School: Clonahard, Longford (roll number 14281)
- Location:
- Cloonahard, Co. Longford
- Teachers: Mrs Vaughan Miss Ellis
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0768, Page 144
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- XML School: Clonahard, Longford
- XML Page 144
- XML “Murphy's Fort”
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- A fort is a place with a high hill in the middle and a number of trees in rings round it. There is a fort in Mr. Murphy's field and it is said that in olden times the fairies lived there. Once there was a man going through it at 12 o'clock at night and when he looked around he looked and saw that instead of a fort it was large palace with hundreds of windows in it. He peeped through one of them and saw a number of wee men singing and dancing inside. One of them saw him and at once told all the others. Then the door was opened and he was welcomed in by them all.
He stayed with them for a while and when he was leaving, they gave him a purse of gold each. He thanked them very much and went home.
When he looked back he was "terribly surprised" to see that there was no palace at all and it was the same as when he started on his journey. This lucky man was rich ever after and it is said that it is not lucky to cut a tree out of a fort.
- Collector
- Teresa Farrell
- Gender
- Female
