A N C I E NT LE G E N D S q

,
i
MYSTI C CHARMS é
“

AND S UPERSTI T w N
-

-
,
_

OF I RELAND .

BY

LADY W ILDE

TO W H I C H I S A PPE N D E D '

A C HAPT E R I R E LAN D.
BY T HE LAT E S I R W I L L I AM W I L DE .

V OL . 1 .

B os to n
T I C KN O R A ND c o P U B LI S H E R S ,
2! l , T R E M ON T S T R E E T .

51 83 .
 P R E FAC E
a.

T HE th ree knowledge p ti g the

g reat s o u rc es o f res ec n

sh ro ud d part e are th language the my

o f h u m an ity e ,

th l g y and the ancient monuments f a count y

o o , o r .

From the lang age one learns the mental d social

-

u an

he i ght to which a nation had reached at any given period in

.

arts habits and civilization with the relati on f man to man

, , , o ,

and to the materi al and v i s i ble world .

The mythology f a people reveals their relation to

o a

s piritual and invisible world ; while the early monuments

are solemn and eternal symbols f religi ous faith —rituals
,

o f stone i n cromlech p i llar shrine and tower te mples

, , ,

and tombs .

The w i tten word or literature co mes l st the fullest and

r , , a ,

highest expression f the intellect and culture and scientific

o ,

progress f a nation o .

The Irish race were never much indebted to the written

word The learned cl ss the ollamhs dwelt apart and
. a , ,

kept their knowledge sacred The people there fore lived .

entirely upon the trad i tions f their forefathers blended o ,

w i th the new doctrines taught by Christianity ; so that the

popular belief became in time an amalgam f the pagan, , o

VO L . 1 .
 vi R A P EF CE .

myths and th Christian legend and these two elements

e ,

remain indissolubly un i ted to th i s day The world in fact . , ,

is a volume a seri l ather going on f si x thousand years

, a r ,
or ,

but f wh ich the Irish peasant has scarcely yet turned the
o

fi rst page .

The present work deals o ly with th e mythology or n ,

the fantastic creed f the Irish respecting the inv i sible

o

world — strange and mystical superstitions brought thou ,

sands f years ago from the i r Aryan home but which st i ll

o , ,

even in the present time fi t all the modes f th i nking , a ec

'
o

and acting in the daily l i fe f the people o .

Amongst the educated classes in all nati ons th belief in ,

e

the supe nat ral acting d irectly on li fe and constantl y i

r u ,
n

t f i g with the natural course

er e r n f human act i on i soon o ,
s

diss i pated and gradually disappears , f the knowledge f or o

natural laws solves many mysteries that were once i n ex

plicable ; yet much remains unsolved even t the philo ,

o

sopher f the mystic relation betwee the material d the

, o n an

spiritual world Whilst t the masses—the uneducated— h

. o w o

know nothing f the fixed eternal laws f nature every

o o ,

phenomenon seems to result from the direct action f some o

non human power inv i s i ble though ever present ; able to

-

confer all bene fits yet implacable if offended and therefore

, ,

to be prop i ti ated .

The superstition then f the Ir i sh p easant is the i i

, , o n st nc

ti ve belie f in the e xistence f certai n unseen agencies that o

influence all hu ma life ; and with the highly sensiti ve

n

orga iz tion f their race it is not wonderful that the people

n a o ,

live habitually under the shadow and dread f invisi b le o

powers which whether work i ng f good evil are awful

, or or ,
 P R A E F C E. vii

an d mysterio to the uncultured mind th t sees only the

us a

strange results produced by certain forces but knows noth i ng ,

o f pro ximate causes .

M ny f the Irish legends superstitious and anci ent

a o , ,

charms now collected were obt i ned chiefly from oral com a

m i ti
u n ca made by the pe antry th emselves either in
o ns as ,

Irish or in the Irish E ngli h which preserves so much f

-
s o

the expressive idiom f the antique tong e o u .

These narrations were taken down by competent persons

ski lled in both langu ges and as f as poss i ble in the very
a , ar

words f the narrator ; so that much f the pri m i tive s i m

o o

p li i ty
c f the sty le has been ret i ned while the legends
o a ,

have a peculiar and special value as coming direct from the

national heart .

In a f years such a collection wo ld be imposs i ble

ew u ,

f orthe old race is rapidly pass i ng away to other lands and ,

in the vast working world f America with all the

-
o i , new n

f light and p rogress the young generation though

,

fl u en ces o , ,

sti ll loving the land f the i r fathers will sc rcely find le i sure
o , a

to dream over the fairy haunted hills and lakes and raths
-

o f anci ent Ireland .

I must disclaim however all desire to be considered a

, ,

m lancholy L d m f m/ These studies f the

’ ’

e au a ti x e art s ac . o

Irish past are sim ply the expression f my love f the o or

beauti ful island that gave me my first inspiration my ,

quickest intellectual impulses and the stro gest and best , n

sympathies with genius and country possible to a woman s ’

nature .

FR AN C E S C A S PE RANZA WI LD E .
 C ON T E NT S .

I NT RO DU C T O IN
T H E H OR N E D W O ME N

T H E LE G E N D or B ALLYTOWT AS C A L
ST E

A W OL S
F r o nv

T HE E V IL E YE

T HE S O L N BRI
T E DE

F AI Y M
R u s rc

T HE F AI Y A R D NC E

F AIRY JU I ST C E

T HE I UL'
PR E S T S S O
AIRY A
.

T HE F R CE

THE T RIAL I BY F RE

T HE L D A Y WI H TC

E T H NA IT HE BR DE

THE F AIRI V ES
'
RE E N GE

F AI Y H L — HOU A
R E P T HE P X

T HE F AR R U I HME P N S ED

T HE F AR R WI ME
'
S FE

T HE M I NI H D I G T R DE

T H E LE PR E HAU N

T H E LE GE N W N A
DS o n T H E E ST E R I SL N DS

T HE A H ON
B R I DE s
’
DE T -
S G

T HE C HIL A DS
’
DR E M
T HE F AIRY H I L C D

T HE D OO M
 C ON N TE TS.

T HE C L ARI RO
E NG F M G UIL T

T HE H W LL
OLV E AN D T H E M UR R DE ER

LE GE N DS OF I NN l S S -
ARK —A WO M S C AN U R
’
SE

L E G E N DS o r? T H E DE A D I N T H E WE ST E RN LAN IS DS

t
T h e De a h S ig n
K th l
a een

N v mb r E
o e e ve

T h e Dance o f the Dead

S U II
P E R S T T ONS C O N RNI
CE NG T HE DE A D

T HE F A AL
T LOVE C H AR M
T HE F E N IA N KN IH
G TS

R AT H LI N I S LAN D

T H E S T R ANGE GU E ST S

T HE D E D A SLI O D ER

T HE T HRE GI E FT S

T HE F AIRI As FALL N AN L
ES E GE S

T HE F AIRY C HAN L IN GE G

F AI Y R VVI LE S
S I I Av N - M O R

T HE C AV AIRI E F ES

T h e T u ath s d e-Dan an u -

E dain th e Queen
T he R o y l St
a ee d

E V I L S LL PE S

C th l a a th e King
T h e Po e t
’
s l t
M a ed ic io n
D rim ial Ag u s T h o ria l
AN I RI H
S ADE PT OF T H E IS LAN DS

T H E M Av F E ST I V AL
M AY D AY S
-
U R I ION
PE ST T S
F E ST I V AL S

C an d e masl
Wh i s un t tid e

Wh its u n tid L g e e e n d o f th e r
F ai y H o rs es
N OV E M BE R S LL PE S
 C ON N
TE TS. XI

N OV E M BE R E VE
PA G E.

IL V
A TERR B E RE E N GE

MI U DSR M ME

T h e Baa F ires l an d Dan ces

T h e F airy D o c t
ress

MA RIAR GE R I TE s
T HE DEA D

THE WAK I E OR G ES

I N MY I
.

T H E AN C E T ST E R E S

TI IE R
P OW E WOR OF T HE D

T H E POE T I AN D T H E K NG

IH
T HE S D E R AGE
MU I S C

PO N I A IO —
ET I SP R T N E ODAI N T HE P O E T E SS

THE B AN H S EE

QU MA V
EEN E E

DE A I TH S GN S

l
T h e H artp o e Do o m
SU R IO
PE ST I T NS

T HE FAIRY A H R T

FAIRY A R N TU E

IR IH A R
S N TU E
 ANC I E N T LE G E N DS .

I NTR ODUCTI ON .

T HE ancient legends f all nations f the world on which

o o ,

from age to age the generations f man have been nurtured o ,

bear so striking a resemblance to each other that we are

led to believe there was once a period when the whole

hu man family was f one creed and one language But
o .

with increas i ng numbers c me the necess i ty f dispersion ;

a o

and that ceaseless migrati on comm nced f the tribe

w as e o s

o f the eart h from the E astern cradle f their race which has o

no w continued f thousands f years with undiminished

or o

activity .

From the beauti ful E d m l d at the head f the Persian

e an o

Gulf where creeds and culture rose to l ife the fi st m igra

, , r

tions emanated and were naturally d i rected along he li ne

, t

o f the great rivers by the E uphrates and the Tigris and

,

southward by the N ile ; and there the first mighty cities f o

the world were built and the first mighty kingdoms f the
.

, o

E st began to send out colonies to take possession f the

a o

unknown silent world around them From Pers ia Assyri a .

, ,

an d E gypt to Greece and the Isles f the Sea went forth

,
o ,

the wandering tribes carry ing wi th them as signs f thei r

, , o

VOL . I . z
 AN I N L N
C E T E GE D S OF IR LAN
E D .

origin brok en fragments f the pri mal creed and b roken

, o ,

i dioms f the pri mal tongue— those early pages in the h i s

o

tory f the human race eternal and i ndestructible wh i ch

o , ,

hundreds f centuri es have not b een able to ob literate from

o

the m ind f m o an .

But as the early tribes diverged from the central parent

stock the creed and the language began to assume
,
n ew

forms according as new hab i ts f li fe

, d modes f thought O an o

were developed amongst the wan d eri ng people b y the i ,

n

fl u en ce f climate and the contemplation

o f and o n ew

s tri king atural phenomena i n the lands where they found

n

a resti ng place or a home Sti ll amo gst all nations a bas i s

-
.
,
n

Te m i d
a ne f the primal creed and lang age easily to be
o u ,

traced through all the mutat i ons caused by c i rcumstances

'
i h human thought either b y h i gher culture or b y the de
,

b asement to wh i ch both language and sym b ols are subjected

‘

a mongst rude and i ll i terate tri b es .

To reconstruct the primal creed and lang uage f humanity O

f rom these scattered and b roken fragments is the task which ,

i s now exciti ng so keenly the energi es f the ardent and o

l earned lm g ph
et f E urope ; as yet i ndeed w i th but
o ra e rs o , ,

small success as regards langu ge f not more perhaps a ,

or , ,

t han twenty words wh i ch the philologists cons i der may have

belonged to the ori ginal tongue have b een d i scovered that
i s, certain objects or i deas are found represented in ll a

languages by the same words and there fore the ph i lolog i st ,

concludes that these words must have been assoc i ated w i th

the i deas from the earl i est dawn f language ; and as the o

words express ch i efly h relati ons f the human fam i ly t e o

to each other they remained fixed i n the m i n d s f the

, o
 IN RO T DU C T ION .
3

wandering tribes untouched and unchanged by all the

,

d i versities f the i r subsequent experience f life

o o .

Meanwh i le i E urope there is diligent study f the

, n o

ancient m yths legends and traditions f the world i n

, , o ,

order to extract from them that in formation respecti ng the

early modes f thought prevalent amongst the prim i ti ve race
O ,

and also th lines f the first m i grations wh i ch no other

e o ,

monuments f antiquity are so well able to g i ve Tradi

o .

tions like rays f light take their colour from the med i um
, o ,

through wh i c h they pass ; but the scientific m y h g ph i t o ra c

student knows h to elim i nate the accidental addition

ow

from the true pri mal basis wh i ch remains fi xed and ,

un

changeable ; and from the numerous myths and legends f o

the nations f the earth which bear so strik i ng a con form i ty

o ,

to each other that they point to a common ori gin he w i ll ,

be able to reconstruct the first articles f belief i n the creed o

o f human i ty and to pronounce almost with certa i nty upon

,

the primal source f the lines f human l i fe that now

o o

traverse the globe in all directions This source f all li fe . o ,

creed and culture now on earth there is no reason to doubt

, , ,

w i ll be found in I or Pers i a as we call i t and in the

ran , ,

anc i ent legends and language f the great Iranian people o ,

the head and ob lest type f the Aryan races E ndowed

n o .

w ith splendid phys i c l beauty noble intellect and a ri ch

a , , ,

mus i cal language the Iranians had also a lo fty sense f the
,
o

relation between man a d the sp i ritual world They d n . a

m i d no idols into the i r temples ; the i r God was the O

tte ne

Supreme Creator and Upholder f all things whose symbol o ,

was the and the pure elemental fire But as the world
su n ,
.

g rew older and more wicked the pure primal doctrines were
 4 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN E D .

obscured by human f ncies the symbol came to be wor a ,

shi pped l place f the God and the debased idolatries

'

n o ,

o f Babylon Assyri and the Canaanite nat i ons were the

, a,

result E gypt — grave wise learned mourn ful E gypt

.
, , ,

retai ned most f the primal truth ; but truth was held b y
o

the priests as too precious f the crowd and so they pre or ,

served i t carefully f themselves and thei r own caste They

or .

alone knew the anc i ent and crypti c mean i ng f the sym b ols ; o

the people were allowed only to see the out ard and v i si ble w

S ign .

From E gypt philosophy culture art and religion C me

, , , , a

to Greece but the Greeks moulded these splend i d elements

,

af er their own fashion and poured the radiance f beauty

t , o

over the grave and gloomy myst i cism f E gypt E v rything o . e

h ideous terri ble and revolting was ban i shed from the Greek
, ,

Mythology The Greeks constructed no theory f a dev i l

. o ,

and believed in no hell as a d i st i nct and eternal abode f , or

the lost souls f men The Greek gods were d i vinely o .

beauti ful and each d i i i y i turn was ready to help the

, v n t
'

mortal that invoked him The dead in H ades mourned .

their fate because they could no longer enjoy the glorious

beauty f life but no hard and ch i lli ng dogmas doomed
o ,

them there to the tortures f eternal punishmen E arth o t .

a i r the heavens and the sea the storms and sunsh i ne the
,

, ,

forests and flo ers and the purple grapes with wh i ch they

,

crowned a god were all to the Greek poet m i nd the mani

,
-

f t ti
es a f an all pervading spiritual power and li fe
ons o -
A
sublime Panthe ism was their creed that sees gods i n every
.

th i ng yet with one Supreme God over all Freedom

,

beauty art l ight and joy were the elements f the Greek
.
.
‘

, , , , o
 I N T R OD U cT I ON .
5

religion while the E ternal Wisdom the Great Athen e f

, , o

the Parthenon was the peculiar and selected d i v i nity f

,
o

thei r own half divine race .

Meanwhile other branches f the primal Iranian stock o

were spreading over the savage central forests f E urope o ,

where they laid the foundation f the great Teuton and o

Gothic races the desti ned world rulers but N ature to them
,
-

w as a gloomy and awful mother and l i fe seemed an endless ,

warfare aga i nst the fierce and powerful elemental demons f o

frost and sno and d ar k ness by whom the beau ti ful Sun
w ,

god was slain and who re i gned triumphant in that fearful

,

season when the earth was iron and the air was ice and ,

no b fi t God seemed near h lp H ideous idols

ene ce n to
'

e .

imaged these unseen powers who were propitiated by san ,

g i
u n ar y rites ; and the men and the gods they fashioned
were alike as fierce and cruel as the wild bea ts f h s o t e

forest and the aspects f the savage nature around them

, o .

Sti ll the waves f human l i fe kept rolling westward unti l

o

they surged over ll the lands and islands f the Great Sea
a o ,

and the wandering mar i ners seeking new homes passed , ,

through the P i llars f H ercules out i nto the Western Ocean

o ,

and coasting along by the shores f Spa i n and France o ,

founded nations that st i ll bear the i m press f the i r E astern o

ori gi n and are known in h i story as the Celtic race while the
,

customs usages and trad i tions which thei r fore fathers had
, ,

learnt in E gypt or Greece were carefully preserved by them ,

and transmitted as heirlooms to the colonies they founded .

From Spain the early mariners easily reached the verdant

i sland f the West i n hich we Iri sh are m e particularly
o w re

interested And here in our beauti ful Ireland the last wave
.
6 AN I N L N IR LAN C E T E GE D S OF E D .

of the great Iran i an migration finally settled F h pro . u rt er

gress was im p ossible— the unknown ocean seemed to them

u

the limits f the world And thus the wan d erers f the
o . o

primal race with their fragments f the ancient creed and

, o

mythic poet lore and thei r pecul i ar dialect f the nc i ent

-
,
o a

tongue formed as it were a sed i ment here which still

, , ,

reta i ns i ts peculi ar a ffi nity with the parent land — though

the changes and chances f three thousand years have o

swept over the people the legends and the l ang uage It , , .

is therefore i n Ireland above all that the nature and ori g i n

, , , ,

o f the pr i m i tive races f E urope should be studied o E ven .

the form f the Celtic head shows a dec i ded con form ity t
o o

that f the Greek races while it di ffers essentially from the

o ,

Saxon and Gothic types This is one f the many proo fs . o

i n support f the theory that the Celt i c people in the i r

o

westward course to the Atlantic travelled by the coasts f o

the Mediterranean as all along that l i ne the same cranial

,

formation i s found Ph i lologists also a ffirm that the Irish

.

language is nearer t Sanskrit than any other Of the l i vin g

o

and spoken languages f E urope ; hile the legends and o w

myths f Ireland can be read i ly traced to the f E ast b ut

o ar

have nothing in common w i th the fierce and ei rd super

,

w
st i i
t o ns of N orthern mythology .

Th i s study f legendary lore as a foundat i on f the

o
, or

history f humanity is now recognized as such an important

o ,

branch f ethnology th t a journ l ent i rely devoted to co

o a a rn

p i
arat ve m ythology has been recently started in Paris to
wh i ch all nati ons are inv i ted to contribute— Sclaves Teutons
,

and Celts Iri sh legends being cons i dered specially i mpor

, ,

t nt as containing more f the primitive elements than

a , o
 IN RO I O N T DU C T .

those f other Western nati ons All o her countries h ve

o . t a

been repeatedly overwhelmed by alien tribes d peoples an

and races but the I rish have remained unchanged and i n

, ,

place f adopti ng readily the usages f invaders they have

o o

shewn such remarkable powers f f cination that the i o as n

vaders themselves bec me M b m p H b m i The

a
'

e
' '

z a s r srs
' ’ '

r e o r es .

D anes held the east coast f Ireland f three hundred o or

years yet there is no trace f Thor or Od i n or the Frost

, o

Giants or f the Great World serpent in Irish legend ; but

, o -

i f we go back in the h i story f the world to the beg i nni g o n

o f th i ngs when the Iranian people were the only teachers

,

o f humanity we come pon the true anci ent source f

, u o

Irish legend and find that the orig i nal materi als h ave been but
,

very slightly altered while amongst other nations the ground

,

work has been overlaid with a dense palimpsest f their o

own devising suggested by their peculiar local surroundings

, .

Amongst the earliest relig i ous symbols f the world are o

the Tree the Woman and the Serpent— memories no

, , ,

doubt f the l egend f Paradise ; and the reverence f

, o o or

certain sacred trees has preva i led i n Persia from the most
ancient times and become d i f used among all the Iranian
,

nations It was the custom in Iran to hang costly garments

.

on the branches votive o fferings and it is recorded that

as

X er x es be fore going to b attle i nvoked v i ctory by the Sacred

Tree and hung jewels and ri ch robes on the boughs And
,
.

the poet Saadi narrates an anecdote concerning trees which

has the true Oriental touch f mourn ful s ggestion H o u -
e

was once he says the guest f a very rich old man who had
, , o

a son remarkable f his beauty O night the old man or . ne

said to h i m During my whole li fe I never had but th i s

,
“
 8 AN I N L N IR LAN
C E T E GE DS O F E D .

s o n. Near h i s place is a Sacred Tree to wh i ch men resort

t

to o ffer up their petiti ons Many nights at the foot f th i s . o

tree I beso ght God unt i l he b estowed on me h i s son

u t .
”

N ot long a er Saadi overheard th i s young man say i n a

ft lo w
vo i ce to h i s friend H happy hould I be to kno here
, ow S w w

that Sacred Tree grows i n order that I m ight implore God ,

fo r the death f my father o .

The poorer class i n Pers i a not being able to make o ffer ,

ings f costly garments are i n the ha bit f ty i ng bi ts f

.

o ,
o o

coloured fi on the boughs and these rags are cons i d red

s tu
'

s , e

to have a speci al v i rtue i n curi g diseases The trees are n .

o ften near a well or b y a sa i nt s grave and are then looked ’

upon as peculiarly sacred .

Th i s account m i ght have b een ri tten f Ireland f the w or ,

or

bel i ef and the ceremon i al are precisely sim i lar d sti ll ,

an are

found ex i st i g to th i s day both i n I

n and i n E i B r an r n . u t

a ll trees were t held sacred— only those that b ore no

no

eatable fruit that could nouri sh men ; a lingeri ng memory

o f the tree f evil fruit may have caused this rejudice
o hile
p ,
w

the Tree f Li fe was eagerly sought f w i th its p romised

o o r,

gi ft f immortal i ty In Pers i a the plane tree was specially

o .
-

reverenced i n E gypt the palm i Greece the wild ol i ve , n

'

and the oa k amongst the Celtic nations Someti mes small .

t pers were l i t amongst the branches to s i mulate by fire the

a
,

presence f d i v i nity It i s worthy f note while on the

o . o ,

Su bject f Ir i sh and Iranian fli i i

o that the old Pers ian a n t es ,

word f tree is d and the Iri sh call the i r sacred tree the
or a r,
,

o ak , da r rag

T h e te rm s D ry arl an d D ru id ma b e
y co m
pa e d r as co n ta in i n
g th e
t
s ame ro o an d re fe ren ce .
 IN R O T DU C T ION .
9

The belie f in a race f supernat ral beings midway o u ,

between man and the Supreme God beauti ful and b fi , en e

cent a race that had never known the weight f human li fe

, o ,

was also part f the creed f the Iran ian people They
o o .

called them P i or F k ( fa i ries) and they have some

ar s , er o z rr

pretty legends concerning the beauti ful D k/l S /m/ u I ar r

'

P kier the Daughter f the King f the Fairies f a

n,
“
o o ,
”
or

s i ght f whose beauty men p i ne a ay i n va i n des i re but if i t

o w ,

i s granted to the m once to behold her they die E very ,

.

nat i on b eli eves in the existence f these mysterious sp i ri ts o ,

w i th mystic and powerful i nfluence over human l i fe and

actions but each nati on represents them d i fferently accord
, ,

i g to national habits and national surround i ngs

n Thus the .
,

R ussians bel i eve i n the phantom f the U k ra i ne a beauti ful o ,

young girl robed i n wh i te who meets the wanderer on the ,

lonely snow steppes and lulls h i m by her kisses i nto that

,

fatal sleep fro m wh i ch he ever more awakens The legends

n .

o f the Scandinavians also are all set in the framework f

, , o

their own experiences ; the d i g and crash f the i ce i s re a n o

the stroke f the God Thor s hammer ; the ri me i s the beard

o
’

o f the Frost G i ant ; and when Balder the i r Sun G d i s ,

-
o ,

beg i nning to d i e at M i dsummer they ki ndle p i ne branches ,

-

to l ight him on h i s downward path to hell and when he i s

returning to the upper world a fter the winter solstice they , ,

burn the Yule log and hang l i ghts on the fi trees to illu
-
,
r -

m i nate h i s upward path These trad i ti ons are a remnant f

. o

the ancient sun worsh i p b ut the peasants who kindle the ,

Baal fires at Midsummer and the upper classes who light up ,

the brilliant Christmas tree have forgotten the origin f the

-
,
o

custom though the world old symbol and usage is preserved

,
-
.
 AN I N L N D
C E T E GE S OF IR LAN E D .

The S rik or Fairies f Ireland still preserve all the

t e, , o ,

gentle attributes f their ancient Persian race f i n the soft

o , or

and equable cl i mate f E rin there were no terrible m if o an es

t ti
a o ns o f nature to be symbolized by new i mages and the
gen ial laughter loving elves were in themselves the best and
,
-

truest expression f Iri sh nature that could have beeno

invented The fairi es loved music and danci ng and frol i c

.

and above all th i ngs to be let alone and not to be inter

, , ,

f
e re d w i th as regarded the i r p eculiar fa i ry ha b its customs , ,

and pastimes They had also l ik e the Irish a fine sense f

.
, , o

the ri ght and just and a warm l f the l ib eral hand and
, o ve or

ki ndly word All the soli tudes f the island were peopled
. o

by these b right happy b eaut i ful beings and to the Irish

, , ,

nature w i th i ts need f h sp i ri tual its l

, f the vague
o t e , o ve o ,

mystic dreamy and supernatural there was something

, , ,

irres i sti bly fasci nati ng i n the bel i e f that gentle spiri ts were
around filled wi th sympathy f the mortal who fl d
, or su
'

e re

wrong or needed help But the fa i ries were someti mes .

wil ful and capricious as children and took dire revenge if ,

any one built over their fairy circles or looked at them whe , n

comb i ng the i r lo g yellow hair i n the sunsh i ne or danc i ng

n

i n the woods or float i ng on the lak es Deat h the

,

, . w as

penalty to ll who approached too near or p y d too

a
, r e

curiously into the mysteries f ature o n .

To the Irish peasa t earth and a i r were filled with these

n

mysterious be i ngs hal f loved h lf f d by them ; and

,
-

, a ~
e are

therefore they were prop i tiated by flattery and called the ,

“

g dp
oo eopl as the Gree k s call the dread goddesses the
e,
”

E umenides Their voices were heard i n the mounta i n

.
”

echo and their forms seen i n the p pl and golden

, ur e
 IN RO T DU C T I ON . I I

m ountain mist ; they whispered amidst the perfumed haw

thorn branches ; the rush f the autumn leaves was the o

sc r mp f little elves — red yello

er o and brown — w i nd ,
w,

dri ven and danc i ng in their glee ; and the bend i ng f the
, o

wav i ng barley caused by the fl ight f the E l f K i ng and

w as o

his Court across the field s They danced with soundless .

feet and their step

, so light that the drops f dew they
w as o

danced on only trem bled but d i d not break The fa i ry , .

music was l and sweet bl i nd i ng sweet l ik e that f the

ow , ,
”
o

great god Pan by the r i ver they l i ved only on the nectar i n
the cups f the flowers though i n thei r fa i ry palaces
o ,

sumptuous banquets were o ffered to the mortals they c rried a

o ff— but woe to the mortal who tasted f fairy food to eat o

was fatal Al l the ev i l in the world has come by eat i ng if

.

E ve had only res i sted that apple our race m ig ht st i ll b e i n

Paradise The Sidhe look w i th envy on the beauti ful young
.

human children and steal them when they can ; a d the

,
n

ch i ldren f a Si dhe and a mortal mother are reputed to grow

o

up strong and powerful but with evil and dangerous natures

,
.

There is also a belie f that every seven years the fa i ries are
oblig ed to deliver up a v i cti m to the E vil O and to save n e,

the i r own people they try to a bduct some beauti f l young u

mortal g i l and her they hand over to the Prince f Dark

r ,
o

ness .

D ogmatic rel i g i on and science have long s i nce k i lled the

m y h poetic faculty in cultured E urope
t o - It only exi sts now .
,

naturally and instinct ively in children poets and the ch i ld

, , ,

like races l i ke the Irish — simple joyous reverent and

, , , ,

unlettered and who have rema i ned unchanged f centuries

,
or ,

walled round by the i r langu ge from the rest f E urope a o ,

12 AN I N L N IR LAN C E T E GE DS O F E D .

through which separati ng il science culture and the cold ve , ,

mockery f the sceptic have ever yet penetrated

o n .

Christian i ty was readily accepted by the Iri sh The .

pathet i c tale f the beauti ful young V irgi n Mother and the
o
-

Ch i ld God f central Objects touched ll the deepest

-
, or ,
a

chords f feel i ng i n the tender loving and sympathetic Iri sh

,

o , ,

heart The legends f ancient t i mes

. overthro n
o w e re n o t
‘
w

by it however b taken up and i ncorporated with the

, , ut n ew

Chri stian faith The holy wells and the sacred trees
.

rema i ned and were even made holier b y assoc i at i on w i th a

,

sa i nt s name And to th i s day the old mythology holds its

’
.

ground w i th a force and v i tality untouched by any symptoms

o f weakness or decay The Greeks who are f the same .
,
o

orig i nal race as our people rose through the influence f the , o

h ighest culture to the fulness and perfectness f eternal o

youth ; but the Iri sh w i thout culture are eternal ch i ldren

.

, , ,

w i th ll the ch i ldl ik e i nst i ncts f superst i tion il l strong in

a o st

them and capable f believing all th i ngs because to doubt

,
o ,

requires knowledge They never like the Greeks attained.

, ,

to the conception f a race f beings nobler than themselves

o o

men stronger and more g i fted with the i mmortal fire f a , o

god i n the i r veins ; women div i nely b eauti ful or d i v i nely ,

i nspi red ; but also the Iri sh never de faced the i mage f
, , o

God in their hearts by infidelity or irreli g i on O f the . ne o

most beauti ful and sublimely touching records in ll human a

history is that f the unswerving devotion f the Iri sh people

o o

to the i r ancient fa i th through persecutions and penal enact

,

ments more insulti ng and degrading than were ever infl i cted
i n any other land by one Christ i an sect upon another .

With this pecul iarly reverential nature it would be im p os

 IN R O T DU C T I ON . I 3

sible to make the Irish a nation f sceptics even if a o ,

whole legion f Germ an R ationalists came amongst them to

o

pr ach a crusade aga i nst all belief in the spi ritual and the
e

unseen And the old trad i tions f their race have l i kewi se
. o

t ken firm hold in thei r hearts because they are an art i sti c
a
,

people and require objects f their adoration and love

, or ,

not mere abstractions to be accepted by thei r reason And .

they are also a nati on f poets ; the presence f God i s ever o o

near them and the sa i nts and angels and the shadowy beings
, ,

o f earth and a i r are perpetually draw i ng the i r m i nds through ,

m i ngled love and fear to the i nfin i te and i nv isi ble world , .

Proba b ly not one tradition or custom that had its orig i n in a

rel i g i ous belie f has been lost in Ireland during the long
course f ages since the first people from E astern l nds
o a

arr i ved and settled on our hores The Baal fires are still S .

l i t at M i dsummer though no longer i n honour f the sun

, o ,

but f St John ; and the peasants sti ll mak e their cattle

o .

pass between two fi —m t indeed f ld in the name re s o , , as o o ,

o f Moloch but f some patron saint

, That all Irish legends
o .

point to the E ast f their ori g i n not to the N orth is certain

or , ,

to a warm land not one f i cebergs and thunder crashes f

, o , o

the rend i ng f ice bound rivers but to a region where the

o -
,

shadow f trees and a cool draught from the parkli g well

o ,
S n

were lif g i i g blessings Well worship could not have

e s
v n .
-

orig i nated i n a humid country like Irelan d where wells can ,

b e found at every step and sky and land are ever heavy ,

and saturated with moi sture It must have come from an .

E astern people wanderers i n a dry and thirsty land where

, ,

the d i scovery f a well seemed like the i nterpositi on f an

o o

angel i n man s behal f ’

.
 14 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN
E D.

We are told also by the ancient chroniclers that serpent

worship once prevailed in Ireland and that St Patri ck ,
.

hewed down the serp nt i dol C m C d/ ( the great worm )

e ro -
ru a z

and cast it into the Boyne ( from whence arose the legend
that St Pa trick banished all venomous h i ngs from the
.
t

island ) N as the Iri sh never could have seen a serpent

. ow ,

none existing in Ireland this worship must have come from ,

the f E ast where th i s beauti f l and deadly creature is

ar ,
u

looked upon as the sym bol f the E vil O and wor h i pped o n e, s

and propitiated by votive offeri ngs as all evil th i ngs were i ,

n

the early world i the hope f turning away their evil hatred
,
n o

from man and to induce them to she mercy and pity ; just
,
w

as the E gyptians propitiated the sacred crocodile by subtle

fl i
atte r es and hung costly jewels in i ears The Iri sh ts .
,

i ndeed do not seem to h ave ori ginated any pecul i ar or

,

nati onal cult s Their funeral cere monies recall those f

u . o

E gypt and Greece and other ancient E astern climes from ,

whence they brought their customs f the Wake the death o ,

chant the mourning women and the funeral games I

, ,
. n

Sparta on the death f a king or g eat chief they had a

,
o r ,

wak e and keen not common to the rest f Gree e but

“
o c ,

wh i ch they sa i d they learned from the Phoen i cians and this

peculiar usage bear a triki ng resemblance to the Iri sh
s S

practice All the Virtues f the dead were recited and the
. o ,

Greek E l l the same cry as the U l—l l f the Iri sh

e e u,
”
n -
u o ,

was keened over the corpse by the chorus f hired mourning o

women The custom f select i ng women in place f men

. o o

f
or the chorus f lamentation prevailed throughout all the
o

ancient world as if an open display f gri ef

, thought o w as

beneath the dignity f man It was Ca sandra gave the o . s

 IN R O
T DU C T ION . I5
keynote f the wail over H ector and H elen took the lead
or ,

i n rec i ting praises to his honour The death h i . c an ts

’

E gy pt Arab i a and Abyssinia all bear a marked resemblance

, ,

to the Iri sh ; indeed the mourning cry i s the same in all ,

and the E gyptian lament tion H i loo l l H i loo loo a

“ - -
oo - -

cri ed over the dead was probably the ori gi nal form f the , o

Irish wa i l .

The Greeks always endeavoured to lessen the terrors f o

death and f this reaso they est blished funeral games

, or n a ,

and the funeral ceremon i es took the form f a festi val where o ,

they ate and drank and poured l i bati ons f wine in honour o

o f the dead The Iri sh had also the i r funeral games and
.

pecul i ar dances when they threw ff the i r upper garments

, o ,

and holding hands in a c i rcle moved in a slo mea ure , w s

round a woman crouched in the centre with her hands ,

coveri ng her face Another singula part f the cere mony

. r o

w as the entrance f a woman weari ng a cow s head and o

’

horns as Io appears upon the scene i n the Prometheus f

,
o

ZE h yl
sc This woman
us . probably meant to represent w as

the horned or crescented moon the antique Di ana the God , ,

dess f Death The custom f thro ing fl the garments

o . o w o
'

no doubt ori gi nally s ign i fied the c t i ng fl the garment f as o

'

the flesh We brought noth i ng into th i s world and i t is

.
,

certain we ca ry nothing out The soul must stand unve i led

r .

be fore God .

In the islands ff the West Coast f Ireland where the

o o ,

most anc i ent superstitions still exi st they have a strange ,

custom N funeral wail i s allo ed to be raised unti l three

. o w

hours have elapsed from the moment f death because they o , ,

say the sound f the cries would hinder the soul from
,
o
 I 6 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN
E D .

speaking to God when it stands before H im and waken up ,

the great dogs that are watch i ng f the souls f the

tw o or o

de d i n ord er that they may devour the m —and the Lord f

a o

H eaven H i m sel f cannot h i nder them if once they wa k en .

Th i s trad i tion f watch i ng by the dead i n s i lence wh i le the

o ,

soul stands before God i a fine and solemn superst i ti on

, s ,

which must have had its ori gin amongst a people f i ntense o

faith i n the i nvisible world and is probably f great ant i ,

o

q u ity .

The sound f the Iri sh keen is wonderfully patheti c N

o . 0

one could listen to the long sustained minor wa i l f the -

o

“
Uil l -
wi thout strong emotion and even tears ; and
u -
n
”

once heard i t can never be forgotten N is there anyth i g . or n

derogatory to gri ef i n the i dea f hired mourners on the con o

t rar y i t i s a splend i d tr ib ute to the dead to order their praises

,

to b e rec i ted pu bl i cly b e fore the assem bled fri ends ; wh i le

there i s someth i ng indescri bably i mpress i ve in the aspect f o

the mourn i ng women crouched around the bier with shrouded

heads as they rock themselves to and f and i ntone the
, ro

solemn ancient death song with a measured cade nce some

,
-

times rising to a piercing wail They seem like weird and .

shadowy outl i nes f an old world V i sion and at once the

o -
,

i magination is carri ed back to the f d i stant E ast and the ar

-

t i me when all these funeral sy m b ols had a mysteri ous and

a ful mean i ng Somet i mes a wa i l f genu i ne and bi tt r
w . o e

gri ef interrupts the chant f the h i red mourners An Iri sho .

keen which was taken do n from the l i ps f a bereaved w o

mother some years ago runs thus in the literal E ngl i sh

,

vers i on
0 women look on me , Look on me women H ave ,
 IN R O
T DU C T ION . I 7

you ever seen any sorrow like m i ne Have you ever seen
the like f me in my sorrow ? Arrah then my darling my
o , , ,

darling tis your mother that calls you H long you are
,
’
. ow

sleeping D you see all the people round you my darl i ng

. o , ,

an d I sorely weeping ? Arrah what is this paleness on your

,

face ? Sure there was no equal to it in E in f beauty and r or

fairness and your hair was heavy as the wing f a raven

, o ,

and your sk in was wh i ter than the hand f a lady Is it the o .

stranger must carry me to my grave and my son ly i ng ,

here ? ”

Th i s touch i ng lament is so thoroughly Greek in form and

sentiment that it m ight be taken f part f a chorus from or o

the H ecu ba f E uripides E ven the Arrah rem i nds one

o .
“ ”

o f a Greek word used frequently by the Greeks when com

m i g a s ntence or asking a quest ion although the
enc n e ,
re

semblance may b only su perfic i al e .

The tales and legends told b y the peasants in the Iri sh

vernacular are much more weird and strange and have much ,

more f the old world colouring tha the ordinary fairy

o -
n

tales narrated in E nglish by the people as may be seen by ,

the following mythical story; transl ted from the Irish and a ,

which i s said to be a thousand years ld O

V OL . 10
 T H E HO R N E D W O ME N .

A RI H woman sat p late one n i ght carding and prepari ng

C u

wool wh i le all the fam i ly and servants were asleep S d

,
. u

d l y a k nock was g i ven at the door and a vo i ce c alled

en ,

Open ! open I
”

Wh i s there
“
o sa i d the woman f the house o .

I am the W i tch f the O H orn was answered

o ne ,
.

The m i stress suppos i ng that one f her nei ghbours had

,
o

called and required ass i stance opened the door and a , ,

w oman entered having in her hand a pair f wool carders

, o ,

and beari ng a horn on her forehead as if growing there , .

She sat down by the fire i n silence and began to c rd the ,

a

wool with Violent haste Suddenly she pau ed and sa i d

.
s
aloud i Where are the women ? They delay too long
“
.
”

Then a second knock came to the door and a voice ,

called as b e fore Open ! open

The m i stress felt hersel f constrained to rise and open to
the call and immed i ately a second w i tch entered hav i ng
, ,

two horns on her forehead and in her hand a wheel f , or

spinn i ng the wool .

Give me place she said I am the Witch f the Two

,
” “
o

H orns and she began to sp i n as quick as lightning

,
”
.
 HO RN WO N T HE
9 ED ME . 1

And so the knocks went on and the c ll heard and , a w as ,

the wi tches entered until at last twelve women sat round

,

the fi — the first with one hor the la t w i th twelve horns

re n, s .

And they carded the thread and turned the i r spinning ,

wheels and wound and wove all singing together an anci ent
, ,

rhyme but no word did they speak to the m i stress f the

, o

house Strange to hear and frightful to look upon were

.
,

these twelve women wi th their horns and their wheels ; ,

and the mistress felt near to death and she tr i ed to rise that ,

she m i ght call f help b ut she could not move nor could
or , ,

she utter a word or a cry f the spell f the witches was , or o

upon her .

Then one f them called to her in Iri sh and said

o

R ise woman and make us a cake

, ,
.
”

Then the mistress searched f a vessel to bri g water or n

from the well that she m i ght m i x the meal and make the
cake but she could find none And they sai d to her
,
.

“
Take a sieve and bri ng water in it .

And she took the sieve and went t the well ; but the o

water poured from i t and she could fetch none f the c ke

,
or a ,

and she sat down by the well and wept T hen a voice came .

by her and said

Take yellow clay and moss and bi nd them together and
plaster the sieve so that it wil l hold .

This she d id and the s i eve held the water f the c ke

,
or a .

And the voice said again

R eturn and when thou comest to the nort h angle f the
, o

house y aloud three ti mes and say The mount in f the

, cr , a o

Fen i an women and the sky over it is ll on a

And h did so S e .
ao L N IR ELAN
ANC I E NT E GE DS OF D.

When the witch es inside heard the ll a great and ca ,

terrible cry broke from their l i ps and they rushed forth with ,

w i ld lamentations and shri e k s and fled a ay to Sli eve ,

w

namon where was their chief a b ode But the Spirit f the
, . o

Well bade the mistres f the house to enter and p repare s o

her home against th enchantments f the witches if they e o

returned again .

And first to b reak their spells she sp rinkled th water in

, ,
e

which she had washed her ch i ld s feet ( the feet water) outs i de ’ -

the door on the threshold ; secondly she took the c ke ,

a

wh i ch the witches had made in her absence f meal mixed , o

with the blood dra n from the sleeping fam i ly And she w .

b roke the ca ke i n bits and placed a bit i n the mouth f ,

o

each sleeper and they were restored ; and she took the
,

cloth they had woven a d placed it hal f in and hal f out f n o

the chest with the padlock ; and lastly she secured the door ,

with a great cross b am fastened in the jambs so that they

-
e ,

could not enter And having done these things she wa i ted
. .

N t long were the witches i n coming back and they raged

o ,

and called f vengeance or .

Op en ! Open l they screame d Open feet water

”
.
,
-

I cannot said the feet water I am scattered on the

,
”
-
,

ground and my path is down to the Lough .

”

Open open wood and tree and beam

, , they cried to
the door .

I cannot said the door f the be m is fixed in th

, ,
“
or a e

jambs and I have no power to move .

“
Open open cake that we have made and mingled
, ,

with blood they cried again

,
”
.

“
I c nnot sa i d the cake f I am broken and bruised
a , , or

and my blood is on the lips f the sleeping ch i ldren

,
”
o .
 H ORN WO N
T HE ED ME . 21

Then the w i tches rushed through the air w i th great cries ,

and fled back to Slieve namon utteri ng strange curses on

-
,

the Sp i rit f th Well who had w i shed the i r ru i n but the

o e ,

woman and the h ouse were left i n pea e and a mantle

c ,
“

dropped by one f the witches in her flight was kept hung

o

up by the mistress as a sign f the night s awful contest ;

o
’

and this mantle was in possession f the same family

o

from generation to generation f five hundred years a fter

or .
 T HE LE GE N D O F BALLYT OWT AS
C AS T L E .

T HE next tale I shall select i s composed in a lighter and

'

more modern spirit All the usual elements f a fairy tale

. o

are to be found in i t but the story is new to the nursery

,

folk and if well illustrated would m ake a pleasan t and

, , ,

novel additi on to the rather worn out legends on wh i ch the -

ch i ldren f many generations have been h i therto su b

o

s i sting .

In old times there l i ved where B llyt t Castle a o w as no w

stands a poor man named T t It was in the t i me hen o w as . w

manna fell to the earth with the dew f even i ng and T o , o w ta s

lived by gatheri ng the manna and thus supported h i mself , ,

f
or he was a poor man and had nothing else , .

One day a pedlar came by that way with a fa i r young

daughter
.

“
Gi ve us a n i ght s lodging he sa i d to T t f we
’
, o w as ,
“
or

are weary .
”

And T t did so
o w as .

N ext morn i ng when they, ere go i ng away his heart w ,

longed f the young gi rl and he said to the pedlar Give

or , ,

me your daughter f my wi fe or .

“
H ow will you su pport her ? asked the pedlar .
 L N T HE W
E GE A L D O F BALLYT O
3 T AS C ST E . 2

Better than you can answered T t f h can , o w as ,

“
or s e

never want .

Then he told him all about the manna how he went out
every morn i ng when it was lyi g on the ground with the n

dew , and gathered i t as his father and forefathers had done

,

be fore him and lived on it all thei lives so that he had

, r ,

never known want nor any f his people o .

Then the g i rl showed she would like to stay with the

young man and the pedlar consented and they were married
, , ,

T t
o w as and the fair young maiden ; and the pedlar le ft
them d went his way So years went on and th y were
an .
, e

very happy and never wanted ; and they had one son a ,

b right handsome youth and as clever as h was comely

, , e .

But in due t i me old T d i ed and a fter her husband o w tas ,

was buried the woman went out to gather the manna as h

, S e

had seen h i m do when the dew lay on the ground but she
,

soon grew tired and said to hersel f Why should I do this ,

“

thing every day ? I ll just gather now enough to do the

’

week and then I can have rest

, .

So she gathered u p great he ps f it greedily and went a o ,

her way into the house But the sin f greediness lay on . o

her evermore and not a bit f manna fell with the dew that o

eveni ng nor ever again And h was poor and fai nt with
,
. S e ,

hunger and had to go out and work in the fields to earn the
,

morsel that kept her and her son al i ve ; and she begged
pence from the people as they went into chapel and this ,

pai d f her son s schooling so he went on with his learn

or
’

i ng and no one in the county was like him f bea ty and

,
or u

knowledge .

O ne day he heard the people talking f a great lord that o

24 AN I N L N
C E T E GE D S OF IR LAN
E D .

lived u p in Dublin who h d a daughter handsome th t ,

a so a

her l i ke was never seen and all the fine young gentlemen
were dying about her but she would take none f them ,
o .

And he came home to his mother and said I sh ll go see , a

this great lord s daughter Maybe the luck will be mine

’
.
‘

a b e l l the fine young gentlemen that love her

ov a .

“
Go alo g poor fool said the mother ; h can the
n , ,
” “
ow

poor stand before the rich ? ”

B he pers i sted I f I d i e on the road he said I ll

ut .
,
”
,
’

try i t .
”

“
Wait then she answered till Sunday and whatever
, ,
”
,
“
,

I get I ll give you half f it So she gave him hal f f the

’
o .
”
o

pe ce she gathered at the chapel door and bid him go i n

n ,

the name f God o .

H hadn t gon f when he met a poor man who asked

’
e e ar

h i m f a tri fle f God s sak e So he gave him someth i ng

or or
’
.

out f hi s mother s money and we t on Again another

o
’
n .
,

met him and begged f a tri fle t buy food f the sake

, or o , or

o f God d he gave him something also and then went on

,
an , .

Give me a trifle f God s sake cried a voice and he or

’
,
”
,

s aw a third poor man before him .

I have nothing left said T t but a f p ence ; if ,

”
o w as , ew

I gi ve them I shall h ve nothing f food and must die f

, a or , o

hunger But come with me and whatever I can buy f

.
, or

this I shall share with you And as they were going on to .

”

the i nn he told all his story to the beggar man and h he , ow

wanted to go to Dublin b ut had now no money So they , .

came to the inn and he called f a loa f and a drink f, or o

milk Cut the loa f he said to the beggar You are

.
“
, .

the oldest .
”
 L N W A L
T HE E GE
5 D O F BALLYT O T AS C ST E . 2

I won t said the other f he a hamed but T t

i

’ ”
, , or w as s , o w as

made him .

And so the beggar the loa f but though they eat i t cu t , ,

n ever grew smaller and though they drank they li ked f , as o

t h milk it never gre

e less Then T t rose up to pay
, w . o w as ,

but when the landlady came and looked H is this , ow

she said Y have eaten noth i ng I ll not take your ou .

’

m oney poor boy but he made her take some ; and they
, ,

left the place and went on their way together , .

N said the beggar man you have been three

o w,
”
,
“

t i mes good to me to day f thrice I have met you and you -

, or ,

gave me help f the sake f God each time See I

or o .
,
no w,

ca n help also and he reached a gold ri ng to the handsome

,

youth Wherever you place that ring and w i sh f i t

.
“
,
or ,

gold will come — bright gold so that you can never want ,

wh i le you have it .

Then T put the ri ng first in one pocket and then in

o w tas

another nt i l all h i s pockets were so heavy w i th gold that

, u

he could scarcely walk ; but when he turned to thank the

friendly beggar m he had disa ppeared an , .

So wondering to himself at all his adventures he went

, ,

on ntil he came at last in sight f the lord s palace which

, u o
’
,

was beauti ful to see ; but he would not enter in until he

w ent and bought fine clothes and made h i ms l f as grand ,
e

as any prince and then he went boldly p and they inv i ted U ,

him in f they said Surely he i s a king s son And

,
or ,
“ ’
.

when dinner hour came the lord s d ughter linked her arm
-
'
a

w it h T and smiled on him And he drank f the ri ch

o w tas , . o

wine and was mad with love but at last the w i ne overcame
h i m and the servants had to arry h i m to his bed and in
,

c
,
26 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN
E D .

going into his room he dropped the ring from h i s finger b ut ,

k ne i t not
w .

N in the morn i ng the lord s daughter came b y and

ow, ,
’
,

cast her eyes upon the door f h i s chamber and there close o ,

by it was the ri ng she had seen h i m wear .

Ah she said I ll tease h im now about his ring

“
,
”
,
“ ’
.

And she put it in her box and wished that she were as r i ch ,

as a ki ng s daughter that so the K i ng s son m i ght marry

'
,
’

her ; and behold the box filled up with gold so that she
, , ,

could not shut it ; and h put it from her into another box S e ,

and that filled also ; and then she was frightened at the
ring and put i t at last in her pocket as the safest place
,
.

