Story
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Long ago if you would bring a black handled knife with you nothing could go near you if you were out late at night.
Bailiúchán na Scol
Bailiúchán béaloidis é seo a chnuasaigh páistí scoile in Éirinn le linn na 1930idí. Breis eolais
Torthaí
50 toradh
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Story
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Years ago there was a man coming home from a fair in Killarney. When he was as far as Spaw he heard as he thought a calf bellow inside the fence, and on looking in he saw a tall woman. She jumped out and attacked him, but he had a black handled knife in his pocket, he drew it out, and stuck it in her her heart she told him in Irish to pull it out, and he told her it was not to pull it, and he told her it was not to pull it he stuck it. She fell on the road and he ran off. In the morning when he came to the place there was nothing there but the black-handled knife and frogs spawn. Ever since that evil spirit was not seen.
Hidden Treasure
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Hidden Treasure.
1. The customary "pot-of-gold" + Leprechaun" tale:-
Pots of gold are said to be hidden in Fohenagh, Lipnascreena, Over the treasure a Leprechaun sits hammering at night. At 12 o'clock a light is supposed to be seen near and The noise of the Leprechaun's hammer can be heard ".......If you should come upon a Leprechaun at work you should keep both eyes fixed on him - he will ask you to look behind or distract your attention in some way and then he will disappear. The gold over which he watches is cursed if one should remove it."
".......In Johnston's land in Fohenagh there is supposed to be a crock of gold hidden under a hawthorn_bush near the graveyard gate. One night two men were told in a dream to go there and bring with them, one man a black-handled knife and the other a white-handled knife. They were told that id they went and found the treasure the man with the black handled knife would kill the other......."
Hidden Treasure
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On a hill called Cloverhill near Lough Allen there is a hidden treasure guarded by an eel and a black hare. About sixty five years ago an old woman named Brigid Flynn dreamt three nights in succession that a treasure was hidden on Colverhill. She was told in the dream to bring with her her first cousin whose name was Thomas Lee. She was also told to bring a black handled knife with her and with this knife she was to kill the eel who was coiled around the pot of gold. So on the third morning they started out. When she came to the hill she started to dig at the spot she had seen in the dream. When she was some time digging a hare jumped out but she did not speak, after digging for a little longer she came upon a flag. When she saw the flag she shouted O! Thomas I have it. When she lifted the flag she saw nothing but the track of the pot and it full of leaves. Some people say that the eel carried the pot to another part of the hill, and a bush is grown over the spot and it is still to be seen.
(gan teideal)
“One day a man was coming along the main road from Clogheen to Burncourt on horseback.”
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One day a man was coming along the main road from Clogheen to Curncout on horse-back. As he was coming towards the big hill named Log-an tSagairt he felt a queer feeling coming over him. His horse began to jump and sweat fiercely. He looked around him and to his amazement he a woman running after him. This woman's name was Petticoatlewis. She overtook him and jumped on his horse's back. He had a black-handled knife on his person and he drew it and stuck it in her hand. She said "Pull and stick it again". The man understood what she was going to do to him, she would kill him if he pulled the knife again. She then fell dead on the road. Afterwards she was seen on the side of Boy Lough. When the parish priest of Clogheen heard she was there he set out on his black pony. The priest's name was Father Shanahan. Some people in Clogheen wanted to go out with him but he would not allow them. When he reached the lake he did not see the woman but she came forth after a time. When he returned he told them he had banished her to the Red Sea to drain it with a tailor's thimble. Later the priest was out for a walk and a tree fell on him and killed him.
An Cruacha Breac
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to end the persecution, he was advised to get a black handled knife and to stab his tormentor twice, but not a third time, as the third stab would give the spirit complete power over him. He obeyed these instructions and in this way was able to put the spirit into this rock from which it could never escape.
(gan teideal)
“I heard of a man who got married to the second wife, the first one was dead for a couple of years before he married.”
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I heard of a man who got married to the second wife, the first one was dead for a couple of years before he married. He was'nt long married to the second one, when the second one sent him an account to come for her and that she'd be passing on horse back at a certain place at a certain time. She told him to bring a bottle of Holy water and a black handled knife. She said that she'd be riding behind a man on a certain horse and to pull her off and to make a
(gan teideal)
“A man lived near Tory Hill one time, and he was no length of time married, and to a fine girl of a wife, when he found out that she used to be going with the gentry.”
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was to stand at a certain gap in the pass and she'd be passing through the gap on horseback, he was to stick the black-handled knife she gave him, into the horse she'd be riding. He asked him was he afraid to do so, and he said he wasn't and he put the knife away carefully.That night he went out and it was moonlight, and he carried the knife with him. He stood at the gap in the pass and waited. He was there for a good while, when all of a sudden he saw the crowd of ladies and gentlemen, all on horseback and they making for the gap. "Now is my time", says he to himself, and he handled the knife ready to strike. But when the horsemen and horsewomen came near him, he couldn't do anything, for there were as many white-horses there as black ones, and he couldn't know his wife from any of the other ladies on horseback.The next night he went to the gap again and this time the same thing happened, but that these were not half as many white horses this time. All the same he couldn't tell where his wife was and so back he had to come with the same story as he had going.The third night he was ready again and waiting for them. This time he made no mistake for there was, but one lady and she riding on the only
The Fairies
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grave, to take a black handled knife, place it on the coffin so he did, a noise came over the whole place. The people dumbfounded and when they came to themselves Kathleen the dead girl was alive.
