School: Cill Ruadháin (roll number 7088)

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1. The Sheep's Head

   

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   One time there lived up the mountains a woman who was very fond of meat. One time a man was dead in the vicinity and the woman said she would go to the wake. Before she went she put down a feed of crubeens and a sheep's head. Then she told her son who was a fool to keep the fire going while she was at the wake. The son promised to do so and she went to the wake saying that she would be home in a couple of hours and to have the meat cooked.
   The boy kept the fire going for a long time and when his mother was not coming he took a peep into the pot. The water in the pot was boiling very hard and the meat was going around in a ring in the pot. The crubeens were going around first and the sheep's head was following them and the boy who was such a fool thought that sheep's head was going going to eat the crubeens. When he saw that he made for the corpse house and when this mother saw him coming she put up her fist and signed to him not to say anything because she knew he would say something wrong. But the boy did not mind and said. "No more of your winking, if you don't come home quick the sheep's head will have the crubeens eaten.

   Written by Patrick Kennedy, Killylougnane, Nenagh,
   Told by James Martin, Grange, Nenagh. Age 60

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Patrick Kennedy

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Killylaughnane, Co. Tipperary

   Informant

   James Martin

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   60

   Address

   Grange Upper, Co. Tipperary