“Well there was a King here in Ireland long ago...”

Well there was a King here in Ireland
long ago, an' he lived in the town
of Dungloe. He was the name
of McManus. Anyhow he got married
an' he was n't very young when
he got married, but there was three
of a family. When the youngest of
the family was eight months their
mother died, an' in these times
there was all kinds of enchantments
goin', an' there was a 'Cailleach na
gCearec' lived close by. But anyway
his forefathers - there was handed down
an enchantment bridle an' he was
told when he got this bridle by legacy
that any request he asked, by
shaking the bridle three time that
it would be granted.
So he lived together with his girls
for about twenty years, an' he was
sittin' aroun' the fire at the end
of the twenty years one night an'
he says to the oldest daughter: 'now',
he says, "it's time you would be
thinkin' of gettin' married.
"Oh father," she says, "I think I'm
in time enough yet."
"Well now," he says, "there's a bridle
there," he says, "an' take it out
with you outside of the castle, an'
shake the bridle three times an'
it does n't matter what man you
wish for you have him to get.
She caught the bridle an' out she
went outside the castle an' she shook
the bridle three times an' she wished
for the grandest gentleman that could
be at hand to come forward from
the enchanted island far off an'
that he would be her husband.
So no sooner she said these words
than this grand gentleman appeared
to her, an' this day they went
away this gentleman an' this young
lady an' they got married.
The weddin' lasted for a year an'
a day.
When the year an' a day was in
this young gentleman took his wife
home. That day twelve months he
says to the second daughter : "now,"
he says, "your sister is married a
year an' it 's time for you," he says
"to take that bridle," he says, "an'
go outside the castle", he says, "an'
any man that you wish to have,"
he says, "shake the bridle three
times an' your wish is granted." She
caught the bridle an' outside of the
castle she went an' she shook the
bridle three times, an' she wished
for the nicest man that was on
the enchanted island to come forward
until she would get married to him.
No sooner had she said these words
than a grand gentleman appeared to her.
They went next day an' they got married.
They had a terrible big weddin' an' the
weddin' lasted a year an' a day.
So a year from this time he says to
the youngest daughter, an' she was about
sixteen years of age at this time, he
says to her: your two sisters now is
married an' you ought to take this
bridle with you an' get married, an'
he says, wish for gettin' a man. Now
any man at all you wish to get, you
have that man to get by shaking
the bridle three times."
"Oh father," she says, "I'm in time enough
The white dog was enchanted on this
island for some time. "Now," he says
to the wife in the evenin', "I'm
enchanted here," he says, "an' I will for
some time, an' it 's your choice now,"
he says, "I can be a dog," he says
"in the day time an' a man at night,
an' I can be a dog at night an'
a man in the day time, an' whether
you rather me to be a man at night
or a dog at night."
"Well", she says, "I would sooner you
would be a man at night."
"Well all right," he says, "that's a
bargain." So the both went to bed
that night an' slept well until mornin'
an' in the mornin' when she 'wakeded
she looked around an' she saw the
white dog lyin' in the bed. So she
got up an' she cooked the breakfast
an' the white dog went away huntin',
and he continued huntin' every day,
nothing else to do. They were livin'
in a lovely castle.
When they were a year an' a half married
or so there was a young son born
for them, an' the white dog was
away still - huntin' this day an' when
he returned in the evenin' the wife
was over the fire an' her mournin'
Says the white dog talkin' to the
wife, "what 's wrong?"
"The came a witch in an' took away
my child."
"Oh", he says, "don't think nothing
of that." So he passed it by very
friendly an' he made up her to not
think much about it. But some-
time after that there was another
increase in the family, another child.
So the white dog went out this day
to hunt an' when he returned in
the evenin' he got the wife mournin'
at the fire an' he says to her:
"What's wrong?"
"The came another witch in an' took my child"
"Oh," he says, "don't think nothing of that."
But to make the long story short
they had a young son, but she bein'
the mother of this som, she was very
sure to not loss this son if she
could. So the white dog went away
to hunt this mornin', an' about twelve
o'clock in the middle of the day
the witch come in, an' the child
was on the mother's knee, an' the
witch caought a hold of the child to
take the child away, so the fell a
drop from the child's eye an' the
eye fell in the mother's lap, so the
witch took the child away.
The mother kept the eye very good
an' tied it in a handkerchief an'
put it in her pocket. So when the
white dog come home she told him
the child was taken away. He had
nothing to see only the child's eye.
So next day they got a lettter from
the king, her father - the white dog's wife's
father, writing them to a dinner. Some
time after these three girls got married
he went away an' he got married
himself an' took in a step mother.
So she heard about the white dog
an' she wanted to put the white dog
to death. So the white dog knew this
well an' he says to the wife: "now"
he says, "we are not invited to a
dinner, but they only want to put
me to death an' I'll not go", he says
"but you can go."
Well she answered back an she says:
"if you don't go to my father's house
I'll not go either. The white dog
was so good natured as he did n't
want to keep the wife back an' he
consented to go. They started for
the King's castle down in Dungloe
an' when they landed in Dungloe
the wor Kings, queens, King's sons an'
all kinds of people gathered in
the King's castle for the terrible dinner
So the King himself came out an' he
had a great welcome for the white
dog an' the wife. But the white dog
an' the wife went in, an' the white
dog was n't long in until he was put
out again. They thought it a terrible
disgrace to see a dog travellin' with
their daughter, an' everyone knowin' in
the castle that he was her husband.