But when T t awoke and missed h i s ri ng his heart

o w as ,

was gri eved .

N indeed he sa i d my luck i s gone

o w, ,
!
,
“
.

And he i nquired f all the servants and then f the lord s

o , o
'

daughter and she laughed by wh i ch he kne she had i t ;

, , w

but no coaxing would get i t from her so when all was ,

useless he went away and set out again to reach his old
home
,

And he very mourn ful and threw h i msel f down on

w as

the ferns near an old fort wa i ti ng t i ll n i ght came on f he , , or

feared to go home i n the day light lest the people should

laugh at him f h i s folly And a b out dusk three c t ame
or . a s c

out f the fort talk i ng to each other

o .

H“
long our cook is away sa i d one
ow ,
”
.

What can have happened to him ? sa i d another ”

.

And as they were grumbl i ng a fourth cat c me up , a

What delayed you ? they all asked angri ly

.

”
.

Then he told his story how he had met T t and -

o w as
 L N THE W
E GE A L D OF BALLYT O
7 T AS C ST E . 2

g i ven him the ring A d I just went he said to the

. n , ,
“

lord s palace to see how the young man behaved ; and I

’
,

was leaping over the d i nner tab le when the lord s kni fe -
’

str ck my tail and three drops f blood fell upon his pl t

u o a e,

but he never saw it and swallowed them with h i s meat So .

now he h three kittens i nside h i m and is dying f agony

as o ,

and can never be cured unti l he drinks three draughts f the o

water f the well f B llyt t

o o a o w as .

So when you g T t h eard the cat s talk he sprang up

n o w as
’

and went and told his mother to give h i m three b ottles full
o f the water f the T t owell and he would go to the lord
o w as ,

disguised as a doctor and cure h i m .

So ff he went to D u blin And all the doctors in Irel nd

o . a

were round the lord but none f them could tell what a i led
, o

him or how to cure him Then T t c me in and said

, . o w as a ,

I wi ll cure him So they gave him enterta i nment and

.
”

lodging and when he was re freshed he gave f the well

,
o

water three draughts to h i s lordship when out jumped the ,

three kittens And there was great rejoici g and they

. n ,

treated T t like a prince But all the same he could

o w as .

n t get the ring from the lord s daughter so he set fl home

'
’
o , o

aga i n qu i te disheartened and thought to h i mself I f I , ,

“

could only meet the man again that gave me the ri ng who
knows what luck I m i ght have ? And he sat down to rest ”

in a wood and saw there not f ff three boys fight i ng

,
ar o

under an oak tree -

.

Shame ye to fight so he said to them What i s

on ,
”
.

the fight about

Then they told him O father they sa i d b efore h . ur ,
”
,
“
e

died buried under this k tree a ring by h i ch you can be

,
oa -
w
28 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN E D.

in any place in two minutes if you only w i sh it ; a goblet

that is always full when standing and empty only when on ,

its s i de ; and a harp that plays any tune f itself that you o

name or wish f or .
”

“
I want to divide the things said the youngest boy , ,

and let us all go and seek our fortunes as we can .

”

But I have a right to the whole said the eldest ,

”
.

And they went on figh ting till at length T t sai d , o w as

I ll tell you how to settle the matter All f you be here

’
. o

t morrow and I ll think over the matter to night and I

o ,
’
-
,

engage you will have nothing more t quarrel about when o

you come i n the mo ning r .

8 the boys prom i sed to keep good fri ends till they m t
0 e

in the morning and went away , .

When T t saw them clear ff he dug up the r i n g the

o w as o , ,

goblet and the harp and now sa i d he I m all right and

, , ,
’

they won t have anything to fight about in the m orning

’
.

Ofl he set back again to the lord s castle with the ring the
'
’
,

goblet and the harp ; but he soon bethought himsel f f the

, o

po er f the ri ng and i n two minutes he was in the g eat

w o , r

hall where ll the lords and ladies were just sitting down t
a o

d i nner ; and the harp played the sweetest mus i c and they ,

all l istened i n delight and he drank out f the goblet which o

was never empty and then when h i s head began to gro a

, , w

little l ight It is enough he s id ; and putting his m

, ,
”
a ar

round the waist f the lord s daughter he took his harp and
o
’
,

goblet i n the other hand and murmuring I w i sh we were ,

at the old fort by the side f the wood —i two minutes o n

they were both at the desired spot But his head was heavy .

with th wine and he laid down the harp beside him and
e ,
 L N T HE W A L E GE § D O F BALLYT O T AS C ST E . 2

fell a leep And when she saw him a leep she took th '

s . s e

ring ff his finger and the h rp and the goblet from the
o , a

ground and was b ck home in her father s ca tle before two

, a
’
s

minutes had passed by .

When T t awoke and found his prize gone and all h i s

o w as ,

trea ures beside he was like one mad and roamed about
s ,

the country till he came by an orchard where he saw a tree ,

covered with bright rosy apples Being hungry and th irsty , .

,

he plucked one and eat it but sooner had he done so ,

no

tha ho ns began to sprout from his forehead and g ew

n r , r

larger and longer till he kne he looked like a goat and all w ,

he could do they would not come ff N indeed he , o . ow, ,

w as driven out f hi m i nd and thought how all the neigh

o s ,

bours would laugh at him and as he raged and roared w i th

shame h s pied another tree with a pples still bri ghter f
, e , , o

ruddy gold .

“
I f I were to have fi fty pa i rs f horns I must have one o

f those he said ; and seizing one he had no sooner tasted

!
o , ,

it than the horns fel l ff and he felt that he was looking o ,

stronger and handsomer than ever .

N I have her at last he exclaimed I ll put horns

o w, ,
!
.
“ ’

on them all and will never take them ff until they g i ve her
, o

to me as my bride be fore the whole Court

- .
”

Without further delay he set f? to the lord s palace carry o

’
,

ing with him as many f the apples as he could bring ff the o o

two trees And when they saw the beauty f the fruit they
. o

longed f it ; and he gave to them all so that at last there

or ,

was not a he d to be seen without horns in the whole

a

dining hall Then they cri ed out and prayed to have the
-
.

hor s taken ff but T t said

n o , o w as
 AN I N C E T LE GE N DS OF IR LAN E D.

No ; there they shall be ti ll I have the lord s daughter ’

gi ven me f my bri de and my t rings my goblet and

to or ,
wo , ,

my harp all restored to me .

”

And th i s was done before the face f all the lords and o

ladies and his treasures were restored to him ; and the lord
placed his daughter s hand in the hand Of T t saying
’
o w as ,
“
Take her she is your wi fe 5 only free me from the
horns .
”

Then T t brought forth the golden apples and they

o w as

all ate and the horns fell ff 5 and he took his bri de and his
, o

treasures and c rr i ed them ff home where he built the

, a o ,

Castle f B l lyt t i n the place where stood h i s father s

o a o w as ,
’

hut and enclosed the well w i th i n the walls And hen he

, . w

had filled h i s treasure room wi th gold so that no man could

- -
,

count h i s riches he buried h i s fa i ry treasures deep i n the

,

ground where no man knew and no man has ever yet been
, ,

a ble to find them until th i s day .

 A W OL F ST ORY

T RAN O R A I O N into wolves i s a favouri te subject f

SF M T o

Iri s h legend and many a w i ld t le is told by the peasants

, a

round the rf fire i n the winter n ights f strange adventures

tu o

w i t h wolves Stori es that h d come down to them from

. a

the i r fore fathers i n the old ti mes long ago f th ere are no or

wolves exist i ng now in I reland .

A young farmer named Connor once missed two fine

, ,

cows from his herd and no tale or tid i ngs could be heard
,

o f them anywhere . So he thought he would set out on

a search throughout the country ; and he took a stout
blackthorn stick in his hand nd went his way All d y
, a . a

he travelled miles and miles but never a sign f the ,

'

cattle And the eveni ng began to gro very dark and

. w ,

h was wear i ed and hun g ry and no place near to rest in ;

e ,

f
or he was i n the m idst f a bleak desolate heath w i th
o , ,

n ever a habi tation at all in s i ght except a long low rude , , ,

sh i el i ng like the den f a robber or a wild beast But a

,
o .

gl am f l ight came from a chink between the boards and

e o ,

Connor took heart and went up and knocked at the door .

It was opened at once by a tall thin grey ha i red old man

, ,
-
,

w ith keen dark eyes .

32 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN
E D .

Come in he said y are welcome We have been

,
”
, ou .

waiti ng f you This is my w i fe and he brought h i m

or .
,

over to the h arth where was seated an old th i n grey

e , , ,

woman with long sharp teeth and terri ble gl i ttering eyes
,
.

Y “
are welcome she said We have been wa i t i ng
ou ,
”
.

f
or you— it i s time f supper Sit do n and eat with or . w

us .

N Connor was a brave fello but he was a l i ttle dazed

ow w,

at first at the sight f this strange creature H owever as he

o . ,

had h i s stout sti ck w i th him he thought he could ma k e a ,

fight f h i s li fe any way and meantime he would rest and

or , , ,

eat f he was both hungry and weary and i t was now black
,
or ,

n i ght and he would never find h i s way home even if he

,

tried So he sat down b y the hearth while the old grey

.
,

woman st i rred the pot on the fire But Conner felt that she .

was watch i ng him all the ti me with her keen sharp eyes ,
.

Then a knock came to the door And the ld man rose . . o

u p and opened it When in walked a slender young b lack

. ,

wol f who immediately went stra ight across the fl oor to an

,

i nner room from wh i ch in a f moments came forth a

, ew

dark slender handsome youth who took h i s place at the

, , ,

table and looked hard at Connor w i th h i s gl i ttering eyes .

You are welcome he said we have waited f you ,

”
,
“
or .

Before Connor could ans er another knock was heard w ,

and i n came a second wol f who passed on to the i nner ,

room l i ke the first and soon a fter another dark handsom e

, , ,

youth came out and sat down to supper with them gla ing , r

at Connor wi th his keen eyes but sa i d no word , .

These are our sons said the old man tell them what
“
,
”
,
“

you want and what brought you here amongst us f we

, , or
 A wow s r o av .
33
l i ve alone and don t care to have sp i es and strangers coming
’

to our place .

Then Connor told h i s story how he had lost his two fine ,

cows and had searched all day and found no trace f them ;
, o

and h knew nothing f the place he was in nor f the

e o , o

kindly gentleman who asked him to supper but if h y j t t e us

told h im where to find his co s he would thank them and w ,

make the best f h i way home at once o s .

Then they all laughed and looked at each other and the ,

old hag looked more frightf l than ever when she showed u

her long sharp teeth , .

O this Co nor grew angry f

n , he was hot tem pered ;
n , or

and he grasped h i s blackthorn stick firmly in his hand and

stood up and bade them open the door f him ; f he
,
or or

would go h i s way since they would give no help and only

,

mock ed him .

Then the eldest f the young men stood up Wa i t he

o .
,

said we are fierce and evil but we never forget a ki nd

,
“
,

ness D you remember one day down in the glen you

. o ,

found a poor little wol f in great agony and like to d i e b , e

cause a sharp thorn had pierced h i s side ? A d you gently n

'

extracted the thorn and gave him a dri nk and went your ,

way leav i ng h i m i n peace and rest ?

“
Aye well do I remember it sai d C onnor and how
, , ,

t h poor little beast licked my hand in grat i tude

e .

Well said the young man I am that wol f and I shall

,
”
, ,

help you if I but stay w i th us to night and have

ca n , -
no

fear .

So they sat down again to supper and feasted merrily and ,

then ll fell fa t asleep and Conno knew othing more till he

a s ,
r n .

VOL . I .
34 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN E D .

awoke in the m orning and found h i mself by a large h y rick a -

in his own field .

N ow surely th ought he the adventure f last n ight was

,
”
,
“
o

no t all a dream and I shall certa i nly find my cows when I

,

go home f that excellent good young wolf prom i sed his

or ,

help and I feel certain he would not deceive me

,
.
”

But when he arri ed home and looked over the yard d

v an

the stable and the field there was no sig n nor s i ght Of the
,

cows So he grew very sad and d i spiri ted But just then
. .

he espi ed i n the field close b y three f the most beauti ful o

strange cows he had ever set eyes on These must have .

“

strayed in h sa i d from some neighbour s ground

,
”
e ,
’

and he took h i s big stick to dri ve them out f the g ate ff o o

the field But when he reached the gate there stood a young
.
,

b lac k wol f watch i ng ; and when the cows tri ed to pass out
at the gate he b i t at them and drove them back Then , .

Connor k ew that h i s fri end the wol f had kept h i s word

n . .

So he let the cows go quietly back to the field ; and there

they remained and gre to be the finest in the whole
, w

country and their descendants flourishing to this day

, ar e ,

and Connor grew rich and prospered ; f a kind deed i s or

never lost but brings good luck to the doer f evermore

, or ,

as the old proverb says

l ig B ess n s are w o n ,

By a g o o d d eed d o n e .

But never agai n did Connor find that desolate heath or

that lone shiel i ng though he sought f and wide to return

, ar ,

h is thanks as was due to the friendly wolves ; nor did he

,

ever again meet any f the fam i ly though he mourned o ,

 OL O RY
A W F ST .
3S

much whenever a slaughtered wol f was brought into the

town f the sake f the reward fearing h i s excellent fri end
or o ,

m i ght be the victim At that ti me the wolves in Ireland

.

had increased to such an extent owing to the desolation f

,
o

the country by constant wars that a reward was offered and

,

a high p rice paid f every lf k i brought into the

or wo
’
s .
s n

court f the justiciary ; and this was in the time f Queen

o o

E lizabeth when the E nglish troops m ade cea eless war

, s

against the Irish people and there were more wolves in

,

Irela d than men and the dead lay unburied in hundreds

n

on the highways f there were no hands left to d i g them

, or

graves .
 T H E E V I L E YE .

TH R i s nothing more dreaded by the p eople nor con

E E ,

s id d more deadly in i t
e re fi t than the E v i l E y
s e ec s , e .

It may strike at any moment unless the greatest p recau

tions are taken and even then there is no true h l p possible

,
e

unless the fairy doctor is at once summoned to pronounce

the mystic charm that can alone destroy the evil and fatal
i nfluence .

There are several modes i n which the E vil E y can act e ,

some much more deadly than others I f certa i n persons .

are met the first thing in the morning you will be unlucky ,

f the whole f that d y in all y do I f the evil yed

or o a ou .
-
e

comes i to rest and looks fixedly on anything on cattle

n , ,

or on a child there is doom i n the glance ; a fatal i ty which

,

cannot b e evaded except by a powerful counter charm But

if the ev i l eyed mutters a verse over a sleeping child that
.

child wi ll assuredly die f the inc ntation is f the dev i l

,

, or a o ,

and no charm has power to res i st it or turn a y the evil wa .

Sometimes the process f bewitching is effected by looking

o

fixedly at the object through n i ne fingers especially i s the

magic fatal if the victim is seated by the fire in the evening
when the moon is full Therefore to avoid being suspected
.
,

o f having the E vil E y it is necessary at on e when looki g

e, c n
,
 V IL T HE E
37 E VE .

at a child to say God bless it And when pa s i ng a farm

, . s

yard where the cows are collected f m i lki ng to say The or ,

blessing f God be on you and on all your labour I f th i s

o s .
”

form is om i tted the worst result may be apprehended and the

, s ,

people would be filled with terror and alarm unless a coun ,

ter charm were not i nstantly employed

-
.

The singular m lifi i nfluence f a gl ance has been felt by

a c o

most persons in li fe ; an influence that seems to paralyze

intellect and speech s i mply by the mere presence in the
,

room f some one h is mysti c lly ant i pathetic to our

o w o a

nature For the soul is like a fi toned harp that vibrates

. ne -

to the slightest external force or movement and the presence ,

and glance f some persons can rad i ate around us a divine

o

j y while others m y k ill the soul with a sneer or a frown

’

o ,
a .

We call these subtle influences mysteries but the early races ,

believed them to be produced by piri ts good or evil as S , ,

they acted on the nerves or the i ntellect .

Some years ago an old woman was living in K erry ,

and it was thought so unlucky to meet her in the morning ,

that all the girls used to go out a fter sunset to bring in water
for the following day that so they m i ght avoi d her ev i l
,

glance f whatever she looked on came to loss and gri e f

or .

There was a man also eq ually dreaded on account f the

, ,
o

strange fatal power f his glance ; and so many accid ents

, o

and misfortunes were traced to h i s presence that finally the

n eighbours I nsisted that he should wear a bla k patch over c

the E vil E y not t be removed unless by request ; f

e, o or

learned gentlemen curious i such th i ngs sometimes came

,
n ,

to him to ask f a proof f his power and he would try it

or o ,

f
or a wager while drinking with his friends .
38 AN I N L N C E T E GE DS o r IR LAN E D.

On eday near an old ruin f a ca tle he met a boy

, o s ,
'

weeping i n great grief f h is pet p i geon wh i ch had got p

or ,
u

to the very top f the ruin and could not be coaxed down
o ,
.

What w i ll you gi ve me asked the man if I bring i t

“
,
”
,
“

down f you ior

‘

I have nothing to give said the boy but I w i ll pray

“
, ,

to God f y O nly get m back my p i geo

or ou . and I shall e n,

be happy .
”

Then the man took ff the black patch and looked up stead
o

fastly at the b ird when all f a sudden i t fell to the g round o

and lay motionless as if stunned ; but there was no harm

,

done to i t and the boy took i t up and went his way rejoic i ng
, , .

A woman in the County Galway had a beaut i ful child so ,

handsome that all the ne i ghbours were very care ful to say
,

God bless i t when they saw h i m f they knew the fai ries , or

would des i re to steal the ch i ld and carry it fl to the h i lls , o .

But one day i t chanced that an old oman a stranger w , ,

cam e i n Let me rest she said h i I am weary And

.
,
”
,
“
.
”

she sat down and looked at the child but never said God ,

bl ess i t And when she had rested she rose up loo ked
.
, ,

again at the ch i ld fixedly i n s i lence and then went her way

, ,

All that night the ch i ld cri ed and would not sleep And
.

all next day i t moaned as if in pai n So the mother told .

the priest but he would do nothing f fear f the fairies

, or o .

And just as the poor mother was i n despair she saw a strange ,

woman going by the door Who knows she said to h .

“
,
”
er
husband but th i s woman would help us So they as k ed
,
“
.

her to come i n and rest And hen she looked at the ch i ld

. w
 T HE E VI L E YE .
39

she sai d God bless it instantly and spat three times at it , , ,

and then sat down .

N
o w, what will you give me she said if I tell you ,
”
,
“

what ails the child P

I will cross your hand with silver said the mother , , as

much as you wan t only spe k and she laid the money on
, a ,
!

the woman s hand N tell me the truth f the sake

’
.
“
ow , or

and in the name f Mary and the good Angels

o , .
”

Well said the stranger the fairies have had your child
,
”
,

these two days in the hills and this is a changeling they ,

have left in its place But so many bles ing were said on
. s s

your child that the fairi es can do it no harm For there .

was only one blessing wanti ng and only one person gave it ,

the E vil E y N you must watch f this woman ca ry

e. o w, or , r

her into the house and secretly cut ff a piece f her cloak o o .

Then burn the piece close to the child till the smoke as it ,

rises makes him snee e ; and when th i s happens the spell z

is broken and your own child will come back to you safe
,

and sound in place f the changeli ng

, o .
”

Then the stranger rose up and went her way .

All that evening the mother watched f the ld woman or o ,

and at l t she spied her the road

as on .

Come in she cried come in good woman and rest

,
!
,
“
, , ,

f
or the cak es are hot on the griddle d supper is ready , an .
”

So the woman c me in but never s id G d bless you

a , a o

kindly to man or mort l only scowled at the child who

,
”
a , ,

cried worse than ever .

N ow the mother had told her eldest girl to cut ff a piece o

f the old woman s c loak secretly when she sat down to

'
o t , , ea .

And the girl did as she desired and handed the piece w as ,
40 AN I N C E T L E GE N D S OF IR LAN E D .

to her mother nknown to any one B t to their surprise

,
u . u , ,

this was no sooner done than the woman rose up and went
out wi thout uttering a word and they her no more s aw .

Then the father carri ed the ch i ld outs i de and burned the ,

p iece f cloth before the door and held the boy over the
o ,

s moke ti ll h sneezed three ti mes v i olently ; a fter wh i ch he

e

g ave the ch i ld back to the mother who laid h im in h i s b ed , ,

where he slept peacefully with a smile on h i face and cri ed

,
s ,

no more wi th the cry f p in And when he woke up theo a .

m other kne that she had got her own darli ng ch i ld bac k
w

from the fairies and no evil th i ng happened t him any more

,
o .

The influence f the mysteri ous and mali gn power f the

o o

E v i l E y has at all times been as much dreaded i n Ireland

e

as it i s i n E gypt Greece or Italy at the present day E very

, , .

th i ng young b eautiful perf ct a fter i ts k i nd and wh i ch

, , or e ,

naturally attracts attention and admiration i s peculiarly l i a ,

ble to the fatal bl ight that follo s the glance f the E vil E y w o e .

It i s there fore an i nvari a b le habi t amongst the peasantry

never to praise anyth i ng w i thout instantly add i ng God ,
“

bless i t ; f were this formula om i tted the worst

or
, co n s e

q would befall the o bject pra i sed

u e n c es .

The sup rstition must be f great antiquity in Ireland f

e o
,
or

Balor the Fomorian giant and hero i s spoken f in an

, , o

anc ient manuscript as able to petri fy his enemies by a

glance ; and how he became possessed f the power is thus o

narrated
O ne day as the Druids were b sy at thei r incantat i ons u

while boil i ng a magical spell or charm young Balor passed

,

,
 VIL 4 T HE E E YE . ]

by and curious to see their work looked in at

, p , an
‘

o en

w i ndow At that moment the Druids happened to ra i se the

.

l i d f the c ldron and the vapour escapi ng passed under

o a , , ,

one f Balor s eyes carrying with it all the venom f h

o
’
, o t e

incantati on Thi caused h i s bro to grow to such a s i ze

. s w

that it required four men to rai e it whenever he wanted to s

exert the power f his venomed glance over h i s enemies

o .

H was sla i n at last in s i ngle combat according to the

e ,
an

c i ent legend at the great battle f Magh Tura ( the plain f

, o -
o

the towers ) fought between the Firbolgs and the T h

, u at a

de D
-
f
an a n n s the possession f Ireland several centuri es
or o

be fore the Christian era ; f be fore Balor s brow could b e or

’

li fted so that he could fi his enemy and str ik e him tran s x

dead with th t ibl power f his glance h i s adversary

e '
e rr e o ,

flung a stone with such v i olence that i t went right through

the E vi l E y and pierced the skull and the mighty mag i cian
e, ,

fel l to rise no more .

An int resting account f this battle wi th a remarkable

e o ,

confirmat i on f the legends respecti ng it st i ll current in h

o t e

d i strict is g i ven by Sir Wi ll iam Wi lde in his work Lough

, , ,
“

ib its Shores and Islands In the ancient manuscript ”

C o rr .
,

i t is recorded that a young hero having been slain wh i le

bravely de fending his k i ng the Fi b lg army erected a mound , r o

over h i m each man arry i ng a stone and the monument c ,

was hence forth known as the C m m F / ( the ca i rn f

,
’ '

a -
zn - -
ur o

the one man ) H aving exam i ned the local i ty with a tran
.

script f th i s manuscript i n h i s hand Sir Wi ll i am fixed on

o ,

the particular mound amongst the many stone tumul i sc t ,

a

te re d over the plain which seemed to agree best with the ,

N ll M o w ca ed o y tu ra.
42 AN I N C E T LE GE N D S OF IR LAN
E D .

descri ption and had it opened caref lly under his own
, u

superintendence .

A la ge fl g stone was first discovered laid horizont lly ;

r a -
,
a

then another beneath i t covering a small square chamber ,

formed f stones within which was

o i gl
,
m f baked a s n e u o

clay graceful and del i cate in form and ornament tion con
,
a ,

taining incinerated human bones the remain there can be ,

s,

no reason to doubt f the F i b lg youth who was honoured , o r o

f
or his loyalty by the erec ion over h i m f the C m imm t o a -

F /l
’

tr on the historic plains f Mayo o .

After Balor the only other ancient inst nce f the fatal
,
a o

effects f the m lifi E y is narrated f St Silan who had a

o a c e o .
,

poisonous hair i n his eyebrow that ki lled whoever looked first

on him i n the morning All persons therefore who from long .
, ,

s i ckness or sorrow or the weari ness that comes w i th years

, , ,

were tired f li fe used to try and come i n the sa i nt s y that

o ,
’
wa ,

so the i r su fferings might be ended by a quick and easy death .

But another saint the holy M l i hearing that St Silan

, o a s e, .

was coming to visit his church resolved that more deaths , no

should happe by means f the poisoned hair So he

n o .

arose early in the morn i ng b efore any one was up and went , ,

forth alone to meet St S i lan and hen he saw h im . w

coming along the path he went boldly u p and plucked ,

out the fatal hai r from h i s eyebrow but in so doing he him ,

sel f was struck by the venom and i mmediately a fter fell ,

down dead .

The power f the E v i l E y was recognized by the Brehon

o e

laws and severe measures were orda i ned against the users
.

o f the malign influe ce I f a person is in the habit f n .

“
o

injuring things through neglect or f will whether he has , o ,

 VI L T HE
43 E E YE .

blessed or whether he has not blessed full penal ty be upon

, ,

him or restituti on in kind So ran the anci ent l

, . aw .

The g i ft comes by nature and is born with one though it ,

m y not b e called into exerc i se unless c i rcumstances ari se to

a

excite the power Then it see ms to act l i ke pi i f bi tter

. as r to

and malicious envy that radiates a poisonous atmosphere

which chills and blights everything with i n i ts reach With .

out b ei ng superstitious every one has felt that there i s such

a power and succumbed to i ts influence in a helpless pass i ve ,

way as if all lf t and sel f rel i ant energy were utterly

, se ~
t ru s -

paralyzed by i ts i nflue ce n .

Suspected persons are held in great dread by the peasantry ,

an d they recognize the m at once by certa i n signs Men and .

women with dark loweri ng eyebrows are especi ally fe red a ,

and the handsome children are kept out f their path lest o

they might be overlooked by them .

R d ha i r i s supposed to have a most malign influence and

e ,

it has even passed into a proverb Let not the eye f a :

“
o

red ha i red woman rest on you

-
.
”

Many persons are quite nconscious that their glance or u

frown has th i s evil power unt i l some calam i ty results and ,

then they strive not to look at any one full in the face but ,

to avert the i r eyes when speaking lest m i s fortune might fall ,

upon the person addressed .

’

The saving invocation God bless i t ! i s universally ,

“

used when pra i se i s b estowed to prevent danger and should , ,

a child fall sick some one is i mmediately suspected f having o

Th i t g id
e re ti E rp h
s a s ran e t ti m h
ea cu rre n n u o e at t e presen e t at

f
o ne o m t m k bl p
th e os re i i h hi f l g if
ar a e o te n tat es n o w l v ng as t s ata t an d

p f h E l E
o w er o t e vi ye .
44 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN
E D .

omitted the usual phrase out f malice and ill will Nothing o -
.

is more dreaded by the pe santry than the full fixed a , ,

d i rect glance f one suspected f the E v i l E y and should

o o e,

it fall upon them or on any f their household a te rible

,
o ,
r

fear and trembling f he rt takes possess i on f them which

o a o ,

often ends in sickness or sometimes even in death .

Some years ago a woman living in K erry declared that

she w asoverlooked b y the E vi l E y She had no e .

pleasure in her life and no com fort and she wasted away ,

bec use f the fear that was on her caused by the followi g
a o ,
n

singular circumstance
E very time that she happened to leave home alone and ,

that no one was with i call she was met by a woman totally
n ,

unknown to her who fixing her eyes on her in silence w i th

, , ,

a terrible expression cast her to the ground and proceeded

,

to beat and pinch her till she was ne rly senseless ; after a

which her tormentor disappeared .

H aving e xperienced this treatment several times the poor ,

woman finally ab sta i ned altogether from leaving the house ,

unless protected by a servant or compan i on ; and this pre

caution she observed f several years duri ng which time or ,

she never was molested So at last she began to believe .

that the spell was broken and that her strange enemy had ,

depa ted f ever

r or .

In consequence she gre less careful about the usual w

precauti on and n day stepped down alone to a l i ttle

, o e

stream that ran by the house to wash some clothes .

Stoop ing down over her work she n ver thought f y , e o an

 T HE E VI L E VE .
45

danger and began to sing as she used to do in the light

,

hearted days before the spell was on her when suddenly a ,

dark shadow fell across the water and looking up she , ,

beheld to her horror the stra ge woman on the oppos i te n

s i de f the little stream w i th her ter ible eyes i ntently fixed

o , r

on her as hard and st i ll as if she were f stone

, o .

Springing up with a scream f terror she flung down h o ,

er

work and ran towards the house ; but soon she heard foot
,

steps behind her and i n an instant she was se i zed thrown

, ,

down to the ground and her tormentor began to beat her

,

even worse than before ti ll h lost all consci ousness d

, s e an

i n th i s state she was found by her husband lying on her ,

face and speechless . She was at o ce carried to the house n ,

and all the care that fl i and rural skill could besto
a ec t o n
'
w

w ere lavished on her but in vain She however regained

,
.
, ,

su fficient consciousness to tell them f the terrible encounter o

she had gone through but died before the n i ght had passed
,

away .

It was believed that the power f fascinati on by the glance o ,

wh i ch is not necessarily an ev i l power li ke the E vil E y e,

w as possessed in a remark able degree by le rned and wise a

people especially poets so that they could make themselves

, ,

loved and followed by any gi rl they l i ked simply by the ,

i nfluence f the glance About the yea 7 9 a young man

o . r 1 0,

resided in the County Limeri ck who had this power in a ,

s ingular and unusual degree H was a clever witty rhymer

. e ,

i n the Irish language ; and probably had the deep poet, ,

eyes that characterize warm and passionate poet nature -

s
46 AN I N L N C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN E D .

eyes that even without necromancy have been kno n t w o

exercise a powerful magnetic influence over female minds .

One day wh i le travell i ng f from home he came upon a ar

b ri ght pleasant look i ng farmhouse and feel i ng weary he

, ,

, , ,

stopped and requested a dri nk f m i lk d leave to rest o an .

The farmer s daughter a young handsome gi rl not liking to

’
, , ,

admit a stranger as al l the mai d s were churning and she

, ,

was alone i n the house refused h i m admittance ,

.

The young poet fixed his eyes earnestly on her f some or

t i me in s i lence then slowl y turning rou d left the house and

,
n .

walked towards a small grove f trees just opposite There o .

he stood f a f moments resti ng g i L tree and facing

or ew a a ns a ,

the house as if to take one last vengeful or ad miring glance ,

then went his way without once turning round .

The young g i rl had been watchi g h i m from the w i ndows n ,

and the moment he moved she passed out f the door l i ke o

one in a dream and followed him slowly step by step down

, , ,

the avenue The maids grew alarmed and c lled to her

.
, a

father who ran out and shouted loudly f

, her t stop but or o ,

she never turned or seemed to heed The young man .

,

however looked round and see i ng the whole fam i ly in

, ,

pursuit qu i ckened h i s pace first glancing fixedly at the g i rl

,

f
or a moment Immediately she sprang towards him and
.
,

they were both almost out f sight when one f the mai ds o , o

espied a p i ece f paper t i ed to a branch f the tree where

o o

h poet had rested

t e From curi osity she took i t down
.

and the moment the knot was unt i ed the farmer s dau g hter
,

’
,

suddenly stopped became qu i te still and when her father

, ,

came up she allowed him to lead her back t the house o

without resistance .
 VIL T HE 47 E E VE .

When qu estioned she sa i d that she felt herself drawn by

an invisible force to follow the young stranger wherever he
m ight lead and that she would have followed h i m through
,

the world f her li fe seemed to b e b und up i n his ; she

, or o

had no w i ll to res i st and was conscious f noth i ng else but

, o

h i s presence Suddenly however the spell was broken

.
, , ,

and then h heard her father s voice and knew how

S e
’

strangely she had acted At the same t i me the power f . o

the young man over her vanished and th i m p l to follow , e u se

him no longer i n her hea t

w as r .

The paper on b eing opened was found to cont i n five

, , a

mysterious words written i n blood and i n thi order ,

s

Sator
A epo
.

Tenet
.

O pera
.

R tas
.

o .

These letters are so arranged that read i n any way ri ght to ,

le ft l e ft to right up or down the same words are produced ;

, , ,

and when written in blood wi th a pen made f an eagle s o

’

feather they form a charm which no woman ( i t is said )

,
ca n

resist ; but the incredulous reader e sily test the truth can a

o f th i s asserti on f himsel f or .

These popular stori es are provok i ngly i ncomplete and ,

o necannot help reg retting that the romance f The Poet o

and the Farmer s Daughter was not brought to a happy

’ ”

term i nation ; but the Irish tales are i n gener l rather i mco a

herent more like remembered fragments f ancient stori s

,
o e

than a complete well organized dramatic comp iti on with

,
-
, os ,
48 AN I N L N
C E T R LAN
E GE DS o r I E D .

lights well placed and a strikin g catastrophe The opening

, .

i s usually attractive with the exciting formula Once upo

, ,
n

a time from which one always expects so much and there

,
”
;
is sure to be an old woman we i rd and witch like capable f
,
-
, o

the most demon i acal act i ons and a mysterious man who
,

prom i ses to be the unredeemed evil spirit f the tale but o

i n the end they both turn out childishly harmless and thei r ,

ev i l actions seldom go beyond stealing the ne i ghbours ’

b utter or abduc ting a pretty gi rl which sins mere mortals

, ,

would be qu i te equal to even w i thout the aid f the gods

, o
“

of the eart h and their reno ned leader Fi w the Ki ng ,

n varra,

of the Fairies .The following t le however f a c se f

a , , o a o

abduction by fairy po er is wel l constructed The hero f

w , . o

the narrative has our sympathy and interest and i t ends ,

happi ly which is cons i dered a great merit by the Iri sh as

.

, ,

they d isl i ke a tale to wh i ch t h ey cannot append as an ,

ep i logue the hearty and outspoken Thank God

, .
”
 T HE ST O L E N B R I DE .

A BO the ye r 6 7 there a fine young fellow liv i ng

UT a 1 0 w as

at a place called Q i in the County Clare H u er n , . e w as

brave and strong and rich f he had his own land and his , or

own house and t one to lord it over him H was called

, no . e

the Kern f Queri And ma y a time he would go out

o a . n

alone to shoot the wild fowl at night along the lonely strand
and sometimes cross over northward to the broad ea t strand s ,

about two miles away to find the wild geese , .

O necold frosty N ovember E he was watching f them ve or ,

crouched down behind the ru i ns f an old hut when a loud o ,

S plash i ng noise attracted h i s attention I i s the w ild . t

geese he thought and raising his gun waited in deathlike

,
”
,

silence the approach f his victims o .

But presently he saw a dark mass movi g along the edge n

o f the strand And he knew there were no wild geese near

.

h i m So he watched and wa i ted till the black mass came

.

closer and then he disti nctly perce i ved four stout men
,

carryi ng a bier on their shoulders on which lay a corpse ,

covered with a wh i te cloth For a f moments they laid . ew

it down apparently to rest themselves and the Kern

, ,

instantly fired ; on wh i ch the four men away shrieking ran ,

and the co pse was l eft alone on the bier Kern f Q i

r . o u er n

immediately sprang to the place and li ft i ng the cloth from ,

the face f the corpse beheld by the freez i ng starlight the

o , ,

V OL . I .
5
SQ AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN
E D .

f orm f a beautiful young girl apparently not dead but in a

o ,

deep sleep .

Gently he passed his hand over her face and ra i sed her
up when she opened her eyes and looked around ith wild
, , w

wonder but spake never a word though he tried to soothe ,

and encourage her Then thinking it was dangerous f

.
,
or

them to rema i n in that place he ra i sed her from the bier , ,

and tak i ng her b d led her away to h i s own house They

an .

a rrived safely b ut i n silence And f twelve months d i d

, . or

s h rema i n with the K ern never tast i ng food or speaking

e ,

word f all that t i me

or .

When the next N ovem b er E c me ro nd he resolved ve a u ,

to visit the east strand again and watch from the same ,

place i n the hope f meeting w i th some adventure that

,
o

m i ght thro l i ght on the h i story f the b eaut i ful g i rl

w Hi o . s

way lay beside the old ruined fort called L f ll g

'

ro s n a- a -
a zn
'

( the Fort f the Mantle ) and as he passed the sound f

o , , o

music and mirth fell on his ear H stopped to catch the . e

words f the voices and had not waited long when he heard
o ,

a man ay in a low wh i sper

s

“
Where Shall we go to night to carry R a bride ? -
O

And a second voice answered

Wherever we go I hope better luck w i ll be ours than we
had th i s day twelvemonths .

Yes sa i d a th i rd ; on that night we carried ff a rich

,
”
o

pri ze h fa i r daughter f O c onnor ; but that clown the

, t e o
’

Kern f Q i broke our spell and took her from us Yet

o u er n, .

li ttle pleasure has he had f h i s bride f she has ne i ther

o , or

eaten nor drank nor uttered a word she entered his S I n ce

house .
”
 OL N T HE
5 ST E BR I DE . x

And so she will remain sa i d a fourth unti l he make , ,

“
s

her eat fl her fathe s t ble cloth wh i ch covered her she

o
'

r
’
a -
, as

lay on the bier and wh i ch i s thrown p over the top f

, no w u o

her bed .
”

O hearing all this the Kern rushed home and without

n
,

wa i t i ng even f the morni ng entered the you g girl s room

or , n
’
,

took down the table cloth spre d i t on the t ble la i d meat

-
, a a ,

and dri nk thereon and led her to it Drink he said

, .
“
,
”
,
“
that speech may come to you And she drank and eat .
”
,

o f the food and then speech came

, And she told the Kern .

her sto y— how she was to have been marri ed to a young

r

lord f her own country and the wedding guests had all
o ,

assembled when she felt hersel f suddenly i ll and swooned

,

a ay and never kne more f what had happened to her

w , w o

until the Kern had passed h i s hand over her face by which ,

she recovered consciousness but could neither eat nor speak , ,

f
or a spell on her and h was helpless
w as S e .

Then the Kern prepared a chariot and c rried home the , a

young girl to her father who was like to die f joy when he , or

beheld her And the Kern grew mightily in O conno s

.
’ ’
r

favour so that at last he gave h i m h i s fa i r young daughter

,

to w i fe and the wedded pa i r l i ved together happily f or

many long ye rs after and no ev i l befell them but good

a , ,

followed all the work f their hands o .

This story f Kern f Q i still lingers in the faith ful

o o u er n
,

Vivid Irish memory and is o ften told by the pe ants f

, as o

Clare when they gather rou d the fire on the awful festival n

o f S m/ i
a or N ovember E when the dead walk and
ra n , ve , ,

the spiri ts f earth and air have power over mortals whether
o ,

f
or good or evil .
 FA I R Y MU S I C .

T HE ev i l influence f the fairy glance does not k i ll b ut i t

o ,

throws the object into a death like tran ge in which the real -

body i s carried ff to some fa i ry mans i on while a log f

o ,
o

wood or some ugly deformed creature i s left i n its place

, , ,

clothed with the shadow f the stolen form Young women

o .

remarkab le f beauty young men and handsome ch i ldren

or , , ,

are the ch i e f Victi ms f the fa i ry stroke The girls are

o .

wedded to fairy chie fs and the young men to fa i ry queens

,

and if the mortal childre do not turn t well they are sent
n ou

back and others c rried fl in their place It is sometimes

, a o
’

poss ible by the spells f a powerful fairy man to bring back

, o -

a living being from Fairy land B they are never quite -

. ut

the same after They have al ays a spirit look especially

. w -

i f they have listened to the fa i ry music For the fa i ry music is .

soft and low and plaintive with a fatal charm f mortal ears
, , , or .

O day a gentleman entered a c bin i n the Coun y Cl re

ne a t a ,

and saw a young girl about t ty t d by the fire chant w en

'

s ea e

i ng a melancholy song without settled words or music O

,

, n

i nquiry he was told that she had once heard the fai ry h rp
.

a ,

and those who hear it lose all memory f love or hate and o
,

forget all things and never more have any other sound in
,
 F AIRY I
MU S C .
53

their ears save the soft music f th fai y ha p and when o e r r ,

the spell i s broken they die , .

It is remark ble that the Irish national ai s — plai ntive

a r ,

beauti ful and unutterably pathetic—should so perfectly

,

express the sp i it f the C é l—Sidhe ( the fai y music) as it

r o o r ,

haunts the fa cy f the people and mingles with all their

n o

traditions f the pirit world Wild d c pricious as the

o S . an a

fairy ature these delic te harmon i es wit h thei mystic

n , a ,
r ,

mourn ful rhythm seem to touch the deepest chords f feel

, o

i ng or to fill the sunshine w i th laughter accord i ng to the

, ,

mood f the players ; but a bove all th i gs Irish mus i c is

o , n ,

the utterance f a Divi ne sorrow ; not stormy or pass i onate

o ,

but like that f an exiled spi i t yea ning and wistful vague
o r , r ,

and unresti ng ; ever seeking the unattainable ever shadowed , ,

as i t were w i th memories f some lost good or some d i m

, o ,

foreboding f a com i ng fate —emotions that seem to find

o

their truest expression i n the sweet sad l i gering wail f , ,

n o

the pathetic m i nor in a genuine Irish a i r There is a beau .

ti ful phrase in one f the ancient manuscri pts descriptive f o o

the wonderful power f Irish music over the sensitive human o

organization Wounded men were soothed when they “

he rd i t and slept and women i n travail forgot their p i ns

a ,
a .

There are legends concerning the subtle ch rm f the f i ry a o a

music and dance when the mortal unde their i fluence seems
,
r n

t
o move through the air with the naked fl hl feet f “
, es es s o

h sp i rit and i lulled by the ecstasy f the cadence into f

”
t e ,
s o or

g tf l
e f all things and sometimes into the sleep f
u n ess o ,
o

death .
 T HE F AI R Y D AN C E .

T HE f ollowing story is from the Irish as told by a native ,

o f one f the Western Isles where the pr i m i t i ve superst i tions

o ,

have still all the freshness f young l i fe o .

O
ne evening late in N ovember wh i ch is the month when ,

spirits have most power over all th i ngs as the pretti est g i rl ,

i n all the island was goi g to the well f water her foot
n or ,

sl i pped and she fell It was an nlucky omen and when

. u ,

she got up and looked round it seemed to her as if she were

in a strange place and all around her was changed as if by
,

enchantment But at some distance she a great crowd

. saw

gathered round a blazi ng fire and she was drawn slowly , on

towards them till at last she stood i n the very m i dst f the
, o

people ; but they kept s i lence looki ng fixedly at her ; and

,

she was a fraid and tr i ed to turn and leave them but she
, ,

could not Then a beauti ful youth like a prince w i th a red

.
, ,

sash and a golden ba d on h i s long yellow hair c me up

,
n , a

and asked her to dance .

It i s a fool i sh thing f you sir t ask me to dance

o , , o

she said when there i s no music

,
“ ”
.
,

Then he li fted his hand and made a ign to the people S

,

and instantly th sweetest music sounded near her and

e
 THE F AIRY AN D CE .
55

around her and the young m took her hand d they

, an , an

danced and da ced till the moon and the sta s went down
n r ,

but she seemed like one floati g on the i and she forgot n a r,

every thing in the world except the dancing and the sweet ,

low music and her beauti ful partner

, .

At last the dancing ceased and her partner thanked her , ,

and invited her to supper with the company Then she .

s aw an opening in the ground and a flight f steps and the , o ,

young m who seemed to be the king amongst them all

an , ,

led her dow followed by the whole company At the end

n, .

of the st i they came upon a large hall all bright and

a rs ,

b eauti ful with gold and s i lver and li ght ; and the table was s

covered with everything good to eat and wine poured ,

w as

ou t in golden cu p s f them to drink When she sat down

or .

they l l pressed her to eat the food and to drink the w i ne

a

and as she weary after the dancing she took the golden
w as ,

cup the prince handed to her and ra i sed it to her li ps to ,

drink Just then a man passed closed to her and

.
, ,

whispered
E t no food and d rink
a ,
wine or you will never reach no ,

your home again .

”

So she la i d do n the cup and refused to drink O this

w , . n

they were angry and a great noise arose and a fierce dark
, , ,

man stood up and sa i d ,

Whoever comes to us must drink with us

“
.

And he seized her m and held the wine to her l i ps

ar , ,

so that she almost d i ed f fri ght But at that moment a o .

red haired man came up and he took her by the hand and
-
,

led her out .

You sa fe f this time he said Take this herb

are or ,
”
.
“
,
56 AN I N L N C E T E GE DS o r IR L N E A D .

and hold it in your hand till y reach home and one ou ,

no

can harm you And he gave h a branch f a plant

.
”
er o

called the At/ Z ( the ground i y) zaz r-

'

uss v .
I

This she took and fled away along the sward i n the dark
,

n i ght ; but all the time she heard footsteps behind her in
pursu i t At l st she reached home and barred the door
. a ,

and went to b ed when a great clamour arose outside and

, ,

voi ces were heard crying to her

“
The power we had over you is gone through the magi c
o f the herb ; but wa i t— when you dance again to the mus i c
on the hill you wi ll stay with us f evermore and none
, or ,

shall hinder .

H owever she kept the magic branch sa fely

, d the fa i ries , an

never troubled her more ; but it was long and long before
the sound f the fa i ry music left her ear which she had
o s

danced to that Novem b er ight on the h i llside with her n

fairy lover .

A i t E g pt h i
In n c en r d Oii d fg d
y t e vy w as sac e to s r s , an a sa e u ar
il
ag ain s t e v .
 FA I R Y U ST IC E .

A L E GE N D OF S H AR K I L AN S D .

T HE haired Man although he is cons idered very

“
R ed -
,

unlucky in actual l i fe yet generally acts in the fairy world as

,

the benevolent D m m /i that saves and helps ande

‘

ex ac r n d ,

rescues the unhappy mortal who h i mself i s quite helpless ,

under the fairy spells .

There was a man i n Shark Island who u ed to cross over s

to B fli t obuy tobacco but hen the weather was too

n o ,
w

rough f the boat his ill temper was bad the weather
or -
as as ,

and he used to beat his wi fe and fli g ll the things about ,

n a ,

so that no one could stand before him O day a man . ne

came to him .

What will you gi ve me if I go over to B ffi sai d he o n,

”
,

and bri ng you the tobacco ?

I will give you nothing said the other Whatever ,
.

way you go I can go also .

”

Then come with m to the shore sa i d the first man

“
e , ,

h T t m h
e co rrec i l d na i E k ( h I l d f
es fo r t es e s an s are I nn s- r t e s an o

S E k)
t . d I
r i b , ( h I l d f h Wh it C )
an nn s - o -hn u t e s an o t e e ow .
 58 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN
E D .

and I ll ho you how t get across b t as only can

’
S w o u o ne

go you must go alone

,
.
”

And as they went down to the sea they saw a great com
pany f horsemen and ladies galloping along with mus i c
o ,

and laughter .

Spri ng up now on a horse and you will get across sai d ,

the first man .

So the other sprang up as he was told and i n an instant ,

they all j mped right across the sea and landed at B fli

u o
‘
n .

Then he ran to b uy the t bacco and was back again in a o

m i nute and found all the same company by the sea—shore

, .

H s p rang aga i n upon a horse and they all jumped r i ght

e

into the sea but suddenly stopped midway between the two
,

islands where there was a great rock and beyond th i s

, ,

they could not force the horses to move Then there was .

great d i squietude amongst them and they c lled a , a

co u n cfl .

“
There is a mortal amongst us they sa i d Let us ,
”
.

drown him .
”

And they carri ed the man up to the top f the rock and o

cast h im down and when he rose to the surface again they

caught h i m b y the hair and cried ,

“
Drown h i m D rown h i m We have the power over l i fe
and death he must be drowned .
”

And they were goi ng to cast h i m down a second t i me

when a red ha i red man pleaded f h i m and carried him ff
,

-
or , o

with a strong hand safe to shore .

“
N said he y are sa fe but m i nd the sp i rits are
o w,
”
,
“
ou , ,

watching you and if ever aga i n you beat your poor good
,

wi fe and knock about the things at home just to torment

,
 F AIRY I
JU S T C E .
59

her out f her li fe you will d i e upon that rock as sure as

o ,

fate And he vanished

!
. .

So from that ti me forth the man was as meek as a

mouse f he was a fra i d ; and whenever he went by the
, or

rock in his boat he always stopped a m i nute and ,

sa i d a little prayer f h i s wi fe with a God bless her

or
“
.

And th i s kept away the ev i l and they both lived together

,

happily ever after to a great old age .

This i s but a rude tale Yet the moral is good and the
.
,

threat f retri butive justice shows a lauda ble spiri t f i d ig

o o n

nati on the part f the fa i ry race aga i nst the tyranny f

on o o

man over the weaker vessel .

 T HE PR I E S T S S O UL
’
.

AN eth i cal purpose i s not o ften to be detected in the Irish

legends ; but the following tale com b ines an i nner mean i ng
w i th the i ncidents in a profound and remark ble manner a .

The idea that underlies the story is very subtle and trag i c ;
Calderon or Goethe m i ght have founded a drama on it and
B rown i n g s gen i us would find a fitt i ng subject in th i s con
’

trast b etween the pri de f the audac i ous self reliant scept i c
o ,
-

i n the hour f h i s tri umph and the moral agony that pre
o

cedes h i s punishment and death .

