School: Lacken and Leny (roll number 3244)
- Location:
- Lackan, Co. Westmeath
- Teacher: S, Mac Shamhráin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0738, Page 146
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- XML “Local Fairy Tale”
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- The following story was told by a man named James Comiskey aged 80 years of Ballyharney, Ballinalack, Co. Westmeath.
James Comiskey was going from Ballinalack to his home in Ballyharney during the harvest time of the year. He stood behind a cock of hay in a field called Heavey's field to light his pipe. Suddenly a fairy ran out from behind the cock with a football and shouted "who will kick this ball". Another fairy came and said "who will bu.. Jimmy, and he played football with them. When they were finished playing the fairies got a number of calves, and put Jimmy up on one and told him that if he spoke a word he would fall. The fairies got up on the rest of the calves and rode away. They jumped everything that came in their way and they even jumped the Shannon at Athlone. When they did so Jimmy said "Your [you're] the best calf I ever heard of and he fell into a heap of rushes. He had to walk home and arrived home three days later.
- Informant
- James Comiskey
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 80
- Address
- Ballyharney, Co. Westmeath
