School: Béal Átha 'n Fheadha (B.)

Location:
Ballina, Co. Mayo
Teacher:
D. P. Ó Cearbhaill
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0146, Page 520

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0146, Page 520

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    eggs but in coming down he missed the last step. He brought the eggs safe and gave them to the Green Man of Knowledge. The girl came to him again and told him that there were three sisters of them in it and that her father was going to get a hand of each one of them out in three separate holes so that the boy couldn’t discern which of them the hand belonged to. Then she showed him her hand and there was a finger missing and he knew at once that he was the cause of it by missing one of the rungs in the ladder when he was coming down from the bird’s nest. Then she said to him. “This is the hand I will put out” showing him the hand with the missing finger. “Then you’ll know which of us to choose.”
    Next day the hands were put out for him to choose from. The boy choosed the hand of the missing finger. Her father was standing by and when he seen (saw) the one he choosed he got into an awful rage. Then he guessed who was aiding him as this girl had more power and enchanments than any of her two sisters and he ordered his head to be cut off in the morning.
    The boy was in a terrible
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Folktales index
    AT0313: The Girl as Helper
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Val Muldowney
    Gender
    Male
    Informant
    Mrs Mc Guigan
    Gender
    Female
    Age
    73
    Address
    Ballina, Co. Mayo
    Informant
    Mrs Broderick
    Relation
    Grandparent
    Gender
    Female
    Occupation
    Shoemaker's wife
    Address
    Ballina, Co. Mayo