School: Gort Sceithe (roll number 13062)

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1. Jack and the Three Hags

   

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   Jack was coming home from Dublin one night in the cold and damp. He went into a wood to shelter. When he was there he saw a light a distance from him. He went towards the light; it was from a small tiny house. Jack looked in the window and saw three grey-haired hags, with long teeth and long nails on their toes and fingers.
   He was frightened to go in but he chanced it. The hags looked at him very sharply. Jack asked them would they give him shelter for the night. "Yes," they said, and offered to put him in the corner to sleep. He was half frightened to go sleeping in the corner and kept an eye watching out through the blanket. The hags at the fire kept gazing at Jack, watching him to go to sleep; but Jack watched too and did not go to sleep.
   When the hags thought Jack was asleep one of them climbed in over him in the bed and pulled three red caps out of the window. The three hags put on the caps. "High up in the chimney, high up, high up," said the three hags. As they all went up the chimney and flew over to London. Jack found another cap and said "high up". And so Jack flew after them.
   When they landed in London, one of the hags said "high into George's hotel." "High up", said the other two. "And high up," said Jack after them. They robbed the hotel of gold and silver. The hotel was robbed several times but the thief could never be caught.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Tomás Ó Cléirigh

   Gender

   Male

   Occupation

   Múinteoir

   Address

   Annefield, Co. Mayo