In former days there were great schools in Ireland where

every sort f learning was taught to the people and even
o ,

the poorest had more knowledge at that time than many a

gentleman has But as to the priests the i r learn i ng
no w .
,

was above all so that the fame f Ireland went over the
, o

whole world and many kings from foreign lands used to

,

send their sons all the way to Irela d to be brought up in n

the Irish schools .

N
o w, at this ti me there was a little boy learn i ng at one f o

them who was a wonder to every one f h i s clevernes H i or s. s

parents were only labouring people and f course very poor , o

but young as he was and poor as he was no king s or lord s

, ,
’ ‘
 O L T HE P RI ES T S S
’
U .

son could come up t h i m in le rning E ven the masters

o a .

w ere put to sh ame ; f when they were tryi g to teach h i m

or n

he ld l l them so mething they never heard f be fore

wou
~
te o ,

and show them the i r i gnorance O f his great triumphs . ne o

was i n argument and he would go on till he proved to you

that black was wh i te and then when you gave in f no one
, , or

could beat him in talk he would turn round and howyou , S

that white was black or may be that there was no colour at

,

all in the world When he grew up h i s poor father and

.

mother were so proud f h i m that they resolved to mak e o

h i m a priest which they did at last though they nearly

, ,

sta ved the mselves to get the money W ll such another

r . e ,

learned man was not in Ireland and he was gre t in ,

as a

argument as ever so that no one could stand before him

,
.

E ven the B ishops tri ed to talk to h i m but he showed them ,

at once they knew nothing at all .

N owthere were no schoolmasters i n those t i mes but it

was the pries t t u ght the people ; and this man was
s a as

the cleverest in Ireland all the foreign ki ngs sent the i r

sons to him long as he had house room to g i ve them So
as -
.

he grew very proud and began to forget h low he had ,

ow

b een and worst f all even to forget God who had made
, o , ,

him what he was And the pri de f arguing got hold f

. o o

him so that from one thing to another he went on to prove

,

that there was no Purgatory and then H ell and then no ,

no ,

H eaven and then no God ; and at last that men had

,
no

souls but were no more than a dog or a cow and when they
, ,

died there was an end f them Who ever a soul ?

o .
“
s aw

he would say I f you can show me one I will believe

.
“
,
.

N one could make any answer to this and at l t they all

o as
 62
.

A NIN L N
C E T E GE D S OF IR LAN
E D .

came to believe that as there was no other world every ,

o ne

m ight do what they l i ked i n th i s ; the priest setting the ex

ample f he took a b eaut i ful young girl to w i fe B as
, or . u t

no priest or bishop in the whole land could be got to marry

them he was obl i ged to read the serv i ce over f h i mself
, or .

It was a great scandal yet no one dared to say a word f , , or

all the kings sons were on his side and would have’
,

slaughtere d any one who tried to prevent his wick ed goings

‘

on Poor boys they all b elieved in h i m and thought every

.
,

word he sa i d was the truth In th i s way h i s not i ons began .

to spread about and the whole world was go i ng to the bad

, ,

when one night an angel came down from H eaven and told ,

the priest he had but twenty four hou s to li ve H began -

r . e

to tremble and asked f a little more time

,
or .

B the angel was ifi and told h i m that could not be

ut st
‘

, .

What do you want ti me f you s i nner ? he as k ed o r,

”
.

Oh sir have p i ty on my poor soul 1 urged the priest

, , .

Oh ho ! You have a soul then said the angel Pray ”

, , , .
,

how d i d you find that t ? ou

”

“
It has been fluttering in me ever s i nce you appeared ,

answered the priest What a fool I was not to think f it . o

b efore .
”

“
A fool indeed said the angel What good was all , .
“

your learning when it could not tell you that y had a

, ou

soul ?
“
Ah my lord said the priest if I am to die tell me
, ,
”
,
“
,

how soon I may be in H eaven

“
N ever repl i ed the angel You denied there was a
, .
“

H eaven .
”

“
Then my lord may I go t Pu rgatory ?
, , o
 O L 63 T HE P RI E ST S
’
S U .

You d enied Purgatory also ; you must go straight to

H ell said the angel
,
!
.

B t my lord I denied H ell also answered the priest

u , , ,
”
,

so you can t send me there either ’

.
”

The angel was a l i ttle puzzled .

he I ll tell you what I can do f you You

,
’
or .

may either l i ve now on earth f a hundred years enjoying or

every pleasure and then be cast i nto H ell f ever or you

, or

may d i e in twenty four hours i n the most horrible torments

-

and pass through Purgato y there to rema i n ti ll the D y f r , a o

Judgment if only you can find some one person that

,

believes and through his beli ef mercy w i ll b e vouchsafed to

,

you and your soul will be saved .

”

The priest did not take five minutes to make up his mind .

I w i ll have death i n the twenty four hours he sa id so -

,
”
,

that my soul may be saved at last .

”

O this the a gel gave h i m direct i o s as to what he was

n n n

to do and le ft h i m
,
.

Then immediately the priest entered the large room

, ,

where l l his scholars and the kings sons were seated and
a
’
,

called out to them

N tell me the truth and let none fear to contradict
ow, ,

me Tell me what i s your bel i ef H ave men souls ?

. .
”

“
Master they answered once we beli eved that men
,
”
,
“

had souls ; but thanks to your teach i ng we believe so no

, ,

longer There is no H ell and no H eaven and no God

. , , .

Th i s i s our belie f f i t i s thus you taught us , or .

!

Then th priest grew pale w i th fear and cried out

e

Listen I I ta ght you a l i e There is a God and man has

u .
,

an i mmort l soul I believe now ll I denied be fore

a . a .
”
64 AN I N L N C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN E D .

But the shouts f laughter that rose up drowned the priest s

o
’

voice f they thought he was only trying them f argument

, or or .

Prove it master t hey cried prove it Who has

, , , .

ever seen God ? Wh has ever seen the soul ? o

And the roo m was stirr d with their laughter e .

The priest stood up to ans er them but no Od could w , w r

he utter ; all his eloquence all his power f rgument h d , s o a a

gone from him and he could d nothing but wring his

, o

h ands d cry out

an

There is a G d ! there is a God Lord have mercy on

“
o ,

my soul I ”

And they all began t mock him and repe t his o , a o wn

words that he had taught them

Show him to us ho us your God
“
S w .

And he fled from them groaning with agony f he saw , or

that none bel i eved and how then could h i s soul be saved ?
,

But he thought next f his wi fe o .

She will b elieve he said to himself Women never

,
”
.
“

give up God .

A d he went to her ; but she told him that she believed

n

only what he ta ght her and that a good wi fe should b elieve

u ,

i n her husband first and be fore and above all th i ngs i n

,

heaven or earth .

Then d p i m on him and he rushed from the house

es a r ca
'

e ,

and began to ask every one he met if they believed But the
'

same answer c me from one and all— We believe only what

.

“
a u

you have taught us f his doctrines had spread f and

,
”
or ar

wide through the county .

Then he grew half mad with fear f the hours were , or

passing And he flung himself down the g ound in a

.
on r
 T HE P RI E ST S S
’
OL U . 05
I

lon esome spot and wept and groaned in te ror f the t ime
, r , or

was coming fast when he must die .

Just then a little ch i ld came by .

God save you kindly sa i d the child to him ,

”
.

The pri est started up .

Child do you believe in God ? he asked

,
”
.

I have come from a f r country to learn about H im a ,

said the child Wil l your honour direct me to the b St

.
“
e

school that they have in these part ? s

The best school and the best teacher i close by said s ,

”

the priest and he named himself

, .

Oh not to hat man answered the child f I am ”

“ “
, t , , or

told he denies God and H eaven and H ell and even that
, , ,

man has a soul be use we c n t see it ; but I would soon

ca a
’

put him down .

The priest looked at him earnestly H ? he i n qu i red . ow

”
.

Why said the child I would ask him if he believed

,
”
,

he had life to how me his li fe

'
S .
”

“
But he could not do that my child said the priest , ,
”
.

Life c nnot be seen we have it but it is invisible

a , .

“
Then if we have li fe though we cannot see it we may
, ,

also have a soul though it is in isible answered the child

, v ,
”
.

When the priest he rd him speak these words he fell

a

down on his knees before him weep i ng f joy f now he , or , or

kne h i soul was safe ; he had met at last one that believed
w s .

And he told the child his whole story all h i s wickednes : s,

and pride and blasphemy agai st the great God and how
,
n

the angel had come to h i m a d told h i m f the only way n o

in wh i ch he could be s ved through the faith and prayersa ,

o f some that believed

o ne .

VOL. I.
 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR LA
E ND

No w th n he said to the child take this penkni fe

e , ,
“

and stri ke it i nto my b reast and go on stabb i ng the flesh

,

until you see the paleness f death on m y face Then o .

watch— f a living thing will soar up from my body as I d i e

or ,

and you will then know that m y soul has ascended to the
presence f God And when y see this th i ng ma k e ha te
o . ou ,
s

and run to my School and call all my scholars to come on

a d see that the soul f the i r master has le ft the body and
n o ,

that all he taught them was a l i e f that there is a God who , or

punishes sin and a H eaven and a H ell and that man has
, ,

an immortal soul destined f eternal happiness misery

,
or or .
”

I will pray sa i d the child to have co rage t do this

,
”
,
“
u o

work .

And li kneeled down and prayed Then whe he rose

e . n

up he took the penkn i fe and struck it into th p i heart

'
’
e r es t s ,

. and struck and struck again t i ll l l the flesh was lacerated a

but still the priest lived though the agony was horrible f , or

he could not die until the twenty four hours had expired -
.

At last the agony seemed to cease d the sti llness f death , an o

settled on his face Then the child who was watching saw
.
, ,

a beautiful living creature with four snow whit wi gs , e n ,

m ount fro m the dead man s b ody into the a i r and go ’

flutteri ng round his head .

So he ran to bring the scholars ; and when they saw it

they all knew it was the soul f their master and they watched
o ,

w i th wonder and awe unti l it passed from sight into the

clouds .

And this was the first butterfly that was ever seen in
Ireland and now all men know that the butterflies are the
souls f the dead aiting f the moment wh n they may
o w or e
 T HE P RI ’
E ST S S O U L
. 67

e nter P rgatory and so pa s through torture to puri fic tion

u , s a

an d peace .

B t the schools f Ireland were quite deserted a fter that

u o

t ime f ,people sa i d Wh at is the use f go i ng so f to

or , o ar

l earn when the w i sest man in all Ireland did not know if he
h d a soul t i ll he
a near losing it ; d was onl y saved
w as an

at last through the simple belief f a l i ttle child ? o

The allus i on in this clever tale to the ancient Irish s hool c s

i ba ed on historic l fact
s s From the seventh t the tenth
a . o

c entury Ireland the centre f lea ning The gr t

w as o r . ea

Alfred f E ngland was a student at one f the famous Iri sh

o o

sem i naries along w i th other royal and noble youths d

, ,
an

there formed a li fe long fri endship w i th the learned Adam l

-
n an

w h o ften a fterwards was a welcome guest at the Court f

o o

K i ng Al fred Other em i nent Ir i shmen are known to history

.

as the teachers and evangelizers f E urope Alcuin the o .

,

Irish monk bec m e the fri end and secret ry f Charlemagne

, a a o ,

and founded at Aix la Chapelle the first Grammar School

,
- -
,

in the i mperial domin i ons And the celebrated Clemens .

and Albi nus two Irishmen f distinguished ab i l i ty and

,
o

l earning aided the emperor not only in educ t i ng the

,
a

people but also to found a school f the Obl w i thin hi

,
or n es s

o wn palace .
 T HE F AI R Y RA C E .

T H E S z rl fie,
'

sp i ri t race called also the R dl R

or , fa i ries a z- ee, o r ,

are supposed to have been once angels in heaven who were ,

cast out by Di vine command as a pun i shment f their mor or e

d i t pr i de
na e .

Some fell t ea th and d lt th long before man was

o r , we ere, .

created as the first gods f th th Others fell i nto the

,
o
'

e e ar .

sea and they bu i lt themselves beauti ful fairy pal aces f cry
,
o

stal and pearl underneath the waves but on moonligh t

nights they often come p on th land riding their white
u e ,

horses d they hold revels w i th the i r fairy k i ndred f th

, an o e

earth who live in the clefts f the hills d they dance t

,
o , an o

gether on th green sward under the ancient trees and dri n k

e ,

nectar from the cups f the flo ers h i ch is the fa i ry wine

o w , w .

O ther fa i ri es however are demoniacal and gi ven to

, , ih , ev

and malic i ous deeds ; f when cast out f heaven they fell
or o

into hell and there the devil holds them under h i s rule and
.

, ,

sends them forth as he wills upon missions f ev i l t tempt

.

o o

the souls f men downward by the false glitter f sin and

o o .

pleasure These spirits dwell under the earth and imp rt

.
, a

their k nowledge only to certa i n evi l persons chosen f the o

dev i l who gives them p ower t make incantations and bre

, o , w
 T HE F AIRY A R C E. 69

l ove p otions and to work wicked s p ells d they can

, , an

a ssume di fferent forms by their knowledge and use f o c er

t in m agical herbs
a .

The witch women who have been taught by them and ,

h ave thus beco me tools f the E vil O are the terrors f the
o n e, o

n eighbourhood ; f they have all th power f the fairies

or e o

an d all the malice f the devil who reveals to them secrets

o ,

o f times and days and secrets f herbs and secrets

,
f o ; o

evil spells ; and by the power f magic they ffect all o ca n a

their purposes whether f good or ill

, or .

The fairies f the earth are small and beautiful They

o .

passionately love music and dancing and live luxuriously ,

i thei p l ces under the hills and in the deep mountai

n r aa n

caves ; and they bt i all things lovely f

ca n o the i r fairy
a n or

h omes merely by the strength f thei m gic power

, They o r a .

c an also assume all forms d wi ll never kno death unti l

,
an w

the last day comes whe their doom is to vanish away—to

, n

be annihilated f ever But they are ve y jealous f the

or . r o

h uma race h are so t ll and strong and to who m h

n w o a ,
as

be n promised immortality And they are often tempted

e .

by the beauty f a mort l woma and greatly desire to have

o a n

h eras a wi fe .
H

The children f such marri ges have a s trange mystic

‘

o a

n ature and ge rally become famous in music and song

, ne .

But they are passionate revenge ful and not easy to live w i th
, , .

E very knows the m to be f the Sidhe or spirit race by

o ne o ,

t heir beauti ful eyes and their bold reckless tem p erament ,
.

The fairy king and princes dress in g een with red c ps r ,

a

b ound on the head with a golden fillet The fairy queen .

an d the great court ladies are robed i glittering silve n r

 7b AN I N L N IR LAN C E T E GE D S OF E D .

gauze pangled w i th diamonds and the i r long golden hai

, S ,
r

weeps the ground as they dance on the greensward

s .

Their favourite camp and resting place is under a haw -

thorn tree and a peasant would die sooner than cut down
,

one f the ancient h h m sacred to the fa i ries and which

o aw t o s ,

generally stands i n the centre f a fairy ri g But the o n .

people never fl worship to these fairy bei gs f they look

'

o er n , or

on the S i dhe as a race quite i n ferior to m At the sam an . e

t ime they have an i mmense dread and fear f the i r myst i o c

fa i ry power and never i nter fere wi th them nor fl d the m

'

,
o en

knowi ngly .

The S i dhe often strive to carry ff the h andsome ch i ldren o ,

w h are then reared in the beauti ful fa i y palaces under t h

o r e

e arth and wedded to fairy mates when they grow up

, .

The people dread the idea f a fairy changel i ng being left o

In the cradle in place f their lovely child and if o o wn a

w
..
izened little thing is found there it is sometimes taken t , ou:

at night and laid in an open grave t i ll the morning when ,

they hope to find their own child restored although mor , e

often nothing is found save the cold corp se f the poo o r

o utcast .

Sometimes it i s said the fairi es carry ff the m ortal child o

f ora sacrifice as they have to offer one every seven yea s to

, r

the dev i l i n r urn f the power he gives them And beau

et or .

ti ful you g girls are ca ried fl also either f sacri fice t

n r o
'

, , or or o

be wedded t the fairy king o .

The fairies are pure and cleanly in their habits and they ,

like above all things a pail f water to be set f them at o or

n ight in case they m y wish to bathe

, a .

They also delight in good wines and are careful t rep y , o a

 T HE F AIRY RA CE .
7;

the donor in blessing f they are truly u pright and honest

s, or .

The g eat lords f Ireland in ancient times used to leave a

r o , ,

keg f the finest Spanish wine frequently at n ight out on the

o

window sill f the fairies and in the mo i ng it was all

-
or , rn

gone .

Fire is a great preventative against fairy magic f fire is , or

the most sacred f all cr ated things and man alone has
o e ,

power over it N anim l has never yet att ined the know
. 0 a a

l edge f how to draw out the spirit f fire from the stone or
o o

the wood where it h found a dwelling place I f a ring f

, as -
. o

fire is m ade round c ttle or a child s c adle or if fire is

a
’
r ,

placed under the churn the fai ri es have no power to harm

,
.

And the spiri t f the fire is cert in to destroy all fa i ry mag i c

o a ,

if it ex i st .
 T HE T R IA L .
BY FIRE .

T HE ordeal by fire i s the great test adopted by the peasants

to try if ch i ld or any one i fairy str ck There was a
'

a s -
u .

m anin Mayo h w bedridden f month and months

w o as or s ,

and though he ate up all the food they brought him ,

he never grew a b i t stronger and on Sundays when they ,

went to mass they locked him up and left him alone in the
,

place with plenty f food N there was a fine field close

o . ow

b and one Sunday coming home fro m mass earl i er than

y, ,

usual they saw a great company f people bowl i ng in the

,
o

field and the sick man amongst them but at that moment
, ,

he vanished away ; and when the f mily reached home a ,

there was th sick man lying fast asleep in his bed

e .

Get up they said f ,

”
have seen y bowling with, or we ou

the fai ri es and you sha n t eat or drin k any more at

,
’ ’
o ur

e xpense .
”

B he refused d id he was too ill to move Then they

ut ,
an s a .

made down a large fire f turf and sa i d Get up or we ll o , ,

’

lay you on the fire d break the fairy spell And they took
an .
”

hold f h im to burn him Then he was frigh tened and rose

o .
,

u p and went out at the door and they watched him till he ,

stopped i n the field where the hurlers played and lay down ,

there in the grass ; but when they went up to him he was dead .
 T HE T RIA L BY F IR E .
73

A man going to h i s work one morn i ng early saw two

w omen going up to a house and one sa i d There i s a beau , ,

t i ful boy i n this house go i n and hand it out to me and , ,

we ll leave the dead ch ild in it pl ce And the other went

’
s a .
”

i at the window as she

n told and handed out a sleeping w as ,

c hild and took the dead ch i ld and laid it in the bed w i th i n

, .

N ow the ma saw i t was fai y work and he went over and

n r ,

m ade the sign f the cross on the sleeping child whereupon

o ,

h
t e two women shrieked as if they had been struck and ,

fl d away dropp i ng the ch i ld on the grass Then the man '

e , .

t ook it up gently and put i t under h i s coat , nd went a ay , a w

to h i s w i fe .

H ere he sa id , t ke C re f this ch i ld t i ll I come back

”
, a a o ,

d burn a turf beside the cradle to k eep ff h f i i

‘

”
an o t e a r es .

When he passed by the h g i where he had seen o u se a a n,

two women he heard a great crying and lamentati on

‘

th
‘
'

e ,

an d he entered in and a ked what a i led them s .

See here said the mother my child is dead i it

, ,
“
n
'

c radle It died in the night, and no one near And she

. . .
” !

we p t bitterly .

“
Be com forted said the man ; thi is a f iry changeling
,
“
s a ,

y our child is sa fe 1 and he told her the story N he . o w,

”

s a i d i f y do t bel i eve me just lay th i s de d ch i ld on

,
“
ou n
’
,
a

t h fire and we ll see what will happen

’
e ,
.

So she made down a good fire and took the de d ch i ld ,

a

i her arms and lai d it on the hot tur f saying

n ,
Bur bu , ,
n, rn ,

burn— if f the devil burn b t if f God and the Sai nts

o , u o ,

b sa fe from harm And th child no sooner felt the fire”

e . e

t han i t sprang up the chimney with a cry and dis ppeared a .

 T HE LA DY W I T C H .

A O a hundred years ago there lived a woman in J oy

B UT ce

County f Wh om all the neighbours were afra i d f she h d

, o , or a

always plenty f money though no O k ew how she cam

o , ne n e

by it ; and the best f eating and drinking went at her

o on

house, ch i efly at n ight— meat and fowls and Spanish wi ne s

i n plenty f all comers And when pe ople asked h it all

or . . ow

came she laughed and said I have paid f it but would

, , or ,
”

tell them no more .

So the word went through the county that she had sold
’

herself to the E v i l O and could have everything h

.

n e, s e

wanted by merely wishing and wi lling and because f h ,

o er

riches they called her The Lady Witch “

.
”

She ever went out but at n i ght and then always with a
n ,

br idle and whip i n her hand ; and the sound f a hors o e

galloping was heard often f in the night along the road

ar o n s

near her house .

Then a strange story was whispered about that if a young ,

man drank f her Span i sh ines at supper and afterward

o w s

fell asleep she would throw the bridle over h i m and hange
, C

him to a horse d r i de him all over the country and whab

, an ,

ever she touched with her whip became hers Fowls .

, or
 T HE LADV W I H
TC .
75

butter or w i ne or the new made c kes— h h d but to wi sh

, ,
-
a S e a

and w i ll and they were carri ed by sp i it hands to her house r ,

and laid in her larder Then when the ri de was done and.
,

she had gathered enough through the count y f all she r o

wanted she took the bridle ff the young man and he c me

, o , a

back to h i s own shape and fell leep ; and when h awok as e e

he had no knowledge f all that had happened and the o ,

Lady Witch bade h im come ag i and drink f her Spanish an o

wines often as it pleased him

as .

N there
ow a fine brave young fellow in the ne i gh bour
w as e
-

hood and he determined to make out the truth f the story

, o .

So he often went back and fo wards and made friends wi th r ,

the L dy Wi tch and sat down to talk to her but always

a , , on

the watch And she took a gre t fancy to him and told
. a

him he must come to supper some night and she would ,

give him the best f eve ything and he must ta te hero r , s

Spanish wine .

So she named the night and he went gladly f he , , or w as

filled w ith curiosity And when he arrived there . a w as

beauti ful supper laid and plenty f wine to drink ; and he

, o

ate and drank but was c uti ous about the wine and spilled
,
a ,

i t on the ground from h i s glass when her head tur ed w as n

away Then he pretended to be very sleepy and h

,

.
, s e

said
My y are weary Lie down there the bench
so n, ou . on

and sleep f the night is f spent and y are f fro m

, or ar , ou ar

your home .
”

oS he lay down as if he were quite dead with sleep d , an

closed h i s eyes but watched her all the t i me

,
.

And she came over in a li ttle hile and looked at h im w

 76 AN I N L N
C E T E GE D S OF IR LAN
E D.

s teadily but he never sti red only breath ed the more

, r ,

h eavily .

Then she went softly and took the bridle from the wall ,

and stole over to fling it over his head but he st ted up

: ar ,

a d sei ing the bridle threw it over the woman who was
n ,
z , ,

immediately changed into a spanki ng grey mare And he .

l d her out a d jum p ed

e her back and rode away as fast
n on

as the wind till he came t the forge o .

H “
smith he cried rise up and shoe my mare f
o, ,
!
, , or

h is weary a fter the journey !

s e .

And the smith got p and did his wo rk as he was bid well u
‘

an d strong Then the young man mounted again and rode

.
,

b ack like the wind t the house f th Wi tch ; and there he o o e

took ff the bridle and she immediately regained her

o ,
o wn

form and sank down in a deep sleep

, .

But as the shoes had been put on at the forge w i th out

s aying the proper form f words they remained on her o ,

h ands and feet and p ower earth could remove them

, no on .

So she never rose fro m her bed again and di ed not long ,

after f grie f and sh ame

o And not one in the whole country .

would follow the fli f the Lady Witch to the grave ; and co n o

t h bridle was burned w i th fire and f all her riches othing

e , o n

W le ft but a hand f l f ashes and this was flung to the

as u o ,

f our points f earth and the f f winds f heaven ; so the

o o r o
i
e nchantment broken and the p ower f the E vil O
w as /

, o ne

e nded .
 E T HNA T HE BR I DE .

00
. .

T HE a i ries as we know are greatly attracted by h

f , , t e

beauty f mortal wome and Fi

o the k ing employ n, n varra s .

his umerous prites to find t and c r y 5 when possible

n S ou a r 0

the prettiest gi rls and brides in the country These are .

sp i rited away by enchantment to h i s fai y palace at K k m r noc a

i n Tuam where they remain nder a fai ry p l l forgetti ng

, u s e ,

all about the earthly li fe and soothed to p s i ve enjoyment as ,

as in a sweet dream by the soft low melody f the fa i ry , o

music which h th e power to lull the b

, as into a trance earer

o f ecst sy a .

There was once a great lord in that part f the cou try o n

who had a beauti ful wi fe called E h the loveliest bri de t n a,

i n all th land And her husband was so proud f her that

e . o

day after day he had fes tivals in her honour ; and from
morning to ight hi c stle filled with lords and ladies
n s a w as ,

and nothing but music and danc ing and feas ting and hunt ~

ing and plea ure thought f s w as o .

O ne evening while the feast merrie t and E h w as s , t na

floated through the dance i her robe f s i lver gossamer n o

c la ped w i th jewels more bri ght and beauti ful than the stars
s ,
 78 AN I N L N
C E T E GE D S OF IR LAN
E D.

in heaven she suddenly let go the hand f her partner d

,
o an

sank to the floor in a faint .

They carried her to her room where she lay long quite
i nsens i ble b t towards morn i ng she woke up and declared
u

t hat she had passed the night in a beaut i ful pal ce and was a ,

so happy that she longed to sleep agai and go there in her n

‘

d reams And they watched by her all the day but when
.
,

the shades f even i ng fell dark on the castle low music was
o ,

heard at her w i ndo and E h a again fell into a deep trance w, r u

f rom wh i ch nothing could rouse her .

Then her ld n rse was set to watch her ; but the woman
o u

gre weary in the silence and fell asleep and never awoke
w ,

t ill the sun had risen And when she looked tow rds the . a

b d she saw t her horror that the young bride had dis
e , o

a ppeared The whole household was roused up at once

.
,

:and search made everywhere but no trace f her could be , o

f ound in all the castle nor i n the gardens nor i n the park , , .

‘
H husband sent messengers in every d i rect i o but to
er n, no

p urpose — no one had seen her ; no s i gn f her could be o

found living or dead

, .

Then the young lord mounted his swi ftest steed and
galloped right ff to K k m to question Fi nvarra the o noc a, ,

f airy king i f he could g i ve any tid i ngs f the bride or direct

, o ,

h im where to searc h f her ; f he and Fi were or or n varra

f riends and many a good keg f S p anish wine had been le ft

, o

outside the window f the castle at night f the fairies t o or o

carry a ay by order f th young lord But he little

w , o e .

d reamed that F i a himsel f was the traitor ; so he

no w n v rra

galloped on like mad till he reached K k m the hill f no c a, o

t h fairies
e .
 E T H NA T H E BR I D E .
79

And as he stopped to rest h i s horse by the fairy rath ,

b heard voices in the air above h im and one said

e ,

R ight glad i s Finvarra now f he h the beautif l bride , or as u

in h i s palace at last and never more will she see her

husband s face ’
.
”

Yet answered another if he dig do n through

“
,
”
,
“
w

th hill to the centre f the earth he would find his bride

e o ,

b t the work is hard and the way is di fficult and Fi

u , n varra

has more power than any mortal man .

That is yet to be seen exclaimed the young lord ,

”
.

N either fa i ry nor dev i l nor F i nvarra himsel f shall stand

, , ,

b etween me and my fair young wife and on the inst nt he a

sent word by his servants to gather together all the workmen

an d labourers f the country round with their spades and
o

p i ckaxes to dig throug h the h ill t i ll they came to the fa i ry

,

p alace .

And the workmen ame a great crowd f them and they

c , o ,

d g through the h i l l all that day till a great deep trench was
u

m ade down to the very entre Then at sunset they left ff

c . o

f
or the night ; but next morning when they a sembled aga i n s

t continue the i r work be h old all the clay

o , put back , w as

a gain i nto the trench and the hill looked if ever a spade
,
as n

had touched it— f so Fi or had ordered ; and he wasn varra

p owerful over earth and air and sea .

But the young lord had a brave heart d he made the , an

m go on with the work ; and the trench was dug again

en ,

wide and deep into the cen tre f the h i ll And th i s went o .

o n f three days b al ays Wi th the same result f the

or ,
ut w , or

c lay was put back again each n ight and the h i ll looked the
s ame be fore and they were no nearer to the f iry pal ce
as ,
a a .
80 AN I N L N C E T E GE DS o r IR LAN E D .

Then the young lord d y t die f rage and grief

w as rea
'

o or ,

but suddenly he heard a voice near him like hi p in th e aw s er

a i r and the words it said were these

,

Sprinkle the earth you have dug up wi th salt d you , an r

work will be safe .

”

O this new li fe come into his h eart and he sent word

n ,

through all the country to gather salt from the people ; and
,

the clay was spri nkled ith i t that night when the men h d
w , a

left ff their work at the hill

o .

N ext morn i ng they all rose up early in g eat anx i ety to r s ee

what had happened and there to their g reat joy was h

, t e

trench all safe just as they had left i t and all the eart h
, ,
.

round it was untouched .

Then the young lord knew he had power over F i n varra,

and he bade the men work on w i th a good heart f they , or

would soon reach the fa i ry palace now in the centre f the o

hill So by the next day a great glen was cut right through
.

deep down to the middle f the earth and they could hea o , r

the fa i ry music if they put their close t the ground ear o ,

and voices were heard round them i n the air .

See now said one Fi

,
!
is sad f if , f thos n varra , or o ne o e

mortal men stri ke a blow on the fa i ry palace w i th their spades ,

it will crumble to dust d fade away like the mist , an .

”

Then let Fi give up the bride sa i d another d

n varra , , an

we shall be safe .
”

O which the voice f F i

n h i mself was heard clear
o n varra
,

like the note f a silver bugle thro gh the hill

o u .

Stop your work he said Oh men f earth l y

,
”
.
, o ,
a

down your spades and at sunset the bride shall be give

, n

back to her husb nd I Fi a have spoken

.
, n varra, .
 E T HN A T H E BRI DE . 8I

Then th young lord bade them stop the work d lay

e , an

down their s pades till the sun went down And at sunset .

he mounted his great chestnut steed and rode to the head

o f the glen and watched and waited ; and just as the red
,

light flushed all the sky he saw his wi fe coming along the
,

path in her robe f silver gossamer more beauti ful th an

o ,

ever ; and he prang from the saddle and li fted her up be fore
S

him and rode away like the storm wind back to the castle
, .

And there they laid E th on her bed ; but she closed her
na

eyes and spake no word So day ft day pa sed and still

. a er s ,

she never spake or smiled but seemed li ke one in a trance

,
.

And great sorrow fell upon eve y one f they feared she r , or

had eaten f the fairy food and that the enchantment would
o ,

never be broken So her husband was very miserable But

. .

one evening as he was riding home late he heard voices in ,

the air and one f them sa i d

, o

It is now a year and a day since the young lord brought

home his beautiful wi fe from Fi but what good is she n varra

to him ? She is speechless and li k e one dead f her spirit or

is with the fairies though her form is there beside him .

”

Then another; voice answered

A d so she will remain unless the spell is broken H
n . e

must unloose the girdle from her waist that is fastened with
an enchanted pin and burn the girdle with fire and thro
, , w

the ashes before the door and b ury the enchanted pin in ,

the earth ; then will her pirit come back from fairy land
S -

and she will once more speak and have t ue li fe r .

”

H earing this the young lord at once set spurs to h i s horse ,

and on reaching the c stle hastened to the roo m where

a

E ht na lay on her couch s i lent and beautiful like a axen w

VOL : I . 7
82 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS o r IR LAN
E D
.

figure Then being determined to test the truth f the

.
,
o

spirit voices he untied the g i rdle and after m uch di fficulty

, ,

extracted the enchanted p i n from the folds But still .

E th spoke no word ; then he took the gi rdle and burned

na

it with fire and strewed the ashes before th door and b

,
e , e

buried the enchanted pin in a deep hole in the earth under ,

a
-
fa i ry thorn that hand m i ght d i sturb the s p ot After
, no .

which he returned to his you g w i fe who smiled as she n ,

l ook d at him and held for h her hand

e , Great his joy
t . w as

to S the soul com i ng back to the beauti ful form and he

ee ,

i d her u p and kissed her and speech and memory came

I ra se

‘
b ck to her at that moment and all her former li fe just as
a , ,

if it had never been broken or i nte rupted ; but the year r

that her spirit had passed i n Fairy land seemed to h but as -

er

a dream f the n i ght from wh i ch she had just awoke

o , .

After this Fi made no further efforts to carry her

n varra

fl ; but the deep cut in the hill remains to this day and is
'
o ,

called The Fairy s Glen So no one can doubt the truth

’
.

f the story as here narrated

o .
 '
T HE FAI RI E s RE V E N G E .

a ries have a great objection to the fai y ath whe

T HE f i r r s, re

they meet at night being built upon by mortal man A

, .

farmer called J ohnstone having plenty f money bought , o ,

some land and h b tif l green s pot to build a house

, c o se a eau u

o n,the very pot th fairies loved best

s e .

The neighbours warned him that it was a fairy rath but

he laughed and ever m i nded (f he was from the north )
n or ,

and looked on such things mere old wives tales So he as ~

’
.

built the house and made i t beautiful to live in ; and no

people in the country were so wel l ff as the J ohnstones so o ,

that the p eople said the fa mer must h ave found a p ot f r o

gold in the fairy rath .

B t the fairies were all the t i me plotti g how they could

u n

punish the farmer f taki ng away their danci ng ground and

or ,

f
or cutting dow the hawtho n bush where they held their
n r

revels when the moon was full A d day when the . n o ne

cows were milking a little old woman in a blue clo k came

,
a

to Mrs J ohnstone and a ked her f a porringer f milk

.
s or o .

Go away said the m i stress f the house you shall have

,
”
o ,
“

no milk from me I ll have no tramps coming about my

.
’

place And she told the farm servants to ch e her away

.
”
as .
 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN
E D.

Some time after the best and finest f the cows sickened
, o

an d gave no milk and lost her horns and teeth and finally
,

d i ed .

Then one day as Mrs Johnstone was sitting spinning .

flax in the parlour the same little ld woman in the blue

, o

cloak suddenly stood before h er .

“
Your ma i ds are baking c kes i n the kitchen she said a ,
”

gi ve me some tf the griddle to carry away with me

o

“
Go out f th i s cri ed the farme s wi fe angrily you
o ,
r
’
,

are a wicked old wretch and have poisoned my b est ,

cow And she bade the farm se vants drive her ff w i th

.
”
r o

sticks .

N the Johnstones had one only child a beauti ful

ow

bright boy as strong as a young colt and as full f li fe and

, , o

merri ment But soon a fter this he began to grow queer and
.

strange d was d i sturbed i n h i s sleep ; f he sa i d the

, an or

fairies came round him at night and pinched and beat him ,

and some sat on his chest and he coul d neither breathe nor
move And they told h im they would never leave him in
.

peace unless he promised to give them a supper every night

o f a griddle cake d a porr i nger f milkanSo to soothe the o .

child the mother had these th i ngs laid every night on a table
beside his b ed and in the morn i ng they were gone
, .

B sti ll the child p i ned away and his eyes got a strange
ut
, ,

w i ld look as if he saw nothing near or around h i m only

, ,

something f f away that troubled his sp i rit And when

ar, ar .

they asked h im what ailed h i m he said the fai ri es carri ed ,

h i m away to the h i lls every n ight where he danced and ,

danced w i h the m till morning when they brought him back

t
,

and laid him again in his bed .

 T HE F AIRI R V N
ES
’
E E GE . 85

At last the farmer and his wife were at their it end w s

’

from gr i e f and despa i r f the child was p i ning away be fore

, or

their eyes and they could do noth i ng f him to help h i m or ,

And one night he cri ed out in great agony

M th l mother ! send f the priest to take away the
o er or

fairies f , they are killing me they are here on my chest

or ,

crushing me to death and h i s eyes were wi ld wi th terror

,
”
.

N ow the farmer and his wi fe believed i n no fairi es and in ,

no pri est ; but to soothe the child they did as he sked and a

sent f the pri est who prayed over him and sprinkled him
or ,

w i th holy water The poor little fellow seemed c lmer as

. a

the priest prayed and he said the fairies were leaving him
,

and going away and then he sank into a quiet sleep But
, .

when he woke in the morning he told his paren ts that he ,

had a beauti ful dre m and was walking in a lovely garden

a

with the angels ; and he knew it heaven and that he w as ,

would be there before night f the angels told him they , or

would come f h i m or .

Then they watched by the sick ch i ld all through the night ,

f they saw the fever

or st i ll on him but hoped a change
w as ,

would come before morn i ng ; f he now slept quite c lmly or a

w i th a smile on his lips .

B t just as the clock struck m i dnight he a oke and sat

u w

up and when his mother put her arms round him weeping
, ,

he whispered to her The angels are here mother and , ,

”

then he sank back and so died ,

.

Now a fter this c lamity the farmer never held up his

a

head H ceased t mind his farm and the crops went t

e o , o

ru i n and the cattle died and finally before a year and a day
.

were over he was laid in the grave by the side f his li ttle o
 86 AN I N L N C E TIR LAN
E GE D S OF E D.

d the land p sed into other hands

as no one '

so n ; an as , an d

would live in the house it was pulled down N e i ther . o o n e, ,

would plant on the rath so the grass gre agai n all over it
. w ,

green and beauti ful and the fairi es da c d there once m ore
, n e

in the moonlight as they used to d i the l d ti me free and o n o ,

happy ; and thus the evil spell was broken f evermore or .

But the people would have nothing t d with the child o o

less mother she went away back t d her

, so people a o o o wn ,

broken he rted miserable woman— w ning t all who

-
a , a ar o

would arouse the vengean e f the fairies by interfering with

c o

the i r nci t ight and possessions and p rivileges

a en r s .
 FAI R Y H E L P

T HE PI I O U K A
-
.

T H E Ph o u k ai s a friendly being and o ften helps the farmer

,

at his work if he i s treated well and kindly O day a . ne

farmer s son was minding c ttle in the field when some

’
a ,

thing rushed past him l i ke the wind but he was not ;

frightened f ,he knew it was the h k on his way to
or P ou a

the old m i ll by the moat where the fairies met every n ight .

So he called out Ph k Ph k ] show me what y

,
“
ou a, ou a ou

are like and I ll give you my b i g coat to keep you warm

,
’
.
!

Then a young bull came to him lashing his t il like mad ; a

but Ph d ig threw the coat over him and in a moment he

a r ,

was quiet as a lamb and told the boy to come to the m i ll

,

that n ight when the moon was up and he would have good ,

luck .

So Ph d ig went but
a r nothing except sacks f corn
,
saw o

all lying about on the ground f the men had f llen a leep
, or a s ,

and no work was done Then he lay down l so and slept

. a ,

f
or he was very tired ; and when he woke up early in the
morning there was all the meal ground though certa i nly ,

the men had not done it f they sti ll slept A d this

, or . n
88 L N IR LAN
AN C I E NT E GE DS O F E D .

happened f three nights after which Ph d ig determined

or ,
a r

to keep awake and watch .

N
ow there was an old chest in the mill and he crept i nto ,

th i s to h ide and just looked through the keyhole to see what

,

would happen And exactly at midnight six l i ttle fello s

. w

came i n each carry i ng a sack f corn on his back ; and

,
o

a fter them came an old man in tattered rags f clothes and o ,

he bade them turn the mill and they turned and turned ,

t i ll all was ground .

Th en Ph d ig ran to tell h i s fa her and the m i ller deter

a r t ,

m i ned to watch he next n i ght wi th h i s son and both

t ,

together saw the same thing happen .

N ow sa i d the farmer I see it is the P h k work

” '
, , ou a s ,

and let him work if i t pleases h i m f h men are idle and , or t e

lazy and only sleep So I ll pack the whole set fl to .

’
o
‘

morro and leave the gri nd i ng f the cor to th i s excellent

w , o n

old Ph k ou a .
”

Af er th i s the farmer g e so rich that there was end

t r w no

to his money f he had no men to pay and all his corn

,
or ,

was ground i thout h i s spending a penny Of course the

w .

people wondered much over his riches b ut he never told ,

t hem about the Ph k or their cur i os i ty would have ou a,

spo i led h luck

t e .

N
ow Ph d ig went o ften to the m i ll and h i d i n the
a r

chest that he might watch the fairi es at work ; b ut he had

great pity f the poor old Ph k i n his tattered clothes who
or ou a
,

yet directed everything and had hard work f i t someti mes o

k eep i ng the l i ttle Ph k i n order So Ph d ig out f

,

ou as . a r , o

love and gratitude bought a fine suit f cloth and s i lk and

, o

laid it one i ght on the floor f th mill just where the old
n o e
 F AIRY H L E P 89

Pho u k aalways stood to give his ord ers to the l i ttle men ,

and then he crept i nto the chest to watch .

H ow i s this ? said the Ph k when he saw the”

ou a

clothes Are these f me ? I shall be turned into a

.
“
or

fine gentl eman .

”

And he put them on and then began to walk up and down ,

admiri ng himsel f But suddenly he remembered the corn

.
,

and went to grind as usual then stopped and cried out ,

N o no
, N more work f me
. Fine gentlemen don t
o or .
’

gri nd corn I ll go out and see a little f the world and

.
’
o

show my fine clothes And he kicked away the old rags .

”

i nto a corner and went out , .

No corn was ground that night nor the next nor the , ,

next all the little Ph k ran away and not a sound was ou as ,

heard i n the mill Then Ph d ig grew very sorry f the

. a r or

los f h i s old fri end and used to go out i nto the fields and
s o ,

call out Ph k Ph k I come back to m L t me

, ou a, ou a e . e

see your face But the old Ph k never came back and
. ou a ,

all his li fe long Ph d ig never looked on the face f h i s

a r o

friend gain H owever the farmer had made so much

a .
,

money that he wanted no more help ; and he sold the m i ll ,

and reared up Ph d ig to be a great scholar and a gentle

a r

man who had h i s own house and land and servants And
,
.

in time he mar ied a beauti f l lady so beauti ful that the

r u ,

people aid she must be daughter to the king f the fairies

s o .

A stra ge thi g happened at th wedding f when they

n n e , or

all stood up to drink the bride s health Ph d ig saw bes i de '

,
a r

him a golden cup filled with wine And one knew how . no

the golden cup had come to his hand ; but Ph d ig guessed a r

it the Ph k gi ft and he d ank the wine without fear

w as ou as
’
, r
90 AN I N L N
C E T E GE IR LAN
D S OF E D.

made h i s bri de drink also And ever after their lives

.

were happy and prosperous and the golden cup was kept
,

as a treasure i n the amily and the descendants f h d ig

f , o P a r

have it in their possession to this day .

 T HE F AR M E R p u N I S HE D .

T HE f a i ries with the free joyous temperament and love

, n ,

o f beauty and luxury hold in great contempt the minor , .

virtues f thri ft and economy And above all things abhor

o .
, ,

the close hard niggardly ature that spends grudgingly and

, ,
n

never gi es freely Indeed they seem to hold it the i r

v .
,
as

peculiar mission to punish such people and make them ,

su ffer f th e s i ns f the hard heart and niggard hand as

or o ,

may be seen by the following tal e

A farmer once lived near the Boyne close to an old ,

churchyard H was very rich and had c ops and cattle

. e , r ,

but was so hard and avaricious that the people hated him
f
or h i s hab i t to get p very early i n the morn i ng and go
w as u

out to the fields to atch that no one took a cab bage or a w

turnip or got a cup f milk when the cows were bei g

, o n

milked f th love f God and the saints

, or e o .

O ne morn i ng as he was out as usual by sunrise spying

,

about the place he heard a ch i ld crying b i tterly

,

“
Oh mother mother ! I am hungry
,
Give me some
,
.

thing I ll die
, or
'
.
”

“
H ush darling said the mother
,
though the hunger i s
, ,

on y wait ; f the farmer s cow w i ll be milked presently

o u, or
’

,
92 L N AN
IR LAN C I E NT E GE DS OF E D .

and I ll knock down the pail so the milk will be spilt upon
’

the ground and you can drink your fill, .

”

When th e farmer heard th i s he sent a stout man to watch

the g i rl that m i lked and to tie the cow s feet that she sh ould
,
’

not ki ck So that time no milk was spi lled upon the g round
. .

N ext morn i g he went out again by sunrise n d he heard ,

an

the child crying more bitterly even than be fore

Mother mother ! I am hungry Give me to eat
, . .

Wa i t m y ch i ld sa i d the mother ; the farmer s ma i d

, ,
” “ ’

bakes cak es to day and I ll make the d i sh to fall just

-

,
’
as

she is carrying them from the gri ddle So we shall h ave .

plenty to eat th i s t i me .
”

Then the farmer went home and locked up the meal ,

and sai d
N ca k es shall b e baked to— day till the n i ght
'

o ,
no t .

B the cry f the child was i n his ears and he could not
ut o ,

rest So early i n the morn i ng he was out aga i n and bitter

.
,

was the cry f the child as he passed the copse

o

Mother mother ! it said I have had no milk I have

, , ,

had cake let me lay down my head on your breast and

no

die .
”

Wai t sa i d the mother some one will d i e before you

, , ,

my darling Let the old man look to his son f he w i ll

.
, or

be killed in battle before many days are over ; and then the
curse w i ll be li fted from the poor and we shall have food in ,

plenty .
”

But the farmer laughed There is no war in Ireland .

“

no w he sa i d to h i mself H then can my son be killed

,
”
. ow

in battle ? And he went home to his ”

house and o wn ,

T h f i ri h v e a ig h t wh t i pilt f ll p h g d
es a e a r to a e ver s s or a s u on t e ro u n .
 T HE F AR R NI H
ME PU S E D. 93

there in the courtyard was his son cleaning his spear and
sharpening his arrows H was a comely youth t ll and . e , a

slender as a young oak tree and his brown hair fell i n long -
,

curls over his shoulders .

Father he sa i d I m summoned b y the king f he

,
”
, a , or

is at with the other kings So give me the swiftest

w ar .

horse you have f I must be ff t night to join the king s

, or o o -
’

men And see I have my spears and ar ows ready

.
, r .
”

N at that time i n Ireland there were four great kings

ow ,

and each f them had two deputies And the ki ng f

o . o

L einster made a great feast f the deputi es and to seven or ,

o f them he g ave a brooch f gold each but to the e i ghth o ,

only a brooch f silver f he said the man is not a prince

o , o r, ,

like the others Then the eighth deputy was angry and he
.
,

struck the king s page full in the face f handing him the
’
or

brooch O this all the knights sprang up and dre thei r

. n w

swords and some too k one part and some another and
, ,

there was a great fight in the hall And afterw rds the four . a

kings quarrelled and the king f Leinster sent out mes

,
o

s en g to bid all h i s people come to help him So the

e rs .

farmer s son got the message as well as the others and he

'
,

made ready at once to jo i n the battle wi th a proud heart f or

the sake f the king and a young man s love f adventure

o
'
o .

Then the farmer was filled with rage .

Th i s is the wicked work f the witch woman he said ; o -

,

but as I would not give her the milk to pill nor the s ,

cakes when baked so I wi ll not give her the l i fe f my only

,
o

son .
”

And he took large stones and built up great ll the wa s

height f a man round a hut and set a great stone at the

o , ,
94 AN I N L N
C E T E GE D S OF IR LAN E D .

top t close it only leaving places f a vessel f food t be

o , or o o

handed down And he placed the lad within the hut

. .

“
N he sa i d th king shall not have h i m nor the
o w,
”
,
“
e ,

k i ng s men ; he i s safe from the battle and the spears f the

’
o

warriors .
”

So the next morn i ng he rose up qu i te content and ,

w as

out at sunrise as usual ; and as he walked by the churchyard ,

he heard the child laughing And the mother said .

Ch i ld you laugh by grave For the farmer s son wi ll

,
a .
’

be laid in that ground b efore three days are over and then ,

the curse will be l i fted from the poor H would not let . e

the milk be sp i lled nor the cakes to be baked but he can

, ,

not keep h i s son from death The spell is on him f evi l . or .

”

Then a voice sa i d
B h i s father has walled h im round i n a b t w i th strong
ut u

walls high as a man H then can he d i e i n b attle P

,
. ow

And the woman answered

I climbed the b t last night and gave h i m n i ne stones
u ,

and bade him throw th em by over his left shoulder o ne o ne ,

and each t i me a stone f the wall would fall down till free
o ,

space was le ft him to escape and this he did ; and before ,

sunrise th i s morning he fled away and has joined the ki ng s ,

’

army but his grave i s ready and in three days he will be i n ,

th i s g ound f h i s doom is spoken

r , or .
”

When the farmer hea d these words he rushed l ike mad r ,

to the hut and called his son by name but no answer came
,

Then he cl i mbed up and looked i n through the hole at the

.

top but no sign f his son was there And he wrung his
, o .

hands in despair and went home and spake word but

, no ,

sat moaning with his head buried in his hands .

 I
T IE F AR R NI H
ME PU S ED .
95

And th third day he heard the steps f men outside

on e o ,

and he rose up f he k new they were beari ng the body f

, or o

his dead son to the door And he went out to meet them
.
,

and there lay the corpse f the young m on the bier pale
o an ,

and beauti ful struck through and through by a pear even

, S ,

as he had d i ed in battle .

