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The Schools’ Collection

This is a collection of folklore compiled by schoolchildren in Ireland in the 1930s. More information

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  1. How Gold Was Found

    CBÉS 0585

    Page 143

    in the house. Long ago the houses inside used be full of stones. Near the sea there lived a woman, and one day she went out and caught the Mermaid, and brought her into the house. When the woman used to fall over the big rocks that were in the house and every time the Mermaid would laugh at her. One day the woman fell over the rock and the Mermaid laughed at her. The woman got vexed and asked the Mermaid what was she laughing at, and she said "if you will take me back to where you got me, I will tell you." The woman did and when they reached the sea shore, the Mermaid said to her "to go home and to root the big stone where she was always falling, and under that she would get gold." The woman did and she got the gold where the Mermaid told her."

  2. Mermaid

    CBÉS 0203

    Page 212

    Once upon a time a girl was steeping flax in Glenade lake, when a mermaid came up out of the water and killed her. At moment a man happened to be passing by with his horse and he saw what the mermaid had done and he killed her. Just as he was up on his horse ready to ride home another mermaid followed him. He was just going in on the stable door when he turned round and saw the mermaid was close behind him; so he drew his sword and cut her in two halves. When this man died he was buried in Rosenver graveyard and monument was erected over his grave with the picture of his coat of arms and the mermaid on it.

  3. Strange Animals

    CBÉS 0746

    Page 606

    There is a mermaid supposed to live in the river Innie. One day as Mat Feenan of Clogher was fishing in the river Innie. He was speering eels He speared a mermaid through the eye. The spear broke in her eye. One night he was brought away by a lovely lady to a place under the water of the river Innie. When he reached the place where the mermaid was, he had to remove the spear from the eye of the mermaid. When he was leaving the place, the mermaid made him a promise that he would never be drowned from he bridge of Lanesboro to the bridge of Athlone.

  4. (no title)

    “Once upon a time there was a lord and his wife.”

    CBÉS 0032

    Page 0382

    for the bear to go for the hunt and the bird turned into a bear. The girls bear won the race. The next day the Lord came for the hound and the bear turned into a hound. The hound won the race also. One day the Lord took the hound out for a hunt and he roused a black rabbit and the rabbit went into the water and turned into a mermaid and took the hound and that was the gone. The Lord went home and told the girl. The girl was down hearted for the lad. The girl was vexed when he didn't tell her and the girl went to the place where the Mermaid got the hound and she could not see him. She met a man and she told him all about the hound and the man said to her go to a fortune teller. The girl did what the man told her and when she got there. The fortune teller said get a gold spoll and a gold wheel and a gold spoon and tell the Mermaid to show the body of the lad and you would give her the wheel and then tell the Mermaid to show the lad up on the palms of her hands and you would give her the gold spoon and then the lad turns into a bird and fly's away. The girl did what the fortune teller told. She went to the Mermaid came up and she told the Mermaid what the fortune teller told her and she gave the gold spool and the gold wheel and the gold spoon

  5. Legend of O' Dowd of Inniscrone Castle and the Mermaid

    CBÉS 0164

    Page 309

    Legend of O'Dowd of Inniscrone Castle and the mermaid.
    One fine Summer morning the O'Dowd was walking on the shore and he saw a beautiful mermaid asleep on the rocks. She had long golden hair and a red cloak beside her. O'Dowd took the red cloak and hid it in a stack of turf at the Castle. She woke up but as she had not her mermaid claok she was a mermaid no longer but was a woman. After this O'Dowd married her and they had seven sons. The mermaid made O'Dowd promise that he would not go to sea again. He broke the promise and went to sea. When he was gone one of her sons told her that he often saw his father looking at a beautiful red cloak. She knew it was her own and asked him where it was hidden. When she got it she made up her mind to "take" to sea and become a mermaid again. She could not bring her sons with her into the sea as there were half human beings so with a wave of her red cloak she turned them into seven rocks and so then returned to the sea. These rocks are to be seen in Scurmore woods and it is believed that these rocks bleed every seven years if they are tipped with something sharp.

  6. Story of a Mermaid

    CBÉS 0291

    Page 562

    Story of a Mermaid
    There is a story told about a man named John Glavin, who lived in Lissgriffin. One day a mermaid went into Glavin's house. The mermaid told him that he should not kill a black sheep, never invite the landlord to the house, that all the family should be in before twelve o'clock at night, and never to kill a whale. Then they began to get rich, and the mermaid remained in the house. One day one of the family killed a whale. The mermaid said the whale was her brother. Then she went out and rang a bell and a white horse came up out of the sea. She jumped on the horse's back, and she said that the day would come when a Glavin would not be seen in Lissgriffin. Then the mermaid drove the horse

  7. Mermaids

    CBÉS 0094

    Page 230

    a mermaid is seen sitting on a rock combing her hair. When she has it combed she puts a net in her hair and if anyone gets the mermaid and takes the net from her, as long as they have the net, the mermaid cannot go away.

  8. Mermaids

    CBÉS 0094

    Page 232

    This is a short story I heard about a mermaid. One day long ago when a ship was sailing across the sea to England the people on board saw a mermaid who asked them to throw out a girl which she had seen on board but they refused. There was a man in the ship and it was he that would not let the girl out. He began to sing a song and the mermaid was listening to him all the time because his voice was so sweet, and by the time he had the song finished the ship had arrived at its destination. The mermaid forgot all about the girl.
    People say that if the mermaid saw a ship that she would want someone on board the ship to be thrown out to her or that she would wreck the ship and drown all the people on board.

