SCHOOL: Beanntraighe | ADDRESS: Bantry, Co. Cork
Long ago there lived in a part of Cork three brothers and they were very good hunters. One day the eldest of them went out hunting taking with him two dogs and a gun.
While he was out it started to rain and seeing a bothán he went over to it he knocked at the door and an Old Hag came out, and she would not let him in unless he would throw away the gun and tie the dogs. Then she gave him a rib of hair in order to tie the dogs and, when he did so, she left him in.
After a while she attacked him, and he called the dogs, but she told the rib of hair to choke the dogs and it did, and then she turned the man into a stone.
In a week’s time the second brother went out in search of his eldest brother and he also met the Old Hag, and the same thing happened him.
When the youngest of the three brothers heard about the Old Hag, he went immediately to the bothán, and took with him four big dogs, and a gun.
He knocked at the door and the Old Hag came out, and she gave him three or four ribs of hair to tie the dogs and the gun. He took the ribs, but he threw them away again and then he pointed the gun towards the Witch in order to shoot her, but she roared and immediately two big stones came into the place where they were.
“They are your two brothers, and take them away with you,” she said.
The boy then touched the stones, and, when he did they were turned back into his two brothers.
Bibliography
“The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0281, Page 080” by Dúchas © National Folklore Collection, UCD is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.