School: Castlecoote (roll number 6344)
- Location:
- Baile Mhic Oireachtaigh, Co. Ros Comáin
- Teacher: Máire, Bean Uí Ghabhláin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0263, Page 214
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- (continued from previous page)brown rat came in and sat at the fire. The blacksmith caught him in his own tongs and held him over the fire and burned him.
Then a strange thing happened. The whole house became swarmed with rats and the blacksmith started killing them with his red hot tongs. Dead bodies of rats were in every nook and corner. The owner of the house made a bargain with the neighbours to help him bury the bodies. It took them three days to clear all the corpses out of the house.
The man was never troubled with rats after that. He gave a very substantial present to the blacksmith who remained his best friend for ever after.
