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   “There lived a smith named Thomas Hughes in Scregg, Kilkerrin in the Co. Galway.”

   

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   There lived a blacksmith named Thomas Hughes in Scregg, Kilkerrin in the Co. Galway. There were seven generations of the Hughes family blacksmiths. This particular Tom Hughes was called late one night to put a shoe on a horse for a benighted traveller. Hughes did not wish to get up so late at night. He told the traveller that he had no nails and that he could not put on the shoe. At that time the blacksmiths used to make their own horse nails. He had some left on the top of the belows for another man that did not turn up. The traveller told him that there were nails left on the belows for another man and that these nails would do for him. He also told the smith that if he did not get up and put on the shoes that he would be sorry. The smith now guessed that he was not dealing with a natural man. He got up and set about putting on the shoe. The stranger told him not to take notice of anything. The horse seemed somewhat different to any horse Hughes had shod up to this. When the shoe was on the stranger asked the charge. The smith replied that he never charged a poor man on the road and that he would not charge him either. The traveller told the smith that he was Finvarra from Cnoc Ma and that he was in command of a troop of fairy soldiers on their way down to the Co. Longford to fight another fairy

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. agents (~1)
      1. supernatural and legendary beings (~14,864)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   R. O' Connell

   Address

   Kilkerrin, Co. Galway

   Informant

   Thomas Brennan

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   72

   Occupation

   Smith

   Address

   Annaghbeg, Co. Galway