The dog cocked on the side wall an'
he went on the roof of the castle an'
he made a hole in the roof an'
he came right in. They put him
into the front of the house then into
a small room. So they continued
the day with singin' an' dancin' an'
all kinds of pleasure until evenin'
came. Everyone went to go home but
these three, the white dog an' his wife
an' the other two sisters was to remain
to mornin' in their father's home. So
when (evenin') ten o' clock came they
all got ready to get to their beds
So the step mother an' the King an' the
servants was in the kitchen after the
three couples went to bed. So says
the step mother to the king: "we
ought to carry these beds now where
these three daughters of yours are sleepin'
until we see how they are situated."
"It would be a good plan," says the
King. So the first room they went
to the oldest daughter belongin' to
the King was sleepin' there herself
an' her husband. There was the greatest
lookin' boar of an animal that you
could n't look at lyin' in that bed
along with that young girl. The
second bed they went to there was
an ugly animal like a whale lyin'
in that bed along with that young
girl. The third bed they went to
there was the nicest boy that you
could lay an eye on lyin' there
beside that girl, an' they looked
aroun' an' they got the white dog's
hide thrown on the chair. Says the
step mother to the King, "here 's his hide
now an' if the hide is burned he'll
be a man all the time. They caought
the hide an' the threw it into the
fire. It was n't only about five minutes
in the fire until it let a crack an'
the white dog wakened up. "Now" he
says to the wife I had only three
weeks to put in until my enchantmants
would be all over, I have to be goin',
an' he says, "you might as well stay
where you are".
"Wherever you go," she says, "I'll be
after you." The white dog got ready
an' he went on his journey. They
started through the hills an' dales,
through the mountain an' when the
white dog would be at the top of
the hill she would be at the foot
of the hill, but they went on the
first day until the settin' of the sun.
"Now", says the white dog to her, "there's
the house there," he says, "an' you can
go to it an' you 'll get lodgin'
until mornin', an' I'll wait for you
here until mornin'." So this girl
went to this house an' when she
come into the house there was an'
old witch in the corner an' she
had a great welcome for her. So
she gave her soap to wash her feet
an' clean herself up an' when she
went to give her back the soap
again she would n't take it. She says:
"you keep that soap an' it might
come in useful for you some day."
So dhe put her to bed then an'
risin' in the mornin' to this young
woman she made to where the white
dog was stayin' for her an' the
two of them started off their journey.
They continued the second day so they
did the first an' when the white
dog would be at the top of the
hill the wife would be at the foot
of the hill, an' they continued on the
whole day until the settin' of the sun.
At the settin' of the sun says the
white dog to the wife: "there 's a house
up there an' there 's a sister of mine
livin' in that house an' you 'll get
lodgin' in it." So she went up an'
into the house an' there was an' old
witch in the house an' she had a
great welcome for her. "Now", she says
here 's a comb an' comb your head,"
she says, "it 's all down in your eyes."
She gave her the comb an' she combed
her hair with it an' the came the
nicest head of hair on her that ever
you seen. So she went to give her
back the comb an' she would n't
take it. "That comb," she says, "might
come in handy for you some day."
So she went to bed then an' in
the mornin' she got up an' got her
breakfast an' when she went to the
county road the white dog was waitin'
"What 's wrong with you ?"
"'Tis", she says, "my husband went down
here an' the groun' closed over again
an' I can't get down."
"Oh", he says, "it 's a very simple thing
to let you down." He pulled a rush
an' he let her down. She was travellin'
on underneath then on an' enchanted
island until she came to a stream,
where there was a girl washin' clothes
an' the girl was cryin'. Says she to
the girl, "what 's wrong with you when
you 're cryin' so severe ?"
"Well now such in a man landed
yesterday evenin' an the wor five
spots of blood in the breast of
his shirt, an' I'm the third girl
that was put to wash this washin'
this shirt, an if I don't get out
the spots of blood I'll loss the
head too." So this girl got this
lump of soap an' she caught the
cloth an' she rubbed the soap on
the spots of blood an' they disappeared.
"Now," she says to this girl, "you 're
a stranger on this island an' I
must find you a good place. You
can go to my mother's house," takin'
her an' leavin' her in her father's
house. So when this girl went
back with the clothes she got free
"Now," says this old witch that was
in this castle, "you must tell me
how did it come that you got
these spots of blood washed out."
"Well it is," she says, "I 'll tell
you the truth, "there was a girl
that I met with at the stream an'
she gave me a lump of soap to
wash this cloth."
"Well you must go an' tell that
girl if she gives me that lump of
soap that I'll let her sleep with
my so the - night"
So this girl went to her own mother's
house an' she told the girl that
this witch wanted the lump of soap, an'
that she would let jer sleep with her
son the - night. So she gave her the
lump of soap an' when night came
she came down an' herself an' this
witche's son slept for the night.
There was a butler about this house,
an' next day himself an' the white dog
were out still huntin'. He says to the
white dog : "you did n't know you had
your wife sleepin' with you last night?"
"No", says the white dog, "it could n't
be so."
"She was then," he says, "an' she 'll
be with you the night again."
So the old witch left a book under
the bed an' you forgot all about
yourself, you fell into a trance, but
remember the night when you 're goin'
to bed watch an' lift the book."
So she sent up for her to come down
the second night an' she came down.
So she left in the book an' the white
dog before he went to bed, he lifted
the book. So himself an' the wife
got to talk about all they came
through. "Now", says the white dog
to the butler next mornin', "this old
witched heart an' her soul, both
were out on such in an island
an' she 'll never be put to death
until we get out to that island.
an' her heart an' her soul are in
an egg, an' there 's a duck
lyin' hatchin' the egg, until the egg
is broken, an' her heart an' soul
burned it 's no good."
So the both of them got ready a
boat an' they went to the island
an' they took an' axe with them and
they cut the tree an' the duck was
in the heart of the tree hatchin' the
egg, an' they killed the duck an'
broke the egg, an' burned the heart
of the old lady. The white dog
was then a man all the time an'
the two of them lived together happy an' well from that day to this.