School: St. Cronan's Longford Wood, An Teampoll Mór (roll number 6662)
- Location:
- Longfordwood, Co. Tipperary
- Teacher: Mícheál Ó Catháin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0547, Page 275
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- (continued from previous page)where there are small children. A tub of water is placed on the kitchen floor. A large apple is put in the water ; the childrens' hands are tied behind their backs, and they try to catch the apple with their teeth. The result is that they get very wet, but still they have great sport. Another trick is this: a rope is suspended from the ceiling, a stick is fixed crosswise to the end of the rope, and on one end of this stick is placed an apple and on the other a piece of soap or a lighted candle. The rope is now twisted and twisted, till it can go no further a child now stands in front of it, with his hands tied as before, ready to "snap" with his mouth. The rope is now let go, and in taking the twist out of itself, causes the stick with the apple and other object to spin very rapidly. The boy waiting "snaps" at the apple, but it is the soap or lighted candle he catches more often than the apple. Many children believe that the "pooka" walks around that night, and they will eat no wild fruits after that night, because they believe that the "pooka" destroys them all ; but the number of us who believe this is very small.
- Collector
- Brigid Cantwell
- Gender
- Female
