School: Baile an Chaisleáin

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1. Scéal (continued)

   

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   to play against the princes. The queen invited the princes to the palace and they came. While the feast was going on the queen took out the pack of cards and told the princes to play in turn. She said that the loser should do whatever the winner told him. They agreed. The first two princes lost but the other won. Then the queen said that the two princes who lost, should bring the "Steed of the Bells" to her and the third prince said that the queen should live in prison till his brothers would return. The three princes set out and they came across an old man on the way who was lame. He told them that he'd go with them. When they came to the stable door, the horse rang the bells. The four men were carried before the Knight of the Glen who gave them a chance if they told good stories. The old man told a story of how he had been at a giant's castle, who had only one eye. He heard a woman speaking to a baby. He asked her whose was the baby and she told him that it was the giant who had brought it, and told her to kill it. The old man said to kill a pig instead and put the baby's finger on top. He got food from her and then he saw the giant coming up the path. The woman told him to hide in a room. He did and he saw a few dead men on the floor.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Folktales index

   AT0953: The Old Robber Relates Three Adventures

   Language

   Irish

   Collector

   Diarmuid Ó Brian

   Gender

   Male