Finding a story I read as a child

Missymiss22

Hi Guys,

I know this is gonna be a long shot.......but I’m hoping someone may be able to help me find a book that I’ve been remembering for years now.
It was a book of short stories that we read as a class when I was in High Infants to 2nd class. This would have been the mid 80’s.
There was one story that has always stuck in my mind and I would love to discover what book it was included in.

It was a story about an old woman lamenting the fact that the younger generations in her village didn’t seem to know or care about an event that had happened many years previously. This event was either a flood or a tidal wave (I strongly remember it as a tidal wave). The old woman is able to remember this happening in the village and tells the story of what she recalls, and how it destroyed her village.
I seem to remember that the telling seemed to lean on this type of occurance not being the norm in this part of the world, so I always assumed it had taken place in Ireland or the UK. I could be mistaken on the location though.
I can remember the old woman describing her village. Cottages lining a cobbled street, which led down a hill to the harbour. She may have reminisced with an old man at a shop at one stage. And I also can't remember if the same thing happens again in the village, and that is the point of the story.

I know there is a Japanese tale of an old woman burning down her house to save the people in her village from a Tsunami. This is not the story we read though.

So I realise this may seem insane to try and find this story. But it’s been almost 30 years and I still remember the sunny day we read it in class. I guess it made an impression!! ;-)
So if this jogs anyones memory and you remember reading anything like this in Primary School, I’d be sooo grateful of any clues that might help.
Thanks :-)

Ectoplasm

I have a vague feeling I may have read a story similar to this recently. It was part of a short story collection. I could be entirely wrong but it may be worth checking out the collection.

It is called "The Lucky Bag; classic Irish children's stories"

Missymiss22

Thank you thank you thank you I have found it :-D It is a story from a book called The Sea Wall by Éilís Dillon. She included it in The Lucky Bag stories also. Sending a tidal wave of thanks your way EMF2010 ;-)