The Skulls of the Fitzgeralds

There is a vault in the grave-yard at Clontibret church, St Colman’s, belonging to a family called Fitzgerald. In a public house nearby, a few men were talking about the vault. There was a wager laid that one of the party, named Bob Brown, who never knew what fear was, would not enter the vault, and bring back a skull. Brown accepted the wager. While he was getting the key from the sexton, another of the party, named George Grimes, got into the vault, and hid in a dark corner, behind some coffins. When Brown arrived, he lifted the first skull he came to. At that, Grimes called out, in a hoarse voice, "That's mine". Brown lifted another, but Grimes repeated, "That's mine". When he had lifted the fourth skull, and Grimes had called "That's mine". Says Brown, "It makes no difference who owns it, I'm going to win my ten bob", and off he went with the skull, to win the wager. Recounted by Michael Cunningham of Cashel, County Monaghan https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4723825/4716655 The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0936, Page 392 Image; By Pieter Claesz, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4892401