School: Gortnacart (roll number 15554)

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1. The Glendowan Cure

   

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   About three miles from the town of Ardara there is a town-land called Glendown. In this glen there is a lake and near by it is a large rock where it is supposed fairies lived in olden times.
   There was a man living in this townland once and he used to have cattle grazing in the field in which the rock was. He went to see them one day and as he was returning home he noticed that the grass around the rock was eaten more than the grass on any other part of the field. He wondered greatly at this and he resolved to watch that night to see what was eating the grass.
   He left home at eleven o'clock and at half past eleven he reached the glen. At twelve o'clock he could hear the noise of cows eating but could see nothing. Getting up he walked around the rock and on examining it closely he got a small door. On going in he found himself in a large room in which a woman sat spinning and a lot of children sat around her. There was a man in the room also. The man began to speak to the fairy and he asked him if he knew what was eating the grass around the rock. The fairy told him that it was his cows that ate it but he added anything that my cows have eaten you have been well paid for it. The man asked him how he had been paid and the fairy told him to come outside and he

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Informant

   John Breslin

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   65

   Occupation

   Farmer

   Address

   Monargan Glebe, Co. Donegal