Tape thirty five.

Mikeen McCarthy

Contents.

Father followed by a ghost-gravel on the roof            

Haunted roads

Houses used for the winter stopping

Grand-aunt helped by a dead uncle

Cahersiveen- a "boudieman"  town

The banshee’s bohereen and the haunted well

The dog with fire from his mouth and the man carrying the invalid (story)

The crippled tailor and the orchard-robbers  (story)

Jack 0' The Lantern and the Kerry Fiddler   (story)

Bessie of Ballentown Brae

One Fine Summers Morning

M Mc.    Well he was one night in....

J C     This is your father

M Mc     Yeah.  So we often got a house of a bad winter now, 'twas easy to get houses in Ireland that time like, because he was known, any neighbourhood he were round he was known. There wasn’t many caravans going that time and when he'd see the winter getting bad he'd always bunk in to, you know, farm labourers house now, thing like that.   But he wouldn't be working for the farmer like.   But we had this house anyway, and it was a galvanised roof on it and the pony got out the haggert anyway. We had her in, she trotted off the road so he got up and he went after her because he'd have a long distance to go after her in the morning like.   So it got out anyway, 'twas a winters night.   

So he went a half a mile after her but he couldn't catch her, so he decided to come home, that he was doing wrong, he shouldn't be out that hour of the night like.   As he was coming beck he heard the walk behind him and he'd stand, and when he'd stand the walk would stand. And he'd walk on again, so then he was beginning to think 'twas an echo like, of his walk.   But he found out he'd light shoes and 'twas kind of a heavy walk that was behind him. So he didn't believe in anything like that because he went through the war and everything, so he went on and went on like that until he landed to the door of the house anyway, and when he was just going in the door anyway, he found gravel going up on the roof of the house, we heard it, well, I didn't hear it, the gravel was thrown up on the galvanised like.  

He got up the following morning and he couldn't get up out the bed, he was sick, he was in hospital for three or four months.  

But he actually never said that... he never blamed that for it like but he said it happened to him, there was no other reason for him to get sick.

There was a lot of superstitions going around that time. If you haven't any reason to be out, you shouldn't be out, if you have a reason to be out you're safe to travel any part of Ireland at any hour of the night.   That was their belief like.   There was a lot of haunted roads in Ireland that time, Banshee roads, headless ghosts roads, you'd such a cross here haunted, such a road over there haunted, don't pass by such a house and all this d'you know.   There was a lot of it true.

M Mc    A work house, they used call it that time.   Hospitals wasn't very plenty in years gone by in Ireland Jim, d'you know, but there was what they call a workhouse, that was a place for a very poor person, Travellers.    If a person wanted to have their baby they'd go into this old workhouse, they used to call it Sul  Vayna, in fact I've an awful lot of cousins buried in the same graveyard now.  

But this, what will I call it, a workhouse the old people used to call it; they'd stop there for the Winter.  

My father'd go out working for the farms like, all the old people would do it, and the mother and the children'd be, 'twas like a lodging house, same thing now that time.   We hadn't any fine names for them that time, only the old workhouse, all that.  

But there was an aunt of my mother's anyway, in there, she took bad and very bad and they were stopped in Cahersiveen and 'twas three miles out to the workhouse in Sul Vayna, they used call Sul Vayna.  

And they'd a horse and car that time anyway, and she was up in the horse and car and bejay, 'twas late of a winters night anyway.   And they were trying to make the workhouse 'cause they couldn't trot on the horse; they were trying to make her as comfortable as they can by walking the horse by the head.   And she was sitting up in the car and there was a man held the heel of the car from Cahersiveen Town out to the workhouse at Sul Vayna.   So whoever was with her that time, her husband I'm sure and some other couple of women of course, conveying her out to the old workhouse where there'd be warm and thing for the winter.  

She said, “I'm glad anyway, we landed safe”, said she; the other woman said to her, “I'm glad, Mary, you landed safe”.  

But, she said, “I knew”, she said, “I land safe”, she said, “once I left the town”, she said, “because”, she said, “my Uncle Tom”, she said, “had a hold of the heel of the car”, she said, “Once we left the town till we landed here”.  

And sure Tom was dead with ten or fifteen years.    But I believe she tell them that until the day she died.  'Twas true all right, d'you know.

She said, “I knew I'd be safe”, she said, she'd no worries coming along the road, she said, “‘twas my Uncle Tom he’d a hold of the heel of the car, the whole time”.

D T     Was this... this was an aunt of yours?

M Mc A grand-aunt, a grand-aunt.

J C    What did you say about Cahersiveen?

M Mc  Oh, 'twas very old, 'tis a very old town, even when I was a boy, when I was a young lad going to school now. The old houses were falling down with old age.

J C      What did you call it then?

M Mc  A booliman town (laughter)

J C      What's that?

M Mc   Well, it's a kind of a name for fairies.   There was a lot of.... Every part you go, the old road now.   There was a house back in the old road now, my grandmother lived in it, the Linnie, they used call the little house because she used keep it so neat and clean like, she was a mother of my mother's, Biddy Coffey was her name,  God have mercy on her.   

