School: Easgéiphtine (C.) (roll number 2040)

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1. Hidden Treasure

   

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   On the rocky bend of the River Shannon stands an old church built in the time of the Danes. It stands about half a mile from Beigh Castle and between Beigh and Pallaskenry, and is now known as Castletown. Quite close to it there was an under-ground passage leading to the sea where the Danes piled up the treasure of gold and silver which they captured from innocent ships. Here, for years, they dressed the walls of their pagan forts with swords and shields until King Mahon and his brother Brian, afterwards Ard Rí and known as Brian Bormhu, attacked them. The Danes had to fly in their ships leaving all their treasure behind them. However, they filled up the entrance before they fled.
   One night, not very long ago, a woman who lived near, dreamt that she saw a star falling which pointed to a certain spot near the old church. On two other nights she dreamt of the same thing and she thought some one whispered, "A treasure of gold and silver in there."
   She told some men about the dream and they went, at the dead of night, to the spot and they began to dig. Bats and owls flew around them and when they were in the tunnel they saw its mouth slowly closing in, and an ugly old hag appeared before them with a light in her hand.
   All round them lay boxes of gold

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. genre
      1. belief (~391)
         1. folk belief (~2,535)
            1. treasure legends (~7,411)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Kathleen Crowley

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Askeaton, Co. Limerick

   Informant

   Mr Moran

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   65

   Occupation

   Teacher