The Belated Priest : THE BELATED PRIEST A very lonesome road connects the village of Ballindaggin, in the Duffrey, with the townland of Mangan, on the Bantry side of the brawling Urrin, and outside these intermediate stations it leads to Kaim and Castleboro, on one side, and the high road from Bunclody to Ross...
The Corpse Freighted Barque : THE CORPSE-FREIGHTED BARQUE. Colum Cill, who had preached the Gospel to the heathen Picts, and built the monastery of Iona in the Hebrides, the: chief seat of religion in the Highlands and isles for centuries, died there after a most active life, telling his monks in his last hours that he wished...
The Three Crowns : THE THREE CROWNS. There was once a king, some place or other, and he had three daughters. The two eldest were very proud and uncharitable, but the youngest was as good as they were had. Well, three princes came to court them, and two of them were the "moral" of the eldest ladies, and one was just...
The Fairy Cure : THE FAIRY CURE We have related the adventures of a woman in the Duffrey, who had been called on at a late hour to assist the lady of a fairy chief in a trying situation. The person about whom we are going to speak was also a "sage-femme" and in that capacity was summoned by a dark rider to aid his...
The Fight Of Castle Knoc : THE FIGHT OF CASTLE KNOC. Cumhail, father of Fion, King of Leinster, and head of the Clan Baoisne, ruled the Fianna in the reign of Con of the Hundred Battles. While in Alba (the Highlands), checking the attempts of the Romans and other unprincipled marauders, "circa" A,D. 154, the Ard-Righ C...
The Flight Of The Sluggard : THE FLIGHT OF THE SLUGGARD. After a great feast held at the palace of Almhuin, the Fianna betook themselves to Knockany, in Limerick. There Fion, setting up his tent, despatched his warriors to search the mountains that lie on the borders of Limerick, Cork, and Kerry, for game. As he was sitting...
St Feancheas's Visit To Arran : ST. FANCHEA'S VISIT TO ARRAN. St. Enda's sister, Fanchea, accompanied by three of her nuns, once paid a visit to Arran to see how the good work was proceeding. She and they were much edified by the praying, and fasting, and labouring, and building, and the copying of Latin gospels and missals, all...
The Bath Of The White Cows : THE BATH OF THE WHITE COWS. A great many years ago, when this county was so thick with woods that a very light person might walk on the tops of trees from Kilmeashal to the Lady's Island, a little king, or a great chief, had a fortification on the hill side, from the Duffrey gate in Enniscorthy...
The Goban Saor : THE GOBAN SAOR. It is a long time since the Goban Saor was alive. Maybe it was "him" that built the Castle of Ferns; part of the walls are thick enough to be built by any goban, or gow, that ever splintered wood, or hammered red-hot iron, or cut a stone. If he didn't build Ferns, he built other...
Conan's Delusions In Ceash : CONAN'S DELUSIONS IN CEASH. As Fion and some of his curai were one day employed in the chase, a druidic dwarf observing that they were tired, invited them to his hut. However much they distrusted him, they would have deemed it unworthy of their fame to shun anything that promised an adventure. They...
Fios Fath An Aaon Sceil : FIOS FATH AN AON SCEIL. "I am," said he, "the eldest of three brothers, the Sighe Draoi, Lassa Buaicht, being the youngest. By birthright I Inherited the great family treasure of the Cloidheamh Solais, and my youngest brother envied me from the beginning, and made many an attempt to take it from me...
The Black Cattle Of Durzy Island : THE BLACK CATTLE OF DURZY ISLAND Several centuries since, a family residing on Durzy Island, off Bantry Bay, found a beautiful little coal-black bull and cow on a verdant spot near the beach. The cow furnished sufficient butter and milk for all domestic wants, and next year a calf was added...
The Ghosts And The Game Of Football : THE GHOSTS AND THE GAME OF FOOTBALL. There was once a poor widow woman's son that was going to look for service, and one winter's evening he came to a strong farmer's house, and this house was very near an old castle. "God save all here," says he, when he got inside the door. "God save you kindly,"...
The King With The Horse's Ears : THE KING WITH THE HORSE'S EARS. The story I'm going to tell yous is not to be met every day. I heard little Tom Kennedy, the great schoolmaster of Rossard, say that he read, it in the history of Ireland, and that it happened before the people wor Christians. It is about a king that never let...