Well that was supposed to be haunted, the Linnie, the little house and she lived in it for years.  

But there was a place back behind again, we used call the little bohereen going to the mountain, and bejay, there was a woman died there years and years back, and by all accounts, that she was seen at the butt of that bohereen time and time again.   Well there was a street then where we lived, Top Street, and there was a corner there, there was another bohereen going up to the same mountain, we used to call it the Bohereen on Top street, and you'd the bohereen in the old road, well that's where the Banshee used be, she used be at the butt of that bohereen. But she was definite always there; any night at all you could see or hear her.  

There was an old well then above that, an old spring well, and it weren’t finished in the wind up because there wasn't anybody use it; 'twas great water coming out of it but if it ever come dusk in the evening now, no one would go near it for water, d'you know, because there was a man supposed to be seen there like.  

So we used be playing cards all hours of the night that time and bejay, we often had a few good games to finish before twelve o’clock, and plenty money on the table that time, 'twouldn't be pocket fulls of money that time but it would be money that you'd be trying to win, and we'd leave it on the table for the next night to play it out because we wouldn't wait till twelve o’clock (laughter).  You'd hear some nailed boots flying along the bohereen (laughter),  

Oh yes, oh, ‘twas a ghost town.

You had the old graveyard then, down.... well I often read the graveyards anyway, stones there.   They were going back as far as fifteen twenty, sixteen hundred and thirty, all that, d'you know; funny old writing and all that d'you know.  'Twas a very ancient town.   They wanted to build houses in that old graveyard and nobody'd go bulldozing it, wouldn't touch it, they would not.  

The same old graveyard now, there was this woman, she got married to a farmer, d'you know.  

So she said,   “I'll marry you all right”, she said to him, “but we'll have to keep on to my mother”, she said.   She said, “My mother's sister”, she said, “is married and she have a crowd of kids and she's not able to look after her no longer.   So we have no kids”.  

“Ah”, he said, “I'll marry you, and I'll mind your mother too, she's welcome to stop in the house too”.  

So begod, she was in the house anyway.  So bejakers, the old woman was an invalid like, d'you know.  

So by the holy, when she landed to the house anyway, she was getting a kind of fed up with it and she wanted to get back to the other daughter.   So she was rearing up on the new son-in-law every night anyway.

“Yerra”, she said, “bring me over to my own daughter altogether”, she said, “I won't stop here with you at all”, she said, you see.

“Oh, all right”, he said, “I’ll tackle the horse and car”.

“Bejay, you won't”, she said, “I'll leave this house”, she said, “the way   came to you, bring me on your back”, you see.

So he'd her up on his back anyway and on they were going bejakers, they had to pass this old graveyard and out jumps a dog and fire out of his mouth out of the graveyard, and the dog was bigger than himself,  

So he dropped the old woman anyway and away with him, and with the fright that the whole lot of them got.   And away with him flying anyway and he'd about a half a mile to go.   Bejay, when he landed the old woman was landed in front of him.  

“Well by jakers”, he said, “I passed out a hare on the road”, says he, “and by jay, you must have lost no footing”, says he (laughter).

D T     You say this dog had fire coming out his mouth?

M Mc  Fire coming out of his mouth.   The old woman was an invalid you know (laughter).   He said, “Well I passed a hare on the road”, says he, “by jay, you must have lost no footing”.   So she never left the son-in-law's house no more with the fright she got anyway.

M Mc There was two fellers and they were robbing an orchard, d'you know.   So bejay, they have a fine bag of apples anyway.  

'Twas a man there used have a big orchard, so, a Mr Beattie was his name.   Bejay, they robbed the orchard anyway, and where did they go to half them only inside the old graveyard gate.   So bejakers, they puts in all the apples anyway and they hides them.   So they were doing an awful lot of counting that night, you see, and they put two apples up on top of the wall anyway.   And bejakers, somebody else heard them talking and counting the apples inside you see.   

So there was an old tailor down the road anyway and bejay, he'd no legs.    And there was two fellers came into the tailor’s, they used all go in there in what we call cei1idhing (te), talking and chatting for an hour pass away, keep coming to one another.   Two of them rushes in the door and the old tailor was inside and he'd no legs anyway, they were cut off from the knees.  

“Oh jakers”, they said, “we're after getting an awful fright”.  

“What”?  

“We were passing by the old graveyard and we heard the divil and our Lord”, they said, “and they were separating the souls inside”.

“What were they saying”, says he.  

“They were saying, one for you and one for me, two for you and two for me, two for you and two for me, and that's they way they go on, d’you see”.

So bejay, the old tailor said, “ah”, he said, “There was many a yarn about that old graveyard”, he said, “but this is the worst that I ever heard”, says he, you see.   

“I heard of the skulls walking all round the place and step-dancing and everything”, says he, “but I never heard anything about it like this.   If I had legs now”, said he, “I'd go up and I'd find out”, says he, “all about that”, says he.  

