School: Cromadh (B.)

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1. A Story

   

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   A Story.

   There was this great house, and nobody could stay there, because it was haunted. There was a notice on the gate stating that the person that would stay there three nights would get a thousand pounds.

   There was a tramp walking the road and he saw the notice on the gate and read it. He went and told the owner that he would stay there. The first night the owner of the house gave him a bottle of whiskey. When he went in, he put down a big fire and sat down on a chair. At twelve o'clock a man dressed in black stood above on the stairs. The tramp said, what are you doing there, but he got no reply. He held on saying that until he fell asleep.

   Next morning the owner unlocked the door and left out the tramp. Next night the owner gave him another bottle of whiskey. At about twelve o'clock, four men and a coffin on their shoulders. They set down the coffin and departed, and a corpse stood up from the coffin and asked him if he would shave him. He said he would, but he had no razor. The man in the coffin said that was all right, as he himself had one. The tramp set to work and shaved him. Thanking him the corpse said that he had been coming here a long time, but had met no man with courage enough to shave him. The corpse told him where

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Folktales index

   AT0326: The Youth Who Wanted to Learn What Fear Is

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Seán Ruadh O Coileáin

   Gender

   Male

   Informant

   Seamus de Brún

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   30

   Address

   Abbeyfeale, Co. Limerick