Collectanea. 209
Road. — Told by James Whelan, Shra, Co. Clare, between Doonbeg and Kelrush [Kilrush }\.
The Piggin.
I often heard me mother tellin about id, 'twas in the bad times, an' the poor people were starvin'. There was a family, the father, mother, an' daughter, a young slip ov about twelve. The father and mother both died in one week from faver, God bless us. The night the mother was buried, an ole woman called at the house and remained till mornin'. When she was goin', she called the little orphan, and gave her a wooden piggin, an' says she, " Take this, and go to Listowel fair, this day week, and offer it for sale, an' I wish you luck," says she.
None of the neighbours ever see her before, or after. Some said she was mad, an' others advised her to do what the ole woman tould her. Well, to make it short, she wint, and there was a great lot of people in the fair field, and she stood in one spot, and the people gethered round her, when they heard her callin' out, " Buy me piggin, buy me piggin." All at wans, [once] there was great confusion, as two horses cam gallopin' twors [towards] the crowd, and tryin' to make way. The little girl was knocked down. The two men that was on the horses turned back, an' asked who was hurted, and they see the girl on the ground ; they asked her if she was hurted, and she said, " No, sir. Will you buy me piggin } "
" How much 1 " says one, " I will give you a ginnee [guinea] for it." .Says the other, " I'll give her two." Says th' other,' " I'll give her five." " I'll give her ten," an' they went on risin', and risin', till it wint to hunders upon hunders. At last one of um (them ?) says, " Let us give er ten hundred apiece." The parish priest was sint for, and he got the money to keep for the girl until she came of age.
She got married at eteen [eighteen.?], and a grand match she got, and some of her grandchilder are livin, and not far from this place, and for a long time they were called " The Piggins." But they did not care, they were rich. That oul [old] woman must be one of the good people. ^Told by P. Cronin, Ballylongford.
