School: Killyfargy
- Location:
- Killyfargy, Co. Monaghan
- Teacher: B. Ó Mórdha
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0947, Page 127
Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.
See copyright details.
DownloadOpen data
Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
- XML School: Killyfargy
- XML Page 127
- XML “Billy Williamson”
Note: We will soon deprecate our XML Application Programming Interface and a new, comprehensive JSON API will be made available. Keep an eye on our website for further details.
On this page
- (continued from previous page)Billy would come there on his white ass and he would always begin the dance by a bar of "[?] Halls". The women would have their hats "tallied" to be there, and the boys and girls, brothers and sisters would come there dressed in their plain home made Irish clothes and Irish-made light boots. When they would reach the dance house the old Irish word was not forgotten "God save all here." There were no foreign dances then all Irish ones reels, hornpipes and petticotees. Billy at certain times would get drink at the dance and when a row would start Billy and the fiddle would be tossed "[?]. When they would have tired themselves they would lift Billy up and put him in the armchair. Billy would then try the case and settle it never more to be spoke of. Billy of course lived very poor and for a long time he couldnt get a fourfooted beast to live with him. One morning in June Billy rose and looked out through the window, and what did he see but a fine roaring springing heifer on the sheet. Billy thought it was some stray one so he published the news all around but he could never get an owner for it. Billy kept it and she had a heifer calf. That calf became a cow and from that day till he died Billy never wanted. Of course the cow was given to him by the fairies.
