DOI: 10.7925/drs1.duchas_4758567
title: Johnswell, Kilkenny

description: A collection of folklore and local history stories from Johnswell, Kilkenny (school) (Johnswell, Co. Kilkenny), collected as part of the Schools' Folklore Scheme, 1937-1938 under the supervision of teacher D. Ó Héigceartaigh.
description: Once upon a time there lived a woman named Banakor. She lived in Tullabrin. She used to be going from house to house rambling. / Dwyer, Bessie -- Once upon a time there lived a king and he was always unhappy. One time he got sick and the Doctor told him that he would never get well unless he got the shirt of the happiest man in Ireland. / Brophy, Chrissie -- In olden times people were very fond of taking there neighbours' property with the aid of the fairies. / Brophy, Chrissie -- In Kilfarney there once lived a woman by the name of Biddy Ross. She was a very bad woman and when she died the people said she went to hell. / Manning, Margy -- John the Gom's clothes were the worse for wear. He had only the suit he worked in and he wondered how he would come by a suit. / Hegarty, Imelda -- Once upon a time there lived people named Reillys in Blake's castle. One day Henry Reilly was coming to see his mother in the castle. / Dwyer, Bessie -- Once upon a time there lived an old woman in a house near a rath. She was very fond of money as she was a miser. / Dwyer, Bridie -- A long time ago there came to a sermon a young boy about seventeen years years old. He could never get frightened. / Dowling, Philomena -- Years ago a woman named Mrs. Delaney lived in a house in Muckalee. She was married and she had two children. One of the children was very delicate and one night it died. / Hegarty, Imelda -- One night a few boys were sitting around the fire telling ghost stories and jokes. They were laughing and talking and not minding about anything when a knock came to the door. / Manning, Margy -- Once upon a time there was a man by the name of James Nolan and he used always be playing cards. This night when he was coming he had to cross a stile. / Manning, Katty -- One night Ned Byrne's Father was going home from playing cards. He lived in Baurnafea and he had a long ways to go. It was a very bright night and he said to himself he would be able to find his way across the fields. / Dwyer, Pat -- One time there was a very rich protestant man and he had a great mansion and he used to keep tenants in rooms in the house. So one morning one of his tenants invited the Priest in for breakfast. / Tobin, Andy -- Once upon a time a woman was coming home from a dance and it was about three o' clock in the morning. As she [was] passing a gate she saw a big black pig. / Fitzpatrick, Rita -- Once upon a time there lived a man and his wife, and they were very rich. When the husband was drying he did not make his will. The woman was great with a cobbler not far from her own house. / Manning, Katty -- In a certain field in Kilkenny there are now to be seen large clumps of trees and stony ground. Many years ago this field was ploughed for potatoes. / Manning, Margy -- One time a man cut a tree down in a rath. The next day he went to get it with a car but the tree was standing again. / Cullagh, George Mc -- Once upon a time there lived a man Wild Jack. Jack Brennan was his right name. He lived where Nolans are living now. / Dwyer, Bessie -- Once upon a time a man and a boy were living in a small house at the end of a hill and they were very poor. They had nothing only a dog. / Lyons, Patrick -- Once upon a time a shepherd was minding a flock of sheep. He found a lovely daisy. He picked it up and brought it home and he put it in a box in his room. / Manning, Katty -- Once upon a time a shepherd was minding a flock of sheep. He found a beautiful daisy. He picked it up and put in a box in his bedroom. -- Many years ago a family decided to build a new house as their old one was ready to fall. They said they would build it in a certain field bot far from a rath. / Manning, Margy -- Many years ago a man named Thomas Murphy was coming from a public house called Muldowneys. It was late in the night and he had to pass an old graveyard. / Fitzpatrick, May -- One a man was going home from work and he saw a white man and the hair was standing on his head. He went along and as he went the white man kept before him. / Wall, Donal -- One time a man was living in an old house, and he was very poor. He said to his wife that he would go off to work for a year. One morning he set off to look for work and after walking about ten miles he went into a farmer's house and he asked for work. / Lyons, Patrick -- Some years ago a man and his wife were coming from a wake. It was late in the night and they went across the fields. On their way they had to go through a rath. / Fitzpatrick, May -- Once upon a time there lived a man named James Brennan. He was living in a little house in Tullabrin. He was a good generous poor man. One night a storm came and it came so bad that a large tree near the house fell, and fell in on the little house and blew the roof off and broke the two walls. / Dwyer, Bessie -- Once upon a time there was a poor man living by himself. He was able to cure men , women, and children and he was better than a doctor. One night a man was very sick and they were not able to cure him so they sent the man. / Manning, Bridie -- Once upon a time a man was going home from rambling and as he was passing a gate he saw a black dog. The dog began to follow him and he got a fright. / Fitzpatrick, Rita -- Once upon a time a man had three sons. The youngest was called Dummling and he was ill-treated by the whole family. One day the eldest son took it into his head to go into the wood to cut fuel. / Fitzpatrick, May -- Once upon a time there lived in a little cottage seven dwarfs and a little girl. The oldest was called Long-Beard and the youngest was called Tiny because he was so [small]. / Dowling, Philomena -- Once upon a time there lived a man and his wife and they had two children. This day they brought out the two two children to the hay field and left them at a tram while they were at some trams. / Tobin, Andy -- Once upon a time there lived a farmer named Jack Bennan. He had about sixteen cows. Every morning he'd go out to milk the cows the cows would be milked. / Dowling, Philomena -- Once upon a time there was a farmer and he had a lot of cows. There was a woman living in a little house near him and she was very poor. She used to buy milk for herself from the farmer. / Dwyer, Pat -- Once upon a time there was a poor man and he had five children. One day the father said to them that they would have to go out in their fortune. / Manning, Katty -- Once upon a time there lived three big sisters in a great big house. Mary the oldest of the three was the house keeper. One day she went for a walk and had not gone far when she met two tramps looking for alms. / Dwyer, Bridie -- One time two men were coming home late at night and they saw a light coming up out of a graveyard. It came to where they were and one of them got a stick to hit it and the other man told him not to hit it but he did and nothing happened to the light. / Cullagh, George Mc -- One time three men were walking and one night they went to a house to stay for the night. They went to bed and in the middle of the night they were out of the bed. / Cullagh, George Mc -- Once upon a time a woman went to work in a house belonging to Ned Tobin. They put her in a room by herself to sleep and it was supposed to be haunted. / Lyons, Patrick -- Once upon a time a man was coming home from rambling and it was late in the night. He was about to cross a stile when the devil appeared to him with a beautiful pack of cards in his mouth. / Manning, Bridie -- One night a man was coming home from rambling. When he came to the free-school a black sow walked out of an old ruin. The man stayed looking at her for a while and then he went on. / Manning, Katty -- Once upon a time a poor man was out cutting wood and a fairy came to him and told him he could have three wishes. / Dowling, Philomena -- Once upon a time there was a farmer and he had a lot of cows. There was a woman living in a little house near him and she was very poor. / Dwyer, Pat
description: Supported by funding from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Ireland), University College Dublin, and the National Folklore Foundation (Fondúireacht Bhéaloideas Éireann), 2014-2016.