School: Abbeytown Convent N.S. (roll number 15043)
- Location:
- Boyle, Co. Roscommon
- Teacher: Sr. M. Columbanus
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0236, Page 091
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- (continued from previous page)split the jackdaw's tongue with a sixpenny bit, it would talk quite distinctly. Tom did so with amazing results. The jackdaw could soon imitate any human voice under the sun. Tom was a noted gambler and every night he used to have the kitchen full of drunken men, card-playing and drinking. Tom used to nearly always win the game and one of the onlookers kept continually shouting "Dang it how he nicks them".
The jackdaw was not long in learning to say this and soon his voice could be heard clearly saying "Dang it how he nicks them" over and over again. Some time afterwards Tom died and the jackdaw was set free. One day himself and some other jackdaws were imprisoned in a barn. Tom's jackdaw hid in the farthest corner so that when the owner of the barn came in he did not notice him at all but began to catch the other jackdaws(continues on next page)
- Informant
- Mr Dermott Mc Auley
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Aughnacloy, Co. Sligo