The Battle Of Ventry Harbour : THE BATTLE OF VENTRY HARBOUR. On one occasion, while their chief, Fion, and his friends, were enjoying existence, swimming and fishing in the Sionan, word was brought to him from the warder stationed at the harbour of "Finniraighe" (White Strand, Ventry), that Daire Donn, King of Rome and all...
Beanriogain Na Sciana Breaca : BEANRIOGAIN NA SCIANA BREACA [A] Fion son of Cumhail was one day separated from his knights as they were engaged at the chase, and came out on a wide grassy plain that stretched along the sea strand. There he saw the twelve sons of Bawr Sculloge playing at "comn" (hurling), and wonderful were...
The Misfortunes Of Barrett The Piper : THE MISFORTUNES OF BARRETT THE PIPER. Barrett the Piper, you see, lost his skill, and was advised to go to the Black North to recover it (Barrett was a Munster man). Well, he took his little boy with him and they walked and they walked till the dark came, and they went into a cabin by the roadside...
The Corpse Watchers : THE CORPSE WATCHERS. There was once a poor woman that had three daughters, and one day the eldest said, "Mother, bake my cake and kill my cock, till I go seek my fortune." So she did, and when all was ready, says her mother to her, "Which will you have--half of these with my blessing, or the whole...
Cauth Morisy Looking For Service : CAUTH MORRISY LOOKING FOR SERVICE. Well, neighbours, when I was a thuckeen (young girl) about fifteen years of age, and it was time to be doing something for myself, I set off one fine day in spring along the yalla high-road; and if anybody axed me where I was goin' I'd make a joke about it...
The Kildare Lurikeen : THE KILDARE LURIKEEN A young girl that lived in sight of Castle Carberry, near Edenderry, was going for a pitcher of water to the neighbouring well one summer morning, when who should she see sitting in a sheltery nook under an old thorn, but the Lurikeen, working like vengeance at a little old...
St Patrick : ST. PATRICK Our subject requires that we should give the place of honour to St. Patrick, whose biography, divested of its legendary adjuncts, may be consulted in the great work of Rev. Alban Butler. Jocelyn, Monk of Furriess, most credulous of hagiographers, is our darling authority. Scant would...
The Brown Bear Of Norway : THE BROWN BEAR OF NORWAY. There was once a king in Ireland, and he had three daughters, and very nice princesses they were. And one day that their father and themselves were walking in the lawn, the king began to joke on them, and to ask them who they would like to be married to. "I'll have...
The Adventures Of The 'son Of Bad Counsel : THE ADVENTURES OF THE "SON OF BAD COUNSEL." The tale, of which the following is an abridgment,. was composed in mixed prose and verse by Brian Dhu O'Reilly, [a] who was living in Cavan about the year 1725. The original title is "Eachtra mhic na Miochomhairle". Our plan allows admission but to a few...
An Broan Suan Or : AN BRAON SUAN OR [A] The lovely Fiongalla (fair cheek) was daughter to Glas, chief of a district in the south-west of Desmond. [b] She would have been his great happiness, but for a fate that had brooded over his house for nearly two centuries. No woman of the family could be married till her...
Ossianic And Early Legends : OSSIANIC AND OTHER EARLY LEGENDS IT never entered the head of the glorious author of the "Iliad", or his separate rhapsodies, to publish his work by subscription, or sell his copyright to the Longmans, or the Murray, or the Macmillan of Ephesus or Athens: such literary patrons did not exist in his...
The Baptism Of Aongus : THE BAPTISM OF AONGUS. The Apostle passing into Munster was kindly received by Aongus, King of Cashel, who on being duly instructed presented himself for baptism. St. Patrick, as already mentioned, bore with him in all his journeys the "Bacal Iosa, "which he had received from the monks...
Illan Eachtach And The Lianan : ILLAN EACHTACH AND THE LIANAN. Illan was a friend of Fion, and was willing to become more intimately connected with him by marrying his aunt Tuirrean. It had come to Fion's ears that Illan was already provided with a sighe-love, so he secured the fate of his aunt in this wise. He put her h...
I'll Be Wiser The Next Time : I'LL BE WISER NEXT TIME Jack was twenty years old before he had done any good for his family. So at last his mother said it was high time for him to begin to be of some use. So the next market day she sent him to Bunclody to buy a billhook to cut the furze. When he was coming back he kept cutting...
