School: Kiffa
- Location:
- Kiffagh, Co. Cavan
- Teacher: Helen Dinneen
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0993, Page 084
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On this page
- Magpies, cuckoos, crows, jackdaws, hawks, curlews, seagulls, thrushes, blackbirds, sparrows, robins, swallows, swifts, wrens, finches, wood pigeons, corncrakes, larks, snipes, brown owls, cranes, starlings, wagtails, partridges, water hens, swans, wild geese, wild ducks, linnets, plovers, and baldicots are the only birds seen in this locality.
The Magpie is with us all the year round. She is a large black and white bird, and was not know in Ireland before 1700.
The farmer's wife hates this bird for she steals eggs, and sucks them, and robs the chicken flocks. Many people do not like to meet one magpie, they think it foretells bad luck, but if they say, "Good-day", to it, raise their hat to it or spit out this breaks the spell.
"One for sorrow, two for joy,
Three for a wedding, four for a boy,
Five for silver, six for gold,
Seven for a story that never was told".
Magpie's begin to build on the 1st February, and build a nest of sticks, lined with grass and hair in a high tree. The nest is all covered in with just two holes for the birds to enter and leave. The eggs(continues on next page)
- Collector
- W. Lowry
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Graddum, Co. Cavan
