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The Main Manuscript Collection

This collection includes every aspect of the Irish oral tradition. More information

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  1. Blessed Wells

    CBÉ 0106

    in the day, and they saw a grand rose growing beside it. She told me that the woman that went out with her pilled the rose and stuck it somewhere in her dress and both of them went back to the field, and started to bind again. They were binding for some time when the woman who took the rose got an awful pain, and started screaming. Everybody in the field came around her, and did their best to give her some relief, but all they could do was no use. The man that owned the field, Johnnie Deversuse was his name saw the rose in her dress, and as she never saw such a lovely one before he asked her "how did she come by it" She told him she got it at the well. He told her to bring it back again

  2. (no title)

    “There was a man once who had a great farm of land..”

    CBÉ 0221

    me a few shillings in the week Now you have come back to me and do you think that I will go work for you". "Oh yes you will and I will give you a shilling of a rise" . I'll tell you what I'll do" says Mike you give me two shillings of a rise and pay me also for the time I was idle, and I'll go back to you." Tom Walsh do so and was glad to do it.

  3. (no title)

    “A sketch of the rose which is carved on one of the Arches in Ballindoon Abbey.”

    CBÉ 0463

    A sketch of the rose which is carved on one of the Arches in Ballindoon Abbey. It was said to be carved there, sometime during the wars of the Roses.

  4. The Cranky Fenian

    CBÉ 0485

    Alias - The Last Rose of Summer.
    In my young days, there were, a number of Fenians living in the Parish of Williamstown.
    One by one death claimed them, they were regretted and their memory respected.
    At last we found we had only one of their numbers left and the youngsters called him 'The last Rose of Summer'.
    This old man posed as a Great Leader and Patriot, as great, as the Great James Stephens, himself. And like James Stephens, Old age had brought the 'Last Rose of Summer' no disillusionment. To be addressed, as a Rose left blooming alone', was too much for him, consequently, he frequently

  5. (no title)

    “There was a kind of a fool...”

    CBÉ 0221

    own people if he met the priest on the road to make sure and rise his hat to him. Tom asked them how would he know that it was the priest that was in it. They told him that he had a shaky head, a big nose, and a collar turned the wrong way on him.
    Tom went off to the mill one day and he met a priest on the road, but it wasn't the right priest. He didn't rise his hat anyway, and the priest knew that he was a kind of a fool and went up to him and says he "Why didn't you rise your hat when you met me"? "Oh" says the boy "sure I'll do it now. You have the collar turned the wrong way aright, but you haven't a shaky head or a big nose". The priest knew well enough who he meant and he commenced to laugh

  6. (no title)

    “Well I'll tell ye anether sthory, tishtnt a poteen wan though, tisht'nt but I have plenty more o' them too, from the ould people.”

    CBÉ 0463

    Well I'll tell ye anether sthory, tishtnt a poteen wan though, tisht'nt but I have plenty more o' them too, from the ould people. This is a wan about huntin. IF ye know o courche huntin was a great passtime among the genthry in oulden times. An' sometimes when they would be goin out huntin' if they wasn't sure o' wher they might rise the hare or fotever game they wan afther, they might give some lad a shillin' or so ta find out where they war likely tp rose some.
    Well thio party was goin' out huntin' up someplace near deerpark, an' they met a young lad jusht is they war stharttin, an' they asked him quite the common questhion enough, at the time " hid he know where they'd ride a hare, an he said that he did.
    They brought him along wit them, an' sure enough they rise a hare, where he promished they would. The dogs set out afther her, but it washtnt very long however until they losht her.
    The genthry promished the young lad the piece o' apair

  7. New Lamps for Ould Lamps

    CBÉ 0106

    having any brother. He told her she was very young when he went in search of his fortune thirty years so. She believed him then and put a thousand welcomes before him.
    The next day himself and Jack went for a long walk together. They came to an old churchyard and went inside. They walked all around it, and then they sat down on a big flag in the middle of the graveyard. "Now" says Jack's uncle to him "I'm going to give you a surprise" so he touched a certain part of the flag and it started to rise off the ground. The flag kept rising until it stood on one end. Then Jack saw an underground stairs. They were going down into the darkness.

