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1. A Legend of Rathcormack

   

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   Once upon a time there was a man who lived in Rathcormac and he married two wives, one wife was big and the other wife was small, and they had two sons one was big and the other one was small. When the father was dying he made a will in which he bequeathed the farm to the big man for he thought he was better. And he only left one cow to the small man and the two wives and two sons were always fighting and arguing, the big man did not like the small man very well.
   One day the big man went out and killed the cow owned by the small man and the small man did not mind much. So the small man skinned the cow and he made holes in the skin and he put 80 sovereigns in the holes and he took the hide to the fair and he took a stick with him, and he laid the hide on the field and he shouted out "This hide came from America," and a great crowd gathered around him. And he said "whoever will hit the hide with his stick a sovereign will jump out to him, and there was one great wealthy man there and he hit the hide about four times and four sovereigns jumped out to him and he bought the hide for £500. And the man who bought the hide thought sovereigns would jump out to him everytime he hit with the stick after 20 sovereigns were out. And when the small man went home he asked the big man for his weighing scales to weigh his money for they used to weigh money at that time. The

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Folktales index

   AT1535: The Rich and the Poor Peasant

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Patrick O Connor

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Condonstown, Co. Cork

   Informant

   Kitty O Connell

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   42

   Address

   Condonstown, Co. Cork