Irish Wonders: The Ghosts, Giants, Pooka, Demons, Leprechawns, Banshees, Fairies, Witches, Widows, Old Maids, and other Marvels of the Emerald IsleMcAnally, D. R. (David Russell)
General
Irish Wonders: The Ghosts, Giants, Pooka, Demons, Leprechawns, Banshees, Fairies, Witches, Widows, Old Maids, and other Marvels of the Emerald Isle
"At first the blessed Caruck was goin’ to be rough wid him for shtrivin’
to interfare wid the church an’ the priest’s house be risin’ the wather on
thim, but that minnit the moon shone out as bright as day an’ he looked
back an’ there was the beautifulest lake he iver set his blessed eyes on,
an’ the church wid its towers riz above it like a fairy cassel in a
dhrame, an’ he clasped his hands wid delight. So Satan looked too an’ was
mortefied to death wid invy when he seen how he bate himself at his own
game.
"So the blessed Caruck towld Belzebub to lave the dam where it was, an’
then, thinkin’ av the poor bog-throtters that ’ud nade the turf, he
ordhered him beways av a punishmint, to dig all the turf there was in the
bog an’ pile it up on the hill to dhry.
"’Don’t you lave as much as a speck av it undher wather,’ says he to him,
’or as sure as I’m a saint I’ll make ye repint it to the end o’ yer
snakin’ life,’ says he, an’ thin stud on the bank an’ watched the Owld
Deludher while he brought out the turf in loads on his back, an’ ivery
load as big as the church, till the hape av sods was as high as a
mountain. So he got it done be mornin’, an’ glad enough was the divil to
have the job aff his hands, fur he was as wet as a goose in May an’ as
tired as a pedler’s donkey. So the blessed Caruck towld him to take
himself aff an’ not come back: that he was mighty well plazed to do.
[Illustration: The Church by the Bog]
"That’s the way the lake come to be here, an’ the blessed Caruck come well
out o’ that job, fur he sold the turf an’ built a big house on the shore
wid the money, an’ chated the divil besides, Glory be to God, when the
Owld Wan was thryin’ his best fur to sarcumvint a saint."
ABOUT THE FAIRIES.
[Illustration: Initial: "About the Fairies"]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account