School: Drumatemple (B.) (roll number 7496)
- Location:
- Drumatemple, Co. Roscommon
- Teacher: Michael Quinn
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0261, Page 025
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- XML “A True Story”
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- A True Story
My great-grandfather's name was Thady ODougherty. He lived in the townland of Croughill in the parish of Templetogher. Once when a spailpin in England, he and two companions when travelling home were passing through the great Railway Station at Crewe.
Their train stopped for a few minutes at Crewe. A few seconds later another train pulled up beside them. In a carriage of the other train sat a withered old man and just inside a window within a yard of my great-grand-father. He thinking it was an old Englishman who knew no Irish who was in it wanted to have a joke. He said. "Mi-ad ar do ceann liath annsin." His two compansions laughed. They could see only the old man's head and he had no hat on.
All at once the old man stood up and spoke in Irish.
They almost died of fright and shame for it was the great John Mc Hale, Archbishop of Tuam who was in it. He was their Arch-Bishop and they knew him well. The three men fell on their knees and begged his pardon.(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Peter Keane
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Cloonruff, Co. Galway
