SCHOOL: Lurga, Patrick’s Well | ADDRESS: Kilcolman, Co. Limerick
Long ago there lived a giant in Carrig, and he used to be always murdering and hanging people. He was the scourge of the place.
St. Patrick then came to Carrig. This night, St. Patrick came to a little house and knocked at the door. There were only two old people living in the little house, and they said to St. Patrick not to look down at Carrig rock, because there was a light there. If you saw the light you would die.
St. Patrick said that there was no fear.
The two old people were afraid to open the door. The old woman said to the old man. “It might be the holy man”. So they opened the door. Then St. Patrick told them his name and they treated him with great respect.
In the morning St. Patrick went out and he met the giant and the giant ordered his men to throw this man in to the hounds and they would eat him.
When the giant’s men came up to feed the hounds they saw St. Patrick inside with the hounds and they were only licking him. Then the men flew up to the giant’s castle, and told him that the man who was thrown in to the hounds last night, that they were only licking him.
Then the giant come down to the hounds and brought St. Patrick out from them. The giant began pulling St. Patrick and the giant stiffened up and said. “Let me be free and I will never do it again”. St. Patrick let him free, but he started doing the same thing over again.
Then St. Patrick caught the giant, and he caught him and the giant stiffened again, and he started saying, “Let me go, Let me go”, but St. Patrick said he would not and he killed the giant.
Bibliography
“The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0527, Page 097” by Dúchas © National Folklore Collection, UCD is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.