School: St. Cronan's Longford Wood, An Teampoll Mór (roll number 6662)

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1. Travelling People (continued)

   

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   knew all about fairies and ghosts in fact according to their stories, they often met and talked to those folk. Many a time the children of the house were afraid to go to bed, because of the terrible ghost stories they had just listened to. There was scarcely a known disease, in man or beast, that they had not a "cure" for. These cures usually were made up by brewing certain classes of herbs, which had to be pulled on certain parts of the day or night so as to be of any use. We shall deal with some of these old "cures" later. Many people even at the present time believe in them and actually use them in certain cases.

   It was considered very unlucky to refuse a nights lodging to a travelling man or woman, and many stories are told in the district of the "bad luck" which followed certain families because they or their people before them did so. On the other hand, stories are told of the traveller who when leaving in the morning promised "good luck", especially to the young girls of a house, and of course, according to the story, they had. Names of travellers still remembered are Tommie [Stony?], Mick Carroll, Paddy Treacy, "The ass man", "The pony woman."

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. agents (~1)
      1. people by social grouping
         1. travellers (~3,023)

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Martin Sheedy

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Gortnadumagh, Co. Tipperary