The Youth Of Oisin : THE YOUTH OF OISIN. As the Fianna were one day returning from the chase, a beautiful fawn was started, which fled towards their own dun. At last all had fallen back, both men and dogs, except Fion and his two favourite hounds. Sweeping along a valley-side the animal suddenly ceased her flight...
Pursuit Of Diarmuid And Grainne : PURSUIT OF DIARMUID AND GRAINNE. Diarmuid was unhappily gifted with a "ball seirce" (beauty spot) on his shoulder, and Grainne, catching sight of it while sitting at the window of her Grianan (sunny chamber) while looking at him hurling, could no more avoid loving him than hapless Phaedra, her...
A Legend Of St Mogue Of Ferns : A LEGEND OF ST. MOGUE [A] OF FERNS. When St. Mogue was Bishop of Ferns, he had a wild brother that gave him a great deal of trouble, and at last ran away from him altogether. Well, the saint wasn't to be daunted. After waiting for a long time to see if he would come back, he took a short stick...
The Island Of The Birds : THE ISLAND OF THE BIRDS. St. Brendain's barque having sailed long in a south westerly direction in beautiful weather, came to anchor by a delightful island in which the fragrant turf cam down to the very water. There were hills in the centre of the isle, where some grey rocks appeared among strip...
St Patrick's Contest With The Druids : ST. PATRICK'S CONTEST WITH THE DRUIDS. At the moment when the high pile of brushwood, crowned with flowers, was about to be lighted up by the hands of the Chief Druid, the King's eyes sparkled with rage, for eastward a weak but steady light was beheld glimmering. "Who," said he, "has dared...
The Isle Of The Living : THE ISLE OF THE LIVING. Wonderful as were the stories concerning our lakes, islands, and sunk cities, related by native historians, they were excelled in some respects by the reports of foreign writers, who put down for subjects of general belief what were told to them by some individuals who were...
The Origin Of The Lake Of Tiis : THE ORIGIN OF THE LAKE OF TIIS. Soon after the preaching of Christianity in Zealand, a church was raised in Kund, and the cheerful clang of the bells was often heard, scattering their holy music abroad, and exciting devotion. But the chimes, as all other things connected with Christian ceremonial...
The Fortune Of Dichu : THE FORTUNE OF DICHU. On his first landing on the eastern coast a tall savage man named Dichu, attended by a no less savage dog, attacked him in presence of a large crowd, and both in a moment became as stiff in joint and limb as if they were made of stone. At the saint's intercession they were...
Untitled : Title Page Preface Dedication Household Stories Jac and His Comrades The Bad Stepmother Adventures of Gilla na Chreck an Gour Jack the Master and Jack the Servant I'll be Wiser the next Time The Three Crowns The Corpse Watchers The Brown Bear of Norway The Goban Saor The Three Advices which...
The Youth Of Fion : THE YOUTH OF FION The faithful Boghmin lovingly executed her trust, and, assisted by the sage woman Fiecal, reared up the son of Cumhail in a cavern on 'the side' of Slieve Bloom ("Blama"). She called him Deimne, and he gave evidence' of his noble race at an early age. When a youth, his...
The Queen's County Ghost : THE QUEEN'S COUNTY GHOST. Squire Garret (let us say), whose seat lay near Kilcavan, was not a pattern for faith or morals while,above mould, and afterwards caused considerable annoyance to his surviving friends and dependents. No night passed without the, noises usual in such cases being heard...
The Building Of Ardfert Cathredral : THE BUILDING OF ARDFERT CATHEDRAL. When St. Brendain, who went to search for the sunk isle of Hy-Breasil, was about to build his Cathedral of Ardfert in the kingdom of Kerry, he fixed on a spot where lay the remains of a deserted lios. This was a favourite resort of the red-capped gentry...
Death And Burial Of St Patrick : DEATH AND BURIAL OF ST. PATRICK. As St. Patrick was approaching his hundredth year, he received assurance of his labours being near their end, and his reward at hand. He accordingly turned the heads of his oxen towards his cathedral seat at Armagh. St. Brigid and her nuns being warned in a visi...
Arran Of The Saints And Its Patrons : "ARRAN OF THE SAINTS" [A] AND ITS PATRONS. Corbanus, who was still a heathen, and a churl to boot, vacated the isle, and conveyed his people and their property to the opposite coast. There he met with St. 'Enda and his monks preparing to cross in their sknder corrachs, and seemingly ill provided...
