Mary when still very young often went to Lahinch Bog and helped her father with the turf cutting. One evening when returning from the bog, she encountered a number of gipsies who were camping in a wood near Belleisle - at present the residence of Major Waller. One of the vagrants offered to tell Mary Coen her fortune. Among other things, she told her that she would meet a certain man on the Bridge that night; if she answered his salute - her fortune would be made, if she passed without answering, she would miss her chance in life.
Now, at this time, a wealthy gentleman from England named Miller, had come for the fishing season and was staying in a house in Clonfort Avenue, now owned by Mr Joseph O' Mara. As the gipsies had foretold, Mary Coen met this gentleman on the Bridge on the night in question(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Bertie Mulcahy
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Portumna, Co. Galway
- Informant
- John Mulcahy
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 56
- Address
- Portumna, Co. Galway
