School: Cromadh (B.)

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   “The 'living van' attached to a steamroller, ...”

   

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   The "Living-van", attached to a steamroller, stonebreaker combine, may not appear at once as a very likely place for the collection of folklore, but however unlikely, it was nevertheless the place where I got the following story of one of the O'Gradys of Kilballeyowen, near Bruff. It is in a fuller sense a repetition of a story given in some earlier part of this collection. The driver of the steamroller, Paddy Cunningham, a native of Bruff parish, and a most intelligent man, it was who related it.

   Here it is:
   We are getting on so fast now that we pay no heed to what the old people used to say and I suppose no one would pay any heed to the story of how one of the O'Gradys couldn't die. Well anyway, it was that one of them that was the judge that had the misfortune.

   It appears that the O'Grady's were at one time Catholics, but they were accommodating people. I suppose they had to be so, and in the difficult times they gave up the (Catholic) faith, and held on to their property. They have about six hundred acres in Kilballyowen yet, but it is a wilderness now. However, about the judge. It appears that in the bad times, the penal days this judge was always glad to have a Priest before him, so that he could give him a severe sentence

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Paddy Cunningham

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Bruff, Co. Limerick