  8. Feats of Strength

    CBÉ 0189

    At the patterns and at the races long ago they used go in a lot for testing strength.
    They had a kind of a yoke fixed in the ground, like two stakes, and when you'd hit wan the other would rise a certain number of notches. They used hit that with a big sledge and the man that would make the yoke rise highest would be the strongest man.
    If you got it up a certain distance a bell would ring but 'twas very seldom anyone was able to make it ring.

  9. Cures

    CBÉ 0190

    People pray to St John for to cure the toothache. When a person has a very bad toothache he should go to Mass on a weekday, and pray to God to take away the pain when thee Sacred Host wold be rising at the Elevation.
    When a person has the hiccoughs he should think of where he was in the chapel when the Sacred Host was rising. There was a man down at Kilmore Quay, and he had the hiccoughs for two days and two nights, and he tried everything, but all was no use. Somebody told him of this cure, so he began to think where he was in the chapel, and while he was thinking he lost the hiccoughs. In order to get cured of them you must forget about them. If a

  10. (no title)

    “There was a boy of the Dohertys sick...”

    CBÉ 0407

    "There was a boy of the Doherty's sick over at the Inch (.1.) [?] na Saub). He was very bad this day & they sent for the knowledgable man & he said that the boy would die except they got a drink for him out of a certain well The drink was to be taken out of the well before sun-rise. Bill Ryan, an uncle to the man that was here, said he'd go & get the drink. Howsoever he rose early on the morrow. When he went to the field, it was full of men hurling. He knew some of them - neighbours, that was dead some time. Some of them were friendly to him & some of them didn't want him at all. Over comes my bold Larry Forman & puts the camán in Bill's hand. Up with him like a man & between the hopping & the [?] he puts out the goal. He takes the vessel out of his pocket & gets drink of water & the boy lived. He grew to be a big brave man. I knew him well.

  11. (no title)

    “There was a family named Molloy in this part of the County and the banshee follows....”

    CBÉ 0221

    There was a family named Malloy in the part of the (?) and the banshee follows that family you know, In this place there were (?) or rise of the finest girls you ever laid your eye on Well anyhow they got consumption God bless us and after sometime one of them got very bad this night the banshee was heard at the back of the house. The people of the house were very much frightened when they heard her. She

  12. (no title)

    “There was a king wan time and he had a beautiful daughter.”

    CBÉ 0221

    Jack went over to the edge of the cliff and the two brothers threw themselves in, and Jack began to laugh. After some time their heads came to the surface again, and then Jack made right fun of them. Then the sank to rise no more. Jack wasn't sorry. He went home and he got married and he sold his stepbrother's place, and himself and his wife and his mother lived happy ever afterwards.

  13. Mullaney and Delaney

    CBÉ 0312

    "Well" he said, "you're the best man I ever met. There was several comin here," he said, "and they used to die with fear, and never done nothing to them. And," he says, "that fella that put you up here to sleep', he's my son. That schaimer killed me," he says, "in one o' them rooms there, and he had to lave this house then ," he says, " - he was haunted in it. And everyone he put in to sleep in it since used to die with fear. So," he said, "you're the best man I've met. So get a bar now," he says, "and follow me".
    So he got a little bar that was behind a little door that was in it, and he brought him upstairs and he told him to rise a little flag that was overhead. And there was a crock of copper in it.
    "Take up that," he said, " - that's yours, " he said.
    He brought him in to another room and he told him to rise another little flag, and there was a crock of silver in it. So he told 'im

