Blair Collection > Beside the fire

THE COURT OF CRINNAWN. 1 43
It Was not long till the fame of Maurya nee Keerachawn
(Mary Kerrigan), that was the name of the widow, went
through the country, and it was not long till she had the
full of the bag of gold and silver.
One day ]\Iary went to a pattern at Cultya Bronks,
drank too much, fell on drunkenness, and let out the
secret.
There came the heavy sleep of drunkenness on her,
and when she awoke the can was gone. There was so
much grief on her that she drowned herself in a place
called Pull Bawn (the White Hole), within a mile of
Cultya Bronks.
Everybody thought now that they had the can of
healing to get at the Court of Crinnawn if they would go
there. In the morning, the day on the morrow, there
went plenty of people to the court, and they found every
one who was in it dead. The shout went out, and the
hundreds of people gathered together, but no man could
go in, for the court was filled with smoke ; and lightning
and thunder coming out of it.
They sent a message for the priest, who was in
Ballaghadereen, but he said : " It is not in my parish,
and I won't have anything to do with it." That night
the people saw a great light in the court, and there was
very great fear on them. The day on the morrow they
sent word to the priest of Lisahull, but he would not
come, as the place was not in his parish. Word was sent
to the priest of Kilmovee, then, but he had the same
excuse.
There were a lot of poor friars in Cultya Mawn, and
when they heard the story they went to the court without
a person with them but themselves.
When they went in they began saying prayers, but
they saw no corpse. After a time the smoke went,