School: Béal Átha 'n Fheadha (B.)

On this page

1. The Fairies and the Bags of Gold

   

   Share Share Post

   There was once a man living at Knockfree Ballina. He was married and had a lot of children. The fairies used to live around there. The man and his wife were very poor. It was not long until a child got very sick. After a while the children got worse and died. A few weeks after the man was pulling straw from his stack and he found five bags of gold in the straw. The fairies had put them there in exchange for the child. For when the child died the fairies took him to their fort for him to become a fairy. The man was delighted when he found the gold. After a few months another child died and the fairies took him away to their fort. And the man found another five bags in the straw. He was now a very rich man. He had seven children altogether. But he had only five now. One by one the children died and every time the man got five bags of gold in the straw. At last there was only a little boy left. The people were expecting him to die also but he didn't. When he was old enough

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Ollie Walshe

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Ardnaree or Shanaghy, Co. Mayo

   Informant

   Mrs Ruddy

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Ardnaree or Shanaghy, Co. Mayo