A Story About Stolen Corn

Kilkerrin, Co. Galway

There was a field of oats sown near Derrinlough lake. Each night the corn used to be eaten and the people did not know what was doing the damage.  One night two boys remained up to watch. They saw four horses coming out of the lake eating the corn. They waited to see if any more would come out. Next came out two girls to bring in the horses. The boys made an attempt to catch the horses but failed.  One boy caught one of the girls. She promised that if he would let her free that she would give him the best and luckiest horse he ever had and it bred seven mare foals. The girl told him not to ever allow the horse to drink water out of the lake. One day as they were ploughing near the lake a little boy came to call them to dinner. They put the little boy riding on the horse to take it home forgetting to tell him not to allow the animal to drink out of the lake. When the little boy was returning home they went back to the lake in search of him and found the horse drinking at the lake. They could see the chimney tops of a big tower in the middle of the lake. One of the men shouted at the top of his voice – “Oh! she will never stop until she drinks the lake dry”. At that it threw the boy off its back and swam into the water. The lake filled up as before and they were never seen afterwards.

Collector: Mary Ellen Disken, Derrinlough, Co. Galway

Informant: Thomas Disken, Derrinlough, Co. Galway

Place: Kilkerrin, Co. Galway

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

This page was added on 13/05/2017.

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