The Breton Version Of The Palace In The Rath : THE BRETON VERSION OF THE PALACE IN THE RATH In the Breton mythology the Irish fairies are replaced by the "korils" (night dancers), who assemble on the heaths and execute "rondes" till daybreak. Any inattentive mortal crossing their territory is seized on, and obliged to caper all night...
The Firbolgs And Danaans : THE FIRBOLGS AND DANAANS. Nemedius (a wanderer from the East) and his thousand men reached Erinn from Thule (Jutland, or the Belgian Peninsula), in thirty skin-covered corrachs. He employed four Phoenician or African architects to raise four palaces for him in different parts of the island;...
The Prophet Before His Time : THE PROPHET BEFORE HIS TIME. About a hundred years ago lived Mr. Diarmuidh K., a strong gentleman-farmer of this family. His place was not far from "Slieve Buie" (Yellow Hill). He was much addicted to the study of astrology, and the occult works of Cornelius Agrippa. When his only son w...
Title Page : LEGENDARY FICTIONS OF THE IRISH CELTS Collected And Narrated By PATRICK KENNEDY Macmillan, New York And London [1891] Scanned And Redacted By Phillip Brown. Additional Formatting And Proofreading By John B. Hare. This Text Is In The Public Domain. This File May Be Used For Any Non-commercial...
The Doctor's Fetch : THE DOCTOR'S FETCH. In one of our Irish cities, and in a room where the mild moonbeams of a summer night were resting on the carpet and on a table near the window, Mrs. B , wife of a doctor in good practice and general esteem, looking towards this window from her pillow, was startled by...
The Children Of Lir : THE CHILDREN OF LIR. Lir, though the father of a demi-god, was not able to secure domestic comfort. Having lost his beloved wife he sought relief in travel; and being on a visit with Bogha Derg, King of Conacht, he was induced to enter on the married state again, taking the beauteous and virtuous...
St Brigid And The Harps : ST. BRIGID AND THE HARPS. It was not in the nature of things that a Celtic saint should despise music or poetry. St. Brigid being once on a journey, sought hospitality for herself and her sisters in the "lios "of a petty king. This king and his chief officers, including his harpers, were absent...
Droochan's Ghost : DROOCHAN'S GHOST. A townland north of Mount Leinster is infested by the above-named evil spirit. Within a few years; sundry people returning from a cross-roads' dance, on a Sunday evening, just as night had set in, were greatly terrified. Their road lay along the side ol a tolerably steep hill...
St Brendain's Voyage : ST. BRENDAIN'S VOYAGE. The story-tellers of kings and chiefs among the Gad had their repertory very exactly arranged, the chief subjects, as before mentioned, being huntings, adventures in caverns, stormings of forts, pitched battles, enchantments, love stories, voyages, &c. A modificati...
The Bad Stepmother : THE BAD STEPMOTHER. Once there was a king, and he had two fine children, a girl and a boy; but he married again after their mother died, and a very wicked woman she was that he put over them. One day when he was put hunting, the stepmother came in where the daughter was sitting all alone, with...
The Vision Of St Brigid : THE VISION OF ST. BRIGID. Brigid, daughter of the converted Druid, Dubhthach, was distinguished from her girlhood by an intense spirit of piety. Once while listening to one of St. Patrick's discourses she was observed to fall asleep, and those who observed it made signs to the preacher to arouse...
Black Stairs On Fire : BLACK STAIRS ON FIRE. On the top of the hill of Cooc-na-Cro' (Gallows Hill) in Bantry, just in full view of the White Mountain, Cahir Rua's Den, and Black Stairs, there lived a poor widow, with a grandchild, about fifteen years old. It was "All Holland Eve", and the two were about going to bed when...
Jemmy Doyle In The Fairy Palace : JEMMY DOYLE IN THE FAIRY PALACE My father was once coming down Scollagh Gap on a dark night, and all at once he saw, right before him, the lights coming from ever so many windows of a castle, and heard the shouts and laughing of people within. The door was wide open, and in he walked; and there...
Legends Of The 'good People : LEGENDS OF THE 'GOOD PEOPLE' ALL our superstitions, and a great part of our legendary lore, have descended to us from our, pagan ancestors. Aphrodite and Artemis selected lovers from among mortals;--Melusina, Viviana, Morgana, and other beautiful and celebrated fairies, followed their example...
The Long Spoon : THE LONG SPOON. The devil and the hearth-money collector for Bantry set out one summer morning to decide a bet they made the night before over a jug of punch. They wanted to see which would have the best load at sunset, and neither was to pick up anything that wasn't offered with the goodwill...