And they laid him in the churchyard just as the wi tch ,

woman had foretold while all the people wept f the

, , or

young man was noble to look upon and f a good and , o

upri ght s pi ri t
.

B t the father neither spoke nor wept

u H i mind was . s

gone and his heart was broken And soon he lay down
, .

and died unp i tied by all f he was hard and cruel i n h i s

, or

li fe and no man wept f him ; and all the riches he had

,
or

gathered by grinding down the poor melted away and h i s ,

race perished from the land and h i s name was heard f no

,
o

more and no blessing rested on h i s memo y

,
r .
 FA R ME R S W I F E
’
T HE .

O N i n the South there lived another ri ch farmer and h i s

D W
wi fe who were both f them hated b y the people f the i r
,
o or

stingy hard hearted ways N ever a word f kindness was on

,
-
. o

thei r li ps and never a blessing from the poor was invoked

,

on the i r heads .

One day an old woman came to the door to beg a l i ttle

food — aca k e from the gri ddle or a f potatoes or a ,
ew ,

hand ful f meal ; but she was h rshly refused by the

o a

farmer s w i fe and turned away

’
.

Then she c me back in a little while and begged f a

a ,
or

drink f m ilk f she was faint and weary she said and
o , or , ,

had travelled f Th i s also was refused and she was

ar .
,

ordered to leave the place at once B the woman st i ll . ut

begged hard f leave to rest hersel f a l i ttle and f even a

or , or

drink f b utter m ilk f i t was churning day and she k new

o , or

there m ust be plenty i n the house Then the farmer s w i fe .

'

gre very angry and sa i d she would turn the dogs on her i f
w ,

she didn t go a ay and that no tram p should get anything

’
w ,

from her .O th i s the woman muttered some words with

n
,

her hand on the l i ntel f the door and then went her way
o , .

Soon a fter being much heated by the v i olence f her anger

, o ,
 T HE F AR R ME
’
S W I FE .
97

the arme s wi fe went to the dairy f a d ink ; but h poured

f ’
r or r as s e

out the draught she something bl ck i n the cup and she

s aw a

tri ed to take it out with her finger b t i always esc ped her
,

, u t a .

Then be i ng very th i rsty she drank f the m i lk and sti ll

, , o ,

another and another cup and in the drink i ng the black ,

object disappeared That n ight however she felt nigh to

.
, ,

death f her body began to swell and turned black all over
, or , .

Medic l aid a sent f but the doctor could mak e out

w as o r,

nothing f the cause or nature f the strange d i sease

o o .

Then the pri est was summoned and he at once hav i ng , ,

heard h story said there was w i tch craft in i t ; and he pro

t e ,
-

c ee d d to pray and to exorcise the evil spirit in the woman

e , .

Besides this he made her h placed in a hot bath into which e ,

he poured some holy water .

At first the woman uttered fierce ies and ai d her body cr , s

seemed rent and torn ; but gradually she became c lmer a ,

and the blackness slowly went down from head to feet ,

and finally d i sappeared le ving the body fair and whole all , a ,

except one hand and this remained still black as ink The
,
.

holy water was poured on it and the pri e t p ayed but , s r ,

nothi ng wo uld remove the devil s mark ’

.

So the priest told her at last that the black ess would n

remain a a sign and token f her s i ns against the poor ;

s o

and from that day forth to her d eath the mark f the evil o

spell remained on her but she grew kinder to the poor f , , or

her heart shaken by terror And when she c me to d i

w as . a e

there was no blackness on her hand f the tear f the , or s o

poor she had succour d d befriended had washed all the

e an

devil s m rk away before the moment c me hen her s oul

’
a ,
a w

was to appear beforeGod .

VOL . I .
 T H E M I D N I G HT R
A PE A ANS T S
'
T AL E .

-
:o :

O Ne e veni g am called Shaw R dh was t looking

n an n ua ou

f a red cow that had strayed away when he heard voices

or ,

round him and one said G t me a horse and another

,
“
e ,
”

cried G t m a horse e e .
”

A d g t m a horse too sa i d Shawn since they

“
n e e , , ,

seem so plenty fo I d l ike a ride along with you and

, r
’
,
!

with that he found himsel f on the instant mounted on a

fine grey horse beside another man h rode a black horse w o .

A d they rode away and away til l they came to a great

n

c ity .

No do you know where you a ? aid the black

w, re
”
s

horseman Yo are i n London and whatever you want

,

. u ,

you can have

Thank you kindly my friend said the th with , ,
”
o er,
“
so,

your leave I ll just have a good su i t f clothes;f I m much

,
’
o or
’

in want f that same Can I have them i

o .
’

By all means sai d the black horseman there go into

,
“
,

that merchant s shop and ask f what y l i ke and if he

’
or ou ,

refuses just throw the t I give you on the floor and s o ne , ,

 T HE M D I NI H RI G T DE .
99

whole place will seem on fire But don t be frightened

t he .
’

nly wa i t your good luck

o .
”

So Shawn went into the biggest shop there and he spoke

the merchant q u i te sti ff and proud
,

to .

Sho me the best suit f clothes you have sa i d h

“
w o , e.

N ever mind the price that s f no consequence only be

’

, o

ery parti cular as to the f

,

v it .

B the shopman laughed aloud

ut .

We don t make clothes f begga s like you he sa id

’
or r , .

B ff out f this
e o o .
!

Then Shawn threw down the stone on the floor and im ,

mediately the whole place seemed on fire d the merchant , an

ran out himself and all the shopmen a fter him to get pa i ls f o

w ater and Shawn laughed when he them all drenched

, s aw .

N “
what will you give me said he if I put out the
ow ,
”
,
“

fi f reyou P or

You shall have the price f the best suit f clothes in

“
o o

th shop answered the merchant all paid down in gold

e ,
”
,
“

o nly help me to put out the fi e r .

”

So Shawn stooped down and picked up th stone and e ,

put it quietly i nto his poc ket and insta tly all the flames , n

d isappeared and the merchant was so grate ful that he paid

:

h im down all the gold f the clothes and more And or .

S hawn bid him good n i g h t and mounted the grey steed ,

a gain qu i te h ppyj himself a n .

N sai d the black horseman is there anything

o w, ,

else you des i re ? f it is near ten o clock and we must be

or
’
,

back by midnight ; just say what you would like to do

so .

Well said Shawn R d h I would like f all things to

“
,
”
ua ,
o

s ee the Pope f R ome f two f our priests are d i sputing

o , or o
1 00 AN I N L N C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN
E D.

as to who is to get the parish and I want Father M G h t ,

’
rat o

have it f I have a great op i n i on f him and if I ask h i

, or o ,
s

H oliness he ll settle i t all in no time and f ever

’
or .

Come then said the black horseman it is a long way

,
! “

to R ome certainly but I think we ll manage it in the two

, ,
’

hours and be back before t elve o clock

,
w
’
.
”

So away they rode like the wind and i n time Shaw ,

no n

found himsel f be fore the great palace f the Pope and all -
o

the grand servant with gold sticks in their hands stared at

s

h i m and as k ed him what he wanted

,
.

Just go in sa i d he and tell h i s H oliness that Shawn

,
”
,

R ua d h all the way from Ireland is here and wants to

, ,
s ee

him very part i cularly .

”

But the servants la ghed and struck him with their gol d u ,

sti cks and hunted him away from the gate N the Pope . ow

heari ng the rout looked out f the windows and seein g o ,

Shawn R dh he came down and asked him what he

ua

wanted .

“
Just this your H oliness answered Shaw I want
, ,
n,
“
a

letter on behal f f Father M G th bidding the Bishop give

o
’
ra

h i m the parish and I ll wa i t till your H oliness wri tes i t ;

,
’

and meanwhile let me have a little supper f it s hungry I , or

’

am after my long ride .

Then the Pope laughed and told the servants t driv , o e

the fellow away f he was ev i dently out f his wits

, or o .

So Shawn grew angry and flung down the stone on the ,

floor and instantly all the palace seemed on fire and th

, , e

Pope ordered the grand ser ants to go f water and they v or

had to run about like mad getting pails d jugs f ater an o w ,

whatever they l d l y hands on and all their fine cloth

co u a es
 T HE M D I NI GHT RI DE . to !

were spoiled and the beauti ful gold st i cks were flung away i n
,

the i r f igh t h il they took the jugs and spl hed and d shed
r , w e as a

the water over each other .

N it Shawn s turn to laugh till his s i des ached b ut

ow w as
'

h i H ol i ness l o oked very g ave

s r .

Well said Shawn if I put out the fire wh t ill you

“
,
”
,
“
a w

d f o me ? Will you rite that letter ?

or w

Ay I will ,sai d the Pope and y sh ll have your

,
!
,
“
ou a

s upper also ; only help us to put out the fi my fine fellow re , .

!

8 Shawn q u i etly put the stone b ack in h i s poc k et and

0 ,

instantly all the flames d i sappeared .

N
“
said the Pope you shall have supper f the
ow,
”
,
“
o

best in the palace ; and I ll wri te a letter to the B i shop ’

o rdering h im to g i ve Father M G h the pari sh And ’

rat .

h ere besides is a purse f gold f

, , yoursel f and ta k e it o or ,

w ith my blessing .
”

Then he ordered all the grand servants to get supper f or

the excellent young m from Ireland and to mak e him an ,

c om fortable So Shawn was m i ghti ly plea ed and ate d

. s ,
an

d rank l i ke a prince Then he mounted his grey steed .

a gain and just as m i dnight struck he found himself at h i

,
s

own door but ll alone ; f the grey steed and the b lack
,
a or

horseman had both vanished But there stood h is i fe . w

c rying her eyes out and i n great trouble .

Oh Shawn Agra ! I thought you were dead or that

“
, ,

e v i l had fallen on you .

N t a bit f it sa i d Shawn I ve been supping w i th

“ ” ’
o o , ,

the Pope f R ome and look here at all the gold I ve brought
o ,
’

h ome f you my d li t ”
or ar n .
,

And he put his hand in his pocket to get the purse b ut

1 02 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN
E D .

lo ! there was nothing there except a rough grey stone ,

And from that hour to this h i s wife believes that he dreamed

the whole sto y as he lay under the hay ri ck on his y
r -
, wa

h ome from a carouse with the b oys .

H owever Father M G th got the parish and Shaw

,
’
ra ,
n

t ook good care to tell h i m how he had spoken p boldly u

f h i m to the Pope f R ome and made his H oliness write

or o ,

t h letter to the B i shop about him And Father M G h ’

e . rat

was a nice gentleman and he smiled and told Shawn h

,
e

thanked h i m k indly f his good word

or .
 T HE LE P R E HAU N .
’

T H E Le pre h au n s merry i ndustri ous tricksy little spri t

are , , es ,

w h do all the hoemake r s Work and th t ilor s and the

o s
’
e a
’

cobble s f the fairy gentry d are often s en at sunset

’
r or , an e

unde r the hedge singing and stitching They kno all the
’'
. w

secrets f hidden treasure a d if they take a fancy to a

o , n

pers on w i ll guide him to th f p t i n the fairy rath here the

e s o w

pot f gold lies buried I t i s believed that a family

o .
'

no w

living near Castlerea cam e by the i r riches in strange way a ,

all through the g od o ffi c es f a fri endly L p h

o And
o e re au n .

the legend h been handed down through many genera

as

tions as an established fact .

There was a poor boy onc one f their forefathers who e, o ,

u sed to drive his cart f turf daily back and forward and
o ,

make what money he could by the sale ; but h as a e n

-

strange boy very silent and moody and the people said
. ,

he was a fairy changeling f he joined in no sports and

, or

scarcely ever s poke to any one but spent the nights read i ng ,

all the old bits f book h picked p inhis rambl s T h

o s e u e . e

o ne thing he longed f above all others a t get rich

or w s o ,

h
Le pre Li l B
au n . o r e h /:Arti f h B g
rog a n , m ean s t e san o t e ro u e.
1 04 AN I N L N IR LAN C E T E GE DS OF E D .

and to be able to g i ve up the old weary turf cart and live ,

in peace and quietness all alone with noth i ng but b ooks ,

round h i m in a beauti ful house and garden all b y h i msel f

, .

he had read in the old books h the L p h

No w ow e re au n s

kne all the secret places where gold lay hid d day by
w , an

day he watched f a i ght f the little cobbler and listened

or S o ,

f the click click f h i s hammer as h e sat under the hedge

or , o

mend i ng the shoes .

At last one even i ng just as the sun set he saw a l i ttle

, ,

fellow under a dock lea f working away dre sed all in green , , s ,

w i th a cock ed hat on h i s h d So the boy j umped down ea .

from the cart and seized h i m by the neck ,

you don t sti r from this he d t i ll y tell

,

’ ”
N “
ow , c rI e ,
“
ou

me where to find the h i dden gold .

”

E asy now said the L p h don t hurt m

“ ’
, e re au n , e,

an d I will tell y all about it But mind you I co uld

ou .
,

hurt you if I chose f I have the power ; but I won t d o

-

’
, or

it f we are cousins once removed So as we are near

, or .

relati s I ll just be good and show you the place f the

on
’
, o

secret go ld that none can have or keep except thos f fairy e o

blood and ra Come along with me then to the old

ce . , ,

fort f Lip there it lies But make haste f '

o h f ens aw , or .
, or

w hen th last red glo f the sun vanishes the gold will
e w o

d isappear also and you will never find it ga i n

, a .

Come ff then said th b y and he carried the

“
o , ,
”
e o ,

into the turf cart d drove ff And in a

i

L p h
e re au n
,
an o .

second they were at the ld fort a d ent in through a o ,

n w

door mad in the stone walle .

N “
look round sa i d the L p h
ow and the boy
,
”
e re au n ,

saw the whole ground covered w i th gold p i eces and there ,

 T HE LE PR E H AU N . I OS

w ere vessels f silver lyi ng about in such plenty that ll the

o a

r iches f all the world se med gathered there

o e .

N take what you want sa i d the L p h

ow ,
”
e re au n

but hasten f if that door shuts you w i ll never leave

, or

t his place as long as you live .

”

So the boy gathered up h i m f ll f gold and silver s a r s u o ,

an d flung them into the c rt and on h i s way back fa w as or

m ore when the door shut with a cl p l i ke thunder and all a ,

h place bec me dark as n i ght

t e And he saw no more f
a . o

the L p h and had not time even to thank him

e re au n , .

S he thought it best to drive home at once with his

o

t reasure and when he arrived and was all alone by himsel f

,

he counted his riches and ll the bright yellow gold pieces

,
a ,

e nough f a k i ng s ransom
or
’
.

And he was very wise and told no one but went f next o

d y to D ublin and put all h i treasures into the bank and

a s ,

found that he was now ind eed as rich as a lord .

So he ordered a fine house to be bu i lt with spacious

g ardens and he had servants and c rriages and books to
, a

his heart s content And he gathered all the wise men

’
.

round him to gi ve him the learning f a gentleman and he o

b ec me a great and powerful man in the country where his

a ,

m emory is sti l l held in h i g h honour and his descendants ,

are living to th i s day ri ch and prosperous ; f the i r wealth or

h
‘

decre ed though they have ever given largely to

as n e ve r as

t h poor and
e noted above all th i ngs f the fri endly
, are or

h eart and the l i beral hand .

1 06 L N AN I
I R LA
C E NT E GE DS o r E ND .

But the L p h can be bitterly malici ous if they

e re au n s are

o ffended and one should be very c utious i deal i ng w i th

, a n

them and always treat them with great c i v i lity or they w i l l

, ,

take revenge and ever reveal the secret f the hidden gold
n o ;

O day a young lad was t in the fields at work wh e

ne ou
’

h saw a little fellow

e t the height f his hand m end i n g
,
no o ,

shoes under a dock lea f And he went over never taking .

,

his eyes ff him f fear he would vanish away ; and whe

o or
'
n

he got quite close he made a g ab at the creature d §l if d r , an te

h im up and p ut him in his p ket oc .

Then he ran away h ome as fast as he could and h h , w en e

had h e L p h safe i n t h house he tied h i m by an i o

t e re au n e r n

c hain t the h b o o
'

N
“
tell me he said where m I to find a p t
ow , , a o

o f gold P L et me kno th e place or I ll pun i sh you w

’
.

I know f no pot f gold S id the L p h

o b o ,
!
a e re au n ut

let me go that I may finish m ending th shoes e .

!

Then I ll make you

“ ’
the lad .

A d with that he made down a g eat fire and put th

“

n . r e
,

l i ttle fellow on it d h d h im an . s co rc e .
.

Oh take m fl take me cried the L pr h

'
“
, e o , e e au n,

a d I ll tell you Just there under the dock lea f her

’
n .
, w e

y ou found m e there is a p t f gold Go d i g d o o . an

fi nd .
”
the l d was d light d d r t the door but i t
!
3 S? a e e ,
an . an o so

h appened that h i m oth er jus t then coming in with the

; s w as ,

pai l f fresh milk and in his h t h knocked the pail t f

o , as e
‘
e ou o

her hand and all the m i lk was spilled on the floor

, .

Then hen the mother saw the L p h she grew very

w e re au n

angry and beat h im Go away you little wretch ! h .

“
,
”
s e
 T HE LE P R E HAU N . 1 07
‘

cried You have overlooked the milk and brought ill

.
,

luck And she kicked him out f the house

.
o .

But the lad ran ff to find the dock lea f though he c me

o , a

back very sorrowful in the evening f he h d dug and dug , or a

n early do n to the middle f the earth but no pot f gold

w o o

was to be seen .

That same night the husband was coming home from h i s

work and as he passed th old fort he heard voices d

, e an

laughter d one sa i d , an

They are look i ng f a pot f gold ; but they l i ttle

“
or o

know that a crock f g old is lying down in th bottom f o e o

the old quarry hid under the stones close by the garden
,

wall But whoever gets it must go f d k night at twelv

. o a ar e

o clock and beware f bri ng i ng his w i fe with h i m

’
, o .

So the man hurri ed home and told h i s wi fe h would g e o

that very n i ght f i t was black dark and she must stay t
, or , a

home and watch f him and not stir from the house t i l l or ,

he came back Then he went out into the d ark n i ght alone
.

N “
thought the i fe when he was gone if I ould
ow ,
”
w , ,
“
C

only get to the quarry before h im I ould have the pot f '

w o

gold all to myself ; while if he gets it I shall have nothing .

”

And with that she went out nd r like the wind unti l
‘

a an

she reached the quarry and then she began to creep dow , n

very q u i etly in the blac k dark B a great stone was i . ut n

her path and she stumbled over it and fell down and dow
, , n

till she reached the bottom and there she lay groani g f ,
n , or

her leg broken by the fall w as .

Just then her husband came to the edge f the quarry o

and began to descend But hen he heard the groans h . w e

fr i ghtened .
ll’ o 8 AN I N L N IR LAN C E T E GE DS o r E D .

Cross f Chri st about o he exclaimed us ! ; w hat is that

down b elo ? Is it ev i l or i s i t good ?
-
w ,
”

“
come do n come do n and help me ! cried the
Oh , w ,
w
”

w oman It s your wife is here and my leg is broken and

.
“ ’
, ,

I ll d i e if you don t help m

’ ’
e .

And this my pot f gold ? excla i med th poor man

Is o
”
e .

Only my wi fe with a broke leg lying at the bottom f the n o

q uarry
”
.

And he was at his wits end to know what to do f the ’

, or

t h n i ght was so dark he could not see a hand be fore him

e .

So he roused up a neighbour d between them they , an .

d r gged up the poor woman and carr i ed her h ome and laid
.

a ,

her on her bed hal f dead from fright and it was many a day ,

before she was able to get about as usual indeed she

l imped ll her li fe long so that the people said the curse
a ,

o f th e L p h was on her
e re au n .

B as to the pot f gold from that day to th i s not one

ut o ,

o f the family father or son or any belongi ng to them ever

, , , ,

se t eyes on it H o ever the l i ttle L p h

. sti ll sits
w , e re au n

u nder the doc k leaf ft h hedge and laughs at them as he

o e ,

m ends the shoes w i th his little hammer— tick tack tick t ck , a

they are a fraid to touch h i m f they know he , o r no w

'

c an take h i s revenge
.
.
T HE LE GE N D S o r T H E W E S T E R N .

I S LA N D S .

I Nthe islands ff the West Coast f I l d th inhabit nt

o o re an
'

e a s .

are still ve y primitive in their habits and cling to their old

r ,

supersti tions w i th a fanatic l fervour that m kes it dangerous

a a .

f orany one to transgress or d i sreg rd the old customs a ,

usages and prejudices f the i slanders

. o .

Curses heavy and deep would fall on the head f the o

unbelieving stra ger who dared to laugh or mock at the

n

old traditions f the ancient pagan creed whose dogma are

o , s

still regarded with a mysterious awe and dread and held ,

s cred as a revelation from heaven

a .

The chief islands are A an and I i m the l tter r nn s o re, a

about ine miles long The cattle live on the fine g ass
n . r

f the rocks d turf is brought from the mai nland fl h

‘
o , an . e

views are magnificent f sea and mountai and th isla ds

o n, e n .

contain a greate umber f pagan and early Christian

r n o

m onuments tha could be found in the same rea in

n y a an

other part f E urop e

o .

Some f the D
o forts inclu d e several acres
u ns or Th . e

walls are cyclopean about s i xteen feet th ick d from

, an
 lI I O AN I N L N IR LAN C E T E GE DS O F E D .

eighteen to twenty feet h igh with steps inside leading ,

to

the top Amongst the m onuments are cromlechs tumuli and

.
, ,

jpil l stones those earl i est memorials set up by human i ty

ar ,
.

The Irish called these huge stones B t/ml or H ouse f o , o

God as the H ebrews called them Bethel or God s house

-
, ,
’
.

D E g t h greatest b arbaric monument f the k i nd

un [ n u s, e o

i n existence stands a cliff three hundred feet above the

, on

sea It is a hundred and forty two feet in diameter and

.
-
,

h two cyclopean wall s fi fteen feet thick and eighteen h i gh

as
'

The sea front measures a thousand feet and several acres ,

are included w i th i n the outer wall The roo f f the dun . o

is formed of large fl g stones and the d oor ay slopes a fter

‘

a -
, w ,

the E gyptian fashion up to three feet in width at the t p , o .

A causeway f sharp uprig ht stones jammed into the o ,

g round leads to the entrance .

This fort was the great and last stronghold f the Firbolg '
o

a , arid they long held it as a re fuge against the T t/

r ce wa I a

m invaders who at that time conquered and took

'

dé b e an a z ,

p ossessio n f Irelan d o .

All the islands were orig i nally peopled by the Firbolg

race many centuries befo e the Chri sti an era and the Iris h r ,

languag e as st i ll spoken b y the people is the purest and

, ,

m ost a i t f all the d i alects f E rin

r n c en Afterwards so
o o .

many C hristian saints took up their abode there that the

l arges t f the isla nds was called A
o m/ ( Aran f the ra n a n ao - -
I o

Saints ) and numerous remains f churches cells crosses

, o , ,

d s to e roo fed orator i es w i th the ruins f a round tower

‘

an n -

, o

testi fy to the long hab i tation f the islands by these holy

,

m en
Th ere is an o ld wooden idol on one ~ o f th e Ac hil islands
 L N E GE W RN I LA
DS O F T H E E ST E S N DS . I I I

c alled Father M l h — probably a corr ption f Moloch

o os u o .

In fo mer times o fferings and sacrifices were made to it

r ,

an d i t was esteemed as the gua dian or god f the sacred r o

fire and held i n great reverence though but a rude

, ,

s emblance f a human head Many miracles also ere

o . w

performed by the tooth f St Patrick, which fell from o .

the saint s mouth one day when he was teaching the

’

a lphabet to the conver s And a shrine was a fter ards

n ew t . w

made f the tooth that was held i n the greatest honour

or

b y the k i ngs ch i e fs and people f Ireland

, , o .

The stupendous barbari c monuments f the i slands o , ac

c ording to Iri s h anti quari ans fl the best expositio f , o er n o

e a ly m il itary ar h i tecture at pres ent kn wn and are only

r c o ,

e qualled by m f hose in Greece There are also ma y

so
‘
e o t . n

s acred wells and the whole reg i on i s haunted b y strange

, ,

w i ld superst iti ons f fairi es and demons and w i tches ; legends

o

f i lled w i th a we i rd and mystic poetry that thr i ll h l t e so u

'

l i ke strain f mus i c from spiri t ei

a o mi g to us fro m v c es c o n

t h f
e ff elder
ar o-
orld The follo wing patheti c tale i
w . s a

g ood spec i men f these ancient i s land legends

o
 T HE BR S D E AT H S O N G
’
I DE -
.

ON a lone i sland by the West Coast there dwelt an l d o

fisherman and his daughter and the man had power ove
, r

the water spiri ts and he taught his daughter the ch rms

,
a

that b i nd them to obey .

O day a boat was dri ven on the hore and in it was a

ne S ,

young handsome gentleman h al f dead from the cold and

,

the wet The old fisherman brought him home and revived
.

him and E i leen the daught r nursed and watched h i m

,
e .

N aturally the t young p eople soon fell in love and th

wo , e

gentleman told the girl he had a beaut i ful house h on t e

mainland ready f her w i th pl enty f everything she coul d

or ,
o

desire— silks to wear d gold to pend So they er

an S . w e

b etrothed and the weddi ng day was fixed But Dermot

, .
,

the lover said he must first cross to h mainland and b ri ng

, t e

back h i s fri ends and relations to the wedd i ng as many as ,

.

the boat would hold .

E ileen wept and prayed him not to leave or at least t , o

take her to steer the boat f she kne there , or dange w w as r

coming and she alone could have power over the ev i l

,

spi rits and over the waves and the winds But she dared .

not tell the secret f the spell to Dermot or i t would fa i l

o ,

and the charm be useless f ever fter or a .

 T HE BRI DE S DE
’
A H ON
T -
S G . II 3

D m er ot however only laughed at her fears f the d y

, , , or a

w as bright and clear d he scorned all thought f danger , an o .

So he put ff from the shore and reached the m i nla d

o , a n

sa fely and filled the boat wi th his fri ends to ret rn to the
, u

i sland f the wedding All went well till they were w i thi n
or .

sight f the island when suddenly a fierce gust f wind

o , o

drove the boat a rock and it on upset and all h ,

w as , w o

were in it perished .

E i leen heard the cry f the drow i ng men as she stood o n

watching on the be ch but could give no help And she a , .

was sore grieved f her lover and sang a funeral wail for ,
or

him in Irish which is sti ll preserved by the people Then

,
.

she lay down and died and the old man her father dis , , ,

appeared And from that day no one has ever ventured

.

to live on the i sland f i t is haunted by the pi it f E i leen

, or S r o .

And the mou n ful mus i c f her wail i s still heard in h

r o t e

n i ghts when the winds are strong and the waves beat upo n

the rocks where the drowned men lay dead .

The words f the song are very plaintive and simple and
o ,

m y be translated l i terally
a

I vi g i d wid m r f m l v ow ou n or y o er

h lip
a r n an a

N v m r wi l l h k i m
.

e er o e e ss e on t e s ;
Th ld w v i hi b id l b d
e co a e s s r a e

ld w i h i ddi g hr d
,

Th e co av e s s w e n s ou

0 l v my l gh t m i h b t
.

o h d
e, b o ve , a y o u ro u e n t e oa

M y i it d m p l
sp r ld h v d f m h rm
an y s el s w o u a e save ro a

m p w g v
.

F or o d i d
e r w as s tro n o er w av es an w n
y
ld h f d
,

f il me
A d pi i th e
n s r ts o ev w ou ave e are

0l l Ig m
.

o ve , my h
o ve , o to ee t yo u in eave n .

will k G d l m y f
I to et e s ee o ur ace .

g l gi v m b k m y
as o

f h f ir
I t e a an e s e e ac l o ve r,
Iil l w h Alm ig h y
no t H i th
e n vy t e t on s ro ne.

VOL . I .
 T HE C H I L D S D R E AM ’
.

T HE island f Inni s Sark (Shark Island) was a holy and

o -

peaceful place in old times ; and quiet that the pigeons so

used to ome and build in a great cave by the sea and

c ,
no

o ne d i t bed them
'
s ur And the holy saints f God had a
. o

monastery there to wh i ch many people resorted from the

,
.

mainland f the prayers f the monks were powerful

, or o

against sickness or ev il or the malice f an enemy , o .

Amongst others there came a great and noble pr i nce

, o ut

o f Munster w i th his wi fe and children and their nurse and

,

they were so pleased with the i sland that they remained a

year or more ; f the prince loved fishing and Often
or ,

b rought h i s wi fe along wi th him .

O neday wh i le they were both away the eldest ch i ld

, , , a

beauti ful boy f ten years old begged his nurse to let h im
o ,

go and see the pigeon s cave but she refused ’

, .

“
Your father would b angry she cried if you went e ,
”
,
“

without leave Wait till he comes home and see if he will

.
,

allow you .
”

So when the prince returned the boy told h i m how h , e

longed to see th e cave and the father promised to bring ,

h im next day .
 HIL R A I5 T HE C DS D
’
E M . I

The mo ing was beauti ful and the wind fa i r when they
rn

t
se ffo But the child soon fell a leep i n the boat and
. s ,

ever wakened all the time h i s father was fishing The

n .

leep however was troubled and many a t i me he st rted

s , , , a

and cried aloud S the prince thought it better to tur

. o n

t h boat and land and then the boy awoke

e ,
.

After dinner the fathe c lled f the child Tell me r a or .

,

n ow,
”
he sa i d why was your sleep troubled so that y
, , ou

cri ed out b i tterly in your dream .

”

I dreamed said the boy that I stood upon a h i gh

“
, ,
“

rock and at the bottom flowed the sea but the waves made
, ,

no noise ; and I looked down I saw fields and trees d

as an

beauti ful flowers and bright birds in the branches and I ,

il g d t go down and pluck the flowers

on e o Then I he rd . a a

v oice saying Blessed are the so ls that come here f

, ,
‘
u , or

t
1 h i s i s heaven .
’

And i an i nstant I thought I was in the m i dst f

“
n o
“

the meadow amongst the b i rds and the flowers ; and

s a

l ovely lady bright as an angel came up to m and said

, , e, ,

What brings you here dear hild ; f none but the

‘
, C or

dead come here .

’

Then she left me and I wept f her going ; when

“
,
or

suddenly all the sky grew black and a great troup f , o

w ild wolves c me round me howling d p i g the i r

a , an o en n

mouths wide as if t devour me And I screamed and o .

,

tried t run but I could not move and the wolves came
o , ,

closer and I fell down like one dead with fri ght when
, , ,

just then the beaut i ful lady came agai n and took my hand
, ,

and kissed me .

F ar not she said take these flower they come

e ,
’
,
‘
s,
 H 6 AN I N L N C E T E GE D S OF IR LAN
E D .

rom heaven And I will b ring y t the m eado

f . ou o w

where they grow .

’

A d she l i fted me up into the air but I know nothin g

“
n ,

m ore ; f then the boat stopped and y li fted me on

or ou

shore but my beautiful flowers must have f all en from my

,

hands f I never saw them m ore And th is i s all my

, or .

dream ; but I would like t have my flowers again f o , or

the lady told m they had the secret that would bring m
e e

to heaven .
”

The prince though t m ore f the child s dream but no o

’
,

went ff to fish next day as usual leavi g the boy in th

o , n e

care f his nurse And again the ch i ld begged and prayed

o .

her so ear estly t bring him to the pigeon s cave that at

n o
’
,

last she consented but told him he must not go a step by

h i mself and she would br i ng two f the boys f the i sland
, o o

to take care f him o .

So they set ff the ch i ld and h i little sister with th

o , s e

n urse And the boy gathered wild flowers f his sister

. or ,

and ran down t the edge f the c ve where the cormorant

o o a s

were swimming but t here was no danger f the t young , or wo

islanders were mind i ng him .

So the nurse was content and being we ry she fell , a

'

asleep And the little s i ster lay down beside her and fell
.

sleep l ikewise
,

a .

Then the boy called to his compan i ons the t young , wo

slanders and told them he must catch the cormo ants S

, r . o

away they ran down the path to the sea hand in hand and
, , ,

laughing as they went Just then a piece f rock loosened .

o

and fell bes i de them and trying to avo i d i t they slipped ,

o ver th edge f the narrow path down a steep place where

e o
,
 H I L R AM T HE 7 C DS D
’
E . rr

t here was nothing to hold on by except a large bush i n the ,

m i ddle f the wayo They got hold f this and thought

. o ,

t hey were quite safe but the bush was not st ong
no w , r

enough t bear their weight and it was torn up by the

o ,

r oots A d all three fell straight down into the sea and were
. n

d rowned .

N
ow, at the sound f the great cry that c me up from the o a

waves the nurse awoke but saw no one Then she woke
, , .

p the l i ttle sister It i s late she cried they must have ” “

u .
, ,

g one home We have slept too long it is already evening

.
,

let us h asten and overt ke them be fore the prince is back a ,

f rom the fishing .

”

But when they reached home the prince stood in the

d oorway And he was very pale and weeping
.
, .

Where is my brother cri ed the little gi rl

You w i ll never see your b roth er more answered the ,

p rince And from that day he never went fishing any more
.
,

but g ew s i lent and thoughtful and

r never seen to , w as

s m i le And in a short ti me he and his f mlly quitted the

. a

i sland never to return

, .

But the nurse rem ined A d some say she became a a . n

s a i nt f she was lways seen praying and weepi ng by the

, or a

e ntrance to the g eat sea c ve And one day when they

r a .
,

c ame to look f her she lay dead on the rocks And i n

or , .

her hand she held some beauti ful strange flowers freshly
g athered wit h th dew ,
them And no e kne h on . o ne w ow

the flowers came into her dead hand Onl y some fishermen .

t old the story f h the n ight be fore they had seen a

o ow

bri ght fairy child seated on the rocks singing ; and he had
a red sash t i ed round h i s waist and a golden c i rclet bi nding ,
1 18 AN I N
C E T L E GE N DS OF IR LAN
E D .

h i s lo g yellow hair And they all knew that he was th

n . e

prince s son who had been d

’
, d i that spot just a
ro w n e n

twelvemonth before And the people believed that he

'

brought the fl owers from the spirit—lan d t the woman d

o ,
an

g i ven them to her as a death sign and a b lessed token from

,

G d that her soul would be taken to heaven

o .
 T H E FA I R Y C HI L D .

AN ancient woman living at Innis Sari s id that i n her -

: a

youth she kne a young woman h had been married f

w w o or

five ye rs but had children And her husband was a

a , no .

rough rude fellow d used to taunt her and beat her o fte
, , an
‘

n,

because she was childless But i n course f time it c me to . o a

pass that a man child born to her ; and h e was b auti ful
-
w as e

to loo k on as an angel from heaven And the father so . w as

proud f the child that h o ften stayed at home t rock Zthe

o e o

cradle and help his w i fe at the work

, .

O day however as he rocked the cradle the child

ne , , ,
'

looked up suddenly at him and l t there was a great bea d , o r

on its face Then the father cried out to his wi fe

.

“
This is not a child but a demon ! You have put an ,

evil spell on him .

”

And he struck her and beat her worse than ever he had
done in his l ife be fore so that she screamed aloud f help
, or .

O this the place grew quite dark and thunde rolled over
n , r

their heads and the door fl wide open with a great crash
,
ew ,

and i n alked two stra ge women w i th red caps on the i r

w n ,

heads and stout sticks in the i r h d And they rushed an s . at

 1 20 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN
E D .

the man and held his arms while the other beat him till
, o ne

he was nearly de d a .

We are the avengers they said ; look on us and ,

” “

tremble f if you ever b eat your w i fe again we will come

or ,

and k i ll you Kneel do n now and ask her pardon

. w ,
.

And when the poor wretch did so all trembling with ,

fright they vanished away

,
.

No“
said the man when they were gone this house
w,
”
, ,
“

i no fit place f
s me I ll leave i t f ever
or .
’
or .
”

So he went h i s way and troubl ed h i s wi fe no more ,

.

Then the child sat up in the cradle .

N mother says he since that man has gone I ll

o w, ,
”
, ,
’

tell you wh t y are to do There i s a holy well near this

a ou .

that y have never seen but y w i ll know it by the bunch

ou , ou

o f green rushes that g ows over the mouth G there and r . o

stoop down and cry out aloud three times and an old ,

woman will come up and whatever you want she will g ive i t ,

to y Only tell
o u. f the well f the woma no o ne o or o n, o r

evil will come f it o .

”

S the mother promised and went to the well and cried

o , ,

o ut three times and an old woman came up and sa i d ,

Woman why do st thou call me ?

,
’

And the poor mother was afraid and answered all ,

t rembling
The ch i ld sent me and I pray thee t do me good and , o ,

not evil .
”

Come dow then with me into the well sai d the

“
n, , ,

w oman and have no fear

,
“
.

So the mother held out her hand and the other drew ,

her down a flight f stone ste ps and then they came t o , o a

 T HE F AIRY H I L C D . I 2!

m sa sive clo d door and the ld woman unlocked it d

se , o an

bade her enter But the mother was a fraid d wept

.
, an .
”

E nter said the other and fear nothing For thi is

”
, , . s

t h gat e f the ki ng s p lace and you w i ll see the queen f

’
e o a , o

the fairies herself f it is her son you are nursing ; d the

, or an

k ing her husband i with her on his golden throne And

, , s .

have no fear only k questions and do s they order

, as no , a .
”

Then they entered into a beauti ful hall and the floor was ,

o f marble and the walls were f sol i d gold and a gre t

, o , a

l i ght shon over everything so th t the eye could hardly

e , a s

s ee f the light
or The they pa sed on into nother room
. n s a ,

and at the end f it on a golden throne sat the king f the

o , , o

fai ies
r H . very handsome and beside him sat his
e w as ,

q ueen fair ,d beauti ful t look u p on ll clad in s ilver

an o , a .

“
Th i s madam is the nurse f your son the young prince
, , o , ,

s aid the old woman .

The queen smiled and bade the nurse to sit down and , ,

a sked her h h c me to kno f the place

ow s e a w o .

My it is who told her said the king looking very

so n ,
”
,

a ngry .

But the queen soothed him and turn i ng to one f her , o

l adies sa i d
,

“
Bring here the other ch i ld .

Then the l dy brought in an in f nt and pl ced hi m in th

a a ,
a e

a rms f the mother

o .

Take him sai d the queen he is your own child that

,
”
, ,

we c rri ed away f he was so beauti ful ; and the boy y

a , or ou

h ave at home is mine l ittle l fi h imp Still I want him ,

a e s .
,

b ack and I have

,
nt a m to bring him here ; and yse an ou

may take your lo ely child home in safety f the fai ry

o wn v , or
1 22 A NC E IN L N T E GE DS O F IR LAN
E D .

blessi ngs are him f good A d the m that beat y on or . n an ou

was not your own husband at all but our messenger that , ,

we sent to change the ch i ldren So go back and y . no w , ou

will find your own true husband at home in your own place,
watching and waiting f you by day and by night or .
”

With that the door opened d the man who had beate , an n

her came in and the mother trembled and was a fraid .

But the man laughed and told her not t fear but t eat ,
o , o

what was set before her and then to go in peace , .

So they brought her to another hall where was a tabl , e

covered with golden d i shes and beauti ful flowers and d , re

wi e in crystal cups
n .

E t they said this feast has been prepa ed f you

“ ” “
a , r or .

As to us we cannot touch it f the food has been sprinkled

, , or

w i th salt .
”

So she ate and drank f the red w i ne and never i n ll

, o , a

her l i fe were so many things set before her that were lovely
and good So as was right and proper after dinner
.
‘

, , w as

over she stood up and folded her hands together t giv

. , o e

God thanks But they stopped her and dre her down
.
, w .

H ush they sa i d that name is t to b e named ,

“
n o

h ere .

Th ere an angry murmur m the hall But just then

w as .

b eau i fu l music was h eard and inging l i ke the singing f

t , s o

pri ests and the poor m other was so enchanted that she fell
,

h fa as one dead And when she came to hersel f i

’ '

on er ce .
t
was noonday and she was standing by the door f her
, o o wn

house And her husband came b t and took her by the

. u

hand and brought her in And there was her child mor
, . ;
, e

beauti ful than ever as handsome as a young prince , .

 AIRY H I L THE F C D
. 1 23

Where have you been all th i s while ? asked the

husband .

It is only an hour since I went away to l ook f my , or

ch i ld that the fairies stole from me she answered

, ,
”
.

“
An h l said the h usband ; you have been three
o ur
”

years away w i th your ch i ld ! And when you were gone a ,

poor sickly thi g w laid in the cradle— not as big as a

n as

m ushroom and I knew well it was a fairy changeling

, But .

it happened that one day a tailor c me by d stopped

so , a ,
an

to rest ; and when he looked hard at the child the gly ,

u

misshapen th i g sat p quite straight in the cradle and c lled

n u , a

o ut

Come
“ ‘
what are you looking at ? Give m four
no w, e

straws to play with .

’

And the tailor gave him the straws And when he g t . o

them the ch i ld played and played such sweet music on them

,

as if they were pipes that all the chairs and tables began
,
to

dance ; and when he grew tired he fell back in the cradl ,

e

and dropped asleep .

N said the ta i lor that child is not right ; but I ll

o w,
’
,
‘ ’

tell you what to do Make down a great fire to begin wi th

. .
!

So we made the fire Then the ta i lor shut the door .

,

and li fted the unlucky little wretch out f the cradle d o , an

sat it on the fire And sooner had the flames caught

. no

it than it shrieked aloud and flew up the chimney d

,
an

disappeared And when everything was burned that belonged

.

to it I knew you would come back to me wi th our own fi

,
ne

boy And now let us name the name f God and mak
.
o . e

the sign f the Cross over h i m and i ll luck will never aga i
o ,
n

fall on our house— more f ever ”

no or .
l 24 AN C I E NT L N E GE IR L AN
DS o r
: E D.

S the man and his wi fe lived happily fro m that day forth
o ,

an d the child grew u p and prospered and was beaut i fu l t

,
o

l ook at and happy in h i li fe ; f

s the fairy blessings were
or

on h i m f health wealth and prosperity even th queen

o , , , as e

o f the fairies had p romised to th mothere .

 T HE Do om .

TH R was a young man f I i m

E E amed Jame o nn s o re, n s

Ly n an , noted through all the island f h i beauty d or s an

strength Never a . could beat him at hu ti g o ne n n or

wre tling and he

s , beside th best d ncer in the whole
w as , s, e a

townland But he bold and reckless and ever foremos t

. w as ,

in ll the wi ld wicked doings f the young fellows f the

a o o

p lace .

O day he happened t be in chap el a fter

ne f thes o o ne o e

m d freak
a d th p riest denou ced h im by name fro m
s , an e n .

the alta r.
“
James Ly he aid remember my words ; y will
n an,
”
s , ou .

come to an ill end The vengeance f God will fall on . o .

you f your wicked li fe ; and by the power that is in me I

or

d enounce y as an evil liver d a limb f Sat and

ou an o an , .

accursed f all good men o .

The young m tur ed p le and fell on his knees before

an n a ,

all the people crying t bitterly Have mercy have mercy ou , ,

I re pent I repent and h wept like a woman

, ,
!
e .

G now in p eace id the p riest d strive t lea d

“ ” “
o , sa , an o a

n ew li fe and I ll p ray t God to save your soul

,
’
o .
”
 t a6 AN I N C E T LE GE N DS OF IR LAN
E D .

From that day forth James Ly changed his ways H n an . e

g ave up dri nk i ng and never a drop f spirits crossed his

,
o

l i ps And he began to attend to his farm and his b us i ness

. ,

in place f being at all the mad revels and dances and fairs
o

d wakes in the island

an Soon a fter he married a nice .

girl a rich farmer s d aughter from the mainland and they

,
’
, ,

h d four fine children and all things prospered with

a ,

But the pri est s words never left h i s mind and he would
’
,

s uddenly turn pale and a sh i vering would come over h i m

w hen the memory f the curse came upon him Still he
o .

prospered and his life was a model f sobriety and

,
o

o rder .

O day he and h i s wife and their ch i ldren were asked t

ne o

t h wedd i ng f a fr i end about four m i les H; and James

e o O

Ly rode to the place the fam i ly going o their own car

n an , n .

At the wedding he was the li fe f the party as he al ays o w

w as ; but never a drop f drink touched his lips When o .

e ven i ng came on t h family set out f the return home

, e or

just as they had set out ; the wife and ch i ldren on the ca r,

James Ly riding his own horse But when the wi fe

n an .

arrived at home she found her husband s horse standing at

,
’

t h gate r i derless and qu i te st i ll

e They thought he might .

have fallen i n a faint and went back to search ; when he ,

was found down i a hollow not five perches fro m his

n o wn

g ate ly i ng qu i te i nsens i ble and his features distorted fr i g ht

,

f ully as if seized while looking on some horrible v i sion

,

They carried him i n but he never spoke A doctor was

.

, .

s ent f who opened a vein but no blood came Th ere

-

o r, .
,
.
.

h elay like a log speechless as one dead Amongst th

, .
e
 OO 7 THE D M . 12

c rowd that gathered round was an old woman accounted

'
“

v ery wise by the people ’

Send f th fairy doctor she said he is struck

“
or e ,
” “
.

S th y se t ff a boy on the fastest ho se f the fai y

'

o e n o r or r

H coul d t com e himsel f but he filled a bottl

'

m
“ '
-
an . e no , e

w ith a potion Th n h said .

'

e e
’

R ide f your li fe ; give him some f this to drink and

“
or o

s prinkle his face and h ds also with it B t take c re an . u a as

y oupass the lone bush on the round hill near the hollow ,

f the fairies are there and w i ll h i nder you if they can and
or ,

s trive to break the bottle .

”

Then the fairy man blew i nto the mouth and the eyes and
t h nostrils f the horse and turned h im round three times
e o ,

o n the road and rubbed the dust ff h i s hoo fs o .

N “
go he sai d to the boy ; go and never look
ow ,
” “

b ehind you no matter what you hear , .

So the boy went like the w i d having placed the bottle n ,

s afely in his pocket ; and when he c me to the lone bush a

th ehorse s tarted and gave such a jum p that the bottle

n early fell but the boy c ught it in time and held it sa fe and
,
a

r ode on Then he heard a luttering f feet behind him as f

. c o , o

men in pursuit ; but he never turned or looked f he kne , or w

i t was the fairies who were after him And shrill voices cried .

to him R ide fast ride fast f the spel l i s ca t ! Still he

, , , or s
!

n ever turned round but rode on and never let go his hold , ,

f the fairy d raught till he stopped at his master s door

’
o d , an

handed the potion to the poor sorrowing wife And she .

g ave f it toothe sick m to drink and sprinkled his face an ,

and hands a fter which he fell i nto a deep sleep But when
,
.

h woke u p though he knew every one round him the

e ,
a ,
1 28 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS o r IR LAN
E D.

power of S peech was gone from him ; and from that tim e

to his death which happened soo fter he never uttered

, n a ,
‘

word more .

S the doom f the priest was f l fill d —evil was his youth
o o u e

and evil was his fate and so row and death found him t
,
r a .

l t f th doom f the priest i as the wo d f G d

as , or e o s r o o .
 T HE C LE A R I N G f R OM GU I LT .

To prove innocence f a crime a certain ancient form i s o

gone through which the people look on with great awe

, ,

and call it emphatic lly The Clearing It is a fe ful a .

”
ar

ordeal and instances are known f men who have died f

, o o

fear and trembling from h av i ng pa sed through the te rors s r

o f the trial eve n if innocent And it is equally terri ble

, .

f the accuser as well

or the accused as .

O a certain day fixed f the ordeal the accused goes t

n or o

the churchyard and ca ries away a skull Then w apped in r .

, r

a white sh et and beari ng the skull i his hand he proceed

e , n , s

t the house
o f the accuser where g eat c owd h
o , a r r as as

sembled f the news f A Clearing s preads like wild

or o

fire and all the p eople gather together as witnesses f the

, o

ceremony There before the house f hi accuser he

.
, o s ,

k neels down o his ba e knees makes the sign f th c oss

n r , o e r

on his face ki s es th k ll and prays f some time in

, s e
'

s u , or

silence the people als o wait i n silence filled with awe d , an

dread t knowing what the result may be Then the

, no .

accuser pale and trembling comes forward d stands

, , an

beside the kneeling man ; and with plifted hand adjures U

h im to speak the truth O whi ch the accused st i ll . n ,

VOL . I. I O
1 30 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN E D
.

kneeling and holding the skull in his hand utters the most ,

fearful i mprecat i on known in the Ir i sh language ; almost as

terri ble as that curse f the D ruids h i ch i s so a ful
o , w w

that it never yet was put into E nglish words The .

accused prays that if he fail to speak the truth all the sins f o

the man whose skull he holds may be laid upon his soul ,

and all the s i ns f his fore fathers back to Adam and

o ,

all the punishment due to them f the evil f their lives or o ,

and all their weakness and sorro both f body and w o

soul be laid on h im both in th i s l i fe and i n the i f to e

come f evermore But if the accuser has accused falsely

or .

and out f mal i ce then may all the evi l rest on his head
o ,

through th i s l i fe f ever and may his soul perish ever

or ,

lastingly .

It would be impossible to describe adequately the awe

w i th wh i ch the assem bled people listen to these terri ble
w ords and the dread ful silence f the crowd as they wa i t
,
o

to see the result I f nothing happens the man rises fro m

.

h i s knees a fter an inter al d is pronounced innocent by

v ,
an

th e judgment f the people and no word is ever again

o ,

uttered against him nor i s he shunned or slighted by the

,

neighbour But the accuser is looked on with fear and

s .

d i sli k e ; he i s considered unlucky and seeing that h i s li fe i s

,

o ften made so miserable by the coldness and susp i cion f o

the people many would rather fl wrong than force the

, su
'

er

accused person to undergo so terrible a tri al as The “

Clearing .
 T H E HO L Y W E LL AN D T H E

MU R DE R E R .

