School: Castlecary

Location:
Ballyrattan, Co. Donegal
Teacher:
Mary S.J. Donaghy
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1117, Page 32

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1117, Page 32

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  1. A Story

    My grandfather, Matthew Atkinson lives in Ballynally in the Parish of Lower Moville in the Barony of Inishowen.

    My grandfather, Matthew Atkinson lives in Ballynally in the Parish of Lower Moville in the Barony of Inishowen.He often told my brothers and sisters, and myself a very wonderful story. It was about how sly and cunning a fox is.
    Once upon a time a fox lived in Magilligan but he rather wished to live in Greencastle on the opposite side of Lough Foyle. He did not know how he could get across. He could not jump it, nor he could not swim or he would perish with the cold of the waters. One day he saw a man coming along the shore, and he got into a boat; the fox lay down and pretended he was dead.
    This man often wished to have the skin of a fox and so he threw the dead fox in the boat and rowed for Greencastle. During the voyage the fox lay stiff dead. When the man was near the sand on Greencastle, the fox sprang out of the boat and ran into the bushes and disappeared and was never heard of from that to this. This teaches us how cunning a fox is.
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Folktales index
    AT0033: The Fox Plays Dead and is Thrown out of the Pit and Escapes
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Arthur Peoples
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Castlecary, Co. Donegal