School: Gort na Carraige (Rockfield) (roll number 9009)

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1. A Story from Olden Times

   

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   Bill Cooper was a blacksmith and he was a very poor man.
   One time he was in very poor circumstances. He met the devil and he sold himself to him for a piece of money. He was to come back for him in seven year’s time. When this time had nearly expired Bill was at his wit’s end to know how he was going to fool the devil. One day he was pondering over it in his forge when in stepped an old woman. She told him she would give him three wishes. He took the advantage of her offer. There was an old chair in the fore and one of his wishes was that the one who sat on it could never leave until he would release him or her. His second wish was that the man, who took the sledge in his hand, could not leave it down he would take it from him. He had also a little purse and he wished that any money that he put into it could never leave it until he would take it out. When the appointed time had expired the devil called. Bill was making a set of shoes and he told

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Folktales index

   AT0330A: The Smith and the Devil (Death)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Anna Mc Cabe

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Camlin, Co. Donegal

   Informant

   Francis Slevin

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   c. 60

   Address

   Camlin, Co. Donegal