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School: Clonyhurk

Location:
Clonyhurk, Co. Offaly
Teacher:
J. Mason
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0803, Page 042

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0803, Page 042

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    “The woman who handed the following down was a sister to Daniel Dunne and lived in the same house as he did which is situated by the road only about 80 or 90 yards from this school and about 100 yard from the Teacher's Residence in which I live.”

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    (continued from previous page)
    on Fitzpatarick's Farm, but this rath is not visible from this house, it being several fields away. My own experience is that ever since I came to live in this house, I have heard at night (and on one occasion in broad daylight), the strangest noises both within and without the house that I could never account for.
    Miss Dunne also related that it happened on several occasions that a strange woman (sometimes two women) spotlessly clean called for a "noggin" of meal, promising to return it by a certain date. When that date arrived, the same woman (or women) returned and gave back the "noggin" of meal. It was not the same woman (or women) on all occasions, but different women.
    Mrs Mason cannot tell for certain whether all this took place before the "throwing out of the water" or after it.
    They were called "The Good Couple" when speaking about them and it was the usual form to bless themselves and say "This is Sunday (or Wednesday or whatever day of the week it happened to be) and "they" can't do us any harm".
    Mrs Mason has told me the following. I have heard it also from other residents, corresponding in every detail. According to the story it seems that there in Cloneyhurke one time a man named "Larry Dempsey". One moonlight night on looking out through the window of his bedroom he saw a crow of little men kicking ball and running around in a little green field that was at the back of the house. Wondering at what it was all about he went out and looked on. They immediately "got at him" to join in the kicking which he did. Every now and again it was "Puck it to Larry" with them. They used to gather around him and even kick him in
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    History Edit
    Topics
    1. agents (~1)
      1. supernatural and legendary beings (~14,864)
    Language
    English
    Informant
    Mrs Mason
    Gender
    Female
    Age
    37
    Occupation
    Domestic worker
    Address
    Garryhinch, Co. Offaly