Long ago there was a king who always wore his hair long.

He only had it cut once a year on ? the first day of December the first day of summer the first day of spring and that was a day everyone in the kingdom feared.

For once a man had cut the king’s hair he was never seen again and people suspected that the king had him ? exiled to England put to death thrown into prison .

Now there was a poor widow living in Leinster at that time who had only one son who was chosen to cut the king’s hair. The nervous boy hastily removed the king's ? head band shoes cloak .

The moment the band was removed, two large ears like those of ? an elephant a pixie a donkey sprang up.

The king cried. "Swear instead that you will never as long as you live tell anyone what you have seen."

So the boy swore and then ? cut off all the King's hair cut the king’s hair carefully cut only a lttle of the King's hair and ran from the palace. However, he could never forget what he had seen. He had terrible nightmares. After months of this he became ill.

Eventually, his mother took him to see a ? wise Lord monk druid who told him to tell his secret to a ? donkey tree wall .

So the boy did as he was told and whispered his secret. Then, with his heart lighter he went home to his mother.

The very next day Craiftine, the palace musician ? composed a new song lost his voice broke his harp .

He got an axe and set out  in search of wood to make a new one.

When he came to the cross-roads he saw ? the willow his mother the King . He cut it down and made a splendid new harp and took it with him to the palace to play for the king.

But the moment he touched the strings, they said; "Labhraidh Loingseach has donkey’s ears!" Craiftine ? ran out of the castle fainted stopped playing .

Suddenly the king snatched off his headband, so that everyone could see for them selves what he had kept hidden for so long.

Everyone agreed that a good and wise king with ? large ears large nose large feet was a great deal better then a wicked or a foolish one with the most ? beautiful nose beautiful ears beautiful feet in the world.

After that the king never again troubled to hide his ears under his hair.

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