Tape thirty.
Mikeen McCarthy
Contents
Myself riddle
Riddle of man in prison
Telling riddles round the fire-the long straw
The world of games and stories round the fire
Fairy forts, nothing taken or put in.
Tunes from the fairies
The Kerry Fiddler and Jack 0' the Lantern (story)
Selling Christmas decorations
The man who went with the fairies at midnight
The mermaid and the curse on the Murphys (story heard from mother)
The Herring, (very hesitant, 2or3 verses stumbled over)
The Sea Captain
Every Grain of Sand (American Wake song)
Go For The Water (story)
The Mirror
Shule Aroon (I v)
The Man with the Hatchet (breaks halfway and part-repeats)
M Mc
It isn't my sister, nor 'tisn't my brother,
And still 'tis the child of my father and mother, who is it?
It's myself.
M Mc There was a man in prison, one time and he was going up for sentence and they didn't know whether he was guilty or not guilty.
So there was a boy used to come in to see him every day. And this day the warder said to him, “who is that boy”, he said.
Well, I forget the first of it now but he said; “That man's father is my father’s son”.
For the answer I don't know it, but 'tis as much of it I know really like, but I could never solve for myself, that man's father is my father's son. I often tried out for myself but I get lost at it, you know.
J C Were they popular among Travellers, riddles?
M Mc Oh, they were, yeah, yeah. We used have one then, we'd be going all round the fire. You'd be going on with a riddle like, like that and er, and we'd pull a load of straws then and we'd have the long straw then. And we'd say;
The priest of the parish he lost his considering cap,
Some says this and more says that,
And more says my man John.
So you1d have to pull a straw then like, and whoever gets a long straw then, well he'd have to carry the rest of the fellers around the road up on his back;, d'you know. Make turns out of him. 'Tisn't......
The priest of the parish lost his considering cap,
Some says this and some says that,
And more says may man John.
And 'twould go on like that maybe all night, you know. They used play with you all night but you'd forget them now you know Jim.
J C This was like a competition?
M Mc Oh, competitions, you'd be watching for the long straw because they'd all make an ass out of you, d'you know, poking you with sticks and all letting on. The feller who pulled the long straw, he was in for it anyway.
J C Where there any other things like that, games or competitions like that?
M Mc Oh jay yes, we used have the world of them that time. We were often up all night now, two or three o’clock in the morning, moonlight nights moreover. We used play blind-mans-buff, all that, you know, because there used be no television at that time. Then maybe the singing competitions would come and riddles and stories. There was often that many ghost stories told at the fire that the fellers that lived far away, they'd be afraid to go home.
Bejay, the old times that time like, they'd tell you stories and they'd frighten the heart in you.
J C Could you think of any of the stories at all, any of the ghost stories?
M Mc Er, not off of hand like but there was a lot of them Jim but, to come to it now, straight away, you'd never think of them, you know. Not now anyway Jim, only the odd one here and there and a broken verse of then and all that, you know. Well they'd be all about the Banshee and the Headless Ghost, d'you know. Where the people were supposed to be seen, but actually they were true like, oh yeah. So they'd tell you anyway.
The headless ghost, 'twas like a horse drawn carriage now and the driver and 'tis all around twelve o’clock that you'd hear him coming. And he'd have a whip, supposed to be and if you were to look out the keyhole he could take the eye out of you with the whip. Well whether it was to frighten the kids or not I don’t know. You'd have to pull all curtains across. If you heard anything coming you'd never look out of the keyhole anyway, you'd be afraid of your eyes, all that.
Any wood in the forts; there was forts then and they were all haunted, those are a round place now, there'd have been a farm now, all up with stones. Well the farmer that have a fort on his land like, you'd see here, there, it'd be growing two feet high maybe, and he still wouldn't touch it, cut it or do nothing at all with it. When we were travelling along we would always look for rotten roots for fires and all that. Still we'd pick the sticks everywhere around the farmers land, and the best of them'd be in the fort and we wouldn't go near it. And there'd never be anything taken out of it or put into it. They'd never make a dumping ground or anything out of it like that, you know. And still they’re the same way back there yet.
D T What were these forts, what were they Michael?
M Mc That's where the fairies used to play, they used have their football there and their music and all that, you know. They claim that's where all the grand enchanted music, that all those famous fiddle players, those tin whistle players, they claim that's where they got the air for them, from the fairies, that's where it came down from first.
