School: An Chúil Árd (roll number 12587)

On this page

1. An Old Story

   

   Share Share Post

   Once upon a time there was a man who was living in a house near his mother's house. He was married and was very poor. His mother was dying and he went to the house and asked if she would give him one of the blankets she had in the bed when would die. She said that she would not. The woman died soon after and she kept the blankets round her in the coffin. The man went that evening to the tomb to take out the blankets. He met a man on the road who was going to kill a sheep. The man killing the sheep said that he would give him half the sheep for one of the blankets if he waited. The man took out the blankets and twisted them around him and sat up on the tomb. There was a farmer living near the churchyard who used to keep his horse grazing in the churchyard. In the evening the servant boy went out for the horse. When he saw the man up on the tomb he ran in and told the farmer that the woman that was buried that day was sitting up on the tomb and that he would not go out for the horse unless he came with him. The farmer was lame and he could not walk. He had to carry him on his back. When the man sitting up on the tomb saw them coming he thought it was the man with the sheep and he cried out/ "Is she fat". The man let the farmer fall and the lame farmer ran on his knees to the house and he

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Folktales index

   AT1791: The Sexton Carries the Parson

   Language

   English

   Collector

   John Foran

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Coolard, Co. Kerry

   Informant

   Daniel Foran

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   50

   Address

   Coolard, Co. Kerry