School: Drumloughan (Dromlachan) (roll number 15665)
- Location:
- Sunnagh More, Co. Leitrim
- Teacher: Peadar Mac Giolla Choinnigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0221, Page 053
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- XML “The Cruel King”
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On this page
- The Cruel King. Another version of this story (see page 30) taken down from Philip McLoughlin Rocullion, farmer aged 58 years who heard it when young.
Long ago there was a king in Ireland who made a rule that every man over 60 years of age was to be put in a fire and burned, so that nobody would be as wise and clever as himself. Now the king had boys working for him and he used to give out puzzles to the boys every Saturday night. When they came back to work one boy used to have the answers so the king knew that his father (a very clever man) was still alive.
One day the kings servant brought food to these boys and the boy who could answer the puzzles said the food was no good and that she had a right to bring better food.They began scolding and the servant said that he should not be talking and his father hiding in a cave for the last seven years. Well the king heard this so he gathered his men and began to dig around the house and got the cave and the old man.
So the king appointed the day for the burning of the old man and great crowds(continues on next page)
- Collector
- P. Mac Giolla Choinnigh
- Gender
- Male
- Informant
- Philip Mc Loughlin
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 58
- Occupation
- Farmer
- Address
- Racullen, Co. Leitrim
