School: Mairnéulaigh
- Location:
- Inishcrone, Co. Sligo
- Teacher: Ann, Bean Uí Blachnaigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0164, Page 311
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- Legend - The Black pig of Ben Bulbin
About five miles to the north of the town of Sligo lies a mountain called Ben Bulbin. In the centuries gone by this mountain was called Ben Gullan. On this dreary mountain a black wild boar used to roam over. He was the terror of the district as he was not an ordinary pig but one changed by the magical arts of the Dedannans who lived long ago in Ireland.
At one time a child was placed with a warrior to be trained up as a hero and to learn the arts of war and fighting. It happened there was another child receiving education and training, which was the custom in these far distant ages with the same warrior teacher. The servants of the warrior teacher loved the second child more than the first child. When the father of the first child discovered this he slew the second child. When the father found out his child was killed he called to see him and finding his child dead he changed the murderer into a wild bristly boar without ears or tail and said in the future he was to kill the first child when grown up to be a man.
The black boar was to live to the same age as the man and there was strife to exist between the grown up child and the black pig during their lives.
On the mountain the black pig was pursued by hounds and the pig was far ahead of(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Constance Carroll
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Frankford, Co. Sligo
