School: Rathkenny (roll number 15483)

Location:
Rathkenny, Co. Meath
Teacher:
Tomás Mac Cárthaigh
Browse
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0714, Page 256

Archival Reference

The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0714, Page 256

Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.

See copyright details.

Download

Open data

Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

  1. XML School: Rathkenny
  2. XML Page 256
  3. XML “Burying the Sheaf”

Note: We will soon deprecate our XML Application Programming Interface and a new, comprehensive JSON API will be made available. Keep an eye on our website for further details.

On this page

  1. (continued from previous page)
    Knock) was a servant girl in the House of a man named Slevin (or Slavin) at Mentrim, near Ardee in the Parish of Lobinstown & Newtown). This man had a corn mill and his descendants are working two mill presently. A son of Slevin's seduced this girl and a son was born, but Slevin refused to marry Nanny Ward. Then she had recourse to the method of revenge known as "Burying the Sheaf" already described. She buried the sheaf in a manure heap, and one day a sow that was rooting at the manure heap, came upon the "Sheaf" and rooted it up. A neighbour who came upon the scene noticed the Sheaf and took it to Nanny Ward, and upbraided her for her conduct. He was well aware of the meaning of this sheaf, as it was well known in the district that Slevin way pining away. He burned the Sheaf and Slevin got well.
    The son born to Nanny Ward was called Paddy Ward, and was reared & went to School at Rathkenny. He died about 10 years ago near Navan, and was a very respectable man. His children live at Donaghmore, Navan, and his grand-children are at Rathkenny school at present. Slevin married also and it is a remarkable coincidence that a great grandson of Slevin's and a great grandson of Nanny Ward
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Thomas Carty
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Rathkenny, Co. Meath
    Informant
    Owen Flanagan
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    c. 55
    Address
    Ladyrath, Co. Meath