“Well”, they said, “we'll bring you up, but”, they said, “we wouldn't stop above with you, we'd run away down”.   

“Yerra”, he said,  “one of yous stand with me, and if you do”, he said, “the half-a-crown you owe me on the suit”, says he, “I'm making for you, I'll forgive you for the half-crown if you stop with me, only just put me up on the wall”, he said, “and stand there with me”.  

“I will”, said your men, “I'll stop with you; sure, if you're to die I’ll die with you”, he said.  

“Yerra, we won’t die at all”, he said.

So up they set.

“Put me up on top of the wall now”, he said.

So your two men was after leaving two apples on top of the wall like, you see, whatever reason they had for leaving them there I do not know, finding a. way out or something. They were two nice apples and they picked them out to eat them, that's what happened.  

So he puts the old tailor up on the wall anyway, and bejay, the other feller sits up along side him.

“Don't say a word now”, says the tailor, “we'll listen on”.   

So they-were near coming finishing the apples anyway.  

“One for you and one for you, two for you and two for me, two for you and two for me”.  

But they were finished out anyway.  

“Oh yeah”, said one, “what about the two on the wall”.  

But away goes your man flying and he left the tailor stuck up on top of the wall anyway, and when he landed below the tailor was sitting up on the table in front of him.

M Mc   He was a fiddle player.

J C       This is back where?

M Mc  Back in the west of Dingle now, very remote place.

So he went away one night anyway.    Jack-of-the-Lantern, that's another thing like the Banshee.  He was coming home and he saw the light, and he thought it was the light of his house he saw.  So bejay, he was walking through bogs and ditches all night anyway, and 'tis no matter, you could keep going forever like, you could keep following  Jack-of-the-Lantern like, he put you astray.    As far as a lot of people are drownded, they are claiming Jack-of-the-Lantern for it. Well this was a special place where he was seen anyway, but once you get your eyes on it you couldn't take it off, d'you know, except 'twould happen to you a couple of times. 

But he thought it was the light of his house he was following the whole time, so he send him astray anyway.    But he was coming home anyway and his wife like, I suppose was enquiring where would he be, like us all would have to give our accounts and all this.  

As he was coming back he saw the fairies, Jack-of-the-Lantern left then, and bejay, he knew where he was then.   He turned around and he making his road home, and bejay, he heard the fairies and they playing, a band of them, and the ring-leader was a feller with a fiddle and he'd a small little fiddle anyway, playing away.  

When he landed at the house anyway, it was all hours anyway and everybody was up and everybody worried about him.  

Bejakers, he started telling them what happened, that he got lost with Jack-of-the-Lantern.   And they were not going to believe his story, of course they were not.   They said it was a cock and bull story and they were not going to believe it, and where was he and what was he doing out this hour of the night.  

So he took down the fiddle and everybody around that district knew every tune he played and he played this tune anyway, I do not know the tune, but he played it anyway.  But nobody had ever heard tell of it before.   They kept enquiring into it; he was the only feller that could ever play it.   It went on from that, I forget the name of the tune now.

J C.,            Right.

M Mc

Oh fair men and maidens, I pray you draw near,

Some more short feeling verses you're now going to hear,

Considering lovely Bessie from Ballentown Brae,

It's the lord of the Moonland has led her astray.

Oh, one night as this young man has lay down to sleep,

Charming Bessie came o'er him and o'er him did weep,

Is that the voice of my Bessie, this young man did say,

Leave me down by her side in Sweet Ballentown Brae.

Oh, he ordered his horsemen to saddle his steed,

Over hills and high mountains he rode with great speed,

Until he arrived at the clear break of day

At Bessie's own cottage in Ballentown Brae.

Oh then, Bessie's own father stood at his own gate,

Like a man quite undaunted, with ill on his face,

Saying, you are my defaulter, you caused me to roam

Far away from my friends and away from my home.

He put his hand to his staff belt and a sharp sword he drew,

And then right through his left side he pierced his heart through,

And then when he was dying those last words he said,

Leave me down by her side in sweet Ballentown Brae.

M Mc             

One fine Summer's morning I being walking along,

Down by a clear river I heard a fine song,

'Twas sung by a fair maid with her voice low and clear,

And how happy would I be if my true love was here.

Oh we both walked together till the sun it shines on,

We both walked together till the sun it shines on,

Till the green leaves grew o'er me nevermore for to close,

And 'tis then I'll prove false to my blooming red rose.

May the bright stars of heaven may darken tonight,

May the bright stars of heaven may show me no light,

May the rocks will split open, nevermore for to close,

And 'tis then I'l1.prove false to my blooming red rose.

Oh through mountains and valleys this fair maid did go,

Through mountains and valleys and those hills full of snow,

Through mountains and valleys, oh, this fair maid did go,

And 'tis then I'll prove false to my blooming red rose.

Here's a health to all you weavers that weaves in white thread,

Don't rise up in the morning, oh, don't stop too long in bed,

Do not earn white money, spend it foolish like me,

And 'tis then you'll prove false to my gay gal mo chroidh.