School: Duleek (B.) (roll number 6554)

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1. Collier the Robber

   

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   Collier the Robber

   Collier the Robber was born above at the Naul about a hundred years ago. When he was a young boy he used to be always walking about at the road. One day his mother gave him a bit of bread, and when he was going down the Donore Road he saw a landlord going about in the field. So he hid in the ditch with a crust of bread. When the landlord came up he pointed the crust at him and told him to put his hands behind his back. The man thought he had a gun and Collier robbed him. He went home and gave the money to his mother.

   It is said that he took from the rich and gave to the poor.

   One moonlit night he was riding along the road on his horse and he saw the mail-coach coming. He knew that they would not be afraid of him by himself. So he tied his horse to a tree and put old hats on sticks of corn along the road and sticks pointing out like guns. When the mail-coach came up Collier jumped out of the ditch and shouted "Fire, Fire" When the men saw the sticks they thought it was an army and got out of the coach and ran away. Then Collier went .....and got all the money.

   When he was an old man he died of the cholera in Drogheda and there were only four at his funeral, the men that carried the coffin.

   When Collier was in prison one of the men

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Seámas Ó Gormáin

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Commons, Co. Meath

   Informant

   Tomás Ó Gormáin

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   57

   Address

   Commons, Co. Meath