School: Clochar na Trócaire (Convent of Mercy)
- Location:
- Skibbereen, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Na Siúracha
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0298, Page 037
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- In the centre of Lough Ine lake there is an island and on its eastern side stand the ruins of an old castle known as Labhra Ó Leencha's castle.
As the story goes it was supposed that the king who lived there had two ears as large as those of a donkey, and to conceal this fact he stopped not even at murder. Once in twelve months he got his hair cut and the lot fell on one of the neighbours to cut it. It happened at one time that the lot fell on a widow's only son and it was also known that the barber would be put to death lest he should betray the secret, but this widow pleaded so earnestly with the King that her son was allowed to live on condition that he would never reveal the secret to anybody.
The boy was ailing and he went to a priest and told him he had a secret which he could not let out. Then the priest told to dig a sod and tell the secret to the ground and the boy carried out his order. The sod was dug near the shore of a lake and when the reeds grew up and the first gust of wind blew them, they commenced to sing "Tá dhá chluais capaill ag Labhar Ó Loingsigh", so when the king heard this he took his boat and was last seen sailing over the ocean.(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Eibhlín Ní Chárthaigh
- Gender
- Female