T I E I Well St Brendan in H igh Isl nd h great

of .
, a , as

vi tue but the miraculous power f the water is lost should

r , o

a thief a murd erer drink f it N a cr el murde

or o . ow u r

had bee co mmitted on the mainland and the priest

n ,

n oticed the people that if the murderer tried to conceal

lh im l f i n the island no one should harbour him or g i ve
se

h im food or drink It happened at that time there was a

.

woman f the island afflicted with pains in her limbs and

o ,

s h went t the H oly Well to make the stations and say

e o

th prayers and so get cured But m ny a day passed

e , . a

an d still she got no better though she went round and ,

r ound the wel l on her knees and recited the paters and ,

aves as she was told .

The she went t the priest and told h im the story

n o ,

an d he p erceive d at once that the well had been polluted

by the touch f some one who had co mmitted a crime So
o .

h ebade the woman bring h im a bottle f the water and o ,

s h d i d as he desired
e Then having received the water
. , ,

h epoured it t d breathed on it three times in the

ou , an
1 32 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN
E D .

name of the Trinity ; when lo ! the water turned int ,

o

b lood .

“
ere i s the ev i l cried the priest A murderer h
H ,
. as

washed h i s hands in the well .

H then ordered her to make a fire in a circle which h

e ,
s e

did and he pronounced some words over i t ; and a mist

,
:

rose up with the form f a spirit in the m idst holding

-
.
o ,
a

m an by the arm .

“
B ehold the murderer said the spirit ; and when th ,
e

woman looked on him she shri eked

“
It is my son l my son and she fa i nted .

For the year befor her had gone t live on the main e so n o !

l and and there unknown to his mother he had committed

, , ,

the dread ful murder f h i ch the vengeance f God lay or w O

on h i m And when she came to herself the sp i ri t f th

.

. o e

m rderer was still there

u .

Oh my Lord ! let him go let h i m go

, she cried ,

You retched woman answered the priest H

w . ow

dare you interpose between G d and vengeance Th i s i o . s

but the shadowy form f your son but before night h o e

shall be in h hands f the law and justi ce shall be done

t e O , .
!

Then the forms and the mist melted away and the woma , n

dep ted i tea s d not long after she died f a broke

ar n; r , an o n

heart But the well from that time regained all it

.
s;

m i raculous powers and the fa me f its cures spread f

, d O ar an

w i de through all the i lands s .

 L G E N DS
E or i NNl S -
SA R K .

o:

A W O M AN S C U R S E ’
.

TH R was a woman f the isl nd f Innis Sa k who

E E o a o -
r w as

determined t take revenge on a man bec u e he called

o a s

her by an evil name So she went to the Saint Well

. s
’
,

and kneeling down she took some f the water and poured
, , o

it on the ground in the name f the devi l saying So o , ,

“

m y my enemy be poured out like water and lie helpless

a ,

o n the arth l The she went round th ell backwards

e
”
n e w

o n her knee and at each st ti on she ca t a stone i

s, a s n

the name f the devil and said S m y the curse fall

o , ,
! O a

o n h i m and the power f the devil crush h im ! After

,
o
”

this she returned home .

N the ne x t morning there was a stiff breeze and some

ow ,

o f the men were a fraid to go out fi hing ; but others sa i d s

they would try their luck and a mongst the m was the man
,

on whom the curse rested But they had not gone f from
. ar

l and whe the boat was capsized by a he vy squall The

n , a .

fishermen however saved themselves by swimming t

, , o

s hore ; all excep t the man on whom th curse rested d e , an

1 34 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN
E D .

he sank like lead t the bottom and the waves covered

o ,

h i m and he was drowned

,
.

When the woman heard f the fate that had b efallen h o er

enemy she ran to the beach and clapped her hands w i th

,

joy and exulted And as she stood there laughing w i th

.

strange d horrid mirth the corp se f the m h

an ,
o an s e

had cursed slowly rose up from the sea and came d ri ftin g ,

towards her till i t lay almost at her very feet O this h . n s e

stooped down to feast her eyes on the s i ght f the dead o

m when suddenly a strong storm f w i nd screamed pas

an , o t;

her and hurled her from the po i nt f rock where she stood
,
o .

And when the people ran in all haste t help no trace f o , O

her body could be seen The woman and the corpse f

. O

the man she had cursed d i sappeared together under the

waves and were never seen again fro m that time forth
, .

Another woman i Shark Island was considered t

n o

have an evil influence over any one she d i sl iked O . ne

day a man called her a devil s hag i n his anger T h ' ’

. e

w oman answered noth i ng b ut that night she went to

, a

H oly Well near the place and kneeling down invoked , , a

curse i n the name f the dev i l Then she went round the
o .

well three times backward on her knees and each tim , e

t hrew a stone i n the name f the dev i l say i ng S m y o , ,

“
O a

the curse fall on his head 1 Then she returned home and ”
,

told the people to wait f three days and they would

or , s ee

her words had power During this t i me the man afra i d

.
w as

to go out in his boat because f the curse But on th o . e

th i rd day as he was walking by the cli ff he fell and brok e

 L E GE N DS OF I NN l S S -
ARK . 1 35

his leg And then every one kne that the woman had the
.
w

witch secret f evil and she was held i n much fear

-
o , .

The most fl ti way f neutralizing the evil influence

e
'

ec ve o

is to spit the object and say God bless it ! B t

on ,
“
u

another must do it at your request and someti mes people ,

re fuse fearing to anger the fairies by interfering wi th their

,

work whether f good or evil But the islanders have

, or .

such faith in the a ointing with spittle that they wi ll o ften

n .

sol i cit a passing stranger to spit on the fll i t d person a c e .

Indeed a stranger i s considered to have more power than

,

a ne ighbour .

A woman who kept a small day school had reason to -

think that her son a fine lad f twelve years old was , o ,

bewitched f when he had eaten up the whole dish f

, or o

st i rabout at supper he a ked f more And she sai d , s or .

“
My son you h d enough f three men G to your
, a or . O

bed and sleep .

”

But next morning he was worse and more ravenous f , or

he ate up all the bread that his mother had m d fO the a e

'

scholars just she took it from the oven and not a single
as ,

cake was left Then she k new that witchcraft was on the
.

boy and she stood by the door to watch f a stranger At

,
or .

last one came by and she cried to h i m ,

Come i n come i n f the love f God and sp i t on the

, , or o ,

face f my son l
”
o
“
Wh y should I sp i t on your son 0 woman ? he ,

answered and he fled a ay f he though t she was mad w , or .

Then she sent f the priest and h i s reverence poured

or ,
I 36 AN I N L N IR LAN
C E T E GE D S OF E D
.

holy water over him and la i d his hands upon his head wh i le
,

he prayed S after a t i me the power f the witchc a ft

. O, , o r

was broken and the boy was restored to h i s ight m i nd

,
r .

The islanders bel i eve also that angels are const ntly a

present amongst them and all blessed things— the a i n and

, r ,

the d and the green crops — ome from their power ;

ew , c

but the fairies often bring sickness and will do malicious ,

tricks and lame a horse or ste l the milk and butter if they
, , a ,

have been fl d d or deprived f th i r rights

o
'

en e o e .

There are cert in days on wh i ch it i s not right to speak f

a o

the fairies These days are Wednesdays and Fri days f then
. , or

they are present though inv i sible and can hear everything , ,

an d lay their plans as to what they wi ll carry ff O o . n

Friday especially the i r power f ev i l is very strong and or ,

misfortunes are dreaded i n the household Therefore .

, on

that day the children and c ttle are str i ctly watched ; a a

lighted wisp f straw is turned round the baby s head and

o
’
,

a quenched coal is set under the cradle and under the

c hurn And if the horses are restive in the stable then
.
,

the people know the fairi es are ridi ng on thei r backs So

they spit three ti mes at the animal when the fairi es scamper
.

o ff . Th i s cure by the saliva is the most anc i ent f all o

superstiti ons and the i slanders sti ll have the greatest faith
,

in its mysterious power and fli y e cac .

At I i b fli the fa i ries hold a splend i d court w i th

nn s o n
,

revelry and danci ng when the moon i s full ; and i t i s very

,
 L N INNI ARKE GE DS O F
37 S S
-
. 1

d angerous f young girls to be out at that time f they

or
, or

will ass redly be car ied ff And if they once hear the
u r o .

fa i ry mus i c or drink f the fairy w i ne they w i ll never be

'

o ,

the same again— fate is on them and before the year is

a ,

ou t they will either disappear or die

, .

And the fairies are always on the watch f the handsome or

girls child re ; f they look on mortals f much higher

or n or as o

race than themselves And they are also glad to h ve the

. a

fine young men the sons f m ortal wome to a sist them

, o n, s

in thei r wars with each other ; f there are two parti es or

amongst the fairy spiri ts one a gentle race that loves mu ic , s

and danci ng the other that has Obt i ned power from the
, a

devil and is al ays tryi ng to work evil

, w .

A young man lay down to sleep one Friday even i ng i n

s ummer under a hay rick and the fairies must have carried
-
,

him ff as he slept ; f when he woke he found h i mself i n

o or

a great hall where a m be f l i ttle men were at work—

, nu r o
'
4

some spinning some mak ing shoes some making spears

, ,

an d arro heads w -
t f fi h bones and l f stones ; but all
ou o s -
e -

busy laughing d singing with m uch glee and merri ment

an .

w hile the little p ipers played the merriest tunes .

The an ld man who sat in the corner came over and

n o ,

looking very angry told him he must not s i t there idle ;

,

there were friends coming to dinner and he must go down ,

and help in the kitchen So he drove the poor young .

fello be fore him down i nto a great vaulted place where

w , a

huge fire was burning and a large pot was set over i t , .

N said the old m prepare the dinner There

ow,
!
an ,
“
.

i the l d h g we are go ing to eat

”
s O a .

And true enough to his horror on look ing round there

, , ,
1 38 AN I N L N
C E T E GE D S OF IR LA
E ND .

was an old woman hung up by the arms and old m ,

an an

skinn i ng her .

“
N make haste and let the water bo i l said the l d
ow ,
O

man ; don t you see the pot on the fire and I am nearl y
“ ’
,

ready f you to begin The company w i ll soon be here

or .
,

and there is no t i me to lose f this l d hag ill take or o w

a good wh i le to bo i l Cut her up into little bits and thro

,

.
,
w

her i nto the pot .

H owever the young fellow was so frightened that h

,
e

fell down on the floor speechless and could neither mov ,

e

hand nor foot .

“
Get up y fool said another ld m who seemed
, ou ,
”
o an ,

to be the head over all ; and he laughed at him D .

“
o

your work and ever m i nd ; this does not hurt her a bit
n .

When she was there above in the world she was a i k d w c e

mis r hard to the world and cruel and bitter in her word
e , ,
s

and works ; so we have her here and her soul w i l l

no w ,

never rest i n peace because we shall cut up the b ody in

,

l i ttle bits and the soul will t be able to find it b ut wande

, no , r

about in the dark to all eternity without a b ody .

”

Then the young man knew no more till he found h i msel f

in a beauti ful hall, where a banquet was laid out ; but i , n

place f the ld hag the table was covered i th fru i t and

o O , w ,

C hickens and young turkeys and butter and cakes fres h

, , ,

from the oven and crystal cups f br i ght red wine

, o .

N ow sit down and eat said the prince h sat at th

“ ”
, , w o e

top on a throne with a red sash round his waist and a gol d
, ,

band on his head Sit do n with this pleasant compan y

. w

an d eat with us ; you are welcome .

”

And there were many beauti ful ladies seated round d , an

 L E GE N D S OF INNI ARK S S
-
. 139

grand noblemen ith red c p s and sashes ; and they ll

, w a a

smiled at him and bade h i m eat .

N o, said the young man I cannot eat i th y

!
w ou,

f
or I see no priest here to bless the food L t me go in . e .

peace .
”

N t at least till you ta te our wine sai d the prince with

o s , .

a friendly smile .

And one f the beauti ful ladies rose p and filled a crystal
O u l

cup with the b ight red wi ne and gave i t h i m And when

r , . .

he saw i t the s i ght f it tempted him and he could not help

, O ,

h i msel f but drank it all ff without stopping ; f it seemed

, o or

to him the most delicious draught he ever had i n h i s whole

l i fe
.

But no sooner had he la i d do n th glass than a noise w e .

like thunder shook the building and all the l i ghts went out ,

and he found h i msel f alone in the dark night lying under

the very same hay rick where he had cast himself down t
-
o

sleep t i red after his work So he made h i s way h ome at

, .

last but the taste f the fairy wine burned i n his ve i ns d

o , an

a fever was him night and day f another d raught d

on or an

he did no good but pined away seeking the fairy mansion

, , ,

though he never found it any m ore And so he died i n his .

youth a warning to all who eat f the fairy food or dri k

, o , n

f the fa i ry w i ne ; f ever more w i ll they know peace

or n or
'

content or be fit f their work as in the d ays before th

, or ,
e

fa i ry spell was on them which brings doom and death to ll ,

a

w h fall under the fatal enchantment f its unholy p ower

o o .
 LE QE NDS OF T HE D EAD IN T HE

VVE S T E R N i S LANDS .

I VI I E Nyoung people die either men or women who wer

, , e

remarkable f b eauty it is supposed that they are carried

or ,

o ff by the fairies to the fairy mansions under the earth where ,

t hey live i n splendid palaces and are wedded to fa i ry queens

or pri nces But sometimes if their kindred g eatly desire t

.
, r o

s ee them they are allowed to v i sit the ea th though

, r , no

e nchantment has yet been d i sco ered powerful enough t

v o

c ompel them to rema i n or resume again the mortal li fe .

S metimes when the fishermen are out they meet a

o

strange boat filled with people ; and when they look on

t hem they know that they are the dead who have been
carried ff by the fai ries with their wiles and enchantments
o

to dwell in the fairy palaces .

O neday a man was out fishing but caught noth i ng ; and

,

w as just turning home i despair at h i s ill luck when he

n -

s uddenly saw a boat with three persons in it and it seemed

to h i m that they were h i s comrades the very men who
,

just a year before had b een drowned i n that spot but ,

whose bod i es were never recovered and he knew that he

,
 L N E GE A
DS OF T H E W RN I LAN 4 DE D I N T HE ESTE S DS . 1 1

looked upon the d ad But the men were friendly d e .

, an

c lled out to him

a

Cast yo r l i ne as we direct and you will have luck

u , .
’

S he c st his line
O a they bade him and presently dre as , w

u p a fine fish .

N
“
cast again they said and ke p beside us d
o w, , ,
“
e , an

row to shore but d t look on us

, o no .
”

So he did as directed and hauled up fish a fter fish till

his boat was full d then he drew it up to th landing , an e

place .

N
“
they said ait and see that no one i s abou
o w, ,
“
w t

b efore you land .

”

S the man looked up and down the shore but saw no

O ,

o ne ; then he turned to land h i s fish when behold t h , , , e

men and the seco nd boat had vanished and he saw them '

, .

no more H owever he landed his fish with much joy d

.
, an

brought h m ll sa fely home though the w i se people said

t e
'

a ,

that if he had not turned away h i s head that time but kept , :

his eyes steadily on the men till he landed the ench ntmen t , a

would have been broke that held them in fai y la d d n r -

n , an

the de d would have been restored to the earthly li fe d

a , an

t the i r kindred in the island who mour ed f

o them n or .

I T HE D E AT H S G N .

A woman t one day looking a fter her sheep i

w as o u th n e

valley and co mi ng by a little stream she sat down to rest

, ,

w hen suddenly she seemed to hea the sound f low m i r o u s c,

and turning round she beheld at some d i st nce a crowd f a o

people dancing and making merry And she grew afraid .

 1 42 AN I N L N C E T E GE D S OF IR LAN
E D.

a nd turned her head away not t see them Then close o .

by her stood a young man pale and strange look i ng and , ,

h b eheld him w i th fear

s e .

Who are you ? she said at last ; and why d y

“ ”
o ou

tand bes i de me
s

Y “
ought to kno me he replied f I belong t
ou w ,
”
,
“
or o

this place ; but make haste now and come away or e il , v

ill befall you

w .
”

Th she stood up and was going a ay with h i m when

en w ,

the crowd le ft ff thei r dancing and ran towards them o

c rying
Come back come b k come back ! ac

D on t stop ; don t listen said the young m but ”

’ ’ “
, an ,

f ollow me .

Then they both began to run and on unti l they , ran

r eached a h i llock .

N we are safe sa i d he ; they c n t harm us here

ow ,
” “
a
’
.

And when they stopped he said to her again L ok me i , o n

‘

the face and say if you know me ? no w

”

N she answered you are a stranger to me

o,
”
, .

Look again he sa i d look me straight i the face

,
”
,
“
n

and you wi ll k now me

-

.
”

Then she look ed and knew ins antly that he was a man , t

who had b een dro ned the year before in the dark w i nter w

ime and the waves had never cast p his body on the
t , u

s hore And she threw up her arms and cried aloud

.

H ave you news f my child ? H ave you seen her my

“
o
,

fair haired girl that was stolen from me this day seven years
-

, .

W ill she m back to me ever no more ?

co e n

I have seen her said the man but she w i ll never ,

”
,
 L N E GE A
DS O F T H E W RN I LAN 43
DE D I N T HE EST E S DS . 1

c ome back never more f she has eate f the fairy food
, , or n o

an d must now stay w i th the spirits under the f she s e a, or

belongs to them body and soul But go home now f it .

, or

is late and evil is near you ; and perhaps you will meet her
,

sooner than you think .

”

Then as the woman turned her face homeward the man

'

d is ppeared and she

a him no more s aw .

When at last she reached the threshold f her house a o

fear and trembling came on her and she called to her husband ,

that some one stood in the doorway and she could not pass .

And with that she fell down on the threshold on her face ,

but spake no word more A d when they lifted her up she . n

was dead .

KAT H LE E N .

A young girl fro m Inn i s Sark had a lover a fine young -

,

fello h met his death by an accident to her great grie f

w, w o ,

an d sorrow .

O evening at sunset as she sat by the roadside yi g

ne ,
cr n

her eyes out a beauti ful lady c me by all i n h i te and

,
a w ,

t apped her on the cheek .

D on t cry Kathleen she said your lover is safe

’ ” “
.
, , ,

Just take this r i ng f herbs d look through it and y

o an ou

will see him H is with a grand company and wears

. e , a

golden circlet on his head and a scarlet sash round h i s

waist .
”

S Kathleen took the ring f h erbs and looked through

O o

it and there indeed was her lover in the midst f a great o

ompany danc i ng on the h ill ; and he was very pale but

,

c ,
1 44 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS to r IR LAN
E D .

handsomer than ever with the gold circlet round h i s head

, ,

as if they had m ade him a pri nce .

N said the lady here is a larger ring f herbs

o w, ,
“
o .

Take i t and whenever you want t see your lover pluck a

, o ,

lea f from it and burn it and a great smoke will arise and y ,
ou

will fall into a trance ; and i n the trance your lover w i ll ca ry r

you away to the fairy rath and there y may dance all night , ou

with him on the greensward But say no prayer and make .

,

no sign f the cross while th smoke is ri sing or your love

o e ,
r

will disappear f ever or .

F om that time a great ch nge c me over Kathleen

r a . a .

She said prayer and cared f

no priest and never mad
, o r no , e

the sign f the cross but every ight shut herself up i h

o ,
n n er

room and burned a lea f f the ri ng f herbs as she had

,
o O

b een told and when the smoke arose she fell into a deep
sleep and knew no more But i n th e mor ing she told her . n

p opl that though she seemed t be lying in her bed

e e , o ,

she was f away with the fairies the hill d cing wi th

ar on an

her lover And she was very happy in her

. li fe and n ew ,

wanted no priest nor prayer nor m s any more and all as ,

the dead were there dancing with the rest all the peopl , e

she had known and they welcomed her and gave her win e

t drink i n l i ttle crystal cups and told her she m ust soon
o ,

come and stay ith them d with her lover f evermore

w an or .

N ow K athleen s m other was a good honest religiou

’
, , s

woman d she fretted much over her daughter s strang

, an ’
e

state f h knew the girl had been fa i ry struck S she

, or s
'

e -
. O

determined to watch ; and night when Kath leen went On e

to her bed as usual all alone by hersel f in the room f h , or s e

w ould allow one to be ith h the moth r crept p

no w er, e u
 L NE GE A W RN I LAN 45
DS OF T H E D E D I N T HE ES T E S DS . 1

and looked through a ch i nk in the door and then she saw ,

Kathleen take the round ri ng f herbs from a secret place O

in the press and pluck a leaf from it and bur it on which

’

n ,

a great smoke arose and the girl fell on her bed i n a deep
trance .

N ow the mother could no longer keep silence f she , or

s aw there devil s work in it and she fell on her knees

w as
’

and prayed aloud

O Mai mother send the evil spirit away from the
a, ,

child !
And she rushed i nto the room and made the s i gn f the O

cross over the sleep i ng g i rl when immediately Kathleen ,

started up and screamed

“
Mother ! mother ] the dead are coming f me They or .

are here they are here

And her features looked l i ke one in a fit: Then the
poor mother sent f the priest who came at once and
or , ,

thre holy water on the gi rl and said prayers over her ;

w ,

and he took the ring f herbs that lay beside her and o

cursed it f evermore and instantly it fell to powder and

or ,

lay l i ke grey ashes on the floor After this Kathleen gre . w

calmer and the evil spi it seemed to have le ft her but she
,
r ,

was too weak to move or to spea k or to utter a prayer and , ,

before the clock struck twelve that n i ght she lay dead .

N OV E M B E R E V E .

It is esteemed a very wrong thing amongst the i slanders

to be about on N ovember E mind i ng any bus i ness f ve , , or

the f iries have their flitting then and d not like to be

a , o

VOL . I . l l
I 46 AN I N LC E T E GE N DS OF I LAN D
R E .

een or watch ed ; and all the pi it m t meet them

'

S s r s co e o

an d h elp them But mortal people should keep at home or

.
,

they ill su ffer f i t ; f the souls f the dead have power

w or or o

over all things on that one night f the year ; d they o an

hold a festival with the fairi es and dri nk red wine from the ,

fa i ry cups and dance to fai y music till the moon goes

,
r

down .

There was a man f the v i llage who stayed out l ate one
o

N ovem b e E fish i g and never thought f the fa i ri es

r ve n , o

unt i l he saw a great number f danc i ng l i ghts and a crowd o ,

f people hurry i ng past with baskets and b ags and all

.

O ,

laughing and singing and making me ry as they went along r .

“
You are a merry set h id where are ye all ,
”
e
‘

sa ,
“

going ? to
“
We are go i ng to the fa i r sai d a l i ttle old man w i th ,

a cock ed h at and agold band rou d i t Come w i th us n .

“
,

H ugh K i n g and you will have the finest food

, d the finest an

d rink you ever set eyes upon ”

.

“
And just carry this basket f m said a li ttle red or e,

h a i red woman .

S H ugh took it and went with them till th ey came t

O , o

the fai r which was filled with a crowd f people he h d

, o a

never seen on the i sland in all h i s days And they danced .

and laughed and drank red w i ne from little cup And there s.

were p ipers and harpers and little cobblers m ending shoes

, ,

d all the most beaut i ful things in the world to eat and
,

an

d rink just as if they were i n a k i ng s palace

, But the ’
.

basket was very heavy and H ugh longed to drop i t th at

,

he m i ght go and dance with a l i ttle beauty with long yellow

,

h air that was laugh i ng up close to his face

, .
 L N E GE A WE T
DS O F T H E D E 47 D I N T HE S E R N I S LAN DS . I

Well here put d own the ba ket said the red h ired
, s ,
-
a

woman f you are qu i te tired I see ; and she took it

,
“
or ,
”

and opened the cover d out came a little ld man the , an o ,

ugliest most m i h p li tl i mp that could be i magi ned

, ss a en
'

t e .

Ah thank you H ugh said the imp quite politely ;

“
, , ,
”
,

you have c rried me icely ; f I am weak on the limbs

a n or

indeed I have nothing to speak f in the way f legs but o o :

I ll pay you well my fine fellow ; hold out your two hands
’
, ,

and the l i ttle i mp poured down gold and gold and gold
into them bri ght golden g ineas N go sa i d he
, u . ow , ,

and dri nk my health and mak e yourself q u i te pleasant , ,

and don t be a fraid f anything y

’
and hearo o u s ee .
”

S they all le ft him except the m

O with the cocked hat
, an .

and the red sash round his waist .

Wa i t here now a bit says he f Fi the king ,

!
, or n v arra , ;

i s com i ng and his wife to see the fai r

, ,
.
”

As he spoke the sound f a horn was h eard and up

, o ,

drove a coach and four white horses d out f it stepped , an o

a gran d g ave gentleman all in black and a beauti ful lady

, r

with a silver veil over her face .

H ere is Finvarra h i msel f and the queen sa i d the little ,

O l d man ; but H ugh ready to d i e f fright when w as o

Fi nvarra a ked s

What brought this man here ?

And the ki ng frowned and looked so black that H ugh nearly
fell to the g ound w i th fear r Then they all laughed and .
,

laughed so loud th t everyth i ng seemed shak i ng d tum b ling

a an

down from the laughter And the dancers c me up and . a ,

they all danced round H ugh and tried to take h i s hand , s

to make h i m dance with them .

I 48 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN
E D .

Do you kno who these people are and the men and
w

women who are danc i ng round you ? asked the old man ”
.

Look well have you ever seen them before

,

And when H ugh looked he saw a gi rl that had died the

year before then another and another f h i s friends that
,
o

he knew had died long ago ; and then he saw that all the
d ancers men women and girls were the dead in the i r
, , , ,

long white shrouds And he tried to escape from them

, .
,

b ut could not f they coiled round him and danced and

, or ,

laughed and sei zed h i s arms and tri ed to draw him into the
,

dance and thei r laugh seemed to pierce through his bra i n

,

and kill him And he fell down be fore them there l i ke

.
,

o ne fa i nt from sleep and knew no more till he found

,

h i mself next morning lying w i thin the old stone circle by

the fa i ry rath on the h i ll Still it w all true that he had
. as

been with the fairi es ; no one could deny it f his arms , or

were all black with the touch f the hands f the dead the o o ,

ti me they h d tried to dra him into the dance ; but t

a w no

o ne bit f all the red gold wh i ch the little i mp had given

o ,

h i m could he find in h i s pocket N t

, single golden . o o ne

pi ece it was all gone f evermore or .

And H ugh went sadly to h i s home f he k e , or no w n w

that the spiri ts had mocked him and pun i shed him because
,

he troubled thei r rev ls on N ovember E —that one n i ght

e ve

o f all the year when th e dead leave the i r g raves andcan

dance in the moonlight on the hill and mort ls should stay , a

at home and never da e to look O them r n .

 L EGE N DS O F T H E D E A D I N T HE WES TE RN I LA
S N DS . I 49

AN C E OF T HE DE AD
T HE D .

It is especially dange ous to be out late on the last ight r n

o f N ovember f it is the closing scene f the revels —the

, or o

last night when the dead have leave t d nce on the hill o a

with the fairies and after that they must all go b k to their
, ac

graves and lie in the chill cold earth without music or wine ,

t i ll the next N ovember comes round when they all spring ,

up again in their shrouds and rush out into the moonlight

with mad l ughter a .

O N ovember night a woman f Shark Isl nd coming

ne , o a ,

h ome late at the hour f the dead gre tired and sat down o , w

to rest when p resently a young man came up and t lked to

, a

her .

Wait a bit he said and you will see the most beauti ful
,
”
,
“

danc i ng you ever looked on there by the side f the hill o .

”

And she looked at him steadily H was very p le d . e a , an

s eemed d sa .

Why are you sad ? she asked and p le as if so

”
,
“
as a

you were dead

L ook well at me he a swered D you not know
“ ”
,
n . O

me P
Yes I know you now she said
,
You are young , .
“

Brien that d rowned last ye

w as whe t fishing What ar n ou .

are you here f P or

Look he said at the side f the hill and you will see
,
”
, o

why I m he e a r .
”

And she looked and a g eat com pany danci g to

, saw r n

sweet music d amongst them were ll the dead who had

an a
 15 0 AN I N L N
C E T E GE D S OF IR LAN E D.

died as long as she could remember— men women and , ,

children all in white and their f ces were pale a s the moon
, , a

light .

N , Said the y ung m

ow f your l i fe ; f r if
o an , ru n or o

once the fairies bri ng you into the dance you will never be
bl t leave them any more
‘
”
a e o .

But while they were talk ing the fairi es came up and ,

danced round her i a c i rcle jo i ning thei r hands Ahd

n ,
.

s h e fell to the ground i n a fa i nt and knew no more t i ll ,

she woke up in the morn i ng i n her own bed at home .

And they all saw that her face was pale as the dead and .

th ey knew that she had got the fairy—stroke S the herb . O

doctor was sent f and every measure tri ed to save her

o r, ,

but without avail f just as the moon rose that n i ght soft
, or , ,

low mus i c was heard round the house and when they looked ,

at the woman she was dead .

It is a custom amongst the people when th owing away , r

water at n i gh t to cry out in loud vo i ce Tak e are f '

“
, a , c o

the water ; or literally from the Iri sh Away with yourself

, ,
“

from the water —f hey say the spirits f the dead last
or t o

buri ed are then wandering about and i t would be da gerous , n

if the water fell O th em n .

O dark wi nter s night a woman suddenly threw out a

ne
’

pail f bo i li ng water without thinking f the warning words

o o
‘

I nstantly a cry was heard a f a person i n pain but no

.

, s o
,

one was seen H owever the next night a black lamb

.
, en

t
«
d the h ouse having the back all fresh scalded and it lay
e re
,

down moaning by the hearth and died Then t hey all knew
.

.
 L N
E GE A
DS O F T H E D E W RN I LAN 5
D I N T HE E STE S DS . 1 1

th i s was the spirit that had been scalded by the woman .

And they carried the de d lamb out reverently and buri ed

a ,

it deep in the earth Yet every n i ght at the same hour it

.

walked again into the house and lay down and moaned and
died And a fter th i s had happened many ti mes the pri est
.
,

w as sent f and finally by the strength f h i s exorcism

o r, , o ,

the spirit f the dead was laid to rest and the black lamb
o ,

appeared no more Nei ther was the body f the dead lamb
. o

found i n the grave when they searched f i t though i t had

or ,

been laid by their own h nds deep i n the earth and covered
a

with the clay .

Be fore an accident happens to a boat or a death by ,

drowning l music i s o ften heard as if under the water

, ow , ,

along w i th harmonious lamentations and then every one i n

,

h boat knows that some young man or b eaut i ful young g i rl

t e

i s wanted by the fairi es and i s doomed to die The b est

'

,
.

sa feguard is to have music and s i nging in the boat f the , or

fairies are enamoured f the mortal voices and music

so O

that they forget to weave the spell till the fatal moment h as

passed and then all in the boat are safe from harm
,
.
 S U PE R ST IT I O NS C O NC E R N IN G T HE

D E AD .

MANY strange spells are effected by the means f a o

dead man s hand— h i fly to produce butter in the churn

’
c e .

The m i l k i s st i rred round n i ne ti mes with the dead hand ,

the operator cryi ng aloud all the t i me Gather ! gather ! ,

“

gather ! Wh i le a secret form f words i s used wh i ch

”
o

none b h i nitiated know

u t t e .

Another use is to facil i tate robberies I f a candle is .

placed in a dead hand neither w i nd nor water can ext i ng i sh

, u

i t A d if carried i nto a house th inmates w i ll sleep the

. n e

sleep f the dead as long as i t remains under the roo f and

o ,

no power on earth can wake them wh i le the dead hand

holds the candle .

For a mystic charm one f the strongest known i s the

, o

hand f an unbaptized in fant fresh taken from th grave in

O e

the name f the E vil O

o n e.

A dead hand i s esteemed also a certain cure f most or

d i seases and many a t i me sick people have been b rought to

,
 S U PE R I I ON ON RNIN
ST T S C CE G T HE DE AD . 15 3

a house where a corp e l y th at the hand s a of the dead might

be laid on them .

The souls f the dead who may happen to die abroad

o

greatly desire to rest i n Ireland And the relations deem it .

their duty to bring back the body to be laid in Irish earth .

But even then the dead will not rest peaceably unless laid
with their forefathers and their own people and not amongst ,

strangers .

A young girl happened to die f a fever while away on a o

visit to some friends and her father thought it safer

, no t

to bring her home but to h ave her buried i n the nearest

,

churchyard H owever a f nights after h i s return home

.
, ew ,

h was awakened by a m ourn ful w il at the window and a

e a ,

voice cried I am alone I am alone ; I am alone !

,
“ ”

Then the poor father knew well what it meant and he ,

prayed in the name f God that the spiri t f his dead child
O o

m ight rest in peace until the morning And when the day .

broke he arose and set ff to the strange burial ground and

o ,

there he drew the fli from the earth and had it c rried

co n ,
a

all the way b ck from Cork to Mayo ; and after he had laid
a

the dead in the old graveyard beside his people and h i s

kindred the sp i rit f h i s child had rest and the mourn ful
, o ,

cry was no more heard in the ight n .

The corner f a sheet that has wrapped a corpse is a cure

o

f
or headache if tied round the head .

The ends f candles used at wakes are f great fli y in

o o e cac

curi g burns
n .
15 4 AN I N L N
C E T E GE D S OF IR LAN
E D .

A piece f the linen wrap t ken from a corpse wi ll c ure

o a .

the swelli ng f a limb i f ti ed round the part a ffected

o .

It is v ery dangerous at night to turn rou d if you fancy n

steps are following you f it is the dead who are out then or ,

and their glance would kill .

It is believed that the spiri t f the dead last buried has to o

watch in the churchyard until another orpse is laid there C

or has to perform menial Offi ces i n the spirit world such as ,

carrying wood and water unt i l the next sp i rit comes from,

earth They are also sent on messages to earth ch i efly to

.
,

announce the coming death f some relat i ve and at th i s o ,

they are glad f then their t i me f peace and rest i ll

, or o w

come at last
“

any one tumbles at a grave it is a b d omen ; but if

If s a

h falls d to ches the clay he will ass redly die be fore the
“

e an u , u

year is out .

Any one meet i ng a funeral must turn back and walk at

least four steps with the mourners
0

relati ve touches the hand a corpse it w i ll

’

I f th e n eares t Of

u ter a wi ld cry if not qu i te dead

t .

Twel fth N ight the dead walk and on every tile f the
On , o

house a soul is s i tting waiting f your prayers to take it out

, or

f purgatory
o .

There are many strange supersti tions in the western

 R I ION O N RNIN
S U PE ST T S C CE A
G T H E DE55 D. I

islands f Connemara At n i ght the dead

o . be heard ca n

laughing w i th the fa i ri es and spi nn i ng the flax O g i rl . ne

d eclared that she d i st i nctly heard her dead mother s vo i ce

‘

sing i ng a mourn ful Irish a i r away down i n the heart f the o

hill But a fter a year and a day the voices cease

.
, an d the
dead are gone f ever or .

It is a custom in the West when a corpse is carried to the

grave f the bearers to stop hal f way wh i le the nearest
or ,

relatives bu i ld up a small monument f loose stones and no

o ,

hand would ever dare to touch or d i sturb th i s monument

while the world lasts .

When the grave is dug a cross is made f two spades and

,
o ,

the coffi is carri ed round it three times be fore being placed

n

in the clay Then the prayers f the dead are said all the
. or ,

people kneeling with uncovered head .

 T HE F AT AL LO V E C HA R M -
.

O .
o .

A O N love charm used by women i s pi ece f sk i n

P TE T -
a o

taken from th arm f a corpse and tied the p erson while

e o on

sleeping whose love is sought The skin is then removed .

after some time and carefully put away before the sleeper
,

awa kes or has any consciousness f the transaction A d o . n

as long as it rema i ns i n the woman s possess i on the love f ’

o

her lover w i ll be uncha ged O the strip f sk i n i s placed

n . r o

under the head to dream on in the name f the E vil O , o n e,

when the future husband will appear in the dream .

A young girl who was servant in the large and handsome

house f a ri ch family tried this cha m f f think i ng she
o r or un,

would dream f one f her fellow servants and next morn i ng

o o -

her mistress asked the res lt u .

T h th ma am she answered there never was such a

’ “
ro , , ,

fool i sh trick f it was f the master himsel f I was dream i ng

, or O

all n i ght and f no one else

,
”
, o .

S
OOI I after the lady died and the g i rl rememberi ng her
, ,

dream watched her opportunity to tie a piece f skin taken

, o

from a corpse recently buried round the m f her m aster ar o

wh i le he sle pt A fter this he became violently in love with

.
 T HE A AL LOV H AR
F T E C -
M . 1 57

the girl though she

, exceedingly ugly and with i n the
w as ,

year he married her h i love all the while rem i ning fervent
, s a

and unchanged .

But exactly one year and a day a fter her marri ge her a

bedroom took fire by ac i dent and the stri p f sk i n which

c , o ,

she had kept carefully h i dden in her wardrobe burnt , w as ,

along with all her grand wedding clothes Immediately the-

.

magic charm broken and the hatred f the gentleman

w as , o

f
or his low born wife bec me stro g as the love he had
-
a as n

once felt f her or .

In her rage and grie f at finding nothing but coldness and

i nsult she confessed the whole story and in consequence
, , ,

the horror she inspired amongst the people so great w as

that no one wo ld serve her with food or drink or sit near

u ,

her or hold any intercourse with her ; and she d i ed m i ser

,

ably and half mad before the second year was out— warn a

m g and a terror to l l who work spells i n the name f the

a o

E vil O ne.
 T HE F E N I AN KN I G HT S .

AL N E GE D OF T HE W E ST .

‘
0:

TH R is a fort near the Kill i in Conn emara called

E E er es

Lim K a- a ra”.O day the powerful hie f that lived there

ne C

inv i ted the great Fi onn Ma Coul w i th his son Oscar and a
-

band f Fenian kn i ghts to a great banquet But when the

o , .

guests arrived th ey fou nd no cha i rs prepared f them only or ,

rough benches f wood placed round the table

o .

So Oscar and h i s father would take no place but stood ,

watching f they suspected treachery The knights how

, or .
,

ever fearing nothing sat down to the feast but were instantly
, , ,

fixed to the benches so firmly by magic that they could ,

neither rise nor move .

Then Fi h began to ch ew his thumb from which he

on ,

always derived knowledge f the future and b y his m agic

o ,

power he saw clearly a great and terrible warrior rid i ng

fiercely towards the fort and Fi knew that nless he
, o na u

could be stopped be fore crossing a certain ford they must ,

all die f they had been brought to Li na Keeran Only t

, or s -
o

be slain by their treacherous host ; and unles the warrior s

 T HE FE NIAN KNI H G TS . 15 9

w as
'

and his bl d p i k l d on the Fenian knights

k ill e d f
'

oo
'

s rn e
'

they must remain fixed on the wood en benches f ever or .

f

8 Oscar f the L ion heart h d f th to the encounter

’ '
0 o ru s e or .

And he flung h i spear at the mighty horsema and they

.
s n,

fought desperately till the setting f the sun Then at la s t o .

O sc r t iumphed victory was his d he cut fl the h e d

a r an o f a

o f his dvers ry and carried it on his s p ear l l blee d ing to

a a , a -

the fort where he let the blood drop down upon the Fenian
,
'

knights that were transfixed by magic O thi s they at once . n

sprang up free and scathele s all except one f on h im s , , or un

happ ily no blood had fallen and so he remained fixed to the

,

bench H i om panions tried to drag him p by main force

. s c u ,

but as they did the skin f his thigh so left on the o s

'

w as

bench d he like to die

, an w as .

Then they killed a sheep and wrapped the fleece round ,

him warm from the animal to heal h i m So he was cured .

,

but ever a fter strange to relate seven stone f wool were

, , o

annuall y shom from his body as long as he lived .

The mann r in which Fi onn learned the mystery f b

e o o

taining wisdom from h i s thum b was in this wise .

It happened one time when he was quite a youth that he

.

was taken prisoner by a yed giant who at first was

o n e- e ,

going to kill him but then he changed h i mind and sent

,
s

h im to the kitchen to mind the d inner N here was a . ow t

great and splendid s l mon broiling on the fire and the giant
a ,

said
Watch that salmon till it is done but if a single blister
rise on the skin you shall be k illed .
”
 1 60 AN I N L N C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN
E D
.

Then the gi ant thre himsel f down to sleep while waiting

w

f the dinner
or .

S F i onn watched the salmon w i th all h i s eyes but to his

O ,

hh rro r saw a b l i ster ri s i ng on the beaut i ful silver s ki n f the o

fish and in h i s fright and eagerness b pressed his thumb

,
e

down on it to flatten it ; then the pain f the burn being great o ,

he cla pped the thumb into his mouth and kep t it there t suck o

out the fi When he drew it b ck however he found t his

re . a , , , o

surpri se that he had a knowledge f all that was going t

, o o

happen to him and a clear sense f what he ought to do

, o .

And it came into h i s m i nd that if he put out the g iant s eye '

w i th an i ron rod heated in the fire he Could escape from the ,

monster S he heated the rod and wh i le the giant slept

. O ,

he plunged i t into h i s eye and before the horrid being , re

covered from the shock Fionn escaped and was soon b ack , ,

sa fe amongst h i s people the Fenian kn i ghts ; d ever

o wn , an

after in moments f great peril and dou b t when he put his

o ,

thumb into his mouth and sucked i t the vision f the future , o

came on h i m and he could foresee clearly whatever danger

,

lay in his path and h to avoid it But it was only in

, ow .

such extre me moments f peri l that the mystic power o w as

granted to him And thus he was enabled to save h i s

.

own li fe and the l i ves f his chosen Feni n guard when all
o a

hope seemed well nigh gone -

.
 K AT HL I N I S LAN D .

TH R is an old ruin called Bruce s Castle on the i sland

E E
'
,

and the legend runs that Bruce and h i s chief warriors l i e in

an enchanted slee p in a c ve f th e k on which stands tha o ro c e

the c stle and that day they w i l l rise u p and unite the
a , o ne

island to Scotland .

The entrance to this is is i ble only once in seven

cav e v

years A man who happened to be travelling by at th time

. e

discovered it and entering in he found hi mself ll at once i n

, a

the midst f the heavy handed warrior H l k ed d

o -
s. e oo
‘

own

and saw a abre half unsheathed in the earth at his feet and
. s ,

on h i s attempting to d aw it every man f the sleepe s li fted

r o r

u p h i s h e d and put his hand on his sword The man b e i ng

a .

much alarmed fled from the cave but he heard voi es c ll , c a

ing fi ercely after him U gh ! gh l Wh y could we not

-

“
: u

be left t slee p ? And they clanged their words on the

o
”
s

ground with a terrible noise and then all was still and the , ,

gate f the c ve c losed w i th a mighty sound like a clap f

o a o

thunde r.

VO L . I .
 T HE S T R AN G E GU E S T S
-
o

A O ANY f strangers came one day to R th l i island and

C MP o a n

the people distrusted them but pretended to be friendly

, ,

and invited them to a feast mean i ng to put an end t them

, o

all when they c me unarmed to the festi val and the drink
a ,

flowed freely S the strangers came but each man as he

. O ,

sat down dre his kn i fe and stuck i t i n the ta b le before him

w

ere he began to eat When the islanders saw the i r g ests

. u

so well prepared they were a fraid and the feast passed ff

, o

quietly .

The next morning early the strangers sailed away ,

before y one was aware on the island ; but th table

an on e

w here each guest had sat a piece f silver was found cover
, o

i ng the hole made by the knife So the islanders rejoiced

,

.
,

and determined never again to plot evil ag inst the yf a wa ar

ing guests but to be k i nd and hosp i table t all wanderers o

for the sake f the H oly Mother h had sent them to the
o , w o

i sland to bri ng good luck to the people But they never .

saw the strangers more .

The islanders have great faith i n the power f the V irgin o

Mary f , Lord H imself told St Bridget that H i mothe

or o ur . s r
 THE ST RAN GE Gu E S T s . l 63

h ad a throne in h eaven near own ; and whatever she

asked f God it was granted especi lly if it was any
o ,
a

g ace or favour f
r or the Iri sh people b ecause H hel d
,
e

them in great esteem on account f their piety and good

o

w orks
 T HE D E AD S O L D I E R .

T R is an i sland in the Shannon and if a merma i d i

HE E ,
s

seen s i tting on the rocks in the sunshine the people know ,

that a cri me has been committed somewhere near ; f or

she never appears but to an ounce i ll luck and she has

n -
,
a

spi te against mortals and rejoices at thei r mis fortunes

, .

O neday a young fisherman was drawn by the curren t

towards the i sland d he came on a lo g streak f red

, an n o

blood and had to sail his boat through it till he reached

,

the rocks where the mermaid was seated and then the boat
went round and round as i n a whirlpool and sank down at ,

last u der the waves

n .

St i ll he d i d not lose consciousness H looked round . e

and saw that he was in a beauti ful country w i th tall plants ,

growi g all over i t and the merma i d came and sang sweetly
n

to him and Offered h i m wine to drink but he would t

, , no

taste it f it was red l ike blood Then he looked down

, or .
,

and to h i s horror he saw a sold i er lying on the floor i th w

his throat cut and all round h i m was a pool f blood d o , an

h remembered
e more t i ll he found h i msel f aga i n in his
no

bo t dri fting agai st a h rri cane and suddenly he

a n u , w as
 T H E DE A D s o LD I E R . 1 65

d ashed upon a rock where his friends who were in search f

, o

h im found h i m and c rried him home

, a There he he rd a . a

strange th i ng a sold i er a deserter from the Athlone B

: ,
ar

r acks be i ng pursued had cut h i s throat and flung h i mself

,

over the bri dge into the river ; and this the very man w as

the young fisher had seen lying a corpse in the mermaid s ’

c ave After this he had no peace

. mf t til l he went
'

o r eo or

t othe priest who exorc i sed h im and gaveh im absolution

,

an d then the wicked siren f the rocks troubled h i m no

o

m ore though she still haunts the islands f the Shannon and
,
o

t ries to lure victims t their death

o .
 T HE T H R E E GI f T s .

A R A noble looking man called

G E T, -
i ght at a cottage On e n ,

and told the woman that she must come away w i th h im

then and there on the instant f h i s wi fe wanted a nurs , or e

f
or h baby And so saying before she could answer
er . , ,

he s ung her up on his great black horse a pillion beh i nd

w on

him And she sat wondering at his tall shadowy form f

.
, , or

she could see the moonlight through him .

D not fear he said

o and harm will happ en to you
,
”
,
“
no .

O nly ask questi ons whatever happens and drink

no ine , no w

that may be Offered to you .

”

O reaching the palace she saw the most beauti ful ladie
n s

going ab out all covered i th jewels and she was led into a
w ,

cham b er hung with s i l k and gold and lace as fine as cob ,

webs and there on a b ed supported by crystal pillars lay the

mother lovely as an angel and her little baby bes i de her
, , .

And when the nurse had dressed the baby and handed i t
to the mother the lady sm i led and fl d her wine ; f
, o
'

ere or

then she sa i d you will never leave us and I would lov

,
”
, , e

to have you always near me .

”

But the woman refused though she was sorely tempted

,

by the beauti ful bright red w i ne .

 HR 67
T HE T
'
E E GI r rs . I

Well then sa i d the lord and master here are three

, , ,
“

gi fts and you may take them away in safety f no harm

, , or

w i ll come to you by them A purse never to be Opened .

, ,

b ut while you have it you will never want money a girdle

, ,

and whoso wears it will never be slain in battle ; and an

herb that has power to cure all disea es f seven gene s or

rations .
”

S the woman was put aga i n upon the horse with h

O er

three gi fts and reached her home safely Th en from

, .
,

curi osity the first thing she did was to open the purse and
, ,

behold there was nothing in it but some wild flowers O

, . n

see i ng this she was so angry that she flung away the herb
, ,

“
f or they were only m k i ng a fool f me she said and I
a o ,
”
,

don t believe one word f their stories But the husband

’
o .
!

took the belt and kept it safe and it went down in the ,

family from father to son ; and the last man h wore i w o t

was out i n all the troubles f 98 and fought i n every one f o

’
,
o

the battles but he never got hurt or wound H owever

,
.
,

a fter his death no one kne what bec m e f the belt ; i

,
w a o t

was never seen more .

A woman was arried fl one n ight to a fairy palace to

c o
’

attend one f the beauti ful fai ry lad i es who lay sick on her
O

golden bed And as she was go i ng in at the gate a man

.

whispered to her E t food and take no money from the

,
a no ,

fairies ; but ask what you like and it i ll be g anted So ”

w r .

when the fairy lady was well she bade the urse ask what ,
n

she pleased The woman answered I desire three thi g

. ,
n s

f
or my sons and the i r race —luck i n fish i ng luck in lear ing ,
n ,
1 68 NIN L N
A C E T E GE DS o r IR LAN
E D .

an d luck in things were g ranted—a d t n o

this day the family are th e ri hest the wisest and the lu k i est
c , , c

in the whole eighbo rhood They win at every game

n u . .

an d at very race but always by fair p lay and without

e ,
,

c heating d not th p riest h im lt can b at them at book

an e se e

learning A d y . n knows that the power comes t

e ver o ne o

t hem from the fairy gi ft though good luck come with it

‘

, s .

and t evil and all t h work f their hands has prospered

no e o

t hrough every generation since the day f the Thre o e;

Wi shes .
 T HE FA I R I E S AS
‘
FA L L E N AN GE L S

T HE islanders l i ke all th e Irish beli eve that the fairies are

, ,

the fallen angels h were c t down by the Lord God out

w o as

o f heaven f their sin f l pride

or And some fell in to the sea
u .
,

an d some on the dry land and some fell deep down into ,

h ell and th e devi l gives to these knowledge and power

, ,

and sends them on earth where they work much evil But .

the fairies f the earth and the sea are mostly gentle and
o

be uti ful creatures who w i ll do no harm if they are let alone

a , ,

an d allowed to dance on the fairy raths in the moonlight to

t heir sweet music undisturbed by the presence f
o wn , o

m ortals As a rule the people look on fire as the great

.
,

preservative against w i tchcraft f the devil has no power , or

e xcept in the dark S they put a live coal under the churn
. o ,

d they wave a lighted wisp f stra above the cow s head

’
an o w

i f the beast seems sickly But as to the pigs they t ke no

. , a

t rouble f they say the devi l has no longer any power

, or

o ver them When they light a c ndle they cross them

no w.
'
a

s elves bec use the evil spirits are then cleari g out f the
, a n o

house in fear f the light Fire and H oly w at r they hold

o . e

to be sacred and are powerful ; and the best s feguard

,
a

a ga i nst all things evil and the surest test i n ca e f sus

,
s o

p d witchcra ft
ec te .
 T HE FA I RY C HA N G E L I N G .