D T Did you ever come across anybody who said he'd got a tune from the fairies?
M Mc Well no but er, it was fellers that, before they would play a tune, they'd come out and tell you where it came from. That some man would always get lost, he'd go to find his way home and he'd hear the fairies like and they'd be playing a tin whistle maybe. There was nearly always maybe a fiddle.
I heard of a feller now that was coming, in Kerry one time and he was coming home at night and he was half boozed. And he heard a tin whistle anyway, playing and he looked everywhere.
There was what they call Jack-o-the-Lantern then, 'twas like the Banshee. He used have a light and he'd put you astray like, you'd keep following the lantern, and you wouldn't know where you were going to end up. That did happen to several fellers. But he kept following Jack-o-the-Lantern anyway, and the music was with it and he went astray. So he was out all night anyway and he got lost.
And knowing the neighbourhood very well like, 'twouldn't be like London or Birmingham or places like that. Those areas back in Ireland are very small, and he could walk over it with his eyes shut. But he came back in the morning some time anyway and trying to explain to the mother and father, whoever else was behind after him, they thought 'twas making up excuses he was. So he took down the tin whistle and he started playing the tune. And he said, if you think, he said, it isn't true, so, he said, get any man, he said, in this country, he said that can play that tune. And he played it off by heart, straight away, inside in the house. So 'twas the only way they could believe him anyway.
J C When you were lost with the fairies, was there any way of finding your way home again?
M Mc No, not till after hours anyway, not till the first cock would crow in the morning, they claim. And that could be in Summer time or winter like. But you wouldn't find no home until the first cock had crowed.
But where the wise man was like, he'd stop where he is and he'd take his eyes off of the light. But for the feller that'd be stupid like, he'd keep going on. Well two to one if he wouldn't land you inside in the fairies fort then and that might be miles away, d'you know. But there was such a thing.
I remember an old man, whether he's dead, I don't know, God' have mercy on him. Whether it was a false alarm that was put around about him or not I do not know now. But for Christmas that time we'd go off selling stuff through the country, d'you know, winter-time, we'd be selling Christmas stuff during Christmas, decorations like and all that because there was no vans going to doors that time and back in the western counties they wouldn't have a whole lot in the little shops and all that. So we'd have the lovely flashy stuff from the cities and there was great demand for it back in the country towns. We'd charge them a little extra, but they didn't mind.
But there was a man anyway, and his name was Mike Shea, God have mercy on him, we used stop in the house. But the man never harmed or molested nobody. But we'd sleep on the floor that time, and have a fine bale of straw for ourself. 'Twould be as warm as any feather bed or dearest mattress, and we'd have a big fire on in the hearth, a big open fire.
But the very minute we hear the clock ticking twelve at all, we'd cover the heads1 and Mikey'd be gone to bed since six o’clock and the house’d be our own like, be gone upstairs, up to bed. When it would come twelve o’clock we'd know ourself, Mikey'd start coming down stairs, and off, and we'd never hear Mike coming back. But they claim he used go with the fairies, I might be telling lies,
I don't know, god have mercy on him. That's.... 'twas round the neighbourhood anyway. The man never interfered with nobody. Very nice man he was. But that happened us many a time, it did indeed.
M Mc Well back in Caherciveen years ago the old..... my mother was often telling me about it, there was a place called Filemore, and all the fishermen out of Filemore'd fish in this particular place, we used call it over the water. So there was Murphys, 'twas a great name in that parish like, Murphy, ‘twas nearly all Murphys, 0'Sullivans and all that. So there was one Murphy man anyway, and he went out fishing. 'Twas about four or five o'clock in the evening when he went out that time anyway.
My mother often told me. He went on his own.
Bejay, whatever way the nets got tangled anyway. He didn't know what it was, he thought he'd a monster of a fish or something, and he had to tow it behind the boat anyway, into the strand. And when he landed in the strand he found out what he had was a mermaid.
So she done her best to get away, but she'd a fishes tail like, now like that is called the mantle. It used come away easy enough, d'you know. So when he got the mantle anyway he had a magic wand anyway, she had to follow the mantle because she couldn't go anywhere without it. So he took home the mantle anyway and when he got it home he put it... there was what we the roofs of the houses that time, there was coarse bags they used call them and they have them all pinned on to the roof, nailed up like, and they have them whitewashed as well. They were very warm and anything that they wanted to put away like, they'd put it up there and 'twould be quite safe and dry for the following summer evening to their fishing nets now and all that. So he put up the mantle up there anyway unknown to her.
