School: Rakeeragil (roll number 11568)
- Location:
- Rakeeragh, Co. Monaghan
- Teacher: P. Murray
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0958, Page 176
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The Curse on the Rush
About the year 1876 I overheard two extremely old women discoursing in the graveyard,surrounding the old parish church of Monaghan,before mass.Seated on an old tombstone the following,Saint Patrick says to his old man Calty Mc Ronan,what are the three greatest virtues of the Gael.And Calty answered Oh Patrick,the Gael has many failings and shortcomings,but they have truth on their lips,honesty in their hearts and disregard death in a faithfight.And Patrick believed that Calty spoke truly for he was surprised to hear such straight outspoken speech,to see so much valuable lost property hanging on the trees and fights to the death.
Now after Patrick prayed and fasted for forty days on Crogh Patrick ,he returned to the foot of the mountain where he tethered his goat and found that it was stolen.The first man he encountered told him a lie and further on he came upon two armed champions arguing like a pair of old women.The saint,losing himself in his indignation exclaimed Is this the people I have done and suffered so much for?And in his anger he called a curse on the land.But scarcely was the curse uttered than the saint fell on his knees in repentance,and calling on God to revoke the curse,as he himself revoked and withdrew it.But an angel of the Lord said to Patrick your curse is recorded and will not be revoked.Thus said St.Patrick let the curse fall on the rushes and since that day a rush could not be found in all the land that has not a withered top on it.
