School: Carraig Airt

Location:
Carraig Airt, Co. Donegal
Teacher:
Pádraig Mac Phaidín
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1080, Page 196

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1080, Page 196

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  1. XML School: Carraig Airt
  2. XML Page 196
  3. XML “The Shoemaker's Lesson”

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  1. Once upon a time there lived a shoemaker and his wife. They were very poor because he was not getting much work to do. One night the neighbours were all gathered in his house telling stories. One of the men said there was a fairy living in a very lonely place and that if anybody could catch him before twelve o'clock at night he would tell them where there was a box of gold hidden. One must not take his eyes off him or he may disappear. The shoemaker said he would make up his mind to catch the fairy so that he would be able to build a new house for himself. One night he went out after the fairy. After he had a good bit travelled he at down to rest. He saw a tiny little fairy sitting on a mushroom. He was repairing a shoe.
    The man went over to him and caught. The fairy said watch yourself on that dog or he will bite you, but the man would not mind the fairy. He asked the fairy to tell him where there was a box of gold. The fairy told him to go home and fetch a spade and dig round the tree that was behind his house. He did what the fairy told him. He dug round
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. genre
      1. belief (~391)
        1. folk belief (~2,535)
          1. treasure legends (~7,411)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Séamus Mac Lochlainn
    Gender
    Male