School: Cooneal (roll number 6416)

Location:
Coonealmore, Co. Mayo
Teacher:
Patrick Timbin
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0145, Page 106

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0145, Page 106

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  3. XML “The King of Ireland's Son”

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  1. (continued from previous page)
    to himself that never were three nicer colours seen together, each helped to make the others look beautiful. So he said to himself that whenever he should marry he would marry a maiden who had these three colours - whose skin was as white as the snow, whose lips and cheeks were as red as the blood, and whose hair was as black as the raven's wing. There were many fair ladies and princesses in Ireland at that time, and they were richly dressed. Some had beautiful thin diadems of gold, like a new moon, on their heads; others had brooches, and bracelets and rings of gold; but no matter what ornament they put on, Conn admired them not as long as long as they had not the three colours he was in search of. At last one day there came to his father's palace an old Greek merchant. He was a hardy man, with grey beard, and sunburnt cheeks, and he had seen a great deal of the world. Conn got into conversation with him, and inquired much about the strange countries and strange places the old merchant had been in, and among other things Conn told him the story about the raven and the snow, and asked him if he had seen or know anywhere a princess having these three colours. The old Greek
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Folktales index
    AT0505: Dead Man as Helper
    AT0513A: Six Go through the Whole World
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Bridget Keegan
    Gender
    Female
    Informant
    Pat Culkin
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Coonealmore, Co. Mayo