School: Eaglais

Location:
Burren, Co. Mayo
Teacher:
S. Ó Mongaigh
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0089, Page 054

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0089, Page 054

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  1. XML School: Eaglais
  2. XML Page 054
  3. XML “The Tale of a Tail”
  4. XML “The Famine”

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  1. Once upon a time a girl whose name was Mary worked for a gentleman in England. She was always in the habit of being late at mass. He boss did not like that. So next Sunday he asked her when she came home, "Were you late to day Mary?" "Yes" said Mary. "I was only in for the tail of mass." So the boss instructed her never to say the tail of anything like that but to say the conclusion. Next day some boys took the ass out of the stable and tied an old tincan to his tail. When Mary saw this she said "Master look out at the ass going mad down the avenue with an old tincan tied to his conclusion."
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. genre
      1. verbal arts (~1,483)
        1. jokes (~6,086)
    2. time
      1. historical periods by name (~25)
        1. the great famine (~4,013)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Pat Malley
    Gender
    Male
    Informant
    John Malley
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    75
    Address
    Burren, Co. Mayo
  2. The famine years in this country were very bad. There were bad crops, and food was scarce. There was a sort of black meat going that time. If you ate much of it, it would make you drunk. There were three children in one house. When the black meat was brought to the house, they used to take some of it outsid. Then they used to mix it with water and stir it with a stick. Then they ate it. When the children had eaten they got drunk.
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.