School: Tullogher, Ros Mhic Treoin (roll number 14648)
- Location:
- Tullagher, Co. Kilkenny
- Teacher: Mrs Winnie Murphy
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0846, Page 315
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- 45 Legend of St.Patrick (Why rushes are withered at the top)Saint Patrick was driving an ass and car one day when part of the car got broken, and the Saint was delayed on his journey. A crowd of rude little boys came making short of the accident. St. Patrick was angry, and he put a curse on the little boys. The curse was that they would be foolish and have no use of reason until they would be 21 years old.A holy man who accompanied St. Patrick reminded him that it was a bad thing he had done to the little boys. So the Saint got sorry, and wished to take off the curse. However, he could not do so without putting it on something else. So he put it on the rushes, and ever since the tops of the rushes are withered.But the car which got broken was made of elder, and the Saint cursed the elder tree. This is the reason that such small berries grow on the elder, and the tree itself never grows tall but remains a dwarf tree: there is a cure in dwarf elder.
