They went to Crinnawn, and Crinnawn told them the trick the young men thought to do on him, and the thing he did with them. “If it be your will, bestow forgiveness on them this time,” said the friars; “they were mad with whiskey, and they won’t be guilty again.” “On account of ye to ask it of me, I will loose them this time; but if they come again, I will put a sleep of seven years on them. Come with me now till you see them.”
“It’s bad walkers, we are,” said the friars, “we would be a long time going to the place where they are.”
“Ye won’t be two minutes going to it,” said Crinnawn, “and ye will be back at home in the same time.”
Then he brought them out, and put a blast of wind out of his mouth, and swept them to Lisdrumneal, and he himself was there as soon as they.
They saw the twelve young men asleep under a cloud in the lis, and there was great wonder on them. “Now,” said Crinnawn, “I will send them home.” He blew upon them, and they rose up like birds in the air, and it was not long until each one of them was at home, and the friars as well, and you may be certain that they did not go to the Court of Crinnawn any more.
Crinnawn was living in the court years after that. One day the friars went on a visit to him, but he was not to be found. People say that the friars got great riches after Crinnawn. At the end of a period of time the roof fell off the court, as everyone was afraid to go and live in it. During many years after that, people would go round about a mile, before they would go near the old court. There is only a portion of the walls to be found now; but there is no name on the old court from that day till this day, but Coort a Chrinnawn (Crinnawn’s Court).
NEIL O’CARREE.
There was no nicety about him. He said to his wife that he would go to the forge to get a doctoring instrument. He went to the forge the next day. “Where are you going to to-day?” said the smith. “I am going till you make me an instrument for doctoring.” “What is the instrument I shall make you?” “Make a crumskeen and a galskeen” (crooked knife and white knife?). The smith made that for him. He came home.
When the day came—the day on the morrow—Neil O’Carree rose up. He made ready to be going as a doctor. He went. He was walking away. A red lad met him on the side of the high road. He saluted Neil O’Carree; Neil saluted him. “Where are you going?” says the red man. “I am going till I be my (i.e., a) doctor.“ ”It’s a good trade,” says the red man, “’twere best for you to hire me.” “What’s the wages you’ll be looking for?” says Neil. “Half of what we shall earn till we shall be back again on this ground.” “I’ll give you that,” says Neil. The couple walked on.