School: Leamh-choill
- Location:
- Drumsillagh, Co. Roscommon
- Teacher: Cáit Ní Ghadhra
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0232, Page 141
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- XML “Strong Tom”
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- This is a story I heard from my grandmother one winter's night of "Strong Tom".
A widow woman lived with her three sons. She was very poor. One day she sent her youngest son "Tom" to his uncle who possessed a mill for a sack of corn. Tom went to this uncle for the sack of corn and brought it home on his back to his mother.
Tom told his mother to boil three pots of "stirabout". When they were boiled she left the three pots out to cool. Tom ate up the three pots. Next day Tom said to his mother, "Mother, I am going out to seek my fortune." His mother tied the dish-cloth around his neck and bade him "God speed".
The first place Tom went was to the blacksmith. He asked him to make a flail for him. The blacksmith made an iron flail for him, and Tom went off to seek his fortune. He went to a man in the North of Ireland and he asked him for work. The man said he would keep him if he could tame a ram, who was the fear of the neighbourhood. Tom slept in the farmer's house that night, and next morning rose early to tame the ram. When Tom faced the ram it attacked him fiercely but Tom tamed it down.(continues on next page)
