School: Baile an Daingin (B) (roll number 1676)

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1. Mike O Gréinigh and the Fairies (continued)

   

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   and she dragged him into the room and put him to bed.

   When the neighbours heard that he had a strange sickness they came to see him and said that he must be in the fairies. They said that he would be always like that and that he would never recover. Four hags then got turf and boards and made a fire outside the door to burn him. They thought that it was a fairie that was in the bed. They brought out the bed and ran around the fire chanting if you are Mike O Greinigh get up or you will be burnt. Suddenly they felt the bed light and on looking around they saw him standing at the jamb of the door.

   His mother Bessie ran over to him but he took her cooly for he was very vexed with them for taking him away from fairy land. He soon forgot all about the fairies. He lived to be a very old man and often told the story around the hearth at night to visitors. When he turned his pockets inside out he found that there were only pebbles in them instead of the diamonds that he got from Queen Maeve.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Louis Mc Hugh

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Branraduff, Co. Mayo

   Informant

   Bernard Kilkenny

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   70

   Address

   Cloonmore, Co. Mayo