School: Beitheach (Beagh) (roll number 14001)

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   “Once there lived in Bonnyglen, near Glenties, a man named Shawn McNelis. He was very poor...”

   

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   Once there lived at Bonnyglen, near Glenties, a man named Shawn McNelis. He was very poor & had only one old cow to keep him in milk.
   One day the cow got ill and died. Shawn buried the cow in the glen & was indeed very sad. He roamed about the glen for a week afterwards not knowing how he could get another & one day in his wanderings what did he see grazing quietly in the glen but his own old cow that he knew he buried a week before.
   Shawn called her name, "Braney" and the cow raised her head & looked at him for a moment & then dashed towards the hill into which she disappeared. Shawn at once blamed the fairies for taking his cow & vowed he'd get even with them; so next morning he came along with his spade & began digging away the face of the hill.
   In a short time a little man with a red cap appeared and said, Shawn McNelis, what are you doing here? I am just making a cabbage garden said Shawn. "Is the glen not wide enough to make a garden in without digging away our little plot". "This is all we have in the world", to which Shawn replied, You had very little sympathy for me when you took the only cow I had in the world while you spared the neighbours who had scores of cattle

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Folktales index

   AT0563: The Table, the Ass, and the Stick

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Condy Gallagher

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   70

   Address

   Beagh, Co. Donegal