School: Listellick, Tráighlí

Location:
Listellick North, Co. Kerry
Teacher:
Domhnall Ó Súilleabháin
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0442, Page 243

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0442, Page 243

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  1. XML School: Listellick, Tráighlí
  2. XML Page 243
  3. XML “The Card-Player and the Devil”

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  1. About 100 years ago lived a man in Clahane (Cliathán) to the south west of Tralee. He was very fond of card playing. He used to travel around to the neighbour's houses every night playing cards. This night as he left his own house to go card playing he met a man and after a conversation they invited one another into a nearby house for a game of cards. The stranger won all the money from this card-player from Clahane (Cliathán). In the finish the famous card-player staked himself against all the stranger's money - the bargain being, that if he won he was to get all the money from the stranger and if the stranger won he was to get the famous card player himself - body and soul. The stranger won and he told the card player that he would take him away with him at the end of twelve months and they also settled on where to meet.
    As they were parting this famous card player discovered that the stranger had horse's hooves instead of feet. He went home and then he realised that the stranger was none other than the devil himself to whom he had given up his body and soul.
    When the end of the twelve months was drawing near the card-player did not know what to do. Anyway he went off to Tralee and he told his case to a young priest there.
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. agents (~1)
      1. supernatural and legendary beings (~14,864)
    Folktales index
    AT0810: The Snares of the Evil One
    Language
    English
    Informant
    Tom Healy
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    85
    Address
    Listellick North, Co. Kerry