A Funny Story

Many years ago there was a very poor man. He had only a half an acre of barley. One night a great storm came and destroyed his barley. He said that he would go and stuff the hole where the wind was coming from. He went on and the journey was very long. There was a lodging house on his way and he slept in the house. When next morning came he set off to stuff the hole.  At last he came to a deep hole in the ground. He began to stuff it. A big man came to him and asked him what was he doing. He told him that the wind was coming out of the hole and that it destroyed all his barley. The fairy man told him that he would give him an oven and whatever he would tell the oven to boil it would boil it. He told to go home.  He went to the lodging – house that night. He told the story to the people. In the morning when he was going home the people gave him a different oven. Whatever he would tell the oven to boil it would not boil only what he would put in it. He said that he would go again to stuff the hole. He went on his journey again. He slept in the same house. In the morning, he set off on his journey. When he was stuffing the hole the fairy man came to him again. He told him that the oven would boil nothing only what he would put in it. The fairy told the man that he would give him a cow and whenever he would ask for gold she would give it to him. He gave him the cow and he went home. He slept in the same house and told the story about the cow. The people gave him a different cow in the morning. When he would ask for gold he would not get it.  He set off to stuff the hole and he in the same house. When he was stuffing the hole the fairy man came to him again. The man told the fairy man what happened to the cow. The fairy told him that he would give him bagpipes. Whenever the people would hear the bagpipes playing they would start dancing. He gave him a stick also. Whenever he would tell the stick to begin to beat it would beat all before it and it would not stop until he would tell it to stop. When he came to the lodging house he began to play. All the people gathered in and they began to dance. When the people were dancing the man said, “Slash away cama’n. The cama’n began to beat everyone. The people begged him to stop the stick. The people gave him the over and the cow and he went home. He was very rich after a few years. One day he had a big party in a field. There were over two hundred people in the field. In the middle of the dance the man said, “Slash away cama’n” The cama’n began to beat everyone away.

Collector: Nóra Ní Ghrialuis, Lisheenkyle West, Co. Galway

Informant: Páidraig Ó Grialuis

Place: Carnaun, Co. Galway

Tags: story, barley

Footnote: Duchas, http://www.duchas.ie