Folklore - Old Hags
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agus saith arís", which meant, "pull it and stick it again," but the man left it stuck and went his way and next morning the ashes of the old lady and the black-handled knife were found on the road where she was stuck. This Old hag lived in a little house under the eye of Bealaha bridge.
Folklore - Old Hags
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About sixty years ago there lived an old hag in Bealaha and she went by the name of "Cailleac Bealáthá" and every night after night after nightfall she came out on the road and any horseman that passed on a horse she jumped up behind him and choked him This night there was a man named Hogan from Lacken going to Kilkee after nightfall and the old hag jumped up behind him and went about choking him, he pulled out a black-handled knife and stuck her with it and she fell to the ground an said, "Tappongh
A Story about a Fort
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in some part of the house.
An she leaving he came before her in the door and caught her. He said she must stay now. She told him it was no good for him that he could not keep her. She told him she lived in the fort in his own farm. She told him they were leaving such a night, to prepare himself and go get black thread, a black handled knife, and holy water. That she would be riding on horseback. If he could take her off the saddle and fight his battle she would be with him for ever again. She told him where to stand. He prepared himself and went. He took her and brought her home in spite of them.
Coileach Bhéal Átha
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Coileach Bheul Átha lived underground in a large fort and begged around West Clare during the day. This fort lay on the beaten track, a distance inland from the cliff and travellers coming that way at night, unless they happened to be on friendly terms with her, were attacked. One night she took into the fort a man from Kilbaha and gave him his supper. She told him that there wouldn't be any awaiting him at home for his wife had given her all the meal that was in the house that day.A man of the McCarthys from Kilbaha was coming along on horseback one night and she jumped behind him in order to squeeze him to death as she usually did to travellers, but he was prepared for the attack and drawing forth a black handled knife he stuck her with it. She shouted to him "tarraing agus sáig arís and he replied "Tá breall ort a Chaillig" and continued his journey and next morning the people saw only a mass of jelly with a black handled knife stuck in it.
Brighid Bean Ui Chathainfuaras é ó'm athair (atá curtha)
Festival Customs
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The feast of Hallow'een occurs on the first of November. It is a custom in my village to boil a pot of potatoes on that night and to break them and to leave a saucer of the broken potatoes for the fairies. They leave the window open so that the fairies may be able to get in and eat the potatoes. Any body who goes into a cabbge-plot and who pulls a straight stump with their eyes closed on November's Eve they will be married to a straight man. Another custom is that if you fill your mouth with oatmeal and go to the door of some house and listen. The first person you hear speaking will leave the village before the year would be done. There is also another custom that if you would run round the stack three times and stick a black handled knive in the stack you would see a man. There was once a girl who did this and she met a man with a knife and he cut off her head.
In the Penal Times
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funeral, a pedlar gave the young priest a black-handled knife and he told him to keep it. Seán ran after the young priest. The young priest ran and Seán followed him. Seán was nearly up to him when the pedlar who was going the road shouted, "An Sgian, An Sgian". The priest never though of the knife until then, and he took it out of his pocket. Then he turned and stuck Sean with it. He put out Sean's puddings and that was the
Hidden Treasures
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In the townland of Sean-Bhóthar at Glantane, adjoining the lands of Daniel Ryan, a fort locally known as "Lios-an-Airgid" is situated. Some treasures are supposed to be hidden there, and the old people used to say, that one fairy only, had charge of the lios on "New Year's Eve". It was believed, that if you took with you a black-handled knife, a March cock, and a bottle of Holy Water, that you'd succeed in frightening the fairy, and perhaps get the gold, or treasures. Many people tried, but a strange un-natural feeling always came over them, as they approached the lios, thus preventing them from searching.
Story
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house and kill him. The next day the man went to the Priest and told him his story. They Priest blessed him and gave him holy water and told him to bring a black handled knife and be there before the spirit and to put a ring of holy water around him on the ground. He told him to stick the knife in the spirit and not to draw it from him or he would get stronger and kill him. The man did what the priest told him. The spirit came for him like a roaring lion. The man stuck the knife in the spirit. The Spirit said draw and stick again. "No" said the man. The man went out the next day and he saw nothing but the knife stuck in a heap of froth.
(gan teideal)
“A girl was once married...”
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handled knife which he would find under a stone on the south side of the fort. She told him at one oclock the fort would disappear and beautiful lights would be seen and sweet music would be played. She told him also that numbers of fairies would pass mounted on jet black horses but she would be mounted on a white horse and as she would pass he was to pull her off into the ring and let the horse go past.He did as he was told and everything happened as the girl said. The fairies came along. The white horse was last. Just as the white horse was passing the man pulled his bride safely into the ring.After half an hour all was over and the fort was back as before, and the husband and bride went home overjoyed.
Finnala and Gras
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cottage grown green with ivy. The children did not follow him in, but after a while an old woman came out and brought them in and gave them fruit to eat. She pressed them to eat more, and said it would improve their flavour, (as she meant to give them to her son who was a giant, to eat). She then said she must be off to the woods, and she went out closing the door behind her.
Down jumped the little man, and said, "That woman is a cruel witch and she means to give the two of ye to her son who is a big giant" He also told them that he was a prince who was changed into a little man by the cruel witch."Then" said the children "is there any way we can be freed?" "There is indeed" said the little man, "if you bring me the black-handled knife that lies on the window in the square room which is lit by a hundred lamps." And how are we to
The Good People
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a home and as stones were scarce they took some from an old "forth" on the land.
That same night the people were kept awake by terrible shriekings and howlings around the house. The same thing occurred the next two nights. The stones were left back at the "forth" and the dreadful noises ceased.
She also told us that if a person carried a black-handled knife in his pocket, the fairies could not harm him.