School: Gurrane (B.) (roll number 14839)

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1. Biddy Mulligan's Patchwork Quilt

   

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   A long time ago there lived an old woman named Biddy Mulligan who had made a patch work quilt and put it aside for to bury her in it. She told her son and his wife if they did not bury her in it she would haunt them. So it happened that when she was put into the coffin they put the quilt around her. A poor man lived near the place had a wife and a large family and one night after Biddy being buiried there was a heavy frost and it was a bitter cold night and the people were complaining that they were frozen. So the man said to his wife that he would take up Biddy out of her grave and take the quilt from off her body. The poor woman said she could not sleep under it but the man said it would do the children. So off he went to the Churchyard nearby but on his way a heavy snow-storm overtook him so leaned against the wall for shelter. After a while he noticed another man coming and he thought it was after the quilt he was going too. So he called him and asked him where was he going. The man said he was going to steal a sheep from his master because his family were hungry. "But" says he"I do not want all of her and I will give you half of her" "If you will wait for me in the graveyard". The first man went into the graveyard and dug up Biddy and took the quilt from off her body and waited

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Folktales index

   AT1791: The Sexton Carries the Parson

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Denis Riordan

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Garranenagappul, Co. Cork

   Informant

   Tim

   Relation

   Parent

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   48