SCHOOL: Cill Iubhair | ADDRESS: Killure Beg, Co. Galway
There were two men one time and they were very fond of card-playing. They were playing cards one night in a neighbor’s house. When they were returning home they met the devil and he had a pack of cards. He asked them to have a game. They said they had no money. So the devil said come along and I will put out money for ye”
They played all night and before they stopped playing they won ten pounds each. When they were going to part the devil said he would call to see them in twelve months time.
One of them was a tailor and the other a shoemaker. Then the devil said “If ye have not a job that I am not able to do the two of ye will have to come with me” So the two men went home thinking of their job.
When the twelve months were up the devil came knocking at the tailor’s door. The tailor said “Come in.” When he opened the door who was there but the devil looking for his job. So the tailor got a box of scrap and told him to make a candle and light it for him. Then the devil started off fiddling with the box of scrap until he made his candle. When he had it made he took out a box of matches and lit it for him. He said he would have to come with him.
Then the devil went to the shoemaker and he was in bed. He never thought of his job. He asked him had he a job and the shoemaker said nothing only started to laugh at the devil. He let a big shout out of him and said “Wax that and put a bristle on it.”
Bibliography
“The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0028, Page 0010” by Dúchas © National Folklore Collection, UCD is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.