by Steve Lally
The poor fella drew back frightened, and Catherine and her friend were frightened too and could not utter a word. Then she turned to the other young man and held out her arms, smiling at him seductively; he was a jolly devil-may-care sort of fellow as Catherine described him in her account of the events. He was the sort of chap who would not like to look afraid or not be up for the craic, as they say.
He straightened himself up and with a sure and confident tone said, ‘I will come with all my heart,’ and, stretching out his arms to take her, he bounded across the low wall and ran towards the beautiful woman that beckoned him.
They tripped along among the thick trees that surrounded the fairy glen as if skipping along to the music, which now became infinitely sweeter.
Catherine and her cousin waited a very long time for their friend’s return, until day was almost breaking, until the music ceased and they could hear the workmen turning in at Ballyfin gates; but there was no tail or tidings of him. Sadly and reluctantly they decided it was time to go home and hope that their friend would show up sooner or later.
A month later he did show up; he had arrived back at his own house wearing the same clothes from the night he had disappeared and amazingly they were not one bit stained or worn. But his face was drawn and pale, the light gone from his eyes and the smile from his lips. He was not the same happy-go-lucky fella that they had known before – he was sombre and quiet, like a young man suffering from a broken heart.
He never spoke of his experience in the fairy glen or the strange woman that he had run away with, and he was so shy and timid that nobody dared ask him, for fear they might make matters worse. He became a changed man, his passion for life was gone and he was a shell of his former self. Now he never joined in a dance, a song or a story. It was as if he had left the best part of himself in the shadows of the fairy glen. His friends and family were heartbroken themselves to see this young man they had known all their lives become so distant and removed from the world around him.
A year passed by, and on the anniversary of the night he spent in the fairy glen, he became dangerously ill. A terrible sickness had gotten a hold of him and there was a wild look in his eyes, the people round him thought that he must be mad with the fever. The priest and the doctor were sent for, who said nothing could be done for him. The doctor had never seen such an affliction before and was baffled and disturbed by what he saw. The priest believed that the young man was possessed by some demon and he did all he could with the power that God had invested in him to help this poor soul.
But there was nothing he could do for the poor lad, and it became obvious that the young fella was not going to make it. With shaking hands, the priest administered the last sacraments and when the young man was breathing his last, he stretched out his arms as if he were going to grasp someone; he looked happy and content as he smiled his old brilliant smile and said joyfully, ‘I will come with all my heart a stór’. With that the young man died and he was laid to rest shortly afterwards.
Catherine and her cousin never went to the fairy glen again and never spoke of what had happened. One night many years later as they were walking home from a dance they could hear that sweet and beautiful music carried on the nocturnal wind, and in the midst of it they could hear a woman laughing and then they heard the voice of an old friend that they had not heard in a very long time, he sounded so happy and full of joy as he called out, ‘I love you with all my heart, and I promise I will never leave you again a stór!’
This next story about the Fairy Glen of Mountrath was told to young Nora Phelan by Denis Keenan from the townland of Knocks, Co. Laois.
He told her that Patrick Geoghan, a gardener in Ballyfin fifty years previous (which would have it the year 1888), was always talking about ‘Moll the Fairy’. Moll was a small fairy-like woman who lived beside the fairy glen. Mr Geoghan was constantly asking Moll to take him on a visit to the fairies’ palace in the glen, and she always said to him, ‘You can come with me whenever it pleases yourself.’
This was really just a bit of flirting and play-making between the two of them and it was not to be of any real significance.
It was a beautiful calm bright summer’s evening and the birds were singing melodiously in the high trees and the green hedges around the fairy glen. And it was on this bright and cheerful summers’ evening that Pat was returning from his work at Ballyfin. As he walked and whistled along the country road, he passed by Moll’s house.
He was in high spirits after paying a visit to John Rafter, the owner of the public house at the bottom of the hill who was also a very generous man and always gave Patrick a pint on the house, for he would keep the hedges in check outside the pub and keep the place looking well.
As usual Patrick shouted to Moll, who was coming in from milking the goats. ‘Eh Moll, when are you bringing me to see the fairies?’
‘Tonight if you like,’ she answered.
‘Alright I’ll go with you tonight,’ he said.
