Yellow Steeple – Maximilist Art

This is a story told by Mr. Doran Emmet Street Trim and relayed by Nancy Lynch in the Mercy Convent, Trim on the 6th of October 1938 – this was retrieved via The Schools Collection by duchas.ie

and it goes like this…….

“Do you know where the Boyne flows lazily by an old ruin with a swish swish that – if you listened long enough seems to say “Wait and hear the Story of the Yellow Steeple” Many and varied are the stories told of this relic of the past but this is one which excites the fancy of our hero-worshipping people very much and this one I will tell you. This is the story as t’was told me.

The Schools Collection duchas.ie

The story tells of a lady who lived in very Ancient-times and who had the grief to see her lover go off to fight in foreign parts. He promised to return in a year and a day – the charmed period of all the old stories. When leaving her the Knight said that if all went well he would sail up the Boyne in a Currach or small boat on the day appointed and that he should be dressed in very bright clothes but if he did not return a messenger would come by land and this messenger would be mounted on a black horse wearing dark clothes. Then he departed on glory beast, and his lady love, partly to bequile the time and to provide a lofty place when she might watch the river constantly.

When the time of his return came near, the year and a day had just elapsed when the lady saw a dark form approaching by land, near and more near it came and to her horror the lone watcher saw that it was the black messenger; the sight was more than she could bear and she [threw] herself from the height of her Steeple so that she was killed in sight of her wretched lover, whose shriek of despair echoed far over the waters and perhaps reached even her dying ear; he had only dressed as a black messenger to try the strength and temerity of her affection.
Local history you may be sure!”

The Schools Collection duchas.ie

Yellow Steeple IMG Liam Murphy

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