School: Clonyhurk

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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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   the legs. He was getting so sore from the kicks that several times he attempted to get over the ditch from them but every time he tried he was struck in the face by the ball. At long last he succeeded in getting away from them and returned to his house. After that he was sore from the kicks for a fortnight and had to be treated and nursed.

   The expression "Puck it to Larry" is quite common in the locality. I often heard it myself before I ever heard the story or knew what it referred to.

   Mrs. Mason, tells the following story which she heard from her mother. Unfortunately, she forgets the name of the man and the place to which the story refers. It seems that "some man" was in the habit of "rambling" every night at the same neighbour's house. One night he was returning home very late and of course he went the way he always did. There was a certain field he had to cross, and the story says that when he got into it he could not get out of it. Every place he tried to get out there was a bush right in front of him. He knew only too well every point of the ditches but still at every point where he made the attempt he was prevented by a bush. This went on all night. He walked and walked and tried and tried. As day was breaking he heard a voice say "Take warning and never go into the fields at night. The road is for the living but the fields are for the dead". After that he succeeded in getting out of the field. The same man was never seen out at night after that.

   From this residence the spire of Portarlington Chapel can be seen due almost true east about 3 or 4 miles away. Looking in this direction the land is perfectly flat but with a very gentle fall to the

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   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