So bejay, they claimed that she worked with him and stopped with him for seven or eight years. But for every time, she still spent all her time looking for the mantle and he knew himself if she ever got the mantle that she was gone.
But she was supposed to be the loveliest looking girl around that area anyway. And as far as I hear they had two or three kids.
But eventually he went out one day, out fishing and bejay, wasn't she whitewashing the roof of the house, the bags. And the bags was giving away like, they were too long there. Here she finds her mantle and she takes to the sea for it,
So she said before she went back to see, she said, “any Murphy”, she said, “that ever go out fishing”, she said, “at the hour I was caught”, she said, “Their boat'll go down”.
So from that day until this there was never a Murphy seen out fishing from Filemore until after five o'clock in the evening, never no more.
But there was one family of the Murphys, the father and son and they went out fishing, they disbelieved her, and bejay, the boat went down and the son went down but the father got saved. So that put them all right off anyway, they never went out after that, They don't even go out since.
J C How long ago would that happen, how long ago was that Michael?
M Mc Oh, I was only a kids when my mother used be telling us those stories, I was six or seven years oh, or maybe ten. But she'd tell them the same way yet if you were listening to her like. Oh, could be hundreds of years ago for all I know.
J C Your mother 'was a storyteller as well was she?
M Mc Oh yeah, good stories, good sound old stories, you’d like listening to her.
Well they were all storytellers that time, 'twas all the old folks, d1you know.
J C Would she tell stories to the children1 would she tell stories to adults as well?
M Mc Oh yeah, well all grownups that time, they all, when all the kids'd be gone to bed 'tis then that you'd hear the good stories coming out. 'Cause they used tell them that well that time that they'd frighten the kids, you know (laughter).
M Mc
There was an old man who lived in Kenmare,
He used have some herrings and herrings for sale,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
And yet I have more of my song to be sung,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin.
So what do you think they made of his back,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin.
A fine old man and his name it was Jack,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
Sing herring, sing back, sing man, sing Jack,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
And yet I have more of my song to be sung,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin.
So what do you think they made of his belly,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro un,
A fine old girl an~ her name it was Nelly,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
Sing herring, sing belly, sing girl sing Nelly,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
And yet I have more of my song to be sung,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin.
So what do you think they made of his head,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
The finest sledge that ever cut stones,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
Sing herring, sing head sing sledge, sing bed,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
And yet I have more of my song to be sung,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin.
So what do you think they made of his teeth,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
The finest chisels that ever cut steel,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
Sing herring, sing teeth, sing teeth, sing steel,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
And yet I have more of my song to be sung,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin1
So what do you think they made of his tongue,
Sing avaro lin, sing avero lin,
The finest spring that ever did sprung,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
Sing herring, sing tongue, sing spring, sing sprung,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
And yet I have more of my song to be sung,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin.
So what do you think they made out his mouth,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
The finest kettle that ever did spout,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
Sing herring, sing mouth, sing kettle, sing spout,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
And yet I have more of my song to be sung,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin.
So what do you think they made of his nose,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
The finest hammer that ever broke stones,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
Sing herring, sing nose, sing hammer, sing stones,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
And yet I have more of my song to be sung,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro line
So what do you think they made of his eyes,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
The finest saucer that ever held spies,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin1
Sing herring, sing eyes, sing saucer, sing spies,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
And yet I have more of my song to be sung,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin.
So what do you think they made of his bones,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
The finest punches that ever punched stones,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
Sing herring, sing bones, sing punches, sing stones,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin1
And yet I have more of my song to be sung,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin.
So what do you think we made of his tail,
Sing avaro lift, sing avaro lin,
The finest ship that ever sought sail,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
Sing herring, sing tail, sing ship, sing sail,
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin,
And now I have no more of my song to be sung1
Sing avaro lin, sing avaro lin.
M Mc
I went up to the convent,
I knocked all at the door,
And out came the reverend mother
With tears in galore.
Saying, your true love is not here sir,
She left here last night,
She's gone to this asylum
The reverend mother replied.
He went up to this asylum,
He knocked all at the door,
And out came a matron
With tears in galore.
Saying, your true love is not here sir,
She left here last night,
She's gone to this annollery
Oh the mermaid replied.
He went up to this annollery,
He knocked all at the door1
And out came an old man
With tears in galore.