Fionnutuin Mac Bochna : FIONNTUIN MAC BOCHNA. [A] In the days of Noah, and while the ark was being built, there dwelt in the forests by the banks of the Tigris, Bith, with his wife Birren, of the race of Cain. Near them lived their daughter, Kesara, whose husband, Finntan, was of the blood of Seth. Farther off w...
Legend Of Loch Na Piasta : LEGEND OF LOCH NA PIASTA. [A] A long time ago, the pool near the bridge of Thuar was infested by a terrible beast in the shape.of a dragon. He laid waste all the Duffrey from Kilmeashil out to Moghurry, and the king of this part of the country didn't know what to do. His very breath was so strong...
How Donaghedee Got Its Name : HOW DONAGHADEE GOT ITS NAME. In the fine old kingdom of Kerry lived Donogha and Vauria, man and wife. Had they been a happy pair, their names and their little disagreements would not have reached our times. Donogha was lazy, Vauria was fiery in temper; and so food and fuel were frequently scarce...
The Palace In The Rath : THE PALACE IN THE RATH Every one from Bunclody to Enniscorthy knows the rath [a] between Tombrick and Munfin. Well, there was a poor, honest, quiet little creature, that lived just at the pass of Glanamoin, between the hill of Coolgarrow and Kilachdiarmid. His back was broken when he was a child...
How Fann Mac Cuil And His Men Were Bewitched : HOW FANN MAC CULL AND HIS MEN WERE BEWITCHED. The King of "Greek's" daughter had a great spite to Fann Mac Cuil, and Goll, one of his great heroes, and Oscur his grandson. So she came one day and appeared like a white doe before him; and bedad he chased her with his two hounds, Brann and another...
The Fairy Child : THE FAIRY CHILD There was a sailor that lived up in Grange when he was at home; and one time, when he was away seven or eight months, his wife was brought to bed of a fine boy. She expected her husband home soon, and she wished to put off the christening of the child till he'd be on the spot. She...
The Kildare Pooka : THE KILDARE POOKA Mr. H R , when he was alive, used to live a good deal in Dublin, and he was once a great while out of the country on account of the "Ninety-eight" business. But the servants kept on in the big house at Rath , all the same as if the family was at home. Well, they used to be...
The Crock Found In The Rath : THE CROCK FOUND IN THE RATH. If any of our English readers are unfortunately ignorant of the social position of tailors in the remote districts of this country, let them hereby learn that Brian Neill, the unlucky hero of this narrative, when he arose on Monday morning, betook himself...
The Progress Of The Wicked Bard : THE PROGRESS OF THE WICKED BARD. There flourished in Ulster in the days of the Knights of the Red Branch and their Grand Master, Connor Mac Nessa, a poet named Aithirn the Importunate. He well deserved his "sobriquet, "for he seldom asked for anything easy or honourable to grant. At the time of our...
Household Stories : HOUSEHOLD STORIES IN this class is properly comprised those fictions which, with some variations, are told at the domestic gatherings of Celts, Teutons, and Slavonians, and are more distinguished by a succession of wild and wonderful adventures than a carefully-constructed framework. A dramatic...
The Silkie Wife : THE SILKIE WIFE Those in Shetland and Orkney Islands who know no better, are persuaded that the seals, or silkies, as they call them, can doff their coverings at times, and disport themselves as men and women. A fisher once turning a ridge of rock, discovered a beautiful bit of green turf adjoining...
Adventures Of Gilla Na Chreck An Gour : ADVENTURES OF GILLA NA CHRECK AN GOUR. [A] Long ago, a poor widow woman lived down near the iron forge, by Enniscorthy, and she was so poor, she had no clothes to put on her son; so she used to fix him in the ash-hole, near the fire, and pile the warm ashes about him; and according as he grew up...
Inis Na Muic : INIS NA MUIC. [A] The fated children of Gad Glas sailed from Egypt into the Black Sea, and thence through the waters which filled the Riphean Valley, [b] and made a temporary lodgement in the southern part of Scandinavia. Their next voyage was to Spain; and at last, the great-grandchildren of those...
Killarney : KILLARNEY. Killarney's fair lake was formed under the following romantic circumstances--the historian omitting to state whether the inhabitants that dwelt beneath the level of its present waves were good or bad, or distinguished by an uncomfortable mixture of both qualities. A; knight from foreign...
