School: St Columba's, Cloonagh, Granard (roll number 12813)
- Location:
- Cloonagh, Co. Longford
- Teacher: Peter O'Reilly
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0762, Page 406
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- I heard this story from a man named Rehill who is dead over 40 years.In the townland of Kilmore there lived long, long, ago a man named Ned McGuinness or better known in his time as the man of many wives. He lived in a mud walled cabin but most of the houses in the townland in those days were built of pear sods as there was a very large bog in the surrounding district.
Neddy remained a bachelor until he reached the age of 50 or more and during the following twenty five years he went through the bonds of matrimony no less than four times and each of his four spouses reached a good age but Ned had the unique distinction of outliving the last woman and he remained in the lands of the living just one year longer.
After the death of the last wife some neighbour said to him that he must have money to spare after getting four fortunes and he replied "When a man marries them decent and buries them decent he does not have much left."
It was remarked that each of his four wives lived for the same number of years after the marriage which was about six and furthermore that they died from the same complaint. The old people used to say that they were four healthy woman and exceeding other in strength until they were(continues on next page)
- Informant
- Rehill
- Gender
- Male
