School: Waterville (C.) (roll number 16015)
- Location:
- Waterville, Co. Kerry
- Teacher: Helen O' Sullivan
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0475, Page 143
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- XML “A Kerry Legend”
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- Once upon a time, long, long ago on the green wooded valley of Kilmurry there lived a wise chieftain named Cathal OConnor. He was chieftain of the great clan OConnor - and he became famous for being a fair, wise and just ruler. His subjects loved and honoured him because he was so just and fair. Under his wise and just administration his people grew prosperous, constant and happy.
In the months of June and December of every year he ordered that all his subjects should furnish a return of all their goods, chattels and incomes. If the total sum of their goods, chattels and incomes exceeded a certain fixed figure, they were compelled to contribute twenty per cent, of the surplus to a fund called the chieftain's fund. Then a list of all the labourers in his territory was furnished to the chieftain and twice yearly he personally distributed the amount of money in the chieftain's fund amongst the labourers according to the number in each family and dependents each had. His system of ruling was such that nobody within his territory was very rich and nobody was very poor. Cathal o'Connor of Kilmurray, was a sportsman, as soldier and a lover. But he was the type of lover who liked to have a sweetheart in every village - and a different sweetheart every year. As the years passed by he noticed with alarm that his sweethearts were dwindling, and especially the new ones whose affection he tried to gallantly to (one) win, were anxious to avoid him. Then one day, he found much difficulty in mounting his charger, and it was then it dawned on him why the fair sex were avoiding him - he was an old man. Then like an open book his past life appeared to him, and he saw how ill-spent it was. What a fool he had been to waste his time flirting and making love to the fair sex.
One fine day he was sitting near a rath in his demesne. He would(continues on next page)