ONE even i ng a man was coming home late and he passed

, ,

a house where t o women stood by a m d talking

w w o w, .

“
I have left the dead h i ld i n the cradle as you bid m
C e,

said one woman and behold here is the other child tak
,
“
, e

i t and let me go and she laid down an infant on a shee t

by the windo who seemed in a secret sleep and it
w, ,
w as

d raped all i n white .

“
Wai t sai d the other till you have had some food
, ,
“
,

and then tak e it to the fa i ry queen as I promised i n plac, , e

o f the dead ch i ld that we h ave laid i n the cradle by the nurse .

Wait also till h moon ri ses and then you shall have h
t e , t e

payment wh i ch I prom i sed. ”

They then b oth turned from the w i ndow N the man . ow

saw that there was some devil s mag i c in it all And when th
’
. e

women turned away he crep t u p close t the open windo o w

and p ut his hand in and seized the sleeping child and d e r w

it out quietly without ever a sound Then he m ade f?

‘

. o as

fast as he could to his n home be fore the women coul d

ow ,

know anything about it and handed the child to h i

, s

m other s care N the mother was angry at first but whe

’
. ow n
,
 AIRY HAN LIN T HE F C GE G
. 17?

he told her the story h bel i eved him and put the baby , s e ,

to sleep— lovely beauti ful b y i h a face l i ke an a gel

a , o
‘

w t n .

N ext morni g there was a great commotion in the v i llage

'

n ,

for the news spread that the fi b m son f the great lord rs t- o o

o f the place a lovely healthy ch i ld died suddenly in the

, , , .

night without ever h aving had a sign f sickness When they

, o .

looked at him in the mo ning there he laid de d in h i r , a s

cradle and he was shrunk and wizened l i ke a l i ttle old

,

man and no beauty was seen on him any more So g at

, . re

lamentati on was heard on all sides and the whole country ,

gathered t the wake Amongst them came the young

o .

man who had c rried fl the ch i ld and when he looked

a o
'

, on

the little wizened thing in the cradle he laughed N . ow

the parents were angry at his laughter and wanted t , o

turn him out .

But he said Wait put down a good fire and th ey did

,
“
, ,

Then he went over to the cradle and sai d to the hideou s

little creature i n a loud voice before all the people

,

I f you don t rise up this minute and leave the place I

“ ’
,

w i ll burn you on the fire ; f I know right ell who y or w ou

are and where you came from

,
.
”

At once the child sat up and began to gri n at him ;

and made a rush to the door to get away ; but the man
caught h old f it and threw i t on the fire And the momen
o . t

i t felt the heat i t turned into a b lack kitten and fl up h , ew t e

ch i mney and was seen no more .

Then the man sent word to his mother to bring th e

other child who ,

f d to be the true heir the lord
w as
‘

o un ,
’
s

own So ther was great rejoi cing and the ch ild g e

so n . e ,
r w
 1 72 AN I N L N
C E T IR LAN
E GE DS OF E D.

up to b a great lord h i msel and when his t i me came he

e f, ,

ruled ell ove the estate and his descendants are l i v i g

w r ; n
‘

to this day f all things prospered with him after he

, or

s aved from the fairies .

 F AI R Y W I L E S .

WH N the fa i ries steal away a beauti ful mortal child they

E

leave an ugly wizened little creature in its place And

, .

these fa i ry changel i gs gro up malicious and wicked and

n w ,

have voracious appeti tes The unhappy pa ents often try. r

the test f fire f the ch i ld in this wise— placing it in the

o or ,

centre f the cabin they light a fire round it d fully

o , , an

expect to see i t changed into a sod f turf B t if the child o . u

su v i ves the ordeal i t is accepted as one f the family though

r o ,

very grudgingly and it i s generally hated by all the neigh

bours f its impish ways But the children f the S i dhe
or . o

an d a m ortal m other are always clever and beauti ful and ,

specially excel in mus i c and danci ng They are however .

, ,

passio ate d wilful and have strange moody fits when

n an , , ,

they des i re soli tude above all th i ngs and seem to hold ,

converse with unseen sp i ri tual beings .

Fine young peasant women are often ca ried 6 by the r 0

fairies to urse their little fairy progeny

n But the woman .

is all owed t come back t hero in fant a fter sunset

o own .

H owever on entering the house the husband must at

, ,

once throw holy water over her in the name f G d whe o o , n

1 74 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN
E D .

s he will b e restored to her own shape For sometimes .

s h comes with a hissing noise like a serpent ; then she

e

a ppears black and shrouded like one from the dead and
, ,

lastly in her own shape when she takes her l d place by

, , o

t h fire and nurses her baby ; and the husband must ask
e no

questi ons but give her food i silence I f she fall l p

,
n . s as e e

the third n ight all w i ll be well f the husband at once ti es

, , or

a red thread acros s the door to prevent the fairies com i ng

i n to carry her ff and if the third night p sses over sa fely
o , a

t h fairies have lost their power over her f

e evermore or .
 S HA U N MO R -
.

AL N INNI ARK
E GE D OF S -S .

T islanders bel i eve firm ly i n the e xi stence f fa i ri es

HE o

who l i ve in the caves by the sea— little men about the

he i ght f a sod f turf who come out f the fissures
o o , o

f the rocks and are bri ght and merry wearing green
o ,

j ackets and red caps and ready enough to help any one
,

they like though often very malicious if fl d d or insulted

,
o
'
en e .

There was an old man on the island called Shaun Mor -

,

w h said that he had often travelled at i ght with the

o n

l ittle men and carr i ed the i r sacks f them ; and i n return

or

.they gave h im strange fairy gift and t ught him the secret
s a

o f p ower so that he could always triumph over his enem i es ;

,

and even as to the fa i ries he as wise any f them

,
w as as o ,

and could fight half a dozen f them together if he were so

o

m i nded and pitch the m into the sea or stra gle the m with
, n

seaweed S the fairies were angered at h i s pri de and pre

. O

sumption and determined to do him a mal icious turn just

, ,

to amuse themselve when they were up f f So one

s or u n.

ight when he was returning home he suddenly saw a

n ,

great river between him and his house .

 I 76 AN I N L N C E T E GE DS o r IR LAN E D .

shall I get across now ? he cried aloud and

Ho w
immediately an eagl e came up to him .

Don t cry Shaun M said the eagle but get on

“ ’ ”
,
-
ar, ,

my b ck and I ll car y y safely

a
’
r ou .
”

So Shaun Mor mounted and they flew ight p ever

-
, r u so

high till at last the eagle tumbled him ff by the side f

, o o a

great mountain in a place he had never seen before .

This is bad t ick y have p l yed me aid Shaun

a r ou a ,
!
s
“
tell m where I am
e now
“
You are i th moon said the eagle and get dow
n e , ,
“
n.

the best way you f now I must be fl ; so good bye

can , or o
'
-

Mind yo don t fall ff the edge Good bye and with

u
’
o .
-
,
”

that the eagle disappeared .

J ust then a cleft in the O k opened and t came m r c , ou a an

as pale as th e dead ith a reap i ng hook in hi hand

'

w -
s .

“
What bri ngs you here ? said he O nly the dead. .
“

come here and he l ooked fixedly at Shau M so that

,
n -
or :

h e trembled l i ke one already dying .

0 your worshi p he said I live f from here Tell

” “
, , ar . .

m h e I am to get down and h elp me I beseech you

ow , .

Ay that I will said the pal faced m H ere is

'

“ ”
, e- an . .

the help I give you and with that he gave him a blow ,

with the reaping hook which tumbled Shaun right over the
-

edge f the moon ; and he fell and fell ever f till

o so ar

l uckily h came in the midst f a flock f geese and the

'

e o o ,

o l d gander that was leading sto p p ed and eyed him .

What are you d oing here, Shaun Mor ? sai d he f

'
- “
, or

I know you wel l. I ve often seen you down in Shark

.
'
' !

What will your wi fe y when sh hears f your be i ng

,

sa e o o ut

so late at ight wandering bO t i thi way It i very

n , a u n
'

s .
“

s
 HA N M 77 S U -
OR . I

disreputable and well brought up gander would do the

, no

l i ke much less a man I am ashamed f you Shaun M

, o ,
-
on
”

“
0 your honour sa i d the poor man i t is an ev i l
,
”
,
“

turn f the ev i l w i tches f they have done all th i s ; but

o
, or

let me just get up on your back and if your honour bri ngs ,

me safe to my own house I shall be f ever grateful to or

every goose and gander i n the world as long as I l i ve .

”

“
Well then get up on my back sai d the b i rd flutteri ng
, ,
”
,

i ts wi ngs w i th a great clatter over Shaun ; but he couldn t '

ma age at all t get on its back so he caught hold f one

n o , o

leg and he arid the gander went down and down till they
,

came to the sea .

“
N let go said the gander and find your way
ow , ,

home the best way you can f I have lost a great deal , or

o f time with you already and must be away and he shook,

o ff Shaun Mor who dropped plump down into the sea and
-
, ,

when he was almost dead a great whale came sailing by ,

and flapped him all over wi th its fins H kne . e w no

more till he opened his eyes lyi ng on the grass in h i s own

field by a great stone and h i s w i fe was standing over h i m
,

drenching him with a great pail f water and flapping his o ,

face with her apron .

And then he told his wi fe the whole story which he said ,

was true as gospel but I don t th i nk she believed a word

,
’

f it though she was f id t let on the l i ke to Shaun

'

o , a ra o

Mor who fli m t this day that it

, a r s all the work f the
o w as o

fairies thoug h wicked peo p le might laugh and jeer

,
d say an

he was drunk .

V OL . I .
 T HE C AV E FA I R I E S .

T H E T U AT HA D E D AN AN N - -
.

IT is believed by many people that the cave fairies are

the remnant f the ancient T th de D
o who once ua a- -
an an n s

ruled Ireland but were conquered by the Milesi ns

,
a .

These T th were great necromancers skilled in all

ua a ,

m g i and excellent in all the arts as builders po ts and

a c, , e ,

musicians At first the Miles ians were going t destroy them

. o

utterly but grad ally were so fascinated and c ptivated b y

,
u a

the gi fts and power f the T th that they allowed them to

o ua a

remain and to build forts where they held high festival w i th

,

music and s i nging and the chant f the bards And the o .

breed f horses they reared could not be surpassed in the

o

world— fl t as the wind w i th the arched neck and the broad

ee ,

chest and the quivering nostril and the large eye that showed
,

they were made f fire and flame d not f dull heavy

o , an o ,

earth And the T th made stables f them in the great

. ua a or

caves f the hills and they were shod with silver and had
o ,

golden bridles and never a sl ve was allowed to ride them

, a .

A plendid sight a the cavalcade f the Tuath de

S w s o s -

Danan n knights Seven score steeds each with a jewel

.
-
,
 THE C AV E FA IRI ES . 1 79

on his forehead like a star and seven score horsemen l l ,

-

, a

the sons f kings in their green mantles fringed with gold

o ,

and golden helme ts on the i r he d and golden greaves on

,

a ,

their limbs and each kn i ght hav i ng in his hand a golden

,

spear .

A d they lived f a hundred years and more f by

n so or , or

their enchantments they could resist the p wer f death o o .

I QU E E N E DA N T H E .

N it happened that the king f Muns ter one day a

ow o s aw

beauti f l girl bath i ng and he loved her and made her his
u ,

queen And in all the land no woman so lovely to look

. w as

u pon as the fa i r E dain and the fame f her beauty came to

, o

the ears f the great and powerful chief and king f the
o o

Tuath de Danan Midar by name So he disguised hi mself

s- -
u, .

and t t the court f the ki ng f Munster as

w en o d i g
o o , a w an er n

h d that he m i ght look on the beauty f E dain

ar , And he o .

challenged the k i ng to a game f chess o .

Who is this man that I should play chess with him ?

said the king .

Try me said the s tranger you will find me a worthy

,

fo e .

Then the king said But the chess — board is in the —“

queen s a partment and I c nnot d i sturb h
’
, a er .
”

H owever when the queen heard that a stranger had chal

,

lenged the king to h h sent her page in with the chess

i

c ess , s e

board and then c me he sel f to greet the stranger And

,
a r .

Midar was so dazzled with her beauty that he co ld not , u

I 8a AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS o r IR LAN
E D .

speak he could only gaze on her And the queen also

,
.

seemed troubled and after a time she left them alone ,

.

N what shall we play f

o w, asked the king or .

Let the conqueror name the reward ans ered the ,

”
w

stranger and whatever h desires let i t be granted to

,
“
e

hi m .
”

Agreed repl i ed the monarch ,

”
.

Then they played the game and the stranger won

What is your demand ? cri ed the k i ng I have now .

given my word that whatever you name shall b e you s r .

I demand the Lady E dai n the queen as my reward

“
, ,
.

repl i ed the stranger B I shall not ask you to g i ve her . ut

p to me t i ll this day year And the st a ger dep rted ”

u . r n a .

N the k i g was utterly perplexed and con founded but

ow n ,

he took good note f the time and on that night just a o ,

t elvemonth after he made a great feast at Tara f all the

w , or

princes and he placed three lines f his hosen wa r i ors all

, o C r

round the palace and forbade any stranger to enter on pain,

o f death 8 all be i ng secure as he thought he took h i s

. 0 , ,

place at the feast w i th the beauti ful E dain beside h i m all ,

gl i ttering wi th jewels and a golden crown on her head and ,

the revelry went on t i ll midnight Just then to h i s horror .

, ,

the k i ng looked up and there stood the stranger i n the ,

m i ddle f the hall but one seemed to perceive h i m save

o , no

only the king H fixed his eyes on the queen and coming
. e ,

towards her he struck the golden harp he had in his hand

,

and sang in a l Sweet vo i ce ow

0 d i w il E h a n, t th o u co m e w i t me
f lTo i a w o n de r u
pal ac e th at s m i n e ?
W i h d l k h b
h te are th e tee t t h e re , an b ac t e ro w s ,

A d im th m d n h l ip f h l v r
cr so n as e ea a re t e s o t e o e s.
 T HE C AV AIRI E F ES . 8x

0
’
wm o an , i f th o u co t
m e s to my pro u d peo p
'

l e,
T is g o l d e n c ro w n
a s h al l ci rc l e th y h e ad ,

l
T h o u s hal t d w e l b y th e s w ee s re am s o f m y l an d , tt
k
An d d rin o f th e mead a n d in e i n th e a rms o f th y l o v e r w .

Then he gently put his arm round the queen s wa i st and ’

,

drew her up from her royal throne and went forth with her ,

through the midst f all the guests none hindering and the
o , ,

king himself was like one in a dream and could neither ,

speak nor move But when he recovered h i msel f then he

.
,

knew that the stranger was one f the fa i ry chiefs f the o o

T uath a de Danan who had carried ff the beauti ful

- -
u o

E dain to his fairy m ansion So he sent round messengers .

to all the kings f E ri n that they should destroy all the forts
o

o f the hated T th race and slay and k i ll and let none live
ua a ,

till the queen his young bri de was b rought back to him
, ,
“

Still she came not Then the king out f revenge ordered
. o

h i s men to block up all the stables where the royal horses f o

the D were kept that so they m i ght die f hunger ;

an an n s , o

but the horses were f noble blood and no bars or boltso ,

could hold them and they broke through the bars and
,

rushed out like the whirlwind and spread all over the ,

country And the kings when they saw the beauty f the
.
,
o

horses forgot all about the search f Queen E dain and

,
or ,

only strove how they could seize and hold as their own some
o f the fiery steeds with the silver hoo fs and golden b ridles .

Then the king raged in h i s wrath and sent f the chie f f ,

or o

the Druids and told him h eshould be put to death unless

,

he d i scovered the place where the queen l y hid So the a .

D ru i d went over all Ireland and searched and made pells , ,

S

with oghams and at last having carved four oghams on

, ,
I 8a AN I N L N C E T E GE D S OF IR LAN
E D .

four wands f a hazel tree it revealed to him t hat deep

o -
, w as

d own in a hill in th very centre f Ireland Q ueen E dain

‘

e o ,

was h i dden away in the enchanted palace f M i dar th o e

fa i ry ch i e f .

Then the king gathered a great army and they circled the ,

hill and dug down and down till they came to the very
,
“

centre ; and just as they reached the gate f the fairy pal ace o ,

Midar by h i s enchantments sent forth fi fty beautiful women

from the hills i de to distract the attention f the warriors
‘

,
o ,

all so l i ke the queen in form and features and dress that ,

the k i ng himself could not mak out truly if h i s own wi fe e ,

were amongst them or not But E dain when she saw her .
,

husband near her was touched by love f him i her

so , o n

heart and the power f the enchantment fell from her soul
, o ,

an d she came to him and he l i fted her up on his hor e and

, s

k issed her tenderly and brought her back safely to h i s

,

royal palace f Tara where they lived happily ever a fter

o , .

But soon after the p ower f the Tuath d D o s- e an an n w as

broken f ever and the remnant that was left took ref ge
or , u

in the caves where they exist to this day and practi se the i r ,

magic and work spells and are safe from death until the
, ,

judgment day .

Y STE E D T H E R O AL .

Of the great breed f splendid horses some remained f o

, or

several centuries and were at once known by their noble

,

shape and qualities The l ast f them belonged to a great

. o

lord i Connaught and when he died all his fl t being

n
, , e
'

ec s
 T HE C AV AIRI E F ES . 1 83

s old by auction the royal steed came t the hammer and

, o ,

was bought up by an emissary f the E nglish Gover ment o n ,

who wanted to get possession f a spec i men f the m g ifi o o a n

cent ancient Irish breed in order to have i t t ansported to

, r

E ngland .

But when the groom attempted to mount the high

spirited an i mal it reared and threw the b e born churl
, , as -

v i olently to the ground ki lling him on the spot

, .

Then fleet as the wind the horse galloped away and

, , ,

finally plunged into the la k e and was seen no more So .

ended the great race f the mighty T th de D o ua a - -

an an n

horses in Ireland the like f which has never been seen

, o

since i n all the world f majesty and beauty

or .

Someti mes the cave fa i ri es make a strai ght path i n the

sea from one island to another all paved w i th coral under , ,

the water ; but no one can tread it exce pt the fairy race .

Fishermen coming home late at night on looking down , ,

have frequently seen them pass i ng and pass i ng— black te -

a

band f little men with black dogs who are very fierce if
o ,

any one tries to touch them .

There was an old m named Con who lived on anan ,

i sland all alone except f a black dog who kept him com
, or

pany N all the p eople knew right well that he a

. ow w as

fairy king and could walk the water at n i ght like the other
,

fair i es. So they feared him greatly and brought him ,

presents f cakes and fowls f they were afra i d f him and

o , or o

o f his ev i l demon the dog For often men coming home

, .
,

late have heard the steps f this dog and his breathing qu i te
o
 1 84
'

AN I N C E T LE GE N DS o r IR LAN
E D .

C lose to them tho gh they could t see him ; and one

, u no

man nearly died f fright and was only saved by tho ,

e

p riest who came and p rayed over him .

But the cave fa i ries assume many forms can .

O summer s evening a young girl the daughter f the

ne
’
, ,
o

man who ow ed the farm was m i lking the cows in the yard
n , ,

when three beauti ful ladie all in white suddenly a ppeared s, , ,

a d asked her f
n a drink f milk N the girl kne
or o . ow w

well that milk should not be given away wi thout us i ng

some precaution against fairy wiles so she hesitated fe ri ng , , a

to bring ill luck on the cows

-
.

Is that the y you treat us ? said wa f the ladies o ne o ,

and she slapped the girl the face on .

But you ll remember us sa i d the second lady and she

’

, ,

took hold f the girl s thumb and twisted it out f joint

o
’
o .

And your lover will be false to you said the third and
“
,
!
,

with that she turned the girl s mantle crooked th back t ’

, e o

the front .

Then the first lady took a vessel and m ilked the cow ,

and they all drank f the milk as much as they wanted ;o

a fter which they turned to the g i rl and bade her beware f o

agai n fl d i g the spirits f the c ve f they were very

o
'

en n o a , or

po erful and would not let her ff so easily another time

w
“

o .

The p oor girl f inted from fright and was found quite
a ,

senseless when th ey came t look f her ; but the white o or

'

lad i es had disappe red Though the story must h ave been
a .

t ue just as she told it when she came to her senses f t

r ,
, or no

a drop f milk was left in the pail nor could drop more
o
, a

be got from th cows ll that evening

e a .
 E vI L S P E L L S .

I
C AT H AL T HE K NG .

I is said by the wise women and fairy doctors that the roots
T

o f the elder tree and the roots f an apple tree that bears
, o

red app les if boiled together and d nk fa ting will expel

, ru s ,

any evi l livi ng thi g or evil sp i ri t that may have ta ken up

n

i ts abode in the body f a man o .

B t an ev i l charm to produce a l i ving th i ng i n the b ody

u

can also be made by pronouncing a cert in magic and

, a

wicked spell over the food or drink taken by any person

that an e nemy wishes to injure .

O should therefore be very cautious in accepting any

ne

thing to eat from a person f known mali c i ous tong e and o u

s pite ful heart or who h an ill will against you f poison

, as , or

lies i n their glance and in the touch f their hands ; and o

an evil spell is in their very presence and on all they do , ,

say or touch
, .

Cathal king f Munster was the t llest and h ndsomest

, o ,
a a

o f all the k i ngs f E rin and he fell deeply in love with the
o ,

beauti ful sister f Fergus king f Ulster ; and the lovers

o ,
o

were happy in their love and resolved on marri age B . ut

1 86 A NIN L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN
E D .

Fergus King f the N orth had a mortal h atred t Cathal

, o ,
o ,

King f the South and wi shed in secret to prevent the

o , , ,

marriage So he set a watch over his sister and by this

.
,

means found out that she was send i ng a basket f the o

cho i cest apples to her lover by the hands f a trusty ,

o

messenger O this Fergus managed t get hold f

. n o o

the basket f fruit from the messenger ; and he changed

o

them secretly f another lot f apples over wh i ch

\

or o ,

he worked an evil spell Furn i shed wi th these the messen .

ger set out f Cashel and presented them to Cathal the

or ,

k ing who delighted at this proof f love from h i s p incess

, , o r ,

began at once t eat the a pples But th more he ate th

o . e , e

more he longed f them f a wicked s pell was every

or , or on

apple When he had eaten them all up he sent round the

. ,

country f more and ate and ate unti l there was not an
or , , ,

apple le ft i n Cashel nor in all the country round , .

Then he bade his h i eftains go forth and bri ng i food to

C n

appease his appet i te ; and he ate up all the c ttle and the a

grain and the fru i t and still cri ed f more ; and had the
, or

houses searched f food to bring to him S the people

or . o

were in despa i r f they had no more food d starvati on

, or , an

was over the land .

N ow a great and wi se man the chief poet f his tr i be , o ,

happened to b travell i ng through Munster at that time and

e
,

hearing f the king s state he greatly desired to see h i m f r

o
’
, o

he knew there was dev i l s work i n the ev i l spell So they

,
’
.

brought him to the k i ng and many strong i nvocati ons he ,

uttered over h i m and many powerful incantations f

, or

poets have a knowledge f mysteri es above all other men

,

until finally a fter three days had passed he announced t

, , o
 V I L LL E 87 S PE S . 1

t h lords and chie f th t on that night when the moon rose

e s a , ,

the spell would be broken and the k ing restored to his ,

wonted health So all the chie fs gathered round in the

.

courtyard to watch ; b ut no one was allowed to enter the

room where the king l y save only the poet And he wasa , .

to give the sig al when the hour had come and the spell
n

was broken .

So they watched and just the moon rose a great

as , as ,

cry heard from the king s room and the poet flinging
w as
’
, ,

open the door bade the chiefs enter ; and there on the floor
,

lay a huge dead wol f who f a whole year had t ken up

, or a

his abode in the king s body ; but was n happily cast’

ow

forth by the strong incantations f the poet o .

A fter th i s the king fell into a deep sleep and when he ,

arose he was quite well and strong agai n as ever in ll the

, , a

pri de f his youth and beauty At th i s the people rejoiced

o .

much f he was greatly loved and the poet who had

, or ,

restored h i m was honoured above all men in the l nd f a or

the king himself took ff the golden torque from his own
o

n ec k and placed it on that f the poet and he set him at o ,

h i r i ght hand at the feast

s .

N ow a strange th i ng happened just at th i s time ; f or

Fergus Ki ng f the N orth fell ill and wa t away to a

,
o , , s

shadow and f all the beauti ful meats and wines they set
, o

before him he could taste nothing So he died before a .

year had passed by ; and then Cathal the king wedded his
beloved princess and they lived happily through ma y
,
n

years .
1 88 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OE IR LAN E D .

T HE S M ALE D I C T I O N
P OE T ’ .

The i mprecations f the poets had o ften also a mysterious

o

and fatal e ffect .

King Breas the pagan monarch

, a fierce cruel and ,
w as , ,

n i ggardly m n who was there fore very unpopular with the

a ,

people who hate the cold heart and the grudging hand
, .

Amongst others who su ffered by the king s inhospi al i ty ’

t ,

was the renowned Carb ury the poet son f E d i the , o o a n,

g reat poetess f the T o th de D a mann race ; she who

ua a
- -

chanted the song f v i ctory when her people conquered

o

the Fi bolgs on th plains f M yt

r , e and the stone that
o o u ra

she stood on duri ng the battle i n s ight f all the wa riors ,

o r ,

i s still ex i sti ng and i s po i nted out as the stone f E d i

, o o a n

the poetess wi th great reverence even to th i s day

, , .

It was her son Carbury the poet who was held in such h i gh
, ,

honour by t h nation that k i ng Breas inv i ted him to his

e ,

court in order that he m ight pronounce a powerful male

,

diction over the enemy with whom he was then at war .

C arbury came on the royal summons b ut i n place f being , o

treated w i th the distinction due to his h i gh rank he was ,

lodged and f d so meanly that the soul f the poet r ged

e o a

with wrath ; f the k i ng gave him f lodgement only a

or or

small stone cell w i thout fire or a bed ; and f food he or

had only three k f meal w i thout any flesh meat or

c a es o

sauce and no wine was gi ven him such wi ne as is fit to

, ,

light up the poet s soul b efore the div i ne mystic spiri t f

’
o

song can awake in its power w i thin h i m So very early the .

,

next morn i ng the poet rose up and departed with much

,

rage i n his heart But as he passed the k i ng s house he

,

’
.
 V I L LL 89 E S PE S . 1

stopped and in place f a blessing pronounced a ter ible

, , o , r

malediction over Breas d his race which can sti ll be found an ,

i n the ancient books f Ireland commencing thus o ,

W t fi wi h b d h
it ho u re, h fl t o ut e on t e s u rface o f t e oo r
Wi h t i h t f
,

t ou m e a t, f f h di h
w t ou ow l, on th e s u r ace o t e
li l i
s .

T h ree tt e d
d fl h s h es an no es t h ereo n .
A ll ith b
ce w h i m
o ut
p ed , a
h i d is w th o u t ea t, a c u w it o u t w ne,

A re fith es e f t o ffe rin g s ro m a k in g to a po e t ?

M y h
a i g
t d hi
e k nh t an f s race d be t re e im es acc u rs ed o r e v er an fo r
r e ve l

Immediately three large blisters rose on the k ing s fore ’

head and rema i ned there as a s i gn and mark f the poet s

, o
'

vengean e c .

And from that day forth to his death wh i ch happened ,

not long a fter the reign f Breas was a time f sore

, o o

trouble and disaster f he three times defeated by his , or w as

enem i es and from care and sorrow a grievous disease f ll

, e

on h i m f though hungry he could not swallow any food

or

and though all the meat and wine f the b est was set before o

h i m yet his throat seemed closed and though ragi ng i th

, , w

hunger yet not a morsel could pass h is lips ; and so he

d i ed misera bly starved in the midst f plenty and accursed
, o ,

i n all th i ngs by the power d maled i ction f the angry an o

po e t

D R I M I AL AG US T H OR A L I .

IK LL ) (A W C ED S PE .

When a girl w i shes to ga i n the love f a man and to make o ,

h im m arry her the dread ful spell is used c lled D mf l

,
a n
’

Ag ar T/ l At dead f night she and an accomplice go

I o rt a
'

. o ,
1 90 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN
E D .

to a churchyard exhume a newly buried corpse and take a

, ,

strip f the ski n from the head to the heel Th i s is wound

o .

round the g i rl as a belt with a solemn i nvocati on to the d ev i l

f
or h i s help .

After she has worn it f a day and a night she watches

or

her opportunity and ties it round the sleeping man who e s

love she desires ; during wh i ch process the ame f God n o

must not be mentioned .

When he awa k es the man i s b ound by the spell and is

forced to marry the cruel and ev i l harpy It is sa i d the ’

ch i ldren f such marri ages bear a black mark round the

o

wrist and are known and shunned by the people who call
, ,

them sons f the devil

“
o .
”
 PI N I R I S H AD E PT OF T HE I S L AN DS ,

0:

S O persons even at the present day amongst the

ME ,

peasant have strange gi fts and a knowledge f the hidden

s, o

mysteries but they can only impart this knowledge when

,

they k o that death is them and then it must be to

n w on ,

a female t an unmarried man or to a childless woman

, o , ,

f orthese are the most susceptible to the mysterious power

by wh i ch miracles can be worked .

A man now livi g at Inn i s Sark has th i s strange and mysti c

n -

gi ft H can heal d i seases by a word even at a d i stance

. e , ,

and his glance sees into the very heart and reads the secret ,

thoughts f men H never touched beer spirits or meat

o . e , , ,

in all his li fe but h l i ved enti rely on bread fru i t and

, as , ,

vegetables A man who knew hi m thus describes him

.

Winter and summer h i s dress is the same merely a flannel ,

shirt and coat H will pay h i s share at a feast but neither

. e ,

eats nor drinks f the food and drink set before h i m H

o . e

speaks no E nglish and never could be made to lear the

, n

E ngl ish tongue though he says i t might be used with gre t

, a

fl t to curse one s enemy H holds a burial g ound

'
’
e ec . e -
r

sacred and would not ca ry away so much as a leaf f i vy

, r o
 1 92 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN
E D .

f rom a gr ve And h maintai ns that the people are right

a . e

i n keeping to their ancient usages such as never to d i g a ,

grave a Monday ; and to carry the coffin three times

on

round the grave following the , f the sun f then co u I se o , or

the dead rest in peace Like the people also he holds

.
, ,

su i cides as accursed f they believe that all the dead who

or

have been recently buri ed tu n ver O their faces if a r o n

suic i de is laid amongst them .

“
Though well ff he never even i n his youth thought f
o , , o

taking a w i fe was he ever known to love a woman H

,
no r . e

stands quite apart f m lif and by this means holds his

ro e,

power over the mysteries N money will tempt h i m to . o

i mpart this knowledge to another f if he did he would be ,

or

struck dead— he believes H would t touch a hazel

so . e no

st i ck but carri es an ash wand which he holds in his hand

, ,

when he prays la i d across h i s k nees and the whole f h i s

, , o

l i fe is devoted to works f grace and cha ity o r .

”

Though now an old m he has never had a day s sick an

’

ness N one has ever seen him in a rage

. o heard an ,
nor

angry word from his lips but once ; and then being under
great irritation he recited the Lord s Prayer backwards as
,
’
,

an imprecation on his enemy Be fore his death he will .

reveal the mystery f his power but not t i ll the hand f

o , o

death is on him f certain or .

 T H E MAY F E S T I vAL .

!
TH R were four great festivals h eld i n Ireland from the
E E

most ancient pagan times and these four sacred seasons ,

were Feb uary May Midsummer and N ovember May

r , , , .

was the most memorable and aus picious f l l ; then the o a

D r ids lit the B l Tim

u the holy goodly fire f Baal the
aa -
”, , o ,

Sun god and they drove the cattle on a path made between
,

two fires and s i nged them with the flame f a lighted torch
, o ,

and sometimes they cut them to s pill blood and the burn t , n

the blood as a sacred o ffering to the Sun god .

The great feast f Bel or the Sun took place May

o , , on

E ve ; and that f Samhain or the Moon on N ovember

o , ,

Eve ; when libations were poured out to appease the evil

spirits and also the spirits f the de d h m out f
,
o a , w o co e o

the i r grave that night t visit their ancient homes

s on o .

The Ph icians it is known adored the Supreme Being

oen , ,

under the name f Bel Samen and it is remarkable that th

o -
,
e

pea ant in Ireland wishing you good luck say in Irish

s s , , ,

The blessing f B l and the blessing f Samh in be with

o e ,
o a ,

you that is f th sun and f the moon

,
”
,
o e o .

These were the great festivals f the Dru i ds when all o ,

domestic fire were ex tinguished in order to be lit by the

s ,
re-

V OL. I . 14
 1 94 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN E D .

sacred fire taken from the temples f it was deemed ,

or

sacri lege to have any fires k i ndled except from the holy
altar flame .

St Patri ck however determined to break down the

.
, ,

power f the Druids ; and therefore in de fiance f their

o , o

laws he had a great fire lit May E when he celebrated

,
on ve,

the paschal mysteries and hence forth E aster the Fea t , or s

o f the R esurrecti on took the place f the B aal festival

, o .

The Baal fires were originally used f human sacrifices or

and b urnt Offeri ngs f the fi fruits f the ttl but a fter
-
O rs t - o ca e

Christian i ty establ i shed the children and cattle were

,

w as

only passed bet een two fires f purifi ation from s i n d

w or c , an

as a safeguard against the power f the devil o .

The Pers i ans also extinguished the domestic fires the on

Baal festival the m t f Apri l and were obl i ged to light

, a o , re -

them from the temple fires f which the pri ests were pai d , or

a f in silver m yf A fire kindled by rubbing two p i eces

ee o ne

o f wood together was also considered lucky by the Persians ;

t hen water was bo i led over the flame and afterw rds , a

spri nkled on the people and on the cattle The anc i ent .

Irish ri tual m bl th Pers i an in every particular d

re s e es
'

e
, an

the D ruids no doubt held the traditional orsh i p exactly

, , w

as brought from the E ast the land f the sun and f , o o

tree worsh i p and well worship .

May D y called in Iri sh L i B l ta the day f the

a , e- e n e, o

Baal fires was the festi val f g eatest rejoicing held i n

, o r

Ireland B t the fairies have great power at that season

. u
,

and children d t l and the milk and bu tter must

an ca t e ,
.

be well guarded from their influence A spent coal .

must be put under the churn and another under the ,

 T HE M AY FE S T I VA L . 1 95

c radle ; and primroses must be scattered before the door .

f orthe fairies c nnot pass the flowers Child en that d i e in

a . r

Ap il are supposed to be c rr i ed ff by the fair i e who are

r a o s,

t hen always on the watch to abduct whatever i s young d an

b eaut i ful f thei fairy homes

or r .

Sometimes on the t f May a sacred hei fer sno rs o , , w

w hite appeared amongst the cattle ; and th i s was considered

,

to bring the h i ghest good luck to the farmer An old Irish .

song that alludes to the hei fer may be translated thus

Th r i h m
e e ti
s a co w o n t e o un a n ,

A f ir whit a e co w

Sh g E t e d h g W t
o es as an s e o es es

f l
,

A d my h
n
g f h
s e n s es av e o ne or o ve o er ;

Sh g wi h h
e d h f g t
o es t b r t e s u n an e or e s to u n,

A d h m n h f
t e ith l h
o o n t u rn s er ac e w o ve to er,

M f i wh it y f h m
a r t e co w o t e o u n a in .
”

T h fairies are i n the best f humours upo May E

e and o n ve ,

the mus i c f the fa i ry pipes may be heard all th ough the

o r

night while the fairy folk are dancing upon the rath It i s
, .

then they carry ff the young people to join thei r revels ;

o

and if a girl has once danced to the fairy music she will ,

move ever a fter with such fa cinating g ace that i t h s r , as

p ssed int a proverb to say f a good dancer She has

a o o ,
“

danced to fairy music on the hill .

”

At the great long dance held in old ti mes on May D y all a ,

the people held hands and danced round a great May bush ~

erected on a mound The circle sometime extended f

. s or a

m i le the g i rls wearing garlands and the young men c rying

, , ar

wands f green boughs wh ile the elder people sat round on

o ,

the grass as spectators and applauded the ceremony The

, .

tallest and s trongest young men in the county stood in the

1 96 IR LAN AN I N L N C E T E GE DS OF E D .

centr and directed the movements wh i le the pipers d

e ,
an

harpers wearing green and gold sashes played the mos

, ,
t

spiri ted dance tunes .

The oldest orsh i p f the world was f the w o o sun

and moon f trees wells and the serpent that gave w i s

,
o , ,

dom Trees were the symbol f knowled ge and the dance

. o ,

round the May bush is part f the ancient ophite ritual -

o .

The Bai la also or waltz is associated with Baal worship

, , ,

where the two circling motions are combined ; the l r e vo u

t i on f the planet on its own ax i s and also round the sun

o ,
.

In Italy th i s ancient festival called C l d M gg b i

, ,
a en
'
r a z , s

celebrated in the rural d i stricts much in th Irish way e .

Dante fell in love at the great May day festival held in the -
,

Portinari Palace The S l i nations likew i se light . c avo n c

sacred fires and dance round a tre hung w i th garlands on

, e

May D y Th i s reverence f the tree is one f the oldes

a . or o t

superstitions f human i ty and the most universal and the

o ,

fires are a relic f the old pagan worship paid to the Gry o

nian Apollo— fi above all things bei ng held sacred by the

re

Irish as a safeguard from ev i l spirits It is a sayi ng amongst .

them Fire and salt are the two m ost sacred things g i ven
,
“

to man and if you give them away on May D y you g i v

, a , e

away your luck f the year Therefore will allow

or .
”
n o o ne

milk fire salt to be carried away from the house

,
or , or , on

that day ; and if people came in and asked f a lighted sod or ,

they would be driven away with curses f their p urpos ,

or e

was ev i l .

The witches however make great ef orts t steal the milk

, , o

on May morning and if they succeed the l k passes from , , uc

the family and the milk d butter f the whole year wil l
, an or
 T H E M Av F E S T I VA L 1 97

b elong t the fairies The best pre ent tive is to sc tter

o . v a a

p rimroses the threshold and the old women t i e bunches

on

o f primroses to the cows ta i ls f the evil spirits cannot ’

, or

t ouch anything guarded by these flowers if they are plucked ,

b e fore sun ise not else r A piece f iron also made red
, . o , ,

hot is pl ced pon the hearth ; any old i ron will do the
, a u
,

o lder the better and branches f wh i teth orn and moun

, o

tain ash are w eathed round the doorway f luck The

r or .

mountain ash has very great and mysterious q ualiti es I f a .

b ranch f it be woven into the roo f that house is safe from

o ,

fire f a year at least and if a branch f i t is m i xed wi th the

or , o

timber f a boat no storm will upset i t and no man in it be

o , ,

d rowned f a twelvemonth certa i n To save m i lk from

or .

w i tchcraft the people on May morning cut and peel some

,

b ranches f the mounta i n ash and b i nd th twigs ound the

o , e r

m i lk pails and the churn N witch or fairy ill then be . o w

a ble to ste l the milk or butter B all this must be done

a . ut

bf i
e o re s u n r se H o ever should butter b e mi sed follow
. w , s ,

the t
co w the field and gather the clay her hoof has
o ,

touched then on return i ng home place it under the churn

, ,

w i th a live coal and a hand ful f salt and your butter i s o ,

s afe from man or woman fa i ry or fiend f that year , , or .

There other methods also to prese ve a good s pply f

ar e r u o

butter i n the churn ; a horse shoe tied on it ; a rusty na i l -

from a fli driven into the side ; a cross made f the

co n o

leaves f veronica placed at the bottom f the milk pail ;

o o

b t the mount in
u h is the best f all sa feg uards against
a as o

w i tchcra ft and dev i l s magic Wi thout some f these pre

’
. o

c aution the fairies will certainly overlook the churn and

s, ,

t h milk and butter in consequence will fail all through the

e , ,
1 98 AN I N L N
C E T E GE D S OF IR LAN E D.

year and the farmer fl great loss H erbs gathered

, su
'
er . on

May E have a mystical and strong virtue f curing d i sease ;

ve or

and powerful potions are made then by the skilful herb

women and fairy doctors hich sickness resist ,
w no can ,

chiefly f the yarro called in Iri sh the herb f seven

o w,
“
o

needs or cures from its m any and great virtues D ivina

,
.

tion is also practised t a great exte t by means f th o n o e

yarro The girls dance round it singin g

w .
:

Y r w y r w y rr w a ro a ro a o

m r w
, , ,

1 bi g d th ee ood o ro

t ll m b
,

A m nd e e e fo re to -
-
o rI o w

Wh m y r l v h l o t ue o e s a l be .
”

The herb i then placed under the head at ight and i

s n ,
n

dreams the true lover will appear Another mode f divina . o

t i on f the fut re fate in li fe i by snai ls The young g i rl

or u s . s

go out early before sunrise to trace the path f the snail s i o n

th e clay f always a letter is marked and this is the initial

, or ,

f the true lover s name A black snail is ery unlucky t

’
o . v o

meet first in the morning f his trail would read d f/ ,

or ea I ,

but a hite sn il brings good fortune A white lamb on

w a .

the right h and is also good ; b t the cuckoo is ominou u s

o f evil Of old the year began with the

. t f May and I s o ,

an ancient Irish rhyme says

A wh i l mb my ig h t d te a on r si e,

S will g d m m o oo co e to e
B h li l f l k
ut n o t t e tt e a s e cu c o o

O h fi td y f h y n t
” e rs a o t e ear.

Prophecies were lso made from the way th wind blew on

a e

M y mornings In 9 8 an old m
a . who was drawing near
’
an , to

his end and like to die inquired from those around him ,
 T HE M AY FE S T IVA L . 1 99

Wh ere did you leave the wind last night ? ( May E ) ve .

They told him i t came from the north

‘

“
Then he sa id the county is lost to the Clan Gad ;
,
”
,
“

o ur enemies w i ll tri umph H d i t been from the south we . a ,

should have h d the v i ctory ; but now the Sassenach ill

a w

trample to dust A d he fell back and d i ed

us . n .

Ashes are often sprinkled on the threshold on May E ve

and if the print f a foot is found i n the morn i ng turned

o ,

i nward i t betokens marriage ; b ut if turned outward death

, , .

O May E
n the fairy music i s heard on all the hills and
ve ,

m any beauti ful tunes have been c ught up i n this way by a

the people and the native musicians .

About a hundred years g a celebrated tune c lled M a o , a o ra

l
ean a , was learnt by a piper as he traversed th hills e o ne

evening ; and he pl yed it perfectly note by ote as h a , n , e

heard it from the fairy p i pes ; on h i ch a voice spoke to w

him and said that he would be allowed to play the tune

t/
zree ti m in his li fe before all the people ; but never a
es

fourth or a doo m would fall on him

,
H owever one day he .
,

had a great contest f supremacy with another piper and or ,

at last t make sure f victory he played the wonderful

, o o ,

fairy melody ; when all the people applauded and declared ,

he had won the prize by rea on f its beauty and that no s o ,

mus i c could equal h i s 8 they crowned him w i th the g . 0 ar

l and ; but at that moment he turned deadly pale the pipes ,

dropped from his hand and he fell l i feless to the g ound ,

r .

For nothing escapes the fairies they know all things and ,

their vengeance i s swi ft and sure .

It is very dangerous to sleep out in the open air in the

month f May f the fairies are very powerful then and on
o ,
or ,
2 00 AN I N L N
IR LAN
C E T E GE D S OF E D .

the watch to carry ff the handsome gi rls f fairy b i des

o or r ,

and the young mothers as nurses f the fairy bab i es wh i le or

the young men are selected as husbands the beauti ful fo r

f airy princesses .

A you ng man died suddenly on May E while he was ve

ly i ng asleep under a hay rick and the parents and friends -

,

knew immediately that he had been carried ff to the fairy o

palace in the great moa t f Granard So a renowned fairy o .

man was sent f who prom i sed to have h i m back i n nine

o r,

d ays .M hil h des i red that food and dr i nk f the best

ean w e e o

s hould be le ft daily f the young man at a certai n place on

or

the moat Th i s was done and the food always d i sappeared

.
, ,

by which they k new the young man was liv i ng and ca m e ,

out f the moat n i ghtly f the prov i s i ons left f h i m by his

o or : or

people .

N owon the ninth day a great crowd assembled t see the o

y oung man brought b ack from Fa i ryland And i n the .

midst stood the fairy doctor performing his incantations by

means f fi re and a powder which he thre into the flames
o w

t hat caused a dense grey smoke to arise Then taking ff . o

h i hat and holding a key in his hand he called out three

s , ,

t imes i n a loud vo i ce Come forth come forth come ,

“
, ,

forth O wh i ch a shrouded figure slowly rose up i the

n n

m i dst f the smoke and a voice

o heard answering
, w as ,

“
Leave me in peace ; I am happy wi th my fairy bri de and ,

my parents eed not weep f n me f I shall bring them or , or

good luck and guard them from evil evermore

,

Then the figure van i shed and the smoke cleared and the
.

parents were content f they believed the v i ion and hav i ng

, or s ,

l oaded the fa i ry man w i th presents they sent him away home

-

.
 MAY DAY -
S U P E R ST IT I O N S .

T HE marsh marigold i s considered f great use in divin o a

t ion and is called the shrub f B l t i Garl nds are

“ ”
, o e a ne . a

made f it f the c ttle and the door post to keep ff

o or a -
s o

the fa i y power M i lk also i s poured the threshold

r . on ,

t hough none would be gi ven away nor fi re nor salt—these ,

t hree things being sacred There are many superstitions .

c oncern i ng May time It i s not safe to go on th water the

-
. e

fi rst Monday in May H a es found on May mor ing are

. r n

s upposed to be witches and should be stoned , .

I f the fire goes out on May morning it is considered very

u nlucky and it c nnot be kindled except by a lighted sod
,
a te -

brought from the priest s house And the ashes f this ’

. o

b lessed turf are a fterwards sprinkled on the floor and the

t hreshold f the house
o N either fi re nor water nor m i lk
.
, , ,

nor salt should be g i ven away f love or money and if a

,
or ,
“

w ayfarer is g i ven a cup f milk he must d ink it in the o , r

h ouse and salt must be mixed with it

,
Salt and water . as

a drink is at all times considered a potent charm against

e vil if properly prepared by a fairy doctor and the magic
,

words said over it .

2 02 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN
E D .

On eday in May a young girl lay down to rest at noonti d e

on a fairy rath and fell asleep— thing f great danger f a o ,

or

the fairi es are strong i n power during the May month and ,

are particularly on the watch f a mortal bride t carry or o

away to the fairy mans i ons f they love the s i ght f human
, or o

b eauty So theyspirited away the young sleeping g i rl and only

. ,

left a shadowy resemblance f her lying on the rath E ven o .

~

ing came and as the young gi rl had t retur ed h

o n, no n , er

mother sent out messengers in all directions to look f h or e r.

At last she was found on the fairy rath lying quite ,

u n co n

scious like one dead

, .

They carried her home and laid her on her bed but h , s e

n either s poke nor m oved So three days passed over The

. . n

they thought it right to send f the fa i ry doctor At once or .

he said that she was fa i ry struck and he gave them a salv , e

made f herb s to
o
-
i her hands and her brow every
an n o n t

morning at sunri se and every n ight when the moon rose ;

,

and salt was spri nkled on the threshold and round her b ed
w here she lay sleep i ng This was done f six days and i
. or s x

nights and then the girl rose up suddenly and asked f

, or

food . They gave her to eat but asked no questi ons only , ,

watched her that she should not qu i t the house A d . n

then she fixed her eyes on them stead i ly and said

Why did you bri ng me back ? I was so happy I . w as

in a beauti ful palace where lovely ladies and young prince s

were dancing to the sweetest music ; and they m ade m e

dance with them and threw a mantle over me f rich gold

, o

and now it is all gone and you have b rought me back and
,

I shall never never see the beauti ful palace more

,

, .

Then the mother wept and said

 M AY DAY S U PE
-
R I ION
ST T S . 203

Oh , child stay with me f I have no other daughter

, , or ,

and if the fairies t k e you from me I shall d i e

a .
”

When th girl heard this she fell on her m other s neck

e
’

and kissed her and prom i sed that she ould never again go
,
w

near the fairy rath while she lived fo the fairy doctor told
,
r

her that if ever she lay down there again and slep t h , s e

would never return alive to her home any more .

 F E S T JVALs .

M AS C AN D LE .

C AN L M A day the
D E S d f February used to be held in
, an o ,

t h old p agan times as a k i nd f

e t li with dances and
o s a e rn a a,

t orches and many unholy r i tes But these gave occas i on t

.
o

S
: Omuch ill conduct that in the inth century the Pope n

a bolished the fest i val and substituted f i t the Feast f the

,
or o

P uri fic tion f the Blessed V irgin when candles were l i t in

a o ,

h honour H ence the name f Candlemas

er . o .