Faction Fight Among The Fairies : FACTION-FIGHT AMONG THE FAIRIES "I was sitting on the brow of that hill, the other day, and it was so calm you could hear the buzzing of--a fly's wing. I was half asleep with the heat and with having nothing to do, when I was aroused by a noise coming down from the mountain along the stream...
The Recovered Bride : THE RECOVERED BRIDE There was a marriage in the towniand of Curragraigue. After the usual festivities, and when the guests were left to themselves, and were drinking to the prosperity of the bride and bridegroom, they were startled by the appearance of the man himself rushing into the room with...
The Enchantment Of Gearhoidh Iarla : THE ENCHANTMENT OF GEARHOIDH IARLA. In old times in Ireland there was a great man of the Fitzgeralds. The name on him was Gerald, but the Irish, that always had a great liking for the family, called him "Gearoidh larla" (Earl Gerald). He had a great castle or rath at Mullaghmast, and whenever...
The Fairy Nurse : THE FAIRY NURSE There was once a little farmer and his wife living near Coolgarrow. They had three children, and my story happened while the youngest was on the breast. The wife was a good wife enough, but her mind was all on her family and her farm, and she hardly ever went to her knees without...
O' Carroll's Warning : O'CARROLL'S WARNING. Three Ulster students spent some time under him, and at last they formed a design of performing a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. They asked his permission, which he granted on one condition. "You will die," said he, "before you return. And now give me your solemn promise that, when...
Fann Mac Cuil And The Scotch Giant : FANN MAC CULL AND THE SCOTCH GIANT. The great Irish "joiant", Fann Mac Cuil, lived to be a middle-aged man, without ever meeting his match, and so he was as proud as a paycock. He had a great fort in the Bog of Allen, and there himself and his warriors would be playing soord' and pot-lid...
Kilstoheen In The Shannon : KILSTOHEEN IN THE SHANNON. The "Regia "of Ptolemy is supposed to be in existence, and inhabited by beings who once breathed the upper air. It lies in the bed of the Shannon towards its mouth, and is visible once in every seven years. Whoever is so unlucky as to get a sight of this buried city dies...
The Sinner Saved : THE SINNER SAVED. On a Christmas-eve the barque reached an island, and brought comfort and joy to the heart of its only inhabitant; for he had seen seven Christmas-days in this solitude without having been present at a mass or heard the human voice. He feasted his guests on roots and dried fish...
Dedication : Dedication TO JOSEPH SHERIDAN LE FANU, ESQ. AUTHOR OF "UNCLE SILAS," ETC. DEAR SIR, I beg to offer this collection of Irish Legends to your acceptance, from respect for your high position among English writers, in consideration of your being a truly good man, and in gratitude for your kind...
The Apparition In Old Ross : THE APPARITION IN OLD ROSS. An instance came under our own notice of the almost establishing of a ghost story that would have braved investigation and contradiction. A gentleman farmer, Mr. J of Old Ross, was returning home in company with his daughter, about eleven o'clock at night, from a visit...
The Witches Excursion : THE WITCHES' EXCURSION Shemus Rua (Red James) was awakened from his sleep one night by-noises in his kitchen. Stealing to the door, he saw half-a-dozen old women, sitting round the fire, jesting, and laughing, his own old housekeeper, Madge, quite frisky and gay, helping her sister crones...
St Brigid's Cloak : ST. BRIGID'S CLOAK. The King of Leinster at that time was not particularly generous, and St. Brigid found it not easy to make him contribute in a respectable fashion to her many charities. One day when he proved more than usually niggardly, she at last said, as it were in jest: "Well, at least...
Legend Of The Lake Of Inchiquin : LEGEND OF THE LAKE OF INCHIQUIN. Below the present surface of this lake was once a level plain, over one part of which towered a castle, or dun at least. A cavern under this castle led to some unexplored region, and a beautiful spring-well lay not far from its mouth. The lord of the dun w...
Conversion Of The Robber Chief, Macaldus : CONVERSION OF THE ROBBER CHIEF, MACALDUS. A district adjoining the Boyne was infested by a band of robbers, under the command of a chief named Macaldus. Some of these had been converted from their evil ways by the missionaries, and their chief was very wroth in consequence against St. Patrick...
How The Shannon Acquired Its Name : HOW THE SHANNON ACQUIRED ITS NAME. A long time ago there was a well in Ossory, shaded by a rowan-tree. When the berries became ripe they would drop Into the water, and be eaten by the salmon that ad their residence in the well. Red spots would then appear on the fish, and they received the name...
