School: Windgap, Thomastown (roll number 5698)
- Location:
- Windgap, Co. Kilkenny
- Teacher: Bean Mhic Eoin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0852, Page 004
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- It was a custom among the people of Windgap, long ago, when throwing our water at night, to cry out the warning, "Take care of the water", for they used to believe that the spirits of the dead might then be wandering about, and it would be dangerous if the water fell on them.
One dark night a woman threw out a pail of boiling water, without thinking of the warning words. Immediately a cry was heard, but no one was seen. However the next night a black lamb entered the house, its back scalded, and it lay down moaning by the hearth and died. It was believed that this was a spirit that had been scalded by the woman, so they carried the dead lamb out and buried it deep down in the earth. Yet, every night at the same hour it walked again into the house, and lay down, moaned and died, and after this had happened many times, the priest was sent for, the spirit was laid to rest in the graveyard, and the black lamb was seen no more. Neither was the body of the dead lamb found in the grave when they searched for it.
- Collector
- Kitty O' Shea
- Gender
- Female
