School: Cluain Uí Chuinn (roll number 5844)
- Location:
- Cloonyquin, Co. Roscommon
- Teacher: Mícheál Mac Floinn
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0250, Page 303
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- XML School: Cluain Uí Chuinn
- XML Page 303
- XML “The Fat Hen”
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- This was a game in which the answers multiplied with great rapidity and it was difficult to avoid being smulted [smutted ?].
It began with the leader handing something to his neighbour. It might be a button, a clod of turf or match, with the words "Here's this". "What's this ". "A fat hen for my lord's table" This man passed the object on to his neighbour saying "Here's this". "What's this" "Two ducks, and a fat hen for my lord's table". Each added on something, the order being now - "Three grey geese in a green field grazing"
.. .. .. .. .. ..
Five squeeking, squalling, squirrels in a green tree shaking"
.. .. .. .. ..
"Seven fillies shod and shorn"
and so on till it required a great effort to remember the last lines, and to put them in their order.
I cannot remember the whole number of the lines as it is a long time since the game was played as a fireside pastime at a wake.(continues on next page)
- Informant
- M. Mc Glynn
- Address
- Killynagh More, Co. Roscommon
