Abstract

Ireland has one of the largest national collections of folklore in the world. This collection, compiled between 1935 and 1971, contains over one and a half million pages of handwritten material as well as thousands of hours of audio recordings. Bailiúchan na Scol, ‘The Schools’ Collection,’ is at the heart of the National Folklore Collection. Over 100,000 children from the higher classes in the National Schools participated in Bailiúchan na Scol during the years 1937 and 1938. It is based entirely on the material they collected from older relatives and neighbours. This paper looks at material collected in the South Donegal Gaeltacht, by both the professional folklorists and by the children, a region where more material was collected than in the entire country as a whole. As well as giving an insight into one of the richest story-telling and singing traditions in western Europe, this material encapsulates placenames, local customs and superstitions, herbal cures, crafts, etc. and for the linguist offers a delightful glance at the local dialects of Gaelic and English, spoken at the time.