School: Béal Átha 'n Fheadha (B.)

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1. John in the Deadhouse (continued)

   

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   breakfast he went to the corpse as he thought was John. He did not know it was a dead man because John had put the clothes over the mans head. So over he went and gave it a shove to wake him up. There was no answer. The man gave him another shove and shouted "Get up I have your breakfast" and looked around to see the candle and other things to give John time to get wakened "Get up hurry on" he said and looked over at the coffin. John sat up in the coffin and said "if that fellow doesen't want it give it to me." When the man heard this he thought it was the corpse that spoke never dreaming that it was John that was in the coffin. He dropped the tray and made a dive for the door and ran into the yard. He had not gone very far when he fainted. When he came to he got up and walked into the workhouse. He told the first man he saw that the man in the coffin was alive again. The man ran around telling everyone the news. They all ran to the deadhouse. They went over to the coffin and looked in. There was the man as dead as he was the first night. They did not know that while they were coming John had put the man in the coffin again and went into the bed again himself. The men gave John more breakfast and said the man must be mad to say that the man in the coffin was alive again. John stayed in the workhouse

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Aiden Kelleher

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Ballina, Co. Mayo

   Informant

   Arther O' Boyle

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Quignalecka, Co. Mayo