How St Eloi Was Cured Of Pride : HOW ST. ELOI WAS CURED OF PRIDE. Before St. Eloi [a] became religious, and while he was still but a working goldsmith, he sometimes amused himself with shoeing horses. He was very proud of his skill, and often boasted that he never saw that thing, done by a man that he couldn't match. One day...
The Changeling And His Bagpipes : THE CHANGELING AND HIS BAGPIPES A certain youth whom we shall here distinguish by the name of Rickard the Rake, amply earned his title by the time he lost in fair-tents, in dance-houses, in following hunts, and other unprofitable occupations, leaving his brothers and his aged father to attend...
Fion's First Marriage : FION'S FIRST MARRIAGE. The only other adventure of Fion's youth for which we can find space could only be suitably told in the language of the old story-tellers. See "Ossianic Transactions", vol. ii. Fion thus relates the exploit:-- "I lost my way, and strayed to Lughar Diega in the south. I saw...
The Bewitched Churn : THE BEWITCHED CHURN. Near the townland mentioned there lived an old woman in bad repute with her neighbours. She was seen, one May eve, skimming a well that lay in a neighbouring farm; and when that was done, she went into the adjoining meadow, and skimmed the dew off the grass. One person said he...
Lough Neagh : LOUGH NEAGH. This beautiful sheet of water issued from a spring well which only waited an opportunity of being left uncovered, to send forth a mighty flood. The inhabitants of the neighbourhood, aware of the danger, kept it securely covered, till at last one luckless gossip walked off with her...
Witchcaft, Socery, Ghosts And Fetches : WITCHCRAFT, SORCERY, GHOSTS, AND FETCHES IT is probable that the first tradition is to be met outside the Pale, and even as far as Connemara, but the writer has heard or read it nowhere since he learned it in his youth from Mrs. K., our already quoted authority.
The Three Advices Which The King With : THE THREE ADVICES WHICH THE KING WITH THE RED SOLES GAVE TO HIS SON. [A] When the chief of the "Bonna Dearriga" was on his death-bed he gave his son three counsels, and said misfortune would attend him if he did not follow them. The first was never to bring home a beast from a fair after having...
The Quest For The Tain Bo Cuilagne : THE QUEST FOR THE "TAIN-BO-CUAILGNE." Among the Celtic fictional remains, the "Tain-boCuailgne" is one of the most remarkable It was in such high consideration, that the author of the "Proceedings of the Bards "ascribed its production to the spirit of a dead hero. Seanchan, the chief bard of Erinn...
The Decision Of The Chariot : THE DECISION OF THE CHARIOT. St. Fiech, when a Druid at the court of the Ard Righ, was one of the two who stood up to receive the saint. He assisted him afterwards in his apostolic labours, and, becoming infirm, was indulged with a chariot. St. Sechnal, or St. Secundus, from whom the old town...
The Cat Of The Carman's Stage : THE CAT OF THE CARMAN'S STAGE. A carman was leaving Bunclody one morning for Dublin, when what should he see but a neighbour's cat galloping along the side of the road, and crying out every moment, "Tell Moll Browne, Tom Dunne is dead; tell Moll Browne, Tom Dunne is dead." 'At last he got tired...
How Fion Selected A Wife : HOW FION SELECTED A WIFE. This great chief had more than one bosom-partner in his time; but as we do not hear much of the institution of polygamy among the ancient Cells, it is to be hoped that he did not marry any one of them during the life of another. In his first years of fame, he found himself...
Preface : PREFACE TO 'LEGENDARY FICTIONS OF THE IRISH CELTS' THOUGH the subject of this volume seems light and frivolous enough, it might be preceded, and accompanied, and concluded by grave and tiresome dissertations; and if our hopes were limited to its perusal by readers of an archaological turn, we would...
The Woman In White : THE WOMAN IN WHITE. Pat Gill, of the county of Kildare, was driving towards Dublin, with a load of country produce. He had made a comfortable seat for himself on the car, and had plenty of hay about him and under him. He was pleasantly employed thinking of nothing in particular, dozing and giving...
Jack The Master And Jack The Servant : JACK THE MASTER AND JACK THE SERVANT. There was once a poor couple, and they had three sons, and the "youngest's" name was Jack. One harvest day, the eldest fellow threw down his hook, and says he, "What's the use to be slaving this way? I'll go seek my fortune." And the second son said the very...
