School: An Chúil Árd (roll number 12587)

Location:
Coolard, Co. Kerry
Teacher:
Seán Ó Duilleáin
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0401, Page 216

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0401, Page 216

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  3. XML “A Story about a Stepmother”

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  1. This is a story about a woman who lived long. She had a daughter of her own and a step-daughter. She used to make the step-daughter to do all the hard work and this day she was spinning near a well. Her hand started to bleed and she went to the well to wash it. Her spindle fell in and she ran to her step-mother crying, saying that her spindle fell in. Her step-mother said she should find it. She dropped herself into the well and when she got to the bottom she found herself in a lovely green field. In the green field she met an oven with bread in it and the bread said "Take me out before I burn" and she took it out. Next she met an apple tree and it said "Shake me". She shook the tree and the apples fell down. She gathered them into a great heap. She saw a house and she went into it and there was an old woman inside. She asked her to stay with her. She stayed with her for a couple of months and the time seemed so short that she thought it was only a couple of days. One day she said to the old woman that she should return home again. The old woman conveyed her to a gate. She let fall a shower of gold in payment to the girl. When she went home she told her step-sister of all the luck she had and her step-sister said she would go too. She went but she had not the luck of her step-sister. She did not do
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Folktales index
    AT0480: The Spinning‑Women by the Spring. The Kind and the Unkind Girls.
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Seán Dillion
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Carhoonaknock West, Co. Kerry
    Informant
    Mrs T. Dillon
    Gender
    Female
    Age
    36
    Address
    Carhoonaknock West, Co. Kerry