School: Cromadh (B.)

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   “There is a castle in Rosbrien (near Limerick city and I think tis what they call it is Crawford's castle.”

   

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   There is a castle in Rosbrien (near Limerick City) and I think 'tis what they call it is Crawford's castle. Anyway a man lived in it, who was very fond of card playing. There was always an open door there for anyone who was willing to gamble and there was gambling there day and night. This night the owner of the castle and his friends were playing away as usual, when a stranger walked into them. "Will you take a hand", says the man of the house to the stranger. "If there's no objection", says he, and faith, and sure there wasn't.

   Well they played on all night and all day, 'till one by one, every one of the gamblers was broke, and left for home. Except only the owner of the house and the stranger. The stakes were doubled, and doubled again, until in the end the stranger had all the money the man of the house had. "I'll stake my horses", says the man of the house, and he did, and the stranger won them. He staked the furniture, the 'bane' of cows he had. In fact everything he had, and in the end he lost them all.

   Once when he got a bit shaky towards the end, a card fell from his hand under the table, and in stretching down his hand to feel for the card, he felt the stranger's leg, and what was it, but a cloven hoof. If he got a shock, being a good gambler, he pretended nothing, but played on 'till the last cow in the bane was gone. "I'll stake my soul", says the gambler to the stranger. In one more game with you

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   Language

   English

   Informant

   Dick Butler

   Gender

   Male