School: Urbal (roll number 13170)
- Location:
- An Ruball, Co. Dhún na nGall
- Teacher: Eamonn de Faoite
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1038, Page 364
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: Urbal
- XML Page 364
- XML “Finding the Drowned”
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
- Long ago there were only two bridges on the Oily River for a distance of ten miles. People crossed at fords on which there were stepping stones. Often these were very dangerous to cross on as sometimes floods would rise rapidly.
Once, about 60 years ago, three girls left Tullentain to go to a dance in Croagh. They were to cross the river on stepping stones below Urbal school. Their people were not anxious as they had often crossed on the steps before.
When bed-time came their people went to bed leaving a light burning as they expected the girls home before morning. When morning came and the girls had not returned their people got anxious. They sent to Croagh but the girls had not been there at all. They came to the conclusion that the girls must have been caught while crossing by a flood and drowned.
The people put a sheaf of corn into the river and followed it down the river. At last it turned round and round in a large hole below John Dorrian's in Multains. The hole was dragged and the three bodies found.
