School: Dromlachan

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   Taken down from Phil McLoughlin, Farmer, aged 55
   townland of Rocullion Parish of Cloone who heard it from the old people.
   Once upon a time there was a man, and he had a son, and when the son grew up the father told him that he would have to earn his own living, and that the best thing he could do was to learn a trade. So the father asked him what trade he'd like and he said he'd like to be a thief. So the father sent him, when he was eighteen years old, to the Black Thief to learn his trade, for the Black Thief was the greatest and "cutest"
   thief in all Ireland. He spent three years with the black thief, and he was a very good pupil, and in the end he was almost as cute as the Black Thief himself.
   When he had his time served with the Black Thief, and was ready to start out for himself, the black thief said he would give him a few final tests before he'd let him go. So one fine sunny day the black thief took the boy out on the side of a hill and at the bottom of the hill they saw a man driving one sheep along an old lane, so the black thief said to the boy, "Would you be

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Folktales index

   AT1525: The Master Thief

   Language

   English

   Collector

   P. Mac Giolla Choinnigh

   Gender

   Male

   Informant

   Phil Mc Loughlin

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   55

   Occupation

   Farmer

   Address

   Racullen, Co. Leitrim