The Story Of The Sculloge's Son From Muskerry : THE STORY OF THE SCULLOGE'S SON FROM MUSKERRY [A] A long time ago, before the Danes came into Ireland, or made beer of the heath flowers, a rich man, though he was but a sculloge, lived in Muskerry, in the south, and he died there too, rolling in riches for he was a saving man. It is not often th...
The Kiranelagh Spirit : THE KILRANELAGH SPIRIT. Two men repairing to their homes just in the twilight, were obliged to pass through this churchyard, or take a considerable circuit. They had come up the hill, and were beginning to proceed through the cemetery, when they heard, just on their left, and apparently proceeding...
The Tobinstown Sheeoge : THE TOBINSTOWN SHEEOGE. In the pleasant valley of the Duffrey, sheltered from the north-west winds by the huge pile of Mount Leinster, lie two villages separated by a turf bog. The western cluster is called Kennystown, and the eastern, Tobinstown. [a] The extensive Rath of Cromogue commands the bog...
The Sea Fairies : THE SEA FAIRIES Moruadh, or "Moruach", is the name given to the mermaids that haunt the shallow waters near our coasts. The word is composed of "Mur", sea, and "Oich", maid. The mermen do not seem on the whole to be an attractive or interesting class. Their hair and, teeth are green, their noses...
Legends Of The Celtic Saints : LEGENDS OF THE CELTIC SAINTS BEFORE the name of a person, however ascetic may have been his or her life, can be formally enrolled in the list of those whom the Roman Catholic Church pronounces worthy to be invoked in her public prayers, she insists upon evidence of his or her having exercised...
How St Patrick Received The Staff Of Jesus : HOW ST. PATRICK RECEIVED THE STAFF OF JESUS. When our saint was returning from Rome to France in his way to Ireland he stopped at a religious house in an isle in the Gulf of Genoa, and was entertained for a night by the inmates, whose self-imposed duty was the care of wrecked sailors. He revealed...
The Pooka Of Murroe : THE POOKA OF MURROE The unfortunate hero of this narrative was returning home one night along an avenue which lay between a hedge and a wood, the trees of which stood so close that the boughs interlaced. He was not naturally subject to superstitious fears, but he could not be otherwise th...
Qualifications And Duties Of The Fianna Eirionn : QUALIFICATIONS AND DUTIES OF THE FIANNA EIRIONN. With the name and opinions of modern Fenians every one's ears have been dinned. For the sake of that portion of our readers who have not devoted much attention to Gaelic archeology, we devote a few pages to the subject of that body of ancient militi...
St Lateerin Of Cullin : ST. LATEERIN OF CULLIN. St. Lateerin lived at Cullin, near Millstreet, and her Sisters lived in her neighbourhood. 'They visited one another once a week, and because they had to pass through bogs and brakes, the angels made a fine road for them connecting Kilmeen, Drumtariuf, and Cullin, where they...
The Old Age Of Oisin : THE OLD AGE OF OISIN. After the fatal battle of Gavra the only surviving war nor, Oisin, son of Fion, was borne away on the Atlanti waves by the Lady Niav of resplendent beauty, and for a hundred and fifty years he enjoyed her sweet society in the Land of Youth below the waters. Getting at last...
Baptism After Death : BAPTISM AFTER DEATH. The saint was not insensible to the charms of poetry, nor to the merits of the pieces in which the heathen bards of Ireland celebrated the fame of their dead heroes. He lamented the fate of so many noble-minded and heroic men, who had gone from the earth before the light...
Jac And His Comrades : JACK AND HIS COMRADES Once there was a poor widow, and often there was, and she had one son. A very scarce summer came, and they didn't know how they'd live till the new potatoes would be fit for eating So Jack said to his mother one evening: "Mother, bake my cake, and kill my cock, till I go seek...
The Ghost In Graigue : THE GHOST IN GRAIGUE. A lady in the neighbourhood of that old town, much celebrated for her charities, died, and great sorrow was felt for her loss. Many masses were celebrated, and many prayers offered up for the repose of her soul, and there was a moral certainty of her salvation among her...
The Borrowed Lake : THE BORROWED LAKE. A young chief once wooed the daughter of another chief, whose dun lay by the edge of Loch Ennel in Westmeath, The damsel was rather haughty and fastidious, and plainly told him that she would not require possession of his grianan as its mistress till she could see as beautiful...
