School: Ballybrittas (roll number 14013)
- Location:
- Ballybrittas, Co. Laois
- Teacher: Méadhbha Nic Labhráinn
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0835, Page 191
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- XML “Hidden Treasure”
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- One time there lived an Irish hero whose name was O'Dempsey. He owned Lea castle in the parish of Lea in this county. He was a bad man. He used to steal horses, cattle and all sorts of things belonging to farmers of Leix. He used to sell them or "swap" them gold, silver and precious vessels. One night a lot of farmers lay in wait to capture him. They fired shots at him, but he escaped to his castle. He heard that his enemies were coming to rob him of his gold, silver and precious vessels. So he went into his store room and put them into steel boxes and hid them under his castle. When the enemy came, they searched the castle but could get neither gold, silver, precious vessels nor O'Dempsey himself so they blew up the castle. On the place where the treasure was hidden, a river now flows. It is called the Barrow River. No one has yet recovered the treasure.
- Collector
- George Eacrett
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Ballybrittas, Co. Laois
- Informant
- J. Eacrett
- Age
- 40
- Address
- Ballybrittas, Co. Laois