W H I T SU N T I DE .

Wh i tsuntide is a very fatal and unlucky t i me E specially .

b eware f water then f

o there i s an evil spir i t i n it and no
, or ,

o ne should venture to bathe nor to sa i l in a boat f fear f

, or o

be i ng drow ed ; nor to go a journey where water has to be

n

c rossed And everything i the house must be pri nkled

. n S

w ith holy water at Whitsuntide to keep away the fairies h , w o

a t that season are ery active and malicious and bewi tch
v ,

th cattle and carry ff the young children and come up

e , o ,

f rom the to hold strange midnight revels when they

sea ,
 FE ST IVA LS . 205

ki ll with their fai y da ts the nh appy mort l

r r u a w h o cr osse s

thei path and p ries at thei r m ysteries

r .

\V H I T S U NT I D E Y H OR SE S
LE GE N D O F T H E FAI R

There was a wido woman with one son who had a nice
. w ,

farm f her own close to a l ke and she took gre t pains in

o a , a

the cultivation f the land and her cor

o the best i n h
, n w as t e

whole country But when early ripe and just fit f

. n , or

cutting she found to her dismay that every ight it

, n w as

t am pled down and cruelly dam ged ; yet

r coul d tell a n o o ne

by what means it done w as .

S she set her son to watch And at m idnight he he rd a

o . a

g eat noise and a rushing f waves on the beach and u p t

r o ,
ou :

o f the l ke came a great troop f horses who began to graz

a o ,
e

the corn and trample it down madly w i th their hoofs .

When he told all th i s to h i s mother she bade him watch

the ext night also but to t ke several f the men with h im
n , a o

furnished with b idles and when the horses rose from th

r , e

lake they were t fling the bridles over as many as they coul d
o

catch .

N owat midnight there was the same noise hea d ag in r a ,

and the rush f th aves and in an instant all the field

o e w ,

w as filled with the fairy hor es graz i ng the corn and tramp s ,

ling it down The men pursued them but only succeeded

. ,

i capturing one and he was the noblest f the lot

n ,
The o .

rest all plunged back into the lake H owever the men ,
.
,

brought home the captured horse to the widow and he ,

w as

put in the t ble and g ew big and strong and never a other
s a r , n

horse came up out f the lake nor was the corn touched
o ,
 2 06 AN I N C E T L E GE N DS o r IR LAN
E D.

a fter that n ight f his capture But when a year h d pa sed

o . a s

by the wido said it a sh ame to kee p so fine a horse

w w as

i dle and she bade the young man her son take h i m out
, , ,

t o the hunt that was held that day by all the great gentry f o

t h country f
e it was Whitsuntide
, or .

And i truth the horse carried h im s plendidly at the

,
n ,

l un
h t and every
, adm i red both the fine young ri der and
o ne

ib i s steed But as he was returning home when they came

.
,

w i thin sight f the lake fro m which the fairy steed had
o

ri sen he bega to plunge v i olently and finally thre h i s

, n ,
w

rider And the young man s foot being unfortu ately caught
.
’
n

i n the sti rrup he was dragged along till he was torn l i m b

,

f rom limb wh ile the horse st i ll continued gal loping

’

, on

m adly t the water leaving some fragment f the unhappy

o , o

J d a fter h im
a the road till they reached the marg i f
on , n o

t h lake when the horse shook ff the last limb f the dead
e , o o

youth from him and plung i ng i nto the waves disappeared

,

from sight .

The people reverently gathered up the remains f the o

d ead and erected a monument f stones over th lad in

, o e a

field by the edge f the lake ; and every one that passes by o
~
still lays a stone and says a prayer that the sp i rit f the dead o
m y rest in peace
a .

The phantom horses were never seen again but the lake
-

has an evil reputation even to this day amongst the people

and no would venture a boat on it a fter sundown at
o ne

Whitsuntide during the time f the ri p ening f the corn

, or o o ,

or hen the harvest is ready f the sickle f strange sounds

w or , or

are heard at night like the wi ld galloping f a horse across the

, o
m eado along with the cries as f a man in his death agony
w, o .
 NOV E MB E R Sp E LLs .

T HE ancient Irish d i v i ded the year into summe and wi nter r

—S m t/ and a ra z the former beginn i ng in May ,

t h latter i N ovember called also S m f fi

e n
( summer end )
, a z u n -
.

At this seaso when the sun dies the powers f darkness

n, , o

e xerc i se great and ev i l influence over all things The w i tch .

w omen say they can then ride at n ight through th air w i th e

D iana f the E phesians and H erod i s and others leagued
o , a ,

w ith the devil ; and change men to be sts ; and ride with the a

d ead and cover leagues f ground on swi ft spirit horses Also

o -
.

o n N ovember E by cert in i ncan t tions the dead can be

ve , a a ,

m ade to appear and answer questions but f this purpose or

b lood must be sprinkled on the dead body when i t rises ;

f or it is said the spi ri ts love blood The colour excites them .

an d g i ves them f the t i me the po er and the semblance f

or w o

l i fe .

D i ination by fire by earth and by water is also largely

v , , ,

practised but as an ancient wri ter has observed Al l

‘

, ,

s uch divinations are acc rsed f they are worked by the u , or

p ower f th fal len angels who give knowledge only throug h

o e ,

m ali ce and to bring ev i l on the quest i oner N either shoul d

,
.
208 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN
E D.

time and easons be held lucky nlucky

s s the cours or u , nor e

o f the moo the death f the sun nor the calle d

n, n o r o ,
so - .

E gyp tian days ; f all things are blessed to a Christian

or .

And this is the doctrine f the H oly Church which all m

o ,
en

should t ke to heart
a But a prayer t God written fine
. o , ,

may be worn tyed round the neck f this is done in a holy , or

s pirit and is not against the ordinances f the Church

, o .
!

The scapular here alluded to is a p i ece f cloth which o on

the name f Mary is written one side and I H S the

o on . . . on

other It preserves against ev i l spi its and is a passport to

. r ,

heaven and e sures against the pains f hell f the Blessed

, n o or

V irgi n takes th wea er under her e pecial care

e r It is placed s .

in a little silk bag and worn tied round the eck and is left n ,

u pon the dead in their coffi n f the angels t see at theor o

resurrection The scapular i s ever gi ven to an evil liver

. n ,

so it is a s ign both f a pious l i fe here and a blessed l i f

o e

herea fter .
 NO V E M B E R E VE .

A LL the spells worked on N ovember E are performed i ve n

the name f the devil who is then forced to reveal the future
o ,

fate f the questioner

o The most sual spell i s to wash
.
‘

u a

garment in a running brook then hang it on a thorn bush , ,

and wait t see the apparition f the lover who will come
o o ,

to turn it But the tri cks played on this night by young

.

persons on each other have often most disastrous co n se

qu e n c es .O young g i rl fell dead w i th fri ght when an

ne

appariti on really came and turned the garment she had

hu g the bush And a lady n rrates that on the t f
n on . a I s o

N ovember h servant rushed into the room d fainted on

er an

the floor O recovering she said that she had played a

. n ,

trick that night in the name f the dev i l before the lookingo

glass ; but what she had seen she d red not speak f though a o ,

the remembrance f it would never leave her brain and she

o ,

knew the shock would kill her They tri ed to laugh her .

out f her fears but the ext night she a found quit
o ,
n w s e

dead with her features horr i bly contorted ly i ng on the floo

, , r

before th e looking glass which was shivered to p i eces

-

, .

A other s pell is the buildi g

n n of the house . Twelv e

VOL . 1. I S
2IO AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR AN
EL D.

cou ples are taken each being made f two holly twigs tied
, o

together with a hempen thread ; these are all n med and

‘

stuck round in a circle in the clay A live coal i s then .

placed in the centre and wh i chever couple c tches fire first

,
a

will assuredly be married Then the future husband is i . n

vo k d in the name f the E v i l O

e to appear and quench o ne

t h fl ame
e .

O one occasion a dead man in his shroud answered

n

t h call and il
e tly d
, away the girl from the rest f the
s en rew o

party The fright turned her b a i n and she never recovered

. r

h erreaso a fte wards The horror f t hat a pp i tion

n r . o ar

h aunted her f ever es pecially as on November E i t is

or , ve

believed firmly that the dead really leave their graves and
have power to appear amongst the living .

A young girl in a farmer s service was in the lo ft ’

o ne

n igh t looking f eggs when two men came i nto the stable
or

underneath and through a chink in the boards she could

,

s ee them quite well and hear all they sa i d T her hor or . o r

she found that they were plann i ng the murder f a man in o

t h ne i ghbourhood who was suspected f be i ng an in former

e o ,

an d they settled how they would get rid f t h body by o e

throwing it into the Shannon She crept home half dead .

w ith fright but did not venture to tell any wh t she h d

, o ne a a

h eard N e x t d y ho ever the news spread that the man

. a , w ,

was missing and it was feared he was murdered Still the

, .

g i rl w afraid to reveal what she knew though the ghost

as
,

o f the murdered man seemed f ever before her Fi nally or .

she could bear the place longer and giving u p h itua no

, , er s
 N OV B REM E E VE . 2 11

t ion she went t another village some mile ff d took

, o s o an

s ervi e But N ovember E

c . h
on washing clothe ve , as s e w as s
i the Sh nnon the dead body f the murdered man arose
n a , o

f ro m the water and floated to ards her unt i l i t lay qu i te w ,

c lose to her feet Then she k new the hand f God . o w as

i nit and that the spirit f the dead wo ld not rest till
, o u

h e w asavenged So she went and gave in formation and

.
,

on her evidence the two murderers were convicted and

e xecuted .

the c ttle fall sick at this sea on it i supposed that

If a s ,
s

some ld fairy man woman is lying h i d about the place to

o or

spy out the doings f the family d work some evil spells
o an
'

A farmer had a splendid the pride f his farm but co w , o ,

suddenly i t seemed a i ling and gave no milk though every ,

morning i t went and stood qu i te patiently under an old

hawthorn tree as if some one were milking her So the
-
.

man watched the t i me and presently the cow came f , o

herself and stood under the hawthorn when a little old ,

wizened woman came forth from the trunk f the tree o ,

milked the and then retreated i nto the tree agai O

co w , n. n

this the farmer sent at once f a fairy doctor who exorcised or ,

the and gave it a strong potion after which the spell

co w ,

was broken and the was restored to its usual good con
co w

d ition and gave the milk as hereto fore .

The fai ies also exercise a m l ign influence by mak i ng

r a a

path through the house when all the h i ldre begin to pine ,
C n

and a blight falls on the family .

2 12 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR L AN
E D .

A farmer h had lost son by h eart di eas ( always

, w o one s e a

m ysterious malady t the pe sants ) and another by g adual

o a r

decay consulted a wise fairy m to what should be done

, wo an as ,

if also had become delicate and weak The woma

'

f hi
or s w e . n.

told him that on N ovember E the fairies had m ade a road ve

th rough the hou e and were going back and forward eve
s r

since and whatever they looked upon was doomed T h

, . e

only remedy was to build up the old door and ope another n

entrance Thi the m did and when the wi tch women came
. s an ,
-

as usual in the morning to beg f water or milk or meal they or

found door and were obliged to turn back A fter th i s

no , . .

the spell was taken ff the household and they ll p rospered

o , a

with out fear f the fairie o s.

 Pt T E R R I B L E RE V E N GE .

T HE a i ries o ften take a terrible revenge if they are ever

f
slighted or fl d d A whole fam i ly once came under
o
’

en e .

their ban bec use a fairy woman had been re fused admittance
a

into the house The eldest boy lost his sight f some
. or

time and though he recovered the use f h i s eyes yet they

, o

a lways had a strange express i on as if he saw some terrible

,

o bject in the d i stance that scared him A d at last the . n

n eighbours grew afraid f the family f they brought ill

o , or

l uck wherever they went and nothing prospered that they

,

touched .
I

There were s i x children all izened little creatures wi th

,
w

withered old faces and thin crooked fingers E very one .

knew they were fairy changelings and the sm i th wanted to ,

put them on the anvil and the wise women said they should
,

b passed through the fire but destiny se tled the future f

e t or

t hem f ,
after another they all p i ned away and died
o r o ne ,

an d the ban f the fa i ri es was ne ver li fted from the ill fated
o -

house till the whole family lay i n the grave .

 M i Ds U M M E R .

I S AN D D A N C E S
T HE BAAL F R E .

TH I se son is still made m emorable in Ireland by lightin g

S a

fi res on every h i ll according to the anc i ent pagan usage

, ,

when the Baal fires were kindled as part f the ritual f sun o o

worship tho gh now they are l i t i n honour f St John

,
u o . .

The g eat b onfire f the year is still made on St John

r o .
’
s

E when all the people dance round i t and every young

v e, ,

man takes a lighted brand from the pile t bring home with o

h i m f good luck to th house

or e .

In a cient times the sacred fi was lighted with great

n re

ceremony M id m m E ; and on that n i ght all the

on
'

su er ve

p eople f the adjacent country kept fixed watch

o h on t e

w estern promontory f H owth and the moment the first

o ,

flash was seen from that spot the fact f ign i tion was o an

d with wild cr i es and cheers repeated from ill g t

n o u n ce
'

v a e o

village when all the local fires began to blaze and Ireland
, ,

w as circled by a cordon f flame rising up from every h i ll

o .

Then the dance and song began round every fire d , an

the w i ld hurrahs filled the a i r with the most f antic revelry r .

Many f these anc i ent customs are still continued d

o
, an
 T HE BAA L IR F E S AN D D AN C ES . 2 15

the fires are still l i ghted on St J ohn s E on every hill in .

’
ve

Irela d When the fire has burned down to a red glow th

n .
e

young men stri p t the waist and lea p over or through the
o

flames ; this is done backwards and forwards several times ,

and he who braves the great t blaze is cons i dered th es e

victor over the powers f evil and is greeted with tremendous

o ,

ap p l use Wh en the fire burns sti ll lower the young girls leap
a .
,

the flame and those h leap cle n over three times back and
,
w o a

fo ward will be certain f a speedy marri g e and good luck

r o a

in after li fe with many children The m arried women then

, .

w alk through the lines f the burning embers ; and when the
o

fire is nearly bur t and trampled dow the yea ling c ttle
n n, r a

are dri ven through the hot ashes and their back i s singed ,

w i th a ligh ted hazel twig These hazel rods are kept safely
.

a fterward being considered f immen e power t drive

s, o s o

the cattle to and from the watering pl ces As the fi a . re

dimin i shes the shouting grows fainter and the song and the ,

d nce commence while professional story tellers arrate

a -
n

tales f f iry land or f the good ld t i mes long ago when

o a -
, o o ,

the kings d princes f Ireland dwelt amongst their own

an o

p eople and there was food to eat d wine to drink f all

,
an or

comers t the f st at the king s house When the crowd

o ea
’
.

at lengt h separate every one carries home a brand from the

,

fire and gre t virtue is attached to the lighted 5 mm hich

, a w

i
s sa fely carried to the house i thout breaking or falli ng to w

the ground Many contests also arise amongst the you g

.
n

men f whoever enters his house first with the sacred fire
or

brings the good luck f the year with him o .

O the first Sunday in M i dsummer all the young people

n

u se d t stand in l i nes a fter leaving c h apel to be h i red f

. o , or
2 I6 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN
E D .

service— the girls holding white wands the young men each ,

with n emblem f his t ade The evening ended ith

a o r . w a

dance and the revelry was kept up until the dawn f the o

next day c lled Sorrowful Monday because f the d

, a
“
,
”
o en

of the pleasure and the frolic .

FAI R Y D OC T R E SS
T HE .

But all this t ime the fairies were not idle ; f it was at or

t h is very season f dances d fest i val s when the mort ls

o an ,
a

around them were happiest that Fi the k i ng and his

,
n v arra

c hosen band were the watch to carry ff the p ettiest

on o r

girls to the fairy man i ons s .

There they kept them f seven yea s and at the end f or r ,

o

that ti me when they grew old and ugly they were sent back
, , ,

f orthe fairies love noth i ng so much as youth d be uty an a .

But as a compensation f the slight put on them the

!

or ,

women were taught all the fairy secrets and the magi cal
mystery that lies in herbs and the strange powerthey have ,

over diseases So by this means the women bec me ll

. a a

powerf l and by their charms or spells p otions could

u , or

kill or save as they chose .

There a woman f the islands greatly feared yet

w as o ,

res p ected by the p eo p le f her knowledge f herbs hich or o , w

g ave her power over all diseases But she never reveal ed .

th e ature f the herb and always gathered th leaves

n o , e

hersel f at night and hid them under the eave f the house s o .

And if the person who carried the herb home let it fall to
the ground by the way it lost i ts power ; if they talked
, or

o f i t or showed i t t any all the v i rtue went t f it

o o ne, ou o .
 THE F AIRY O R D CT E SS. 7

It was to be used secretly and alone d then the cure '

, an

Would be perfected without fa i l .

O time a man who was told f this c me o er from the

ne , o a v

m ainland in a boat ith two other m to see the f iry

w en a

woman f he was lame from a fall and could do

or k no .wo r .

N the woman knew they were coming f she had a

ow , or

knowledge f all things through the power f divinati on she

o o

h d le rned from the fairies and could see and hear though
a a ,

no man told her So she went out and prepared the herb
.
,

an d made salve and brewed a poti on and had all ready

a ,

f the man and h i s friends

or .

When they appea ed she stood at the door and cried r ,

E nter ! This is the lucky day and hour ; have no fear ,

f you will be cured by the p ower th at is in me and by the

or ,

h erb I give y ou .
”

Then the man bowed d own before her and said Oh , ,

“
,

m other th i s i s my case
, And he told her that being .
”
,

ou t one day on the mountains he slipped and fell on h i s ,

face A mere slight fall but when he rose up his leg was
.
,

p o erless though bone seemed broken ”

w no .

I know h it happened she said You trod pon a

ow ,
”
. U

f i ry herb under which the fairies were resting and you

a ,

disturbed them and broke i n the top f the i r dwell i ng so o ,

they were angry and struck you on the leg and lamed you
o u t f s p ite
o But my power is greater than theirs D as
. . o

I tell you and y will soon be cured ou .

”

So she gave h im the salve and the bottle f pot i on o ,

and bade him t ke i t home c ref lly and use it in s i lence

a a u

an d alone and in three days the power f the limb would

, o

c ome back to him .

2 18 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS o r IR LAN
E D
.

Then the m fl d hi silver ; but she refused

an o
'
ere s .

I do not sell my knowledge she said I gi ve it A d

,
”
, . n

so the strength and th power remain with me

e .

O this the m
n en went their way But after three day
. . s

a me sage came from the man t say that he was cured

s o .

And he sent the wise woman a handsome present also f or

a gi ft works evil though to sell the sacred power and

no ,

m ysteri es f knowledge f money would be fatal f the

o or or n

the spi rit f heali g that dwelt in the woman would hav
o n e

fled away and returned m ore no .

 MA R R I A G E RI T E s .

IN o ld times in Ireland it was thought right and p oper t r o

seem t use force in ca ry ing ff the bride to her husb d

o r o an .

S h was p l ced on a s i ft horse before the brideg oom

e a w r ,

while all her kindred started in pursuit with shouts d crie an s.

attend ed the b ide and each placed

'

T l
w e ve m id a en s r , w as o n.

horseback behind the young men who rode after the bri da l
pa i r O rriving at her future home the bride was met
. n a , on

the threshold by the bridegroom s mother who broke ’

, an

oaten c ke over h head as a good aug ry f p lenty in th

a er u o e

future . In the mountai s where horses c nnot t avel th

n a r , e

bri dal party walk in procession ; the young m c rrying en a

torches f dried bogwood to light the bride over the ravines

o ,

f
or in inter the m ountain streams are rapid and dangerou
w s

to cross .

The Celtic ceremonial f marriage resembles the ancient

o

Greek ritual in many points A traveller in Ireland som . e

fi fty years ago be fore politics had quite k illed romance d

,
an

ancient tradition in the hearts f the people thus desc ibes o , r

a rusti c m ar i ge festival which he came on by chance

r a o ne

evening in the wilds f Kerry o

2 20 AN I N L N
C E T E GE D S OF IR LAN
E D .

A large hawthorn tree that stood in the middle f a field o

n ear a stream was hung all over with b i ts f coloured stu ff o ,

w hile lighted rush candles were placed here and there

a mongst the branches to symbolize no doubt the new l i fe
, , ,

o f brightness preparing f the bridal pair Then c me a or . a

p rocession f boys marching slowly w i th flutes and pipes

o

m ade f hollow reeds and

o struck a t i n can with a stick
,
o ne

:a t intervals with a strong rhythmical cadence

,
Th i s p . re re

s ented the plectrum O thers rattled slates and bones between

.

t heir fingers and b eat t i me a fter the manner f the Croto

, ,
o

l i t i— rude attempt at mus i c which appears amongst ll

s or a ,
a

n ations f the earth even the most savage A boy followed

o ,
.
,

bearing a l i ghted torch f bogwoo d E vidently he was o

H ymen and the flame f love was his cogni ance

, o After z .

h im came the betrothed pair hand i hand a large square -

a- ,

c anopy f black stu ff be i ng held over the i r heads ; the

o

e mblem f course f the mystery f love h d d d

, o , o o , s ro u e
‘

an

v ei led from the p rying l i ght f day o .

Beh i nd the pair followed t attendants bearing h igh over wo

th heads
e f the young couple a sieve filled wi th meal ;
o

a S ign f the plenty that would be in their house and an

o ,

o men f good luck and the blessing f children

o o .

A wild chorus f dance s and s i ngers closed the p

o r ro ce s

s ion the chorus f the ep i thalam i u m and grotesque figures

o , ,

p robably the traditional fauns and satyrs nymphs and ,

bacchanals m i ngled together with mad laughter and shouts

,

an d waving f green branches o .

The procession then moved on to a bonfire evidently ,

t h anc i ent altar ; and having go ne round i t three times the

e ,

black shroud was li fted from the bridal pair and they k i ssed ,
 M ARRIA RI GE TES. 22 I

each other before all the people h shouted and waved , w o

the i r branches i n approval .

Then the preparations f the marriage supper began or

, on

which however the t aveller left th m h i g laid some money

, , r e , av n

on the alt r as an offering f good wi ll f the marriage f ture

a o -
or u .

At the wedding supper there was always plenty f eati n g

.

and drinking and dancing and the feast prolonged t i ll

, , w as

near morning when the wedd i ng song was sung by the whol
, e

party f fri ends standing h i le the bride and bri degroom

o , w

rem id d seated at the head f the table

a e The chorus f o . o

one f these ancient songs m y be th us literally transl ted

o a a
'

from the Irish

I t is no t d ay, yet d ay, no r

I t is n o t d ay , n o r ye t mo n n g ri
I t i s n o t d ay , n o r ye t d ay ,
ly
F o r th e m o o n is s h in in g b rig h t .

Another marriage song was sung in Irish frequently each ,

verse ending with the lines

Th i
e re t h i m
s s w ee d h g ld
e nc h
an t n g i gi g u s ic , a n t e o en arps are r n n

d k h b id b d f
;
A d tw l
n m l m id
e ve co e y a b rid
en s ec t e r e- e or th e e.
!

A beauti ful new dress was presented to the bride by her

husband at the marri age feast ; at which also the father paid
down her dowry before the assembled g ests ; and all th u e

place round the house was lit by torches when night came
o n,and the song and the dance continued till daylight w i th ,

much speech making and drinki ng f poteen All figh i g

-
o . t n

was stead i ly avoided at a wedding ; f a qu rel would b or ar e

considered a most unl ucky omen A wet day was also held .

to be ve y unlucky as the bride would assu edly weep f

r ,
r or
'
 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN
E D
.

s o rrow throughout the year But the bright warm unshin

. s e

w as hailed joyfully according to th l d saying

, e o

H ppy i h b id h t h
a s t e r hi
e t a t e sun s n es o n

B bl
ut d i h
ess e rp th t h i r i
s t e co se a t e ra n a ns o n .
 T HE D E AD .

T H R are many strange super titions conce n i ng the de d

E E s r a .

The people seem to believe i n their actual presence th ough ,

u nseen and to have a great fe and dread f their fatal d

, ar o an

mysteri ous power .

I f a person f doubtful character d ies t

o bad f he ven , oo or a .

t oo good f hell they im agine that his soul is sent back to

or ,

e arth and obliged to obey the order f some pe son h

, o r w o

bids him rem i i n a pa ticul r place unti l the D y f Judg

a n r a a o

m ent or unt i l another soul i found will i ng to meet h im

, s

t here d th
an they may both pa into he ven together
en ss a
'

, ,

a bsolved
A i ncident is related that happened in th County
n e

G alway concerning this superstition

, .

A gentleman f ra k and fort une but f a free and

o n , o

diss i pated li fe bec me the lover f a pretty gi l one f the

, a o r , o

t en t s d ughters And the girl so devoted t him

’
an a . w as o

that perhaps he might have ma ried her at last ; but he r w as

kil led suddenly when out hunting by a f ll from h i horse

, ,
a s .

Some t i me after the girl comi ng home l te one eveni g

, ,
a n ,

m t the ghost f her lover at a very lone ome p rt f the

e o ,
s a o
2 24 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN
E D .

road The form was the same as when living but i t h d

; ,
a

no eyes The girl crossed hersel f; wh ich the ghost

. on .

d i sappeared .

Again she met the same apparition at n i ght and a third ,

time when the ghost stood ri ght before her in the path
, , so

that she could not pass Then she spoke and asked i n h .
,
t e

name f God and the good angels why he appeared to her ;

o ,

and he answered that he could not rest in h i s grave till he

,

had received some command from her wh i ch he was bound ,

to obey .

“
Then h sa i d go stand by the gate f heaven till
,
”
S e ,
“
o

the J udgment D y and look in at the blessed dead thei

a , on r

thrones but you may t enter This is my judgment

, no . on
”
yo ur so uL

On this the ghost sighed deeply and vanished and was , ,

seen no more But the girl prayed earnestly that she soon
.

might meet her lover at the gate f heaven whither she had o ,

s ent h i m that so both might enter together into the blessed

,

land And thus it happened f by th at day year she

. or w as

c arried t her grave in the churchyard but her soul went

o ,

forth to meet her lover where he waited f her by the gate

, or

o f heaven and through her love he was absolved and per

m itt d to enter w i th i n the gate be fore the J udgment D
,

e a
y .

It was considered disrespectful t the de d t take a short o a o

ou t when carrying the fli to the grave co n .

In the Islands a person is dying they place twelve

, w n en
,

l i ghted u hes round the b d

r s This they say is t preven t e o
, ,
the devil coming f the soul ; f noth i ng evil can p s a
or or as

c i rcle f fire They also forbid crying f the de d until

o . or a

three hours have passed by lest the wail f the mourners , o

should aken the dogs who are waiting to devour the soul
w s

o f m before they can reach the throne f God

en o .

It is a very general custom during some n i ght a fter a s

death to leave food outs i de the house— griddle cake or a ,

a dish f pot toes I f it is gone in the morn i ng the spiri ts

o a .
,

must have taken i t ; f no human bei ng would touch the or

food le ft f the dead or .

The great and old fam i lies f Ireland consider it right to o

be buried with the i r kindred and are brought from any ,

distance however remote to be la i d i n the anc i ent grave

, ,

yard f the race o .

A young man f family hav i ng died f away from fever

o ar , ,

i t was thought advi sab le not to bring him home b ut to ,

bury him where he died H owever on the night f the .

, o

funeral a phantom hearse with four black horses stopped

a t the churchyard Some men then entered with spades
.

and shovels and dug a grave a fter which the hearse drove ,

away But next morning no s i gn f the grave was to be

. o

fo nd except a long li ne marked out the length f a m n s

’
u , o a
,

coffin .

It is unlucky and a bad omen to ca ry fire out f a house r o

where any one i s i ll A gentleman one day stopped at a .

cab i n to get a light f h i s cig r and havi ng wished good or a ,

VOL . I . I 6
226 AN I N L N C E T E GE DS OF i R E LAN D .

morn ing in the usual friendly fashion he took a stick from ,

the fire blew it into a blaze and was walking away when
, , ,

the woman f the house rose p fiercely and told him

o u ,

it was an evil thing to take fire away when h husband er

was dying O looking round he saw t h d skeleton

'

. n a w re c e

lying on a bed f stra ; so he flung back the stick at once

o w ,

and fled from the place leaving his blessing in the form ,

o f a s i lver o ffering to neutralize the evil f the abducted

,
o

fire .

After the priest has left a d yi ng person and confession ,

has been made ll the family kneel round the bed reciting
,
a

the L itany f the Dy i ng and holy water is sprinkled over

or ,

the room until the soul departs .

Then they all rise and begi n the m ourn ful death wail in -

a loud voice and by this cry all the people in the village
know the exact moment f the death and each that o ,
o ne

hears it utters a p rayer f the departing soul or .

At the wake the co pse is often dressed in the habit f

r o

a religious order A cross is placed in the hands d the

. an

scapular on the breast Candles are lighted all round in

.

a circle and the fri ends and relati ves a range themselves
, r

in due order the nearest f k i n bei ng at the head At

, o .

i ntervals they all st nd up and intone the d ath wail rocking

a e -
,

back and forward over the dead and reci ti g his virtues ; , n

wh ile the widow and orphans freque tly salute the corpse n

with endearing epithets and recall the happy days they ,

spent together .

When the fli is borne t the grave each person p resent

co n o
 THE DE A D. 2 27

helps t c ry it a little way f this is considered a mode

o ar or

o f showing honour to the dead The ne est relati v s take

. ar e

the front handles first ; then after a li ttle while they move
to the back and other take the i r pl a e ntil eve y person
s c , u r

i n turn has borne the he d f the coffin to the grave— f

a o or

it would be dishonourable t the dead to omit th i s mark

o

o f respect .

As the coffi n is lowered into the grave the death cry ri ses -

up with a loud d bitter wa i l and the excitement o ften

an ,

becomes great that women have fallen into hysterics ; and

so

at o ne funeral young girl in her agony f g ief jum ped

a o r

into her father s grave and t ken up in ensible

’
w as a s .
 T HE WA KE OR OI E s .

FRO anci ent times the wakes or funeral games in Ireland

M , ,

were held w i th many strange Obse vances car ied down by r , r

tradit i on from the pagan era Some f the rites however. o , ,

were so revolti ng and monstrous th t the pri sthood used a e

all their influence to put them dow The l d funeral n . o

customs in consequence have now been discontinued almost

, ,

entirely amongst the people and the anc i ent trad i tional,

usages are unknown to the new generat i on though the elders ,

o f the village can yet remember them An old man still .

l i ving thus described to an inqu i ri ng ant i quary and lover

,

o f folk lore his experience f the ceremoni l f a wake at

-

,
o a o

which he had been present i n the South f Ireland hen o , w

he was qu i te a youth some fi fty years before

,
.

“
O dark winter s n i ght about seven o clock a l rge
ne
’
,
’
, a

party f us he sai d young men and women perhaps h i rty

o ,
”
,
“
, t

or more set out across the mounta i n to attend a wake at

,

the house f a rich farmer about three m i les ff All the

o , o .

young men carried lighted torches f the way was rugged , or

and dangerous ; and by their light we guided the women

as best we could over the deep cle fts and across the rap i d
streams swollen by the w i nter s ra i n The g i rls too k ff
.

’
, . o

their shoes and stockings and walked bare foot but where ,
 T HE W AK E OR GI E s . 2 29

the water heavy and deep the men ca ried them across
w as r

in the i r arms or on the i r backs In this way we all arrived .

at last at the farmhouse and found a g eat assemblage i, r n

the large barn wh i ch was hung thro ghout ith branches f

, u w o

evergree and festoons f laurel and holly

n o .

At one end f the barn on a bed decorated wi th branches

o ,

o f green leaves lay the corpse an old woman f eighty

, , o ,

the mother f the man f the house H stood by the

o o . e

head f the dead woman while all the near relatives had
o ,

seats round Then the mourn i ng women entered and sat

.

down on the ground i n a circle one in the centre cloaked ,

and hooded who began the chant or funeral wail all the
, ,

rest joining in chorus After an interval there would come

.

a deep silence ; then the chant began again and when it ,

was over the women rose up and went out leaving the ,

place free f the next comers who acted a play full f

or , o

ancient symbolic meaning But fi st whisky was served .

, r ,

round and the pipers played ; f eve y v i llage had sent

,
or r

the i r best player and s i nger to honour the wake .

“
When a great space was cleared i n the centre f the o

barn the first set f players entered They wore masks and
,
o .

fantastic garments and each c rried a long spear and a

,
a

bit f plaited straw on the arm f a sh i eld At once

o or .

they began to bu i ld a fort as it were marking out the , ,

size with their spears and us i ng some rough play with

,

the spectators Wh i le thus engaged a band f enemies

. o

ap peared also m ked d armed And now a great fight

,
as an .

began and many prisoners were taken ; but t ave slaughter o s

a horn was blown and a fight demanded between the two

,

best champions f the hostile forces T f the finest

o . wo o
 AN I N L N C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN E D .

young men were then selected and placed at opposite ends

f the barn when they ran a tilt against one another with
o ,

their spears uttering fierce loud cries and making te ri ble

, , ,
r

demonstrations At length one fell down if mort lly

. as a

wounded ; then all the hooded women came in again and

keened over him a male voice at i nterval reciting h i s
,
s

deeds while the p ipers played marti al tunes But on it

,
. s

being suggested that perhaps he was not de d at all an a ,

herb doctor was sent f to look at him ; and an aged m or an

wi th a flowing wh i te beard was led i n carry i ng a huge bundle ,

o f herbs Wi th these he performed sundry s trange incanta

.

tions until finally the dead man sat up and

, i d w as ear r e

o ff the field by his comrades with shouts f triumph S , o . o

ended the first play .

Then supper was served and more whisky drun k a fter ,

wh ich another play was acted f a di fferent kind A o .

table was set i n the m i ddle f the barn and t chairs o , wo ,

while all the people about a h undred more gathered , or ,

round i n a circle Then t men dressed as judges took

. wo , ,

their seats with guards beside them and c lled another

, , a on

man to come forth and address the people O th i s a . n

young man sprang on the table and poured forth an orat i on

i n Iri sh f ll f the most grotesque f d sharp all sions
,
u o un an u ,

at wh i ch the crowd roared wi th la ghter Then he gave out u .

a verse like a psalm in gibberish Iri sh and bade the people

, ,

say i t a fter him It ran like this be i ng translated

.
,

Y ll M h ef S i
ow acau l
y as co me ro m pa n,

H h tm e b ro u g t
g s w ee u s ic o u t o f a ba ,

S in g ing S ee s a w , S u ll a Vick D lz au ,
-

S a l /a , S u lfa Vic/J D /mu r i /

g z:
t l
( T h a is , S o o mo n , so n o f Da d th e Kin g vi .
)
 T HE W AK O R IE G ES . 23 !

any one failed to repeat this verse after him he was

If
ordered to prison by the judges and the guard seized h i m , s

t cut ff h i s head ; or if any one laughed the judge sen

o o

te n ced him saying in Irish Se i ze that man he is a pagan ;

, ,
‘
,

he is mocking the Christi a fa i th L t him d i e 1 n . e

’

“
After this the p ro fe i onal story teller was in great force
ss -

and held the listeners enchained by the wonders f his o

narrati on and the passionate force f his declamation So

.

o .

the strange revel ry went on and the feasti ng and the dri nk ,

ing till sunri e when many f the gue ts returned to the i r

, s , o s

homes but othe s stayed with the family till the fli was
, r co n

li fted f the grave

or .
”

Full detai ls f these strange wake orgies

o seldom be ca n

obta i ned f the people are a fra i d f the priesthood who

, or o ,

have veh emently denounced them Yet the peasant cl i ng . s

to them with a mysterious reverence and do not see the ,

immorality f many f the wake practices They accept

o o .

the m as mysteries ncient usages f their fore fathers to

, a o ,

be sacredly observed or the vengeance f the dead would, o

fal l on them .

Accord i ng to all accounts an immense amount f dramati c o

talent was displayed by the actors f these fantasti c and o

symbolic plays A intelligent pea ant h was brought to

. n s , w o

see the acting at the Dublin theatre declared on h i s return ,

I have now seen the great E nglish actors d hea d pl ys , an r a

in the E nglish tongue but poor and dull they seemed to me

,

a fter the acting f our own people at the w kes and fairs ;
o a

f
or it is a truth the E nglish cannot make us weep and laugh
,
232 AN I N L N
C E T E GE D S OF IR LAN
E D .

as I have seen the crowds with us when the players played

and the poets recited the i r stories .
”

The Celts certainly h ave a strong dramatic tendency and ,

there are m any peasant families in Ireland who have b een

distingu i shed f generati ons as bards and actors and have
or ,

a natural and hered i tary gi ft f mus i c and song or .

O the subject f wake orgies a clever writer observes

n o ,

that they are ev i dently a rem nant f pagan i sm and fo med o ,

r

part f those Druidic rites meant to propitiate the ev i l spirits

o

and the demons f darkness and doom f the influence f

o or o

D ruidism lasted long after the establ i shment f Chri st i an i ty o .

The Druid pri ests took shelter wi th the people and exercised ,

a powerful and mysterious sway over them by their magic

spells D ruid practi ces were known to exist down to the
.

t i me f the N orman invas i on i n the twel fth century and

o ,

even f centuri es a fter ; and to this D ru i dic i nfluence may

or

b e traced the sarcasms on Chri stian i ty which are oc asi on l ly c a

introduced into the mystery plays f the wake ceremon i al o .

As in the called H old the L ight here the passion

o ne
“
,
”
w

o f the L ord Christ is travestied with grotesque imitation .

The same writer describes the play acted at wak es c lled a

The Bu i ld i ng f the Sh i p a symbol i c rite still older than

o ,

Dru i dism and proba b ly a remnant f the primit i ve Ark i te

, o

worship This was followed by a scene called Drawing

.
“

the Sh i p out f the Mud It was aga i nst th ese two plays
o .
”

that the anathemas f the Church were ch i efly directed i n

o
,

consequence f their gross i mmoral i ty and they have now

o ,

entirely ceased to form any portion f the wake ceremon i al o

o f Ireland H i ndu pri ests would recognize some

.
f the o

ceremonies as the same which are still practised in their own

 T HE W AK O R I
E G ES . 2 33

temples and travellers have t aced a simila ity also in these r r

anc i ent usages to the b ig canoe games f the Mandan “ ”

o

Ind i ans .

In the next play th H ierophant or teacher f the games

, e , o ,

orders all the m out f the room ; a young girl i s then

en o

dressed with a hide thrown over her and hor s on her head , n ,

to s i mulate a cow while her maidens form a circle and

,

slowly dance round her to mus i c on wh i ch a loud k nocking ,

i s heard at the door Who want to enter ? asks the .

“
s
”

H ierophant H is answered. The guards d emand adm i t

e ,
“

tance f the bull who is without Admittance is refused

or .
!
,

and the maidens and the affect great alarm Still the co w .

knocking goes on and finally the door is burst open and

,

the bull enters H also is robed with a h i de and wears

. e

horns d is surrounded by a band f young men his

,
an o as

guards H endeavours to seize the cow who is defended

. e ,

b y her maidens form i ng the dramatic incidents f the play

, o .

A general mock fight now takes place between the guards

and the maidens and the scene ends with uproarious h i lari ty
,

and the capture f the cow o .

There are other practices menti oned by writers on the

subject who trace i n the Irish Observances a tradition f the
,
o

C b y i r i tes and also a str i king s i m ilarity to the idolatrous

a r c ,

practices f H i ndustan as descri bed in the As iatic R

o
“
e

searches and in Moore s H indu Pantheon

,
” ’
.

It i s remarkable also that i n the Polynesian Islands the

funeral rites were accompanied by somewhat similar cere
monies These the early missionaries viewed with hor or
.
r ,

and finally succeeded in extirpating them .

These ancient funeral rites have disappeared in no w

234 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN
E D .

Ireland ; still the subject rema i ns one f intense interest t

'

o o

the ethnologist and antiquary who will find in the deta i ls

,

indications f the oldest idolatries f the world especially

o o ,

o f that prim i t i ve religion called Arkite as i n the dramatic

,

performance call d The Bu i ld i ng f the Ship where one

e o ,
”

man prostrates h i msel f on the ground as the sh i p wh i le two ,

others sit head and foot to represent the prow and stem .

Th i s ship drama is perhaps a fragment f the earliest

, , o

tradition f humanity represented b y a vis i ble symbol to

o

i llustrate the legend f the Delug e

o .
 T H E AN C I E NT MYS T E R I E S .

I R LAN from i t remote position and i mmunity from

E D, s

R oman conquest remained longer in the possession f the

, o

D ruid i c mysteries than any other nation f E urope Besides o .

,

the early mis ionaries adopted no intolerant measures against

'

the ancient creed ; no persecutions are recorded The .

sacred trees were not cut down nor the sacri ficial stones ,

destroyed ; b t the holy well s and the antique monuments

u

were sanctified by association with a saint s name and '

history and from being objects f pagan idolatry bec me

, o a

shrines f prayer and cent es f holy worship where

o r o , e n~

lightened men p reached the new gospel f light purity o , ,

and love to an awe struck wondering multitude

-
,
.

To this to l erant policy as Mr Windell the learned

, .
,

antiquary remarks may be attri buted the strong endurance

, ,

o f D ruidic su p erstitions and usages in Ireland Much also .

is due to the peculiar and truly Oriental tenacity with which

the Irish at all times have clung to the customs and tra
d itio ns o f their fore fathers The belie f in a fairy race ever
.

present amongst them and around them is one f these , o

i fl
ne bl superstitions which the people stil l hold with
ac ea e
2 36 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR L AN
E D.

a faith as fervent as those f the first Aryan tribes who o

wandered westward from the mysti c E ast where all creeds , ,

symbols and myths had their ori gin

,
.

Many other broken fragments f the early ritual f the o o

world can also still be traced i n the popular superst i tions

and usages f the people The sun and moon with the
o .

mysterious powers f nature were the first gods f humani ty

o o .

Astarte Ashtaroth and Isis were all the same moon

, ,

goddess u der di f erent names d all were represented by

n , an

the symbol f the horned cow The E gyptians typified the

o .

sun and moon Osiris d Isis as the ox and the ; and

,
an ,
co w

these symbols were still used at the Iri sh wake ceremon i al

unti l very recently f the D ruids also worshipped the sun
or

and moon and the winds and venerated trees fountains , , ,

ri vers and p i llar stones l i ke their Persian ancestry But

, , .

the Irish considered the east wind demon i acal the D ru i d i c ,

w i nd f accursed power They called it The R d Wind

o . e ,
”

“
A wind that b lasts the trees and w i thers men is that R d e

Wind according to a h d
,
”
ar .

The H indus had their triad f Brahma Vishnu and Siva o , , ,

representing th esun at morning noon and evening so the , ,

Irish D ru i ds had thei r triad f Baal Budh and G i and o , , r an ,

they called the May fest i val L i B d/ B l im ( the r u 1a n a aa l ze

day f B uddha f the Baal fires) C h i h was another

o o . r s na

H i ndu ame f n the sun and the Irish had Cri a a name
or , s,

f
or the sun l i kewise .

The H i ndus had their cattle or cow festival in spring ,

when they walked round the an i mals w i th great ceremony

,

always going westward wh i le they flung garlands on the i r

,

horns So in Ireland there was also a procession when the

.
,
 T HE AN I C E NT M Y RI
ST E ES . 23 7

cows were decorated with vervain and the rowan and ,

were sprinkled with the Sg tl T b ( the purity f the at

'

z an-
o ar o

well) that is the first water drawn from a sacred well after
, ,

midnight on May E Th i s was considered an effecti ve

ve .

antidote to witchcra ft and whoever succeeded in being first

,

at the well c st into it a tu ft f gr ss called C b/ g g

, a o a ,
u r wa i ng ,

to show that the S g t/ T b had been abstracted So

az
'

z cu -
-
o ar .

also the H indus esteem the C / g as cred and c st u r 1a r as s sa , a

it into their wells f a like purpose The ceremonial f

or . o

wreathing the horns f the cows was in honour f the moon

o o ,

the wi fe f the Sun god whose emblem as we know all

o -
, , ,

through the E a t as in Ireland

s , the horned cow , w as .

Many and strange indeed are the analogies between the

, ,

practices f the E gyptians H i ndus Pers i ans and the Irish

o , , ,

and the legend may after all have some truth in i t which
, ,

brings the first Colon i sts f Irel nd from E gypt and makes o a ,

the first Queen f E ri n a daughter f Pharaoh The ancient

o o .

war cry f the Irish clans was P i / a word that has no

-
o zar ra z

significance in the Irish language but which is supposed , .

by some anti quarians to be the same as P l l the sun z a,

the regal title f the E gypti an kings by wh i ch they were

o ,

invoked by the warri ors as they rushed into battle .

The anc i ent fune al ceremonies f E gypt b e sti ll seen

r o can

and stud i ed at the wake f an Irish peasant ; especially i n o

that singular symbol when a man and a woman appeared

, ,

one bearing the head f an ox the other that f a cow at

o ,
o

the funeral games ; a custom which h now lost all its as

meaning but which originally no doubt represented Isis

, , ,

and Osiris waiting to receive the soul f the dead o .

The Persians held that fire and water were the most sa red c
 23 8 AN N L N
CIE T E GE DS o r IR L AN E D .

of all thing and so did the Irish ; hence their reverence f

s or

the waters f puri ficati on at the holy wells And as the

o .

heathen passed their ch i ldren and cattle through the fire t o

Moloch so the Irish performed the same rite at the Baal

,

festival when the young men leaped through the flames and
, ,

the cattle were driven through the h t embers Fire was o .

held to be the v i sible symbol f the invis i ble God endowed o ,

with mystic cleansing powers and the a cending flame , s

was thought to be a divine sp i ri t dwelling in the substance

ignited For this reason the Irish m d i l f fire round
. a e a c rc e o

their children and their cattle to guard them from evil ,

holding the belief that no evil spirit could p ss this special '

emblem f divinity o .

But even in matters less divine there was a similarity

bet een the Persian and Irish usages The Persian Magi
w .

made a considerable revenue from the sacred fire f each or

devotee paid silver coin f the ember carried a ay from

a or w

the holy tem ple to li ght the home fire on the day f the
, , o

Sun festival And fire was also a source f wealth to the

-
. o

D ruid p riests ; each person being obliged t buy it fro m o

them the great day f Baal Therefore it

on oa sin t . w as o

give away fire on that day ; and the habit f burning it t o o

light the home fire was denounced as fatal and unlucky .

The true reason b ei ng that t borrow the sacred element o

was to injure the priestly revenue Yet th i s anci ent ord i nance .

is still religiously observed in Ireland and even t this d y o a

no peasant would vent re to gi ve away fire or milk on May

u

D y f fear f the wo st co nsequences t the giver ; while

a , or o r o

any one h came to borrow a l ighted brand would be

w o

looked on s an emissary f Satan

a o .
 T HE AN I N Y RI
C E T M ST E ES . 239

The sacred fire at Tara ( T m/ Kig / Tara f the a

'

zaz r - rza -
z, o

Kings ) was only li t every three years and then with ,

great ceremony The sun s rays were concentrated by

.
’

means f a brazen lens on some pieces f dried wood and

o , o ,

from th i s alone were all the sacred fire in Ireland s

kindled in the holy places .

At the present ti me if a peasant h to l i ght a fire in the

, as

house on May morn i ng which does not o ften happen as the

, ,

custom i s to keep the fire burn i ng all n ight a l ighted sod ,

taken from the pri est s house i s esteemed f great v i rtue and
’

sacredness just as in old t i me a l i ghted brand from the

,

altar f Ba l was used to light the domesti c fire

o a .

The sacred fire was obtained also from the friction f o

wood or the striking f stones ; and it

, supposed that
o w as

the spirits f fire dwelt in these objects and when the priest
o ,

i nvoked them to ppear they brought good luck to the

a ,

household f all the com i ng year but if invoked by other

or

hands on that spec i al day the i r influence was m lifi a c .

The m igration f races can be learly traced by their

o C

supersti ti ons The oldest seem to have come from Pers i a

.

and E gypt ; while mutilated though still authentic portions ,

o f the old world r i tual can still be found ll along the

-
a

Mediterranea marking the westward progress f the primi

n, o

tive nations t i ll the last wave found a resting place on our

,
-

own f d i stant shores washed by the waters f the Atlanti c

ar -
, o .

Assyria was the teacher f E gypt ; E gypt f Greece ; o o

and Greece f E urope ; and l i ttle seems to have been lost

o

duri g the prog ess f sixty ce turies The old myths still
n r o n .

remain at the ba e f all thought and all creeds broken

s o

fragments f the pr i mal fa i th ; shadowy trad i tions f some

o o
2 40 AN I N L N C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN
E D .

great human li fe that once was real and actual f some , or o

great event that changed the desti ny f nat i ons and the o ,

echo f which still vibrates through the legends the songs

o , ,

the poetry and the usages f every people the face f

,
o on o

the earth .

Pers ia E gypt India the Teuton and the Celt have all
, , , , ,

the same pri mal ideas in their mythology and the same ,

i nstincts f superstition ; and the s igns to which past ages

o

have g iven a mysti c meaning still come to us laden w i th a

fate ful s i gnificance even in this advanced era f culture and
, o

the triumph f reason o .

We still can ot help believing that prophecies come i n

n

the n i ght f the mysti cal and p ph i nature f dreams

, or rO et c o

is confirmed b y the personal experience f al m ost eve y o r

human be i ng ; and f are found b rave enough evenew ,

amongst the educated classes l i ghtly to b reak through a ,

trad i tional usage on which all the ages have set the seal f o

good or i ll luck .

