School: Clashaganny (roll number 8051)

On this page

1. Local Hero

   

   Share Share Post

   Local Hero.
   Long ago when Meave was Queen of Connaught there lived a man whose surname was Free. He resided near Rathcroghan where the queen held her court. This man’s one and only ambition was to marry the Queen’s daughter but her mother had other plans for her so shs had an inspiration to get rid of Free. At this there grew a tree in the crannog of Cloonfree and the leaves when eaten were supposed to cure any ailment but it was a very difficult job to procure these as the tree was guarded all days of the year by a snake except on one day when the demon of the deep would be having his annual sleep. Meave’s daughter fell ill and this was a golden opportunity for the Queen to send Free into the danger as this gentleman did not know about the snake. She sent for him. Arriving at Rathcroghan Queen Meave looked at him like an eagle that views its quarry for afar. She told him that her daughter was wandering in the valley of the shadow of death and that she would surely die if shs did not get a leaf from the tree in Cloonfree. Free mounted his horse and away with him for Cloonfree. The journey did not seem too tedious as his thoughts of the dying girl coupled with noble thoughts of the mother made him wander in a maze, had not the Queen promised him her daughter’s hand in marriage if she recovered after eating the leaves he would get for her. Arriving at Cloonfree he secured his horse, swam out to the tree and procured the leaves and returned to the shore without injury — it happened to be the day the snake was asleep.

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. agents (~1)
      1. historical persons (~5,068)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Philomena Connor

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Sheegeeragh, Co. Roscommon

   Informant

   Rita Kelly

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Manor, Co. Roscommon