Oh your true love she is here sir1
She died here last night,
That's it Jim.
J C What's that word you used Michael, the last place he went to?
M Mc This annollery, that's the only word I ever heard tell of it, I'd say myself it was a kind of a wake house at that time.
M Mc
Oh it's the last night of our stay and a journey far away,
Oh we'll seek a home all on a foreign shore,
For they say America's land it look so wealthy, great and grand,
It's tomorrow we are to part and meet no more.
Let us drink our glasses high, let us on this night be gay.
Sure, we'll drink to our success boys, with a tear,
And if every grain of sand it shone like diamonds in our hand
It's tomorrow we are to part and meet no more, boys, no more,
For it's tomorrow we are to part and meet no more.
That's all I know of it Jim.
M Mc There was a brother and sister one time, they were back in the west of Kerry altogether, oh and a very remote place altogether. So the water was that far away from them that they always used to be grumbling and grousing, the two of them, which of them would go for the water. So they'd always come to the decision anyway that they'd have their little couple of verses and whoevere'd stop, first, they'd have to go for the water.
So they'd sit at both sides of the fire anyway and there was two little hobs that time, there used be no chairs, only two bobs, one would be sitting at one side and the other at the other side and maybe Jack would have his doodeen, d'you know.. that's what they used call a little clay pipe.(te).
And Jack'd say;
Sung verse
So now it would go over to Mary;
Sung verse
So back to Jack again;
Sung verse
So they'd keep on like that maybe from the start, from morning maybe until night and who'd ever step would have to go for the water.
So there was an old man from Tralee anyway and he was driving a horse and sidecar, 'twas, they’d be calling it a taxi now. He'd come on with his horse and sidecar maybe from a railway station or some place and they'd hire him to drive them back to the West of Dingle.
So bejay, he lost his way anyway; so ‘twas the only house now for another four or five miles, so in he goes anyway, to inquire what road he'd to take anyway.
And when he landed inside the door he said, “how do I get to Ballyferriter from here.”? And Mary said;
Sung verse
So over he went, he said, what's wrong with that one, she must be mad or something, and over to the old man, said “how do I get to Ballyferriter from here”;
Sung verse
So he just finished a verse and he go hack over to Mary and he was getting the same results off of Mary, back to Jack.
So the old man he wouldn't take a chance and go off without getting the information where the place was. So he catches hold of Mary and starts tearing Mary around the place, “show me the road to Ballyferriter”, shaking her, pushing her and pull her and everything.
Sung verse
And he kept pulling her and pulling her and tearing her anyway, around the place and he pucking her and everything.
“Oh Jack”, says she, “will you save me”.
“Oh, I will Mary, but you'll have to go for the water”.
M Mc But back in the wilds of Kerry 'tis a remote place, very remote in fact, they usedn't go into town maybe once in the year d’you know. So 'twould always come around Christmas anyway, and Jack and Mary did often hit into town for their Christmas wants and all that. So bejay, they goes in anyway, to Killarney and the pony and car that time they used have.
And they goes into a shop anyway, Mary was doing the shopping anyway and Jack was bringing the bags, whatever was in them, and bejay, he looks up on the counter anyway, and what did he see up on the counter only mirrors, and they were only marked tuppence, d'you know.
So he lifted up the mirror and he looked into it anyway, “Oh, what's this in what a place”, said he, “that my father's photo is in it”, said he, “and whoever put it there”, said he.
So bejay, he buys the mirror and he puts it into his pocket, now Mary knows nothing at all about it like.
So when he'd come back for his dinner, back from work he'd take out the mirror out of his pocket and he'd be looking in it the whole time. And bejay, Mary'd be throwing an odd eye at him like, seeing what was he looking at the whole time and when he'd come back at night he'd wash himself and clean himself and he'd be looking at the mirror all night, he'd never stop, d'you know.
So, bejay, she said, “I must watch this bucko now, see what is he up to”.
And bejay, she waited one day and she give Jack a different coat to go to work in.
So Jack went away down through the fields anyway, end he left his old coat hanging up behind the door.
And bejay, “now's my chance”, she said, and she looks in Jack's pocket and she pulled out the mirror.
“Ah”, she said, “I knew there was something in his head, another old damsel”, she said, “that he having it off with”, said she, “and look at her, she’s as grey as a badger”, said she, “and she have a face like the back of a cow”, you see.
There was nothing good about her anyway, she was saying But she goes on for the parish priest.
