School: Crosspatrick, Johnstown

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   “There was a rath in the Islands and there were fairies living in it.”

   

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   There was a rath in the Islands and there were fairies living in it. The name of it was ráthín. There was a house situated not far away from it, and the neighbours used to go to it in the night time. One night while they were there the woman of the house rose to go over to Holhans. On her way over she had to pass through this rath. She started to go but as she was passing through the rath she heard a lot of people following her. She thought it was the people that were ag cúirduigheacht were playing a joke on her. She turned back and said "go back now I know who's in it." They started grinning and talking and she said the same again but they kept after her away. When they did not go back she got half-afraid and began to run but the more she ran the more they were keeping up with here and at last she reached Holohans. She stayed about half-an-hour there. She went home another way. Whe she got home she asked them why were they running after her. They were all astonished when they heard her and told her that they had not moved since she went out. But she did not believe them. She went to bed that night and next morning her mouth was changed back to her ear. They sent for the priest that was in Urlingford and he stayed a long time reading over her, and the mouth was changed back. She never got out of bed after that and shortly afterwards she died

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Collector

   Mauraid Foley

   Gender

   Female