School: Gortnacart (roll number 15554)

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1. The Four Sons' Adventures (continued)

   

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   walked on until he came to a nice house, and he went into it for a drink of water. There was a tailor in the house and when he saw the tailor he said to him that is a great trade you have.
   The tailor said if you stop with me for one year and one day I will learn it to you. At the end of the year and one day the four boys met at the same place again. Every man told his trade, so the four went home to their father and told him their trades. Their father said he would soon know if they had their trade well learned.
   He told the thief that there was a tree outside and that there was a magpie's nest in it. He said that he would have to go up the tree and take out the eggs from under the magpie, so that she would not find him. The thief went up the tree and brought the eggs from under the magpie. He brought the eggs down to his father, and he told the boy with the telescope to look through them, and tell him wheather they were safe or bad, he looked through them and told him that they were half and half. He told the boy with the gun to break the eggs in two halves and he did that. He told the boy that was the tailor to sew them together and he did that. The thief was to bring them up the tree again and put

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Folktales index

   AT0653: The Four Skillful Brothers

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Ellen Moloney

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   69

   Occupation

   Farmer

   Address

   Ard an Rátha, Co. Donegal