School: Tobar Pheadair (roll number 4789)
- Location:
- Peterswell, Co. Galway
- Teacher: P.S. Ó Muireadhaigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0059, Page 0553
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- (continued from previous page)One day while he was saying Mass a band of priest-hunters came to the cave. When the people heard them they ran, but the priest continued saying Mass. When he had Mass finished he told the leader to shoot, that he was not afraid. When the captain saw his bravery he told him to go his way.
A little distance from our house there is a wood called Curragh. In the penal days it was a very big wood, but all the trees are cut at the present day. In the middle of that wood there was a hut where a priest lived, with his aunt. He used to go around visiting the sick every day. One day two soldiers strayed into the wood and they saw the hut. After a while one went in to see who lived there, and when he saw the woman he asked for a drink. While he was drinking the water she snapped a sgian on and killed him. Then she hid him in a room. When the man outside saw how long his comrade was inside, he went in to see what was keeping him. When he went in he asked for a drink, she killed him and hid him in the room with his friend. Then she ran off to tell the priest what had happened. When the soldiers saw that their comrades did not return that night, they went out searching for them. The priest and his aunt went off to another part of the country.
