School: Cluain Uaithne Beag
- Location:
- Shannon Harbour, Co. Offaly
- Teacher: Winifred Molloy
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0816, Page 328
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- 22n September 1936.Folklore from OffalyFinola lived in the village of Kinnitty, about nine miles from Birr. She was very busy working at an essay on the meaning of the names of places in or near Offaly. There was to be a Feis at Birr and a prize would be given to the boy or girl who had written the best essay on this subject. Her brother Cathal was sitting at the door of the cottage."Cathal", said his sister, looking up from her paper, "you have been gazing at Knocknaman for ever so long". "Do you see anything strange on the hill?""No", said Cathal, "but there is a white cloud on it just like smoke. I was wondering if the fairies had lighted a fire on the top of the hill". "There has been many a fire lighted on Knocknaman", said Finolan, "though not by the fairies". Long ago, before Our Lord came the druids lighted fairies upon the tops of high hill when they met to worship the sun.
The old people say that Knocknaman means 'the hill of the sun-god'.
The Cumber mountains are said to be called after the sun; for Camhaoir just means the dawn, the time when the sun begins to light up(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Brighid Ní Gallchobhair
- Gender
- Female