  14. Castletown Castle

    CBÉ 0407

    Castletown lies well within the granite area. Yet the streams rising in Cnoc Bower are richly impregnated with lime. They either rise in a lime-stone pocket or pass through a very rich one.
    Father McCree C.C Tinryland (Antiquarian) told me that a gold chalice was found at the "Bower" near the picturesque little waterfall field of N of the Ross Mór is known as the "Cool" or "Cúl" field. Moyle Field, either because it is singularly "maol" or because it is near the townland of Moyle (Various spellings in State documents: Mothel, Moyhill, Moyll, Motel, Mothull, Mothhulla) The little river wh. runs through N of the estate is known as the "Theen Ween"
    Some of the old Faulkners were supposed to appear & no neighbour would pass through the estate after dark. One of these apparitions was reputed to play the bag-pipes: "That's oul' Faulkner playing the bag-pipes". The two young Faulkners, Henry & Robert were very wild. Henry spent most of his time in Africa & wrote "Elephant Haunts". He never returned from his last visit in quest of elephants. Chas P. Kennedy (Rom. Catholic) [bl?] the estate about 1870. In the same family still (1937).

  15. Tobar na Seisrí

    CBÉ 0407

    Well about 1 mile from Limerick on our way in (left hand side - half mile beyond 'Magardle's' Pub. "Man who insisted on working on the Sunday. That Sunday he was ploughing and having finished in one field, was talking his team along the road to another. When passing this well the waters rose and drown himself and his horses (Tradition). Hence the name.

  16. Sonnet Sequence on the Shepherds at the Crib

    CBÉ 0485

    And o’er her damask[?] cheek soft blushes rise, in short ‘t were hard for Nature to confer another gift when she was fash’ning her.
    VIII. They endeavors to describe the grays of the immaculate
    How beautiful thou art, my beloved how beautiful! - Cant. Iv., etc.
    Her eyes are gentle as a dove’s meek eyes; her auburn hair around her graceful head internded[?] of itself in singlots[?] lies, as flocks of goats on slopes of Mount Galaard. her well set teeth resemble flocks of sheep. Fresh-washed, with on each side a twin. Her lips are rich as lace of sealot[?] deer[?]; her dimpled cheek above her well formed chin is like the pomegranate on the rose. Her neck is like the tower King David made; her breasts we would compare to two young noes[?] who’re twins, and hiding ‘mong the lilies feed. Her speech is gentle as the dear that falls, on the cooing turtle in the grove that calls

  17. Fenian Pikes and Trusted Men and True

    CBÉ 0407

    Rourke had his forge down at the bridge of Ballytore. There is no trace of his bothan or of the forge now, but you can see the little plot on your right hand side as you go south.
    He made all the pikes for the boys for the Fenian rising, and his wife used to work the sledge when there was no wan in.
    When the rising was over all the pikes were thrown into the river at
    and the smith was arrested. He was a good, loyal man - the man had wan love, God be good to him always said so. He was carried down to Limerick Gaol. They put him in a bone cold cell & tied him to the floor. They sprinkled flour & meal over him and eft the rats to eat him but he wouldn't 'stag' on any of the boys. After a long term he was let out and he was a broken man. He was never able to do a hand's turn after. You must remember a son of his who used to work for Conn Gabha in Doon. There is a fine candlestick with a place for a candle or a rush over at Crotty's. It was the old man that made that, the light of Heaven to his soul.
    Tá an {?} ag fagháil fás. Togfad sa pictúir de ar bhall.

  18. Light

    CBÉ 0189

    It was said, and it is still said, that a light is seen rising at the graveyard (Whitechurch) and going down along the Valley down as far as Culmers.
    It disappears there, and is seen no more 'til the next night.

  19. Scolobolgue Barn

    CBÉ 0189

    The Irish during the '98 Rising murdered a whole lot of Protestants, women and children in Scolobogue barn.
    The most of them were from the neighbourhood around here. For years after that there was a terrible hatred between the Protestants and the Catholics around these parts.

  20. (no title)

    “There was a man one time and he got married but he had no family. ”

    CBÉ 0190

    rise a disturbance between those two people. She said she would do her best. So the next day she went to the old couples home and she was talking to the old woman for some time and at last says she "I know how you could get a child". "How?" said the old woman. "Tonight when your husband is in bed asleep you get his razor and cut a hair out of his whisker and after some time God will send you a child", says the bare footed girl. The old woman was delighted and that night when her husband went to bed she got down the razor and went into the room. She saw him fast asleep so she opened the razor and was just in the act of cutting the hair out of the whisker when