Well the parish priest lands on anyway; she tells him the whole story.
“Oh”, she says, “there's another woman in Jack's life father”.
“Yerra, not at all Mary, don't believe them things”.
“There are”, she said.
“Well”, she said, “wait till I bring him up now”, she said, “and the proof of the pudding will be in the eating of it”.
So she goes and she brings up Jack from the field anyway.
“Now Jack”, says she, “there's Father Lynch now and tell him”, says she, “because I know, I have the evidence here in my hand”, says she,
“What is it Mary”, he said.
“The photo”, she said, “of the other woman that you have in your life, since the day you went to Killarney I can't get an hours good out of you since”, she said, “wherever you met her”.
“So bejay, there you are father”, she said, handing the priest over the mirror anyway. And the priest looks into it.
“Yerra Mary”, he said, “you've gone crackers too”, says he.
“Yerra father”, says Jack, “I know nothing about it, that's my father's photo”, says he. “Yerra, not at all”, he said.
Says Mary, “look in father”, says she, “can't you see the old grey hair of her”, she said, and all this.
Yerra, what's wrong with the two of you”, he said, “you're all gone mad”, he said, “isn't that the parish priest who was here before me”.
M Mc
Oh shule, shule agus shule aroon,
Shule asucer agus shule aroon,
My love, my pal, my own dear gal,
She's my mountain road the fair.
M Mc That's all I know of it Jim, I'll dye my petticoat, that's all Jim.
M Mc But my grandfather in years gone by, yerra, it must be over a hundred years ago I suppose.
He was going along a road one night and 'tis my mother often told me this like. And jay, 'twas a very bad stormy night and the wind and the rain and the snow was blowing, 'twas in the wintertime. What they were looking for that time is a place to stop for the night, you know, 'twould be maybe a farmer's hay shed or any place they wouldn't be bothering the people or knocking at late hours of night like. If they saw a light on in the house they'd go in all right but if the tight wasn't on they wouldn1t go in at all because they'd be wakening up the people.
So he was walking anyway, he was drowned, soaking with wet and everything and bejay, he saw a light through the land.
But as the saying goes that time, “I won’t follow it”, he said, “because it might be Jack-o-the-Lantern, but”, he said, “I'll watch it anyway”, he said, “and if it move I won't follow it and if it don't”, he said, “I'll go and see who's there”.
So off he goes anyway.
After about a quarter of an hour or a half an hour he didn't see the light moving. And bejay, he went on to it and just as he approached the house anyway, the light went out. So he said to himself, “they can't be long gone to bed and I won't be waking them out of their sleep”.
So bejay, he hammered at the door anyway, and he knocked and he knocked and no sound and he kicked at the door and bejay, when he did the door opened.
So he goes in, and when he goes inside there was a big roaring fire and it was as red as a cherry. And bejay he goes up to it and he started warming his hands, and 'twas as cold, as he warming his hands at it, as outside, the fire was blazing but no heat out of it And he couldn't understand it, it put his hand into it and it never affected by the heat.
He said to himself, “it might be that cold I am that I can't feel the heat”, but if he was there yet he couldn't heat his hands to it.
And all of a sudden he turned around and the house lit up with light, 'twas the light out of the fire the whole time. And when he goes near the fire it would redded up and when he shove back it would go black again, you know.
But didn't he hear the door slamming behind him anyway and when he did this man was standing and he could only barely see his clothes, a kind of, and a very dim colour of a face altogether.
The only thing the man said, says he, “anybody came in here, never went out alive”, says he.
And he said, “d’you see the door of the room”, he said, “get down there”, he said.
And when he went down the room he saw the head of a man hanging off the roof, and he looked over another corner and he saw a young boy's head and it hanging off of the roof and the bones and all, thrown all over the room, you know.
“Oh”, he said, “as long as I ran”, he said, “I’m finished”.
“Well sit up at the fire”, he said, “and take off your wet clothes”, he said.
So he sat up at the fire anyway and the very minute the man sat near the fire there was never much heat out the fire in all this time and his clothes was off anyway and he’d nothing on him only a Long John, what they called them, that was an old flannel trousers that time and ‘twould be tight in agin’ his ankles anyway.
So he twisted and turned at the fire anyway and the rest of his clothes, they were drying, sitting up on an old chair or something
And the next thing anyway, he was shivering, ‘twasn’t with the cold he was shivering but afraid of your man with a hatchet in his hand and he was watching every move he make.