Folk tale teller
(and renderer from the Italian),

Geoffrey Chaucer

died 10/25/1400 at about age 60

Before dying he recorded full details of events still commonly related in Ireland today. As happens, the story was turned to song several times throughout the British Isles and more recently in Ireland (perhaps by Cathal McGarvey 1866-1927). This last was collected from tradition as late as 1952:

  One fine sunny evening last summer,
  I was strolling through Contae na Mí (County Meath)  [Tabor: straying along by the sea
  When a pair of queer playboys a'loping                       [DigTrad: through Carhirciveen
        before me I happened to see.                   [DT: of quare playboys collogin'
  Now to see what these boyos where up to                       [Tabor: quare playboys a-roving
        a trifle I hastened my walk
  And by God I soon learned their profession           [DT: begor
        when I got within range of their talk.                  [Tabor: For I thought I could learn
  
          "The Devil and Bailiff McGlynn"

Copyright © 2005, Abby Sale - all rights reserved
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