School: Rakeeragil (roll number 11568)

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1. Beaghbarton (continued)

   

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   was told to shut up as it was him and his like that brought the country to the state it was in.
   Down to sixty years ago there was three distinct set of Caily Houses. The House of the learned men the house of Music and dansing and a mixed Caily House frequented by both Catholics and Protestants.
   The House of the Learned Men (nearly all illiterate) attracted all who young and old desired to hear snatches of history and tradition from the time of Parthalin [Partholón] to that of O'Connell, It was the welcome retreat of the learned travelling man (now he would get jaol for begging,) but oh how anxious his coming was looked for, He had and brought with him the learning of Donegal or Galway, or Clare. There would be tears in the eyes of the woman of the house when he was taking his departure. And the man of the house would bind him by a solemn promise not to be long until he returned.
   There were usually seven or ten local storytellers and each of them specialised on subjects. One could give a detailed description of all the Battles fought in the country from the landing of the Firbolg to the Battle of the Boyne. There was a professor of Geaneology he could tell whether you were descended from the Heher Heremon or Ir or whether of Norman or Cromwellian stock. Their knowledge was not confined to purely Irish subjects, although they largely predominated. They discoursed on Scripture and on the history of Greece and Rome. Their memory was prodigious. I remember a servant boy in the locality who found his way to the House of the Learned, and entertained the house for a week relating Popes Homers Iliad from memory and giving the number of days occupied in each action

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. social activities (~7)
         1. entertainments and recreational activities (~5,933)

   Collector

   Michael J. Macduinnslebe

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   69