Superstition or the belie f i n u seen mysterious piri tual

, n , , S

in fluences i s an instinct f human nature A vague

, o .
,

shadowy formless belie f certainly yet ineradic ble We

, , , a .

feel that our dual humanity the material as well as the ,

psychical holds some strange and mysti c relation w i th an

,

unseen spiri tual world though we cannot define the l i m i ts

,

nor b ring i t under a law

,

Be fore the written word ex i sted the people strove to ,

express the i r creed and history in symbols Divine nat i ons .

,

l i ke the Greeks made the symbols beauti ful and these the
, ,

uncultured tribes may a fterwards have d i storted into

grotesque and rude imitations ; but the same ide can be a
 T HE AN I N Y RI
C E T M ST E ES . 24 1

traced through all forms by which humanity has t i ed t r o

represent history nature and God , , .

And the old Pagan customs f the early world seem to o

h ave an enduri ng v i tality and to have been fixed even i , n

the usages f the enl ightened nineteenth century The

,

Persian m agi and the D r i d pri est exacted a tribute f the

.

u o

fi tl i g
rs nf the flock as a burnt o ffer i ng to the Sun god on
s o ,
-
,
-

the day f his festival ; so in modern t i mes we sacri fice

o
, a

lamb at E aster and an ox at Chris tmas retaining the pagan ,

rite while we ho nour the Christi an legend The Christma . s

tree i s still lighted to guide the Sun god back to l i fe ; and -

the sp otted cake anciently made in his honour f co n and

, , o r

fruit still finds its place on our tables

, the plum pudding , as

o f civilization even as its primitive prototype was laid on

,

the sacred altars f the Persians as an offering f gratitud

o o e

t the Lord f Light and Li fe

o o .

The w i despread ra ge f the same traditi onal customs n o

and su perstitio s amongst all peoples and through every

n

age i s a most interesting study as showi ng the primitive ,

unity f the h u man race and the subsequent divergenc

o e

o f the nations even as recorded i n the B i b lical na rative ;

, r

but it would be endless to follow the l i nes f affin i ty tha o t

run throug h all the creeds legends usage and super , , s,

stiti o ns f the o orld Th us the Alg q il Indians

w . on u ,

according t Mr Leland held the ash tree d the elm

o .
,
-
an

as sacred and mystical bec use these trees were made , a

h uma Of the h was made m

n. asf the elm woman an , o , .

So in the E dda we read f the m ighty ash tree whose

, o -

summ i t reaches to heaven and whose roots go down to hell ,

.

T t i
w o ro u n a n ssprang from beneath i t— one the knowledge
L
V OL 7 1
2 42 AN I N L N
C E T E GE D S OF IR LAN
E D .

of all that is ; the other f all that shall be And t f

o . ou o

the wood man was created .

The Irish also hold the ash tree as all powerful against - -

witchcraft ; there fore branches f it were wreathed round o

the horns f the cattle and round the child s cradle to keep
o ,
’

o ff evil i nfluence ; while in all their weird tales f the o

fa i ry dances with the dead the mortals d rawn into their ,

company are in fall i bly safe if they get possess i on f a b ranch o

o f the ash tree and hold it sa fely t i ll out f reach f the

-
,
o o

evil spell .

The alder is another f the myst i cal trees f Ireland held

o o ,

sacred as i Persia account f its possessing strange

,
n , on o

m yster i ous properties and powers avert evil ; and the to

hawthorn like ise was sacred to the Iri sh fairi es therefore

w ,

a l i bat i on f m i lk was poured over the roots on May D y as

o a ,

the H indus poured m i lk on the earth round the sacred tree

as an offering to the manes f the dead o .

In the Transylvanian legends and superstitions f which , o

Madame Gerard has recently gi ven an i nteresting record ,

many w i ll be found ident i c l with the Irish ; such as these

a

Friday i s the most unlucky day f all the week ; evil o

spirits are strongest between sunset and m i dnight it i s ill

luck to have your path crossed by a hare ; on entering a
strange ho se sit down a moment a death will happen
u , or

spitting is at all times most effi cac i ous ag inst the influence a

of the dev i l ; an in fant s na i ls should be b i tten not cut

’

; ,

never rock an empty cradle ; the robin and the swallow

bring l ck ; never kill a spider ; the cro and black hen
u w a

are om i nous f ev i l The dead are only in a trance ; they

o .

hear everything but can make no sign The Irish als . o

 T HE AN I N Y RI
C E T M STE ES . 2 43

b elieve that the dead are allowed at certain times to vis i t

t heir living kindred A wh i rlwi nd denotes that a devil i
. s

d anc i ng with a witch ; so the Irish believe that the fa i ries

are r sh i ng by in the whirlwind i ntent on ca rying ff some
u r o

m ortal victi m to the fairy mans i ons ; and the only help is
t o fl i ng clay at the passing wind when the fairi es w i ll be ,

bliged to drop the m ortal child or the beauti ful young

o ,

g i rl they have abducted .

But the R ouman i ans are a mixed race—Greek Slav , ,

’

Teuton Gyp y and many f their supers titi ons are dark
, se -
o

and gloomy especi ally those relating to vampires wolves and

, , ,

t errible demons evil spirits and fe r ful w i tches

, The Iri sh
, a .

l egends rarely deal with anything terrible or revolting They .

c ircle in general round the mythus f the fairy a bright

, , o ,

an d beauti ful creation only l iving f plea ure music and

, or s , ,

t h dance and rarely mal i gnant or i ll natured except when

e ,
-

t heir dancing grounds are inter fered w i th or when they are ,

not treated with proper generous consideration in the matter

o f w i ne .

The strange dance practised at Midsu mmer in Ireland

round the Baal fires can clearly be traced from the E ast
t o E rin ; and i n it ori g i n was evidently a religious sym b ol
s

and rite The Greek practised i t from the most anc i ent
. s

t imes It was called the Pyrrhi c danc — from p fire

. e ar

and simulated the windings f a serpent o .

The Sy t the great ational dance f the l E g

r os , n o ean

Islands so well described by Mr Bent in his interesti ng

,
.

book on the Cyclades also resembles the w i nding f a ser ,

o

pent The dance s hold hands and c i rcle round i n tortuous

. r

c urves p recisely as in Ireland where the li ne f d cers wit h ,

o an
244 L N AN I
IR L NDC E NT E GE DS OF E A .

joined hands always moving from east t west extends

, o ,

somet i mes f a mile in length It was probably a mysti

or . c

dance symbolic f the path f the sun though the esoteric

o o ,

meaning has been entirely lost ; p rt f the p im l

no w a o r a

r ange f ideas t f which man first formed a religion d

o ou o an

ritu l f worsh ip
a o .

Ma y other p ract i ces and superstitions f the Greek

n o

islanders strongly resemble the Irish The N ereids f . o

the n ean play the part f the Irish fairies and are o , as

capricious though often more malignant I f a child grows .

wan and weak th N ereids have struck it ; and it is la i d

e

n ak ed f a ight on the altar step s to test the tr th f

or n u o

the suspic i on I f the poor child dies under the trial

.
,

then i t certainly bewit hed by the evil spiri t and the

w as c s,

parents are well content to be rid f th unholy thing o e .

The funeral wail over the dead also closely resemble s

th e Irish hen the hired mour i g women i t round th

, w n n s e

corpse tear their hair beat their brea t d rock t d

, , s an o an

f
ro ,intoning in a monotone chant the p raises f the de o

ceased the cries t times ri ing t a scre m in a frenzy

, a s o a ,

o f grief and des pair .

The islanders likewise many charms d incantat i on u se an s

like the Iri sh hile the old women amongst hem display
, w t

wonderful knowledge f the mystic nature and p ower f o o

herbs and are most expert i n the cure f disease It is

, o . .

i ndeed remarkable that amo gst all primit i ve t ri bes ,d n an

n ations women have always show the highest sk i ll i

, n n.

th e treatment f d i sease and have been rightly accounted

o ,

the best doctor and the most learned in mystic med i cinal
.

s,

lore .
 T HE AN I N Y RI
C E T M ST E ES . 2 45

The Marqu i s f Lorne in his graphic and instructive

o ,

Canadian P i ctures speaks f the wonderf l skill f the

, o u o

Indian women and the remarkable cures effected by the

,

s quaws through their knowledge f the va ied properti es o r

o f herbs The Ind i ans also have a sweating bath f the

. or

s ick such as was used by the ancient Irish A bath is

, .

m ade by stones covered over i th branches ; hot water is w

t hen poured on the stones and the pat i ent crouches over ,

th e heated vapour evolved unti l a violent perspi rati on i s

p roduced wh i ch carr i es
,
ff the d i sea e or the pains in the
o s ,

m embers without fa i l
, The sweating bath f the Iri sh was
. o

m ade quite on the same princ i ples and is the most effective ,

cure known f pains in the b ones and feverish disorders

or .

It is still much used in the Western Island The s .

“

S weating H ouse as i t is called is made f rough stone

, , o s

w ith a narro entrance through wh i ch the pati ent creeps

w ,

o n all fours ; when inside however he can stand up A

-
, ,
.

p eat fire is kindled and d i vesting h i msel f f all cloth i ng

, o ,

he undergoes the process f sweating in a profuse p pi o e rs ra

t ion as he l ies the stone floor The place is heated

on .

like a baker s oven but there i s su fficient ventilation kept

’
,

u p by means f chinks and apertures through the stone

o

w ork f the walls

o .

The cures e ffected by this process are marvellous As .

t h people say f it themselves

e o Any d i sea e that has a hold ,
“
s

o n the bones can t stand before it no time at all at all

’
, .
 T HE PO W E R OF T HE WO RD .

T HE bel ief i n the m l ifi influence f the E vil E y pervade

a c o e s

all the Greek islands d the same preventive measure

, an s

are used as in Ireland An old woman is employed t

. o

Spi t three t i mes at the person ffected if she is a perso a , n

learned in the mysteries and accounted i se Salt d w . an

fire are also used as safeguards prec i sely as the Iri sh ,

peasant employs the m to guard h i s cattle and childre n

from the evil influence But su perstit i on is more widely

. no

spre d ; it seems t pervade all the world and t be i

a o , o n

i ti
st nc ve to humanity The educated are as suscepti bl
. e

to it as h i ll i terate and nerves are strong enough

t e ,
no ,

apparently to resist the impress i on m ade by an env i ous

, ,

malicious gl ance f a po i son that blights and wither

, or
“

seems to emanate from it R eason appeals in vain ; h . t e

feel i ng cannot b e overcome that the presence and glanc e

o f some one person i n a room can ch i ll all the natural

flow f spir i ts wh i le the presence f another seems to i n
o , o

tensi fy all our mental powers and transform us f th , or e

m oment into a higher being .

But a m l ifi power stronger even than the glance f th

a c , o e
 T HE P O R
WE OF T H E W OR D . 24 7

E vi l E y was e xercised by the Bards f E rin whom they

e, o :

would they blessed but whom they would they al o banned ;

,
s

and the poet s malison was more dr ded and was more fat l
’
ea a

t han any other form f i mprecation —f

o the h d had the or ar

m yst i c prophet power he could foresee and he could

: ,

denounce And man could escape from the judgment

. no

pronounced by a poet over h desired to injure f the

o ne e or

poet had the knowledge f all mysteries and was Lord over
o

the secrets f li fe by the po er f The Word There fore

o w o .

poets were emphatically called the tribe f D that i s o u a rs , ,

T HE ME N OF T WOR ; f by a word the poet could

HE D or s

produce deformities in those they disliked and make them ,

o bjects f scorn and hateful i the sight f other men

o n o .
 T H E PO E T AN D T HE KI N G .

‘
o

N U AD H E, the celebrated poet is remembered i n history ,

‘

by a memorable exerc i se f his mali h power and the

o e ,

p unishment that fell h im in consequence ; f

on H eaven or

i s just and even a bard ca not escape the penalty due

,
n

or sin .

H ewas nephew to Caer the king f Connaught who

,
o ,

reared h i m w i th all k i ndness and gentleness as his son own .

But by an evi l fate the wi fe f Caer the k i ng loved the o

young man ; and she gave him a i lver apple in proo f f S o

her love and further prom i sed him the k i ngdom and her
,

sel f if he could overthro Caer and make the people depose

w

h i m from the sovranty .

H can I do this ? answered N d hé f the

ow ua , or

k i ng has ever been kind to me .

”

“
Ask h i m f some gi ft said the queen that he will
or ,
”
,
“

refuse and then put a blem ish on h i m f pun i shment that

, or ,

so he can be no longer k i ng ; f no one with a blem i sh or

was ever su ffered to rei gn in E rin .

“
But he refuses me othing answered N d hé
n ,
”
ua .

Try him said the queen Ask f him the dagge

,
”
.
“
o r
 T HE P O ET AN D T H E KIN G . 2 49

he brought from Alba f he is under a vow never to p rt, or a

w ith it
”
.

S N d hé went to him and asked f

o ua the dagg that , or er

came t f Alba as a gi ft
ou o .

Woe i s me l said the king This I cannot grant ;

”
.

f
or I am under a solemn never to part wi th it or give vo w
,

it t another
o .
”

Then the poet by his power made a satire him and on ,

t his the form f the imprec tion

w as o a

E v i l d eath , a n d a s h o rt l ife
Be on C ae r t h e in g 1 k
Let th e s p ea rs o f b at tl e o u n d h im , w
t r
U n d e r ear h , u n d e ram parts , u n d er t
s o n es ,

l
Le t th e ma ed ictio n b e o n h i m 1

An d when Caer rose up in the morning he put h i s hand

to his face and found it was d i sfigured wi th three b listers ,

a white a red and a g een And when he saw the blem i sh

, , r .

h fled away filled with fear that any man should see him
e ,

an d took re fuge in a fort with one f his faith ful servants o ,

an d knew where he lay h i d

no o ne .

So N nadh e took the k i ngdom and held it f a ye r and or a ,

had the queen to wi fe But then grievous to h im was the

.

fate f Caer and he set forth to search f him

o ,
or .

And he was seated in the king s own royal chari ot with ’

t h king s wi fe beside him and the king s greyhound at h i s

’ ’
e ,

feet and all the people wondered at the be uty

,
f the a o

c h rioteer
a .

N Caer was in the fort where he had found shelter

ow ,

an d when he saw them coming he said

25 0 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN
E D.

Who is this that is seated in my chariot in the plac e

of the cham p ion and driv i ng m y steeds

,

But when he that it was N d h é he fled away d

s aw ua an

hid himself f shame

or .

Then N d h é drove i nto the fort in the king s chariot

ua
’
,

and loosed the dogs to pursue Caer And they found h im .

hid under the fl agstone behind the rock even where th e

dogs tracked him And Caer fell down dead from sham
. e

on beholding N d h é and the rock where h fell flamed p

ua ,
e u

and shivered into fragments and a spl i nter le ped up high

,
a

as a man and struck N d h é the eyes and blinded h im

, ua on ,

f li fe
or . Such was the punishment decreed and just d ,
an

right was the ve geance f G d u pon the sin f the poet

n o o o .
 T HE S I D H E RAGE .

T HE S i dhe dwell in the S i fra or fairy palace f gold d , o an

c ystal in the heart f the h i ll and they have been g i ven

r , o ,

youth beauty joy and the power over music yet they
, , , , are

o ften sad f they remember that they were once a gels i

or n n

h eaven though now cast down to earth and though they ,

have power over all the mysteri es f N ature yet they mus t o ,

d i without hope f rega i ning hea en wh i le mort ls

e o v , a are

certain f i mmortality Therefore th i s one sorrow darkens

o .

their li fe a mour ful envy f humanity ; bec use while

, n o a ,

man is created immortal the beauti ful fairy race is doomed ,

to ann i hilation .

O ne day a great fa i ry chie f asked Columb Ki lle if ther -

e

were any hope left to the Sidhe that one day they would
regain heaven and be restored to their i t pl amongs t an c e n ace

the angels B t the sai nt nswered that hope there

. u a w as

n one ; their doom was fixed and at the judgment day they ,
-

w ould pass through de th into ann i hilat ion ; f so had it a or .

been d ecreed by the justi ce f G d o o .

O nhearing this the fairy ch i e f fell into a profound

m elancholy and he and all h i court sa i led away fro m
,
s
252 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS OF IR LAN
E D.

Ireland and went back to their native country f Armen i a

,
o ,

there t await the coming f the terrible judgment day

o o -
,

which i s fated to bri ng the fa i ry race certa i n death on

earth without any hope f rega i ning heaven
, o .

The West f Ireland is peculiarly sacred to ancient

o

s uperstitions f the Sidhe race There is a poetry in the

o .

s cenery that touches the heart f the people they love the o

beauti ful glens the mountains rising like to ers from the
,
w

s e a, the islands sancti fied by the memory f a sa i nt and o ,

the green hills where Fi holds h i s court E very lake

n varra .

an d mountain has its legend f the sp i rit l nd some holy o -

a ,

t radition f a sa i nt or some historic memory f a national

o , o

h ero h flourished in the

w o l d great days when Ireland o

h d native chie fs
a d native swords to guard her ; and
an

a mongst the Western Iri sh especially the old super tit i ons , , s

o f the i r forefathers are reverenced w i th a solemn faith and

f ervour that is almost a rel i gion Fi the king is still . n varra

b el i eved to rule over all the fairi es f the west and O g / o ,

rza z

is the fa i ry queen H golden ha i r sweeps the ground

. er ,

an d she is robed i silver gossamer all glittering as if with

n

diamonds but they are dew drops that sp rkle over it

,
-
a .

The queen is more beauti ful than any woman f earth o ,

y et Fi loves the mortal women b est and wiles them

n varra ,

d own to his fairy palace by the subtle charm f the fai ry o

m usic f no
, or h has heard i to ne w resist its power
o can ,

an d they are fated to belong to the fairies ever a fter .

The i r friends mourn f t h em as dead w i th much lamenta

or

tion but in reality they are lead i ng a joyous li fe down in

,

th e heart f the h i ll i n the fairy palace w i th the silver

o ,

c olumns and the crystal walls .

 T HE I H RA
S D E CE .
25 3

Yet someti mes they are not drawn down beneath h t e

earth but remain us al in the d aily li fe though the fairy
, as u
,

spell is sti ll on them ; and the young m who have once en

heard the fairy harp b ecome possessed by the spi ri t f o

music which h aunts them to their death and gives them ,

stra ge power over th souls f men Th is was the c se

n e o . a

with Carola the celebrated bard H acquired all h

n, . e t e
m agic melody f his notes by sleeping out on a fairy rath
o

at n i ght hen th fairy music came to h i m in h i s dreams ;

, w e

and on awaki g he played the airs from memory Thus i t

n .

was that he had power to madden men to mirth or to set ,

the m weeping as if f the dead and no one ever before

or , or

since played the enchant i ng fairy music l i ke Carolan th , e

sweet musician f Ireland o .

There was another man also who heard the f iry musi a c

when sleeping on a rath and ever after he was haunted by

,

the melody day and night till he grew m d and had , a no

pleasure i n li fe f he lo ged to be with the fairies aga i n

, or n

that he m ight h ear them s i ng So one day driven to de .

,

spair by the madness f longi g he threw himsel f from h

o n , t e

cliff into the mount in lake near the fairy rath and so died
a ,

and was seen more no .

In the Western Islands they believe that the magic f f iry o a

music is so stro g that hoever hears it cannot choose but

n w

follow the sound and the young girls are drawn away by th
,
e

ench antment and dance all ight with F i

, the king n n varra ,

though in the morning they are found fast a leep in bed s ,

yet ith a memo y f all they had heard and seen ; d

w r o an

some y that wh i le w i th the fa i ries the young women lear

sa , ,
n

strange secrets f love pot i o s by which they can work

o n ,
T2
54 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN
E D .

s pells and dangerous charms over those whose love they

d esire u pon any who has offended and spoke ill f
, or o ne n o

t hem .

It is a beautiful idea that the Irish airs p lai tive , so n ,

'

mourn ful and tear compell i ng are but the remembe ed

,
-
,
r

e choes f that pirit music wh i ch had power t draw souls

o
‘

s o

away to Ith fairy mansions and hold them c ptive by th

e ,
a e

s weet magic f the melody o .

 MU S I C .

MUS I formed the chief part

C education in ancient of

I reland as in Greece where the same word signified a song

,

an d a law Laws religion sciences d history were l l

.
, , , an a

taught in music to the Irish people by the 011 1 or learned 2 771 35 ,

m enThe Poets chanted the R C tl m or song f battle

. os - a , o

t oincite the w rriors to deeds f bravery The Bards

a o .

recited the deeds f the chiefs or pleasant tales f love at

o , o ,

th festivals and struck the harp to s sta i the voice

e , u n .

The Brehons intoned the l in a recitative or monotone aw

c hant seated on an eminence in the open air whi le all the

, ,

people were gathered round to listen The Senachie .

c h nted the history gene logies and trad i tions f the tr i be

a , a , o ,

an d the female mourners were instructed by the poets in

t h elegiac measure or funeral wa i l over the dead
e , .

The poet power was also believed to con fer the gift f
-
o

prophecy ; and no great expediti on was undert ken by the a

t ribe itho t the advice and sanction f the h d and

w u o ar ,

e spe i lly f the poet prie te s f the tribe Thus E th

c a o -
s s o . na

t h poetess stood
e a high stone at the battle f M yt
on o o u ra,

an d gave ins p i a tio by her chants to the war iors f

r n r o
256 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN
E D
.

the T th d D
ua a- e- and stimulated their courage by
an an n s ,

her prophecies f victory and the stone she stood on is i

o n

exi stence t this day the plain f the battle and i s sti ll
o on o ,

called by the peo ple the Stone f the Prophetess

“
o .
”
 PO E T I Ns P I R AT I ON .

POE T E SS
E O DA I N T HE .

THE L S id l
ean anor the spirit f li fe
-
ze, supposed t o , w as o

be the inspi rer f the poet and singer the B S i l was

o , as an -
’
r z ze

the spirit f death the foreteller f doom

o , o .

The L Sidhe sometimes took the form f a woman

ean an -
o ,

who gave men valour and strength i n the battle by her

songs Such was E d i the poetess by whom E ugene
. o a n , ,

king f Munster gained complete victory over his foes

o , .

But a fterwards he gave himself up to luxury and ple sure a ,

and went away to Spain where he remained n i ne years and

, ,

took to wi fe the daughter f the ki ng f Spa i n At the o o .

end f that ti me he returned to Ireland w i th a band f

o o

Spanish followers But he found h i s ki ngdom plundered

.

and ruined and the revellers and drunkards were fea ting
, s

in h i s banquet hall and wasting his revenues f their

, or

p leasures while the people starved And the whole ation . n

despised the ki ng and would not hear his words when he sat
,

d own i n h i s golden cha i r to give just judgment f iniqu i ty or .

Then E ugene the k ing in his deep sorrow and humili a ,

V OL. I . I 8
25 8 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN
E D .

tion sent f R odain the poetess t come and give him

, or o

counsel So E d i came to h i m and upheld him w i th her

. o an ,

strong spi i t f she had h power within her f the poet

r , or t e o

and the prophet and she said ,

Arise 0 k i ng and govern l i ke a true hero and

n o w, , ,

bring confus i on on the evil workers Be strong and fear .

not f by strength and justice k i ngs should rule

, or .

And E ugene the king was guided by her counsel and was
successful And he overthre his enemies and brought
. w

back peace and order to the land For the strength f the . o

L S i dhe was in the words f E d i the power f the

e an an -
o o a n, o

spirit f l i fe which is given to the poet and the prophet by

o ,

w h ich they i nspire and guide the hearts f men o .

 T HE BAN S H E E .

T HE Banshee means especially the woman f the fa i ry race

, , o ,

from va n , the Woman— the Beauti ful ; th s me word

“ ”
e a

from which comes V Shiloh V was one f the

en u s .
-
an o

names f B uddha the son f the woman

o d some o an

w i ters aver that i n the Iri sh —S ll ( Sulli van) m y be

r u
'

z van -
, a

found th i s anc i ent name f Buddha o .

As the L ean anS i dhe -

the acknowledged pi it qf l if
w as s r e
,

giving inspiration to the poet and the musici an so the Ban ,

Sidhe was the pi it qf d f/ the most weird and awful f

s r ea z, o

all the fairy powers .

But only cert i n fam i l i es f h i stori c line ge or persons

a o a ,

gi fted w i th music and song are attended by this spiri t ; f , or

music and poetry are fairy gi fts and the possessors f them , o

S how kinship to the spirit race — therefore they are watched

over by the spirit f l i fe hich is prophecy and inspi rati on
o , w

and by the sp i rit f doom which is the revealer f the

o , o

secrets f de th
o a .

Sometimes the Banshee assumes the form f some sweet o

singing virgi n f the family who d i ed young d has been

o , an

given the mission by the invis i ble powe s to become the r

 2 6o L N IR LAN
AN C I E N T E GE DS OF E D
.

harbinger f coming doom to her mortal kindred O

o . r

she may be seen at n i ght as a shrouded woman ,

crouched beneath the trees lamenting w i th veiled face ; or ,

flying past i the moonlight cryi ng b i tterly and the cry f

n , : o

th i s sp i ri t i s mourn ful beyond all other sounds on earth and ,

b etokens certain death to some m ember f the family when o

ever it is heard in the silence f the night o .

The Banshee even follows the old race across the ocean
and to distant lands f space and time offer no hindrance or

to the mystic power which is selected and appointed to be r a

th p ph y f death to a family Of this a well th

‘

e ro ec o .
-
au en

i t d insta
t ca e nce happened a f years ago and many ew ,
now

l i v i ng d attest the truth f the narrative

an o .

A b ranch f the anc i ent race f the O G d y had settled

’
o o ra s

in Canada f removed apparently from all the associat i ons

, ar , , ,

trad i ti ons and mysterious influences f the old land f their

, o o

forefathers .

But one n i ght a strange and mournful lamentation was

heard outside the house N word was uttered only a . o ,

bi tter cry as f one in deepest agony and sorrow fl oated

, o ,

through the air .

Inqui y was made but no one had been seen near the
r ,

house at the time though several pe sons dist i nctly heard

, r

the weird unearthly cry and a terror fell upon the house
, ,

hold as if some su pernatural influence had overshadowed

,

them .

N ext day it so happened that the gentleman and h i s eldest

son went out boating As they did not return however at the
.
, ,
 T HE BAN H S EE. 26 1

usual time f dinner some alarm was excited d messenger

or , , an s

were sent down to the shore to look f them But no tidings or .

came u til p recisely at the exact hour f the night when the
n , o

s p irit cry had been heard the previous evening a crowd f

-

, o

m e n w ereseen approaching the house be ring with them the , a

dead bodie f the father and the son who h d both been
_

s o , a

drowned by the acc i dental upsetting f the boat within sight o ,

o f land but not ne r enough f any help to reach them i

, a or n
time .

Thus the Ban S i dhe had fulfilled her mission f doom

-
o ,

a fter which she disappeared and the cry f the spirit f , o o

death heard no more

w as .

At times the spiri t voice is heard in low and soft lamenting

-

as if close to the windo w.

N t long ago an ancient lady f noble lineage was lying

o o

near the death hour in her st tely c tle O evening

-
a as . ne ,

after twilight she suddenly unclosed h eyes and pointed

, er

to the window with a happy smile on her face All p resent

, .

looked in the direction but nothing visible They

,
w as .

heard however the sweetest mus i c low soft and spiritual

, , , , , ,

floating round the house and at times apparently close to ,

the window f the sick room o -

.

Many f the attendants thought it was a trick and went

o ,

ou t to se ch the grounds ; but nothing human was seen

ar .

Still the wil d pl intive singing went on wandering through

a ,

the trees like the night wind— low beauti ful music that a ,

n ever ceased all through the ight n .

N ex t morning the noble lady lay dead ; then the music

£6 2 AN I N L N IR LAN
C E T E GE DS o r E D.

ceased and the lamentati on from that hour

,
w as heard no

more .

There was a gentleman also in the same country h had w o

a beautiful daughter strong and healthy d a splend i d

, , an

horsewoma She al ays followed the hounds and her

n. w ,

appearance at the hunt attracted unbounded admiration as ,

no one rode so well looked so beautiful or .

O neevening there was ball after the hunt and the a ,

young girl moved through the dance w i th the grace f a o

fairy queen .

But that same night a voice came close to the father s ’

windo as if the face were laid close t the glass and he

w, o ,

heard a mourn ful lamentation and a cry ; and the words

rang out on the a i r
In three weeks death ; i n three weeks the grave— dead
dead— dead
Three times the voi ce came and three times he hea d the , r

words b ut though it was bright moonl i ght and he looked ,

from the window over all the park no form was to be seen , .

N ext day h i s daughter showed symptoms f fever and

, o ,

exactly in three weeks as the Ban S i dhe had prophesied the

,
-

beauti ful gi rl lay dead

,

The night before her death soft music was he rd outs i de a

the house though no word was spoken by the sp i rit voi ce

,
-
,

and the family said the form f a woman crouched beneath o

a tree wi th a mantle coveri ng her head was dist i nctly visible

, ,

on approach i ng the phantom d i sappea ed though the

.

But , r ,

soft l music f the lamentation continued till dawn

, ow o .

Then the angel f death entered the house with so ndless

o u
 T HE BAN H
S EE. 2 63

feet and he breathed upon the beautif l

, f the young
u o

girl and she rested i the sleep f the dead beneath the
, n o ,

d rk shadow
a s o f h i win g
s s .

Thus the prophecy f the Banshee came

o according
t the ti m e foretol d by th s p irit voice
o e -
.
 QU EEN MAE V E . .

A R ARKAB L account i s gi ven in the Bardic Legends f a

EM E o

form that a pp eared to Maeve queen f Connaught on the ,

o ,

eve f battle
o .

Suddenly there stood before the queen s ch riot a t ll and ’

a , a

beauti ful woman She wore a green robe clas ped with a
.

golden bodkin a golden fillet on her head and seven braids

, ,

for the Dead f bright gold were in her hand H skin

o . er

was wh i te as snow that falls in the night ; her teeth were

as pearls ; her lips red as the be ries f the mountain ash r o

her golden hair fell to the ground and her voice was sweet
as the golden harp string when touched by a skilful hand
-
.

Who art thou O woman P asked the queen in astonish

, ,

ment .

I am F ithli the fairy prophetess f the R ath f

e n n, o o

Cruachan she answered

,
”
.

Tis well 0 F ith l i the prophetess said Maeve

’

, e nn
,
”

b ut what dost thou forese concerning our hosts P e

“
I foresee bloodshed I foresee power I foresee defeat ! ”

answered the prophetess .

My couriers have brought me good tiding ! said the s

”

queen my army is strong my warriors are well prepared , .

But speak the truth 0 prophete s ; f my soul knows no

, s
'

or
fear .
”
 QU E E N AV M E E. 26 5

I foresee bloodshed ; I foresee victory ! answered the ”

prophetess the second time .

B t I have nothing to fear from the Ultonians sa i d the

u ,

queen f my couri ers have arrived and my enem i es are

,
“
or ,

under dread Yet speak the truth 0 prophete s that our

.
, , s ,

hosts may know it .

”

I foresee bloodshed I foresee conquest ; I foresee

d f/
ea tanswered the prophetess f the third time , or .

“
To me then it belongs not thy prophecy f evil , o ,

repl i ed the queen i n anger , .

Be it thine and on thy own head , .

And even as she spok e the prophet maiden disappeared ,

and the queen saw her no more

‘

But it happened that some time a fterwards Queen

so , ,

Maeve was cruelly sla i n by her own kinsman at Lough R , ea

by the Shanno to avenge the a sistance h had given i n

n, s s e

war to the king f Ulster ; there is an island in the lake

o

where is shown the spot where the great queen was slain and ,

which is still known to the people as— t/ t qf th d d ze s o n e e ea

Maeve the g eat queen f Connaught holds a distin

,
r o ,

g i h d place in Bardic Legends When she went to battle

u s e .
,

i t is sa i d she rode in an open accompan i ed by four

,
ca r,

chariot —one before another behind and one on each side

s , ,

— so that the golden m on her head and her royal robes a

'

on

should not be d fil d by the dust f the horses feet or the

e e o
’
,

foam f the fiery steeds ; f

o all the sovereigns f Ireland or o

sat crowned with a diadem in battle they drove in their , as

war chariots as well as in the festal and the public

-
,

assemblies .
 D E AT H S I QNs .

IN one Irish family a cuckoo always appears be fore a death .

A lady who arr i ved on a v i s i t the house observed one

'

at

morn i ng a cuckoo perched on the window sill but she felt -

no alarm f there
,
or no sickness in the family N ext
w as .

day however one f the sons was carried home dead H

, , o . e

had b een throw from h i s horse when hunting and killed

n ,

on the spot .

In another family a mysterious sound is heard l i ke the

crashing f boards and a rus h f wind seems t pa s s
o ,
o o

through the house yet nothing is broken disturbed

, or .

The death f an officer in the Crim ea was in this way

o

announced to his fam i ly f the news came immedi tely

, or a

a fter the warning sound and then they knew that the ush
, r

of the wind was the sp i rit f the dead wh i ch had p ssed by

o a

them but without taking any vis i ble form

, .

T HE H AR T P O LE D OOM .

There
is a tradition m m g the H artpole family f
co n c e o

Shrule Castle in the Queen s County (c lled the castle ’

a
 DE AH T s rc . 2 67

on the bloody stream from the sanguinary deeds f the

, o

owner) that every male member f the family is doomed o

and fated to utter th ee screeches terrible to hear when

r

dying A to the origin f th i s doom the story goes that

. s o

Sir R ichard H artpole about 3 years ago in the time 00 ,

o f the E lizabethan wars committed many savage acts ,

against the Irish he be i ng an upholder f the E nglish

, o

faction .

O day a pri est named O M having come to the

ne
'
o re ,

castle on some friendly miss i on the savage H artpole ,

ordered his retainers to seize him and hang him up in the

courtyard .

Good God 1 excla i m d the pri est G i ve me at least

“
e .

a moment to pray l
G then said H artpole
o ,
you may pray ,
.

The priest kneeled down apart from the crowd But .

H artpole gre i mpatient and ordered him to r i se

w , .

Y
“
have p rayed long enough he s id prepare f
ou ,
”
a ,
“
or

death .
”

And when the priest heard the order f his death and or ,

s aw the man approach to se i ze h i m he swayed from right ,

to le ft and gave three fearful screams .

Why do y screech ? asked the tyrant

ou .

8 shall you scream and all your descendants in your

0 ,

last agony excl imed O M

,
as a sign f the doom
a
’
o re,
“
o

upon your race You have murdered my people you are

. ,

now going t take my li fe ; but I lay the curse f God on

o o

y
and
ou yours —yo r property shall pass away ; your race shall
u

perish ff the earth ; and by the three death screeches all

o

men shall know that y and your posteri ty are accursed

ou .
”
26 8 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS o r IR LAN
E D
.

The words f O M only made the tyrant more furious

o
’
o re ,

and the pri est was hung at once in the courtyard before
the y f H artpole But the prophecy f doom was f l
e es o . o u

fill d —the property p erished the castle became a m i

e ,
n,

The last H artpole died miserably f want and hunger and

o ,

the whole race finally has become extinct .

 S U PE R ST IT I O N S .

o
‘
a

T HE two great festivals f the ancient I ish ere L4 B l

o r w aa

Ti é or May D y ( Sacred to the Sun ) and Z 4 S m l

nn , a , a n a t,

or N ovember E (sacred t the Moon )

ve o .

Food should be le ft t on November E f the de d

ou ve or a ,

who are then wandering about I f the food d i sappears i t .

,

is a sign that the spiri ts have taken it f no mortal would , or

d re to touch or eat f the food so le ft

a o .

N ever turn your head to look i f you fancy you hear

footsteps behind you on that night f the dead are walk or

ing then and their glance would kill

, .

In N ovember a d i t fi is placed under the head f a

s a
'

young man at n ight to make him dre m f the girl he i s a o

destined to marry .

I f a ball f orsted is thro

o w into a lime kiln and wound
wn -

up till the end is caught by inv i s i ble hands the person ,

who wi nds alls out Who holds the ball ? and the
c ,
“

answer will be the name f the future husband or wi fe

o .
 2 70 AN I N L N
C E T E GE D S OF IR L N
E A D .

But the experiment must be made only at midnight and ‘

i silence and alone

n .

Wh i tsuntide is a most unlucky time ; ho ses foaled then r

wi ll gro up dangerous and k i ll some one

w .

A hild born at Whitsuntide will have an evil temper

C ,

an d may commit a murder .

Be are also f water at Whitsuntide f an ev i l power

w o , or

is the waves and the lakes and the rivers and a boat
on ,

may be swam ped and men drowned unless a bride steers ;

then the danger ceases .

To turn away ill luck from a hild born at that time a

-
C ,

grave must be dug and the i n fant la i d i n it f a f or ew

m inutes After this process the evil spell i s broken and

.
,

the ch i ld is safe .

I f any one takes i ll at Wh i tsuntide there is g eat d ger r an

f death f the evil spirits are on the atch to carry fl '

o , or w o

victi ms and no sick person should be left alone at this time

, ,

nor i n the dark Light is a great safeguard as well as fire

.
, ,

against m lifi i nfluencesa c .

In old times at Whitsuntide blood was poured out as

a libat i on to the evil sp i ri ts ; and the hildren and c ttle C a

were passed throug h t lines f fire wo o .

O May morning the S k l lig rocks go out full sa i l to meet

n e

the opposite rock s which advance hal f way t m eet them

, o

and then slowly retire like retreating sh i ps

,

.
 S U PE R S I I TI ON S .
‘ ’
27 I

At M idsummer the fairi s try to p ss round th Baal e a e

fires in a whirlwind in order t exti ng ish them but the o u ,

spirits may be kept fl by throwing fire at them Then o

'

the young men are free to leap over the bur i ng embers n

and to drive the cattle through the flames while coals f , o

fire must also be passed three times over and three ti mes
under the body f each animal o .

Foot worsh i p was a homage to Buddha and it was also

-
,

a Christian ceremony to wash the feet f the sai nts The o .

Irish had many superstitions about foot water and no -

,

wo m an was allo ed to wash her feet i n the sacred wel ls

w

though the lavation was permitted to men .

I f a hild is fairy struck give it a cup f cold water in

C -
o

the name f Christ and make the sign f the cross over it
o o .

O St Martin s D y when blood is spilt whoever is

n .
’
a

signed with the blood is safe f that year at lea t from , or s ,

disea e s .

For the E vil E y a piece cut from the garment f the

e, o

evil eyed burned to tinder and ground to powder must be

-
, ,

given to the person under the baneful spell while h i s fore ,

head is anointed w i th spittle thri ce So the Greeks spat .

three times in the face f the ev i l eyed to break the spell

o -
.

Pass a red hot turf three times over and under the body
-

o f an animal supposed to be fa i ry struck singe i ng the h ir -

, a

along the back This drives ff the fa i ries

. o .

The Irish always went westward round a holy well f l , o

lowi ng the course f the sun and creeping on their hands

o ,
2 72 AN I N L N
C E T E GE D S OF IR LAN
E D.

and knees S d id the ancient Pe s i n whe ffering

.
!

o r a s n o

homage at the sacred fountains .

R d haired people were held to be evil and malicious

“

e -

and unlucky p robably because Typhon the evil p rinciple

, , ,

was red ; d therefore a red hei fer

an sacrificed to him w as

by the E gy ptians .

In the mystic or snake dance performed at the B aal

, ,
'

festival the gyrations f the dancers were always west ard

, o w ,

in the track f the sun f the dance p art f the ancient

o ,
or w as o

t l f
rI u a o wor hi p
sun s .
 T HE F AI R Y RA T H .

T HE ancient rath or fort or liss generally enclosed about

, , ,

half an acre and had two or more ramparts form ed by

, ,

the heads f the tribe f de fence But when the race

o or .

o f the hie ftains died out then the S i dhe crowded into the
C ,

forts and there held their councils and revels and dances
,

and if a man put his close to the g ound at n i ght he e ar r

could hear the sweet fairy mus i c risi g up from under the n

earth .

The rath ever a fter is sacred to the fairies and no mort l , a

is allowed to cut down a tree that grows on i t or to carry ,

away a stone But dangerous a b ove all would i t be to bu i ld

.

on a fa i ry rath I f a man attempted such a rash act the

.
,

fa i ries would put a blast on his eyes or give h i m a crooked ,

mouth ; f no human hand should dare to touch their

or

ancient dancing grounds .

It i s not right the people say to sing or whistle at n ight

, ,

that old i called The pretty gi rl m i lk ing her cow f

a r ,
“
or

it is a fa i ry tune and the fa i ri es w i ll not fl a mortal to

,
‘

su
'

er

sing the i r music wh i le they are danci ng on the gra s But s .

if a person sleeps on the rath the mus i c w i ll enter i nto

VOL . I . 1 9
2 74 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN
E D.

soul and when he awakes he may sing the air he has

,

heard i n h i s dreams .

In th i s way the bards learned thei r songs and they were

,

sk i lled musicians and touched the harp with a master hand

, ,

th t the fa i r i es o ften gathered round to l i sten though

'

SO a ,

i nvi si ble to mortal eyes .

 FA I RY NAT U R E .

T H E S malt D zm e, or the Mount f Peace i s also a favourite

’
-
o ,

resort f the fa i ries It is an anci ent sacred place where

o .
, ,

the Druids in old time used to retire to pray when they ,

desired sol i tude ; and the fairies meet there every seven
years to perform the act f lamentation and mourning f o or

havi g been cast out f heaven

n o .

E arth lake and hill are peopled by these fantast i c beau

, , ,

ti ful gods f earth ; the wil ful capricious ch ild sp i rits f the
o ,
-
o

world The Irish seem to have created th i s strange fai ry

.

race after their image f in all things they strangely

o wn , or

resemble the Irish haracter C .

The Sidhe passionately love beauty and luxury and hold ,

in contempt all the mean v i rtues f thri ft and economy o .

Above all things they hate the close n i ggard hand that ,

gathers the last grain and drains the last drop i n the m i l k
,

pai l and plucks the trees bare f fruit leav i ng noth i ng f

,
o ,
or

the spirits who wander by i n the moonlight They like food .

and wine to be le ft f them at night yet they are very or ,

temperate no one ever saw i ntoxicated fa i ry an .

But people should not sit up too late ; f the fair i es or

27 6 AN N L N
CIE T E GE DS o r IR LAN
E D .

like to gather round the smouldering embers after the family

are in bed and drain the w i ne cu p and drink the milk
,
-
,

wh i ch a good housewi fe always leaves f them in case or ,

the fairies should come in and want their supper A vessel .

o f pure water should also be le ft f them t b th in if or o a e ,

they like And in all things the fairies are fond f being
_

. o

made much f and flattered and attended to ; d the

o ,
an

fairy blessing w i ll come bac k in return to the giver f what or

ever Ct f kindness he has done to the sp i ri t f the h i ll

a o s o

and the cave Some unexpected good fortune or stroke f

. o

luck will come u pon his house or his children ; f the or

fairy race is not u grate ful and is p owerful over man both
n , ,

f good and ev i l
or .

Therefore be kind to the wayfarer f he may be a fai ry , or

pri nce in d i sguise who has come to test the depth f your,
o

charity and f the generous nature that can give liberally

, o

out f pure love and kindliness t those h are in need

o o w o ,

and not in hop e f a reward o .

I f treated well the fair i es will discover the hidden pot

,

o f gold and reveal the mysteri es f herbs

, d give kno o ,
an w

ledge to the fa i ry women f the mystic spells that can cure o

disease and save li fe and make the lover loved

, , .

All they ask in return is to be left in quiet possession

o f the rath and the h i ll and the a cient hawthorn trees n

that have been theirs from time imm m J and where e o rI a ,

they lead a joyous l i fe with mus i c and dance and charm ,

ing little suppers f the nectar f flowers down in th crystal

o o , e

caves lit by the diamonds that stud the ro ks

, c .

But some small courtesies they require N ever drain .

your wine glass at a feast nor the poteen flask

-
the , , no r
 F AIRY NA RTU E . 277

milk pail and never rak e out all th fire at night it looks
-
e ,

mean and the fai ies like a little f everything going and
, r o ,

to have the hearth com fortable and a m when they co m e w r

in to hold a counc i l after all the mort l people have gone to a

bed In fact the fairies are born aristocrats tr e lad i es

.
, , u

and gentlemen and if treated with proper respect are ever

,
n

in the least mal i gnant or ill natured -

.

All the trad i tio ns f the fairies show that they love beauty
o

and splendour grace f movement mus i c and plea ure ;

,
o ,
s

everything in fact that is arti stic i n contradistinction to

, , ,

v i olent bru tal enjoyment Only an Aryan people there

, .
,

fore could have invented the Sidhe ace

,
r .
 I R I S H NA T U R E .

T HE Irish show their A yan descent by the same character

r

i ti
s cs as the Fairy race f they also love everything that
,
or

i s artistic— the fasc i nations f life b eauty f form mus i c

o , o , ,

poetry song splendour and noble pleasures Their k i ngs i n

, , ,
.

anci ent times were elected f their personal beauty as much

or

as f the i r ch i valrous qualiti es N man with a blemish

or . o

or a deformity was allo ed to reign Then their pp

w .
,
a re

c ai ti
on o f intellect proved the value they set the spiritual on

and ideal above the material and the brut l The poet a .

rank ed next to the pri nces f the land H i person was o . s

sacred in battle ; he was endowed with an estate so that ,

h i s soul might be free from sordid cares ; and his robe

o f many colours and the golden circlet on h i s brow at
,

the festivals showed h i s cla i m and ri ght to rank next to

,

royalty and to sit at the ri ght hand f the k i ng Poetry

, o .
,

learning music oratory hero i sm and splendour f ach i eve

, , , , o

ment— these were the true objects f homage and admirat i on o

amongst the ancient Irish .

There was nothing brutal in their ideal f li fe ; no hideous o

images or revolti ng cruelties and the beauti ful and g ceful ra

 IRI H NA R S TU E. 2 79

Sidhe race with their plainti ve music and soft melancholy

, ,

and aspirations f a lost heaven is the expression in a

or ,

grace ful and beauti ful symbol f the instincti ve tendencies o

o f the Irish nature to all that is most divine in human

intellect and soft and tender in human emotion
, .

Ireland is a land f mists and mystic shadows f cloud

o o

wraiths on the purple mou tains ; f weird silences in the n o

lonely h i ll s and fi f l s ki es f deepest gloom alternati ng

, t u o

wi th gorgeous sunset splendours All th i s fantasti c caprice .

o f an ever varying atmosphere stirs the imagination and

-
,

makes the Iri sh people strangely sensitive to sp i ritual i n

fl u e n ce s They see v i sions and d eam dreams and are

. r ,

haunted at all times by an ever present sense f the super -

o

n tural O
a . see by the form f the Iri sh head—
ne can o a

slender oval prominent at the bro s and h i gh i n the region

,
w

o f veneration so d ifi t from the globul r Teutonic head

, ere n a

— that the people are enthusiasts religious fanat i c l ; with , ,

a

the instincts f poetry music oratory and superstition f

o , , ,
ar

stronger in them than the logic l d re soning faculties a an a .

They are made f worsh i ppers poets artists mus i cians

or , , , ,

orators to move the world by passion not by log i c , .

Sceptic i sm wi l l never tak e root i n Ireland ; i nfidel i ty i s

i mposs i ble to the people To b elieve fanatically trust im .
,

pl i itl y hope infinitely and perhaps to revenge i mplacably

c , ,

these are the unchanging and ineradicable characteristics

o f Irish nature f Celtic ature we m y say ; f
,
o it has n , a or

been the same throughout all history and all ages And .

i t is these pa s i onate quali ti es that make the Celt the g reat

s

motive force f the world ever striv i ng g ai nst li mit ti ons

o , a a

towards some vision f ide l splendour ; the restless centri

o a
 2 80 AN I N L N
C E T E GE DS O F IR LAN E D .

ugal force f life as opposed to the tip t l which is

f o , ce n e a ,

ever seek i ng a calm quiescent rest ith l its appointed w n

sphere .

The very tendency to superst i ti on so marked in Irish ,

nature arises from an instincti ve d i slike to the na ro

, r w

l i mitatio s f common sense It is characterized by a

n o .

passionate yearning towards the vague the mystic the , ,

i nv i si ble and the boundless infinite f the realms f imagi

,
o o

nat i on Therefore the D

. the people f the fairy
azn e
'

mansions have irres i sti ble attracti on f the Iri sh heart

, an or .

Like them the Irish l ove youth beauty splendour lavish

, , , ,

generos i ty m usic and song the feast and the dance The
, , .

m i rth and the reckless ga i ety f the national temperament o

finds its true exponent in the mad pranks f the P / k o zo u a

and the L p / the merry spirits that haunt the dells

e r e z au n ,

and glens and look out at the wayfarer from under the
,

dock leaf with their gl i ttering eyes The inspiration that

-
.

rises to poetry under the infl uence f excitement is ex o

pressed by the belief inthe L S dl h gives power ean an -

'

r ze, w o

to song ; while the d p p th f Iri sh nature finds i ts

ee a os o

fullest representation i n the tender plaint i ve sp i ritual music , ,

o f the w il and lamentation f the B

a S id / o an -
ze.

E ND OF VOL . I .

U N WI N BR OT HE R S , T HE G R ES HA M P R E S S , C H I LWOR T H A N D LON DON .

 h s se vati n ph t py
T i pre r o o o co

was made d hand b und at B kL b I

an o oo a , nc .

in mplian wi th py ig ht law Th pap r

co ce co r . e e ,

W y rha us r C ug ar Opaqu Nat ral

e e e e o e u ,

m t th r q u i r m n
ee s e e f ANSI /N I S O
e e ts o

1992 ( P ma
- f Pap r )
er n e n ce o e .

usti
A n 1994