School: Clochar na Toirbhirte, Caisleán an Chomair (roll number 10835)
- Location:
- Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny
- Teacher: Na Mná Rialta
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0865, Page 024
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- XML School: Clochar na Toirbhirte, Caisleán an Chomair
- XML Page 024
- XML “Captain Grant the Highway Man”
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- Captain Grant was a notorious highway man. It is believed that at one time of his career he resorted some of the districts near Castlecomer. A story goes to say that on one occasion, he entered a house in Loon in the parish of Castlecomer. The owner of the house was a farmer and he had just returned from a fair. Grant took £40 and was just leaving when the woman of the house who was very old cursed him in Irish. Grant left the house but was gone but a short while when he translated the old woman's curse. He knew Irish. The curse was "may you hang high on a windy day." The highway man was very troubled about the curse so he returned and gave back the farmer his money. He then pleaded with the old woman to retract her curse but in vain. It is well known that in later years Captain Grant was captured and hanged. On the very day of his hanging the heaviest storm that was ever known blew across the whole of Ireland.
- Collector
- Kathleen Brennan
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny
- Informant
- Kieran Brennan
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Ardra, Co. Kilkenny
