School: Sráid na Trágha, Tralee (roll number 12356)

Location:
Strand Street, Co. Kerry
Teacher:
Liam Mac Cárthaigh
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0439, Page 235

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0439, Page 235

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  3. XML “In Ballyard”

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  1. In Ballyard 18-3-38
    There is a hole in ballyard. It is called the Devil's Hole. There was a house up in Ballyard and all the men living near it used to go in playing cards. There was a man who had very bad luck. One night as he was going home he said to himself that he would give anything if he had good luck. Then a certain man came on front of him and said he would give him great luck (if) and a purse of money which would never use out, if the man would come with him at the end of twenty years. The man agreed and took the money and went away. When eighteen years was up the man was afraid of what he had done. He went to confession and told the priest. The priest told him to go to the Bishop and the Bishop told him he was too late and that he must only go with him now. The man went away and as he was coming down the town a man told him to go to Rev. Father Murphy. Fr. Murphy told him that he would go on the day that the man told him to go. The two of them went up to Ballyard and the priest sprinkled hold water on the form of a ring around the man. Then after while the Devil came out, not in the shape of a man but in his own shape. Then the priest told the man to keep his senses or if he did not the Devil would catch him. After a long time the Devil went away and the man was saved. The Bishop told Fr. Murphy that he had done a very wrong thing and when Fr. Murphy died he would not be buried in the priest's burying ground
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Folktales index
    AT0810: The Snares of the Evil One
    Language
    English
    Location
    Ballyard, Co. Kerry
    Collector
    Willie Divine
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Caherina Villa, Co. Kerry
    Informant
    Mrs Switzer
    Gender
    Female
    Address
    Caherina Villa, Co. Kerry