Petticoat Loose

In the early 1800s Mary Hannigan was born the only child of a well to do farmer in Colligan, an area between Dungarvan and Clonmel. She was a formidable woman, standing at 6ft tall with flame red hair, her looming stature and strength not only allowed her to do the farm work usually carried out only by the male farm workers but also made her intimidating to everyone she met. The Hannigan farm had several cows on the farm and Mary was known to water down the milk before selling it on to the poor people in the community-a deed that was seen as sinful in those days. She was also known to have a fiery temper and so people daren't cross her for fear of retaliation as she was known to even abuse and beat her own elderly parents. Mary was extremely fond of drinking and dancing-often staying out til the wee hours of the morning. She was well able to drink any man under the table in her local pub Quills at the Pike on the outskirts of Dungarvan. It was while dancing here at a wedding party that her dress caught on a nail and tore off to reveal her petticoat-after this night she was known by all as Petticoat Loose, a name she did not care for. When she was of age Mary married a local man known to be a great fisherman. However Mary was an independent woman who could never belong to any man and within a year she had grown tired of him. She seduced a lad from a neighbouring farm and convinced him to drown her husband in the River Colligan while he fished for salmon. Mary had promised the young lad who was no more than a teenager, that they would be married once she was widowed. Mary lured her husband down to the Colligan River with tales of the largest salmon anyone had ever seen. Knowing her husband and his reputation for being a skilled fisherman, he took the bait. While he was down at the river the boy ambushed him and tried to hold her husband under the water. However her husband was a large man and easily overpowered the young boy, who was drowned instead. It was not more than a couple of months later before it was rumoured that Mary was having an affair with a hedge school teacher. One evening Mary was milking cows in the shed with her young milk maid when a man's scream was heard in the field outside. The maid had no sooner began to run towards the door to investigate the sound before she was hit on the head with a milking stool knocking her to the ground. Mary warned her to mind her own business and to get back to helping her with the cows. Mary's husband was never seen or heard from again after that night. It seemed Mary had finally succeeded in getting rid of her husband. Yet no person dared accuse or even question Mary's story that he had simply ran off to Tipperary and left her. Years passed and Mary enjoyed getting back to her old ways. She would stay out all night drinking, dancing and wrestling any man who dared try and best her. One night while drinking once again with friends in Quill's pub, Mary was boasting about how she could drink more beer than any man as if it was nothing but water. Upon hearing this one patron sitting at the bar challenged Mary to drink an entire gallon of beer in one sitting. Ever the competitive woman Mary sat down and true to her word she drank that entire gallon of beer as if it was water. After she had drank the last drop she showed everyone her empty glass turning it upside down on the table. Unfortunately for Mary she had no sooner put the glass on the table when she herself slumped down on to the table dead, her shawl still wrapped around her shoulders. Due to the circumstances of her death she died without anyone being able to call for a priest and without being absolved for her many sins. They didn't know it at the time but unfortunately for the locals that was not the last of Petticoat Loose...