School: Deravoy (roll number 373)

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   “Once upon a time there was a parish priest who had a servant boy.”

   

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   Once upon a time there was a parish priest who had a servant boy. He was with the priest for seven years and at the end of that time the priest said I am nothing the better of you and I think I'll do without you. "All right" said the boy. A little later the priest's cows were missing and he told the boy to look for them. "I'm not your servant now said the boy I'll not look for them". "Well" says the priest "I will go myself and if you come I'll be glad of your company. Off they went and went to the mountain and looked about till nightfall and then they saw a light away from them and they made for it and knocked + asked lodging. They went in and who was there but a man + wife alone. They said they had only one room in the house + they had no place. "Any place will do" said the priest only get a shelter to morning. Well they got a shakedown for the priest and one for the servant boy and they went to their own corner. In the middle of the night the rap came to the door + the servant boy got up and who came in but a girl of the house and she took a place on the floor. The servant boy went to where she was + she thought he was one of a party of robbers that were about + she told him of the cattle that were brought at a place nearby. The servant boy wakened the priest + they went off + took the cattle back along the road. As they passed Errigal Kieran Graveyard they saw the bulk coming along the road. Who was it but a man carrying a sheep. "Is it heavy" says one. "Ah there it is" says the man throwing

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   Folktales index

   AT1029: The Woman as Cuckoo in the Tree

   Language

   English

   Collector

   E. Treanor

   Gender

   Male

   Occupation

   Teacher

   Informant

   Patrick Hackett

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   90

   Occupation

   Farmer

   Address

   Killybreen, Co. Monaghan