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120 TSE FIRESIDE STORIES OF IRELAND.
placed it on the water, bade the woman get on it, and spread
out her shawl to catch the breeze. She obeyed, and had a
delightful sail to the island.
There she received the child from Eithne its mother,
brought it to the saint, and he baptised it by the name of
Mogue. The woman then re-conveyed it to the island to
its mother, and in time he became a priest, spent some time
with St. David in Wales, and during the later years of his
life governed the Bishopric of Ferns in Wexford.
The miraculous hearthstone afterwards conveyed many a
corpse to its place of interment in the island.
THE GREEDY MASON.
A Saint was busily occupied raising the walls of a Cathe-
dral in Ulster ; and in order that his workmen should be
freed from the annoyance of providing themselves with food,
and so have their minds entirely fixed on the great M^ork
in hand, his pet cow was slaughtered every evening, care-
fully skinned, and her flesh cooked for the supper of his
people. On this and some bread and sorrel they made a
hearty meal, and felt neither hunger nor weariness till their
next day's work was done. All the company had charge
not to break or injure a bone of the animal : these were
collected after the meal, and wrapped carefully in the skin,
and next morning the wonderful cow was grazing as com-
posedly as if no liberties had been taken with her fat or
lean the evening before.
All this had pleasantly gone on for months, and the build-
ing was near its completion, when what should meet the
eyes of the saint one morning, as he was going to inspe t
the progress of the building, but his poor cow limping aL^nu'
on three legs? She lowed dismally at her kind master, oltI
he experienced as sharp a pang of annoyance as any saiiit
could endure. He had the work suspended, and ordered
the men all into his presence. " I shall not give any oi
you," said he, " a pretence for telling a falsehood : pass bo-
fore me till I discover the sensual wretch who, for sake <)f
placed it on the water, bade the woman get on it, and spread
out her shawl to catch the breeze. She obeyed, and had a
delightful sail to the island.
There she received the child from Eithne its mother,
brought it to the saint, and he baptised it by the name of
Mogue. The woman then re-conveyed it to the island to
its mother, and in time he became a priest, spent some time
with St. David in Wales, and during the later years of his
life governed the Bishopric of Ferns in Wexford.
The miraculous hearthstone afterwards conveyed many a
corpse to its place of interment in the island.
THE GREEDY MASON.
A Saint was busily occupied raising the walls of a Cathe-
dral in Ulster ; and in order that his workmen should be
freed from the annoyance of providing themselves with food,
and so have their minds entirely fixed on the great M^ork
in hand, his pet cow was slaughtered every evening, care-
fully skinned, and her flesh cooked for the supper of his
people. On this and some bread and sorrel they made a
hearty meal, and felt neither hunger nor weariness till their
next day's work was done. All the company had charge
not to break or injure a bone of the animal : these were
collected after the meal, and wrapped carefully in the skin,
and next morning the wonderful cow was grazing as com-
posedly as if no liberties had been taken with her fat or
lean the evening before.
All this had pleasantly gone on for months, and the build-
ing was near its completion, when what should meet the
eyes of the saint one morning, as he was going to inspe t
the progress of the building, but his poor cow limping aL^nu'
on three legs? She lowed dismally at her kind master, oltI
he experienced as sharp a pang of annoyance as any saiiit
could endure. He had the work suspended, and ordered
the men all into his presence. " I shall not give any oi
you," said he, " a pretence for telling a falsehood : pass bo-
fore me till I discover the sensual wretch who, for sake <)f
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| Early Gaelic Book Collections > J. F. Campbell Collection > Fireside stories of Ireland > (146) |
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| Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/79184812 |
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| Description | By Patrick Kennedy. |
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| Shelfmark | Cam.1.f.17 |
| Additional NLS resources: | |
| Attribution and copyright: |
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More information
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| Description | Volumes from a collection of 610 books rich in Highland folklore, Ossianic literature and other Celtic subjects. Many of the books annotated by John Francis Campbell of Islay, who assembled the collection. |
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| Description | Selected items from five 'Special and Named Printed Collections'. Includes books in Gaelic and other Celtic languages, works about the Gaels, their languages, literature, culture and history. |
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