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

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1. Biddy Mulligan's Patchwork Quilt (continued)

   

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   for the man of the sheep. So he put the quilt around him from the cold. Biddy had a sister who was crippled with rheumatism and she said to her son that she was dreaming about poor Biddy and nothing would satisfy her until her son would carry her to Biddy's grave to pray for her. Her son had to get up out of his bed and roll a sheet about his mother and put his mother on his back and carry her there. The man in the graveyard was getting uneasy as the other man was not with the sheep. When he saw the man coming with his mother he thought it was him. When the man and the old woman saw him they thought it was old Biddy. So they were afraid and they commenced to pray. "Have you her" he said and his voice was shaky with the cold, "I have" said the son. "Is she fat" said the man. "There she is there for you" said the man "and see for herself". When the old woman fell on the ground she was not half so crippled as she pretended and she jumped after her son. The poor man was surprised to see two people running out of the graveyard, so he went to see what they had left after them. He found as new so he took it up and carried it home with the quilt and you maybe sure his children were warm for the rest of the winter.

   

   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