I discovered the Irish Schools Collection (
http://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4921972/4914515) by chance yesterday.
In 1937 Irish schoolkids were encouraged to record stories and folklore associated with the places where they lived. These records have been uploaded through the auspices of University College, Dublin, and are in desperate need of volunteers to transcribe them.
One branch of my Irish ancestors (the Brosnan family) came from Broadford, a small townland in County Limerick. I clicked on the records for Broadford to see what was there. I discovered a story had been recorded in there by a local schoolboy about a William Brosnan who lived in Broadford who had been taken away at night by the fairies!! The story had been told to him by his grandfather. William was probably related to me in some way - what a thrill to read that!
If you know where your ancestors came from in Ireland, particularly if you know the townland or civil parish, I really recommend you take a look at this site. There are many names recorded in these records but also poignant stories. I found a wonderful story about how the people of Broadford suffered during the Famine, also how local people were bribed with meat to eat if they turned Protestant! An example of what you can see is included in the link above.
This source is a real treasure trove for anyone interested in their Irish Roots!
