School: Cluain Leamhac (Cloonloo) (roll number 12767)

Location:
Cloonloogh, Co. Sligo
Teacher:
Ml. Mac Lochlainn
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0188, Page 043

Archival Reference

The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0188, Page 043

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  1. XML School: Cluain Leamhac (Cloonloo)
  2. XML Page 043
  3. XML “Old Story”

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  1. Once there lived a widow woman in Scotland and she had
    twelve sons one day she was walking along the sea shore
    and she saw a duck and twelve young ones coming in to
    the shore. The mother duck kept beating one of them away
    the little duck kept coming in at last the woman got tired
    watching them and went home to her castle. Later she went
    to a grand adviser. The grand adviser was an old witch who
    could foretell and explain unusual happenings. The widow
    told her of the story of the ducks the witch said she would
    have to part with one of her sons the widow said she loved
    one as much as the other. She asked the witch how would
    she do it. The witch said to the widow to bring out her twelve
    sons on the lawn in front of her castle and to get a
    handkerchief and when she dropped it to the ground the
    sons were to run to an iron gate and the first one back to
    her again would get a present of an ivory penknife. The
    sons were arguing among themselves as to who would be
    first through the iron gate. The. sons were arguing
    among. The eldest son said he would walk
    slowly behind the others and take his time.
    The appointed hour came for the race, and
    the widow dropped her handkerchief and
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Folktales index
    AT0302: The Ogre's (Devil's) Heart in the Egg
    AT0505: Dead Man as Helper
    AT0513: The Extraordinary Companions
    AT0665: The Man Who Flew like a Bird and Swam like a Fish
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Maura Crummy
    Gender
    Female
    Informant
    John Duffy
    Gender
    Male