School: Kilmore (roll number 16637)
- Location:
- Kilmore, Co. Roscommon
- Teacher: Máiréad, Bean Mhic Giolla Críost
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0254, Page 212
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- XML School: Kilmore
- XML Page 212
- XML “Red Hair”
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- Red haired people were considered very unlucky red haired women even much more so than red haired men.
There is a local couplet which runs: "a red haired man is bad but a red haired woman is the devil." So much did the people of this locality give in to this that if they were going to transact any business great or small and meet either a red haired man or a red haired woman when starting out, they immediately abandoned the projects.
There is a story told of a man who lived in the village of Jamestown which is only two miles from our school. One morning he was going to the fair of Carrick-on-Shannon with a cart of pigs. His next door neighbour was also going to the fair. It happened that the neighbour's wife had red hair, and her good man when starting for the fair forgot something. The wife doing the busy handmaid ran after her man with the message. On her way back, she met this neighbour of hers who had a holy horror of red haired women. He then happened to be well on his way to the fair with his cart of pigs. He there and then turned back his horse and(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Ettie Millar
- Gender
- Female