  9. Mermaid

    CBÉS 0098

    Page 446

    There was a man named King Walking beside Drumada Lake between Mayo Abbey and Claremorris. He saw a mermaid walking beside the Lake. He took her away with him to his home. She warned him that if ever she went near the lake, she would be dragged into it, and never return. He was careful not to let her go near it. One day King was at the fair of Claremorris and his wife needed water for washing. She went to the lake and was forced to enter it and become a mermaid again. The present family of Kings attending this school are descendants of this mermaid. Their father is said to be a great grand-child of the mermaid concerned - agus tá a shliocht ortha.

  10. A Mermaid Story

    CBÉS 0165

    Page 010

    Our teacher told us another story about the mermaid. Hundreds of years ago there lived a man named O'Dowd. he was near the sea and he saw the mermaid sitting on a rock combing her hair quite content. He went quietly behind her and snapped her brat and went for home. Then she knew she could not go into the sea without her cloak. Then she followed him but she could not find it because he had it hid in a stack of corn. Then they got married and they had three sons. The mermaid was always on the look out for the brat so that she could go back to her native home. One day the man was putting in a stack of corn. He changed the brat into the new stack for fear she would get it. One day when the man was away the mermaid asked the children did they see any nice thing with their father.

  11. Loch Éamoinn

    CBÉS 0171

    Page 235

    It is also believed that there is a mermaid in this lake. A mermaid is a strange creature that is supposed to live in the water half a fish and half a lady. One day this mermaid came up out of the water and ran into Éamonn's house. She ran up to the room and all the chairs and furniture in the room started to dance.

  12. The Leprechaun

    CBÉS 0192

    Page 255

    The Lepreachan or Mermaid.

  13. Mermaids

    CBÉS 0214

    Page 048

    Stories are told about mermaids in this district. People say she has a girls head with long hair and a tail like a fish. People say when she sees anyone walking near water at 12 o'Clock at night she pulls them in and turns them into a mermaid, or if a person goes near water on a Whit Sunday the mermaid will pull him in and turn him into a mermaid.

  14. (no title)

    “The was supposed to be a mermaid living in Lough Key. Long ago she could be seen sitting on a rock on the shore, every day, combing her lovely, long, fair curly hair, but if she saw any human being coming near she would dive into the water again.”

    CBÉS 0236

    Page 047

    There was supposed to be a mermaid

  15. (no title)

    “The was supposed to be a mermaid living in Lough Key. Long ago she could be seen sitting on a rock on the shore, every day, combing her lovely, long, fair curly hair, but if she saw any human being coming near she would dive into the water again.”

    CBÉS 0236

    Page 049

    came in, she was very angry, when she saw the mermaid because she knew well, if her husband did anything to the mermaid it would be very unlucky. The fisherman spent that evening making a cage and when he was going to bed, he put the mermaid into it.
    His wife waited up late and when her husband was asleep she opened the door of the cage and let the mermaid free. The mermaid was very grateful to her for letting her free, but still she did not speak a word, but when she was leaving the house, she waved her hand at the woman. Then she dived into the water and she was never appeared in the same spot again.
    There was a man by the name of Tom Foley living in Boyle a

  16. The Leipreachán and Mermaid

    CBÉS 0239

    Page 047

    woman, and half a fish. She is supposed to be sitting on a rock, combing her beautiful hair. I heard a story about a mermaid that was brought ashore. She was sitting on a rock combing her hair. A man saw her, he came to where she was and took her cap. The man went home with the cap and the mermaid followed him. After a while they got married, and had four children. One day the man was looking for something on the loft. The cap he had taken from the mermaid fell down. She immideatly picked it up, and ran away into the sea. The man tried to catch her, but he failed. The mermaid never laughed in her life, until she got he cap. The she laughed loudly.

  17. The Leprechaun or Mermaid

    CBÉS 0242

    Page 496

    bad luck befalls that person.
    There is not much known about the mermaid around here. I heard that mermaid has a body like a person and a tail like a fish. I heard some of the old people say that the mermaid could talk but more people say that she cannot. The mermaid lives in water especially in the sea.

  18. The Leipreachan or Mermaid

    CBÉS 0350

    Page 442

    The Leipreachan or Mermaid is not known locally.

  19. The Leipreachán and the Mermaid

    CBÉS 0351

    Page 072

    noted fishermen, and musicians, being related to the mermaid.

  20. A Mermaid

    CBÉS 0399

    Page 057

    57
    A Mermaid
    A mermaid is supposed to be a woman. I never saw a mermaid but I heard the old people say that they often saw her. It is supposed that she is to be seen sitting in a rock combing her hair. A story is told about a man who saw a mermaid. It was a fine sunny day as he was walking a long the cliffs he saw the mermaid sitting on a rock combing her hair. When he approached he saw a red cap on the rock near her. He snatched the cap and ran home; when he arrived at the house he threw the cap up in a loft. It was not long when the mermaid came in after him. She married him and they had three sons. One day he threw down the cap accidentally. She snatched it and ran away. He followed her and begged her to come back. She only delayed to tell him that he would find a crock of gold for each child under the flag where the servant fell with a can of milk. Then as she leaped from the cliff she was heard to say "oh Kilstoheen, oh Kilstoheen" and then she disappeared beneath the waters. That is