Now he thought that this was just a bit of craic and he had not expected Moll to give such a clear and direct answer. But she stood there and told him to come on in and wait for her while she got ready. So he went in and waited till Moll was ready.
When they left the house together and set off for the fairy glen, Moll warned him cautiously what to do and say when he entered the fairy palace. She made a point of telling him not to take anything from the fairies’ hands, for if he did so he would never be let home again. She said there were many souls who made that mistake and never returned and those that did were far worse for it.
It was late – about ten o’clock – when they crossed the low wall at the back of the house surrounding the fairy glen. When they got to it, they were greeted by a large number of strange-looking little men and women, all of them gaily dressed, some of them singing merrily and others playing on musical instruments.
They all led Pat and Moll through a tunnel at the bottom of a huge oak tree. The tunnel was long and dark and Pat was starting to think that this was a very bad idea. He really thought that it was all a bit of craic with Moll but now he realised very quickly that it was quite serious indeed. He looked at Moll with pure amazement for she was not just a fairy by name and appearance, be the hokey she actually was one of the good folk.
The couple were taken to a beautiful palace, the likes of which Pat, a simple gardener, had never seen before. It was breathtaking – the walls were made of solid gold and the turrets were topped with silver and jewels. Then they were taken to the main gates, these were made of solid gold and were guarded by two sentries dressed in the finest military garb.
On entering, Pat and Moll were greeted by a fairy king and queen dressed beautifully with gold and silver streamers hanging to the floor from their silk and satin robes.
They greeted their guests with great gusto and warmth. The king and queen were quite tall and both were fine-looking creatures. The king was handsome with a mischievous boy-like quality about him and his queen was very beautiful with enchanting eyes of emerald green that sparkled like jewels in the firelight.
The palace itself was so beautifully furnished that Pat could hardly believe his eyes. Never in all his life had he seen such finery and luxurious architecture. The floor of the palace shone like glass, which was made of such finely polished gold that he could see his reflection in it. All he could do was look at it all with his mouth open. Moll scolded him and said he looked like a poltroon.
They were both brought in and seated in two beautiful chairs. Little waiters and waitresses came with trays and dishes with intoxicating drinks of all kinds and although they were very tempting, Pat remembered what Moll had said and refused to take them. Moll, however, was at liberty to take anything she wished. In fact, she tried everything and looked like she was very much enjoying it.
Poor Pat was getting quite upset now as he was hungry and thirsty and he thought that Moll was being very selfish. He looked at Moll and said, ‘This is not fair, what am I to do?
They keep offering me all this wonderful food and drink and I am so famished and the thirst has me driven mad. Not only that, the wee folk are being insulted by my refusal to take any of it. ’Tis an awful predicament that I am in Moll. And ’tis alright for you to eat away and sup to your heart’s content; ’tis very unfair of you Moll. What am I to do at all?’
It was obvious that Moll was intoxicated as she was lit up like a Tilley lamp. She grinned from ear to ear and looked at poor auld Pat and replied, ‘Sorry Pat, I lost the run of myself. It must be awful hard for ya alright. I meant to say that if you ask them to put salt on your food, they will not offer you another thing again, and then we will have a dance Pat!’
Pat nodded at Moll and when the wee waiters and waitresses came to him again with platters laden with magnificent food, he piped up, ‘Can I have some salt to put on that please? Thank you!’
Well, when they heard that they looked at him as if he had asked them to throw their rotten food in the bin. They were horrified and with that the wee servants tutted at him, turned their noses up in the air, then spun around on their heels and marched away, very affronted indeed.
Moll turned to Pat and asked him how he got on. ‘It worked very well indeed,’ he replied. Without further ado, Moll took Pat by the hand and they walked over to the magnificent dance hall.
They danced and sang with the fairies till daybreak, which was about five o’clock. When the sun began to rise all that they saw around them began to disappear like a fading image before their eyes and the music and laughter quieted down until all they could hear was the sound of the birds welcoming the dawn and the cock as he crew from his perch.
Holding hands, they both returned home to Moll’s house and Pat looked at her in a way that he had never done before and he asked her if she would marry him. Moll was overjoyed and said that she surely would. Well it was announced that Pat the Gardner and Moll the Fairy were to be married. It was a fine wedding indeed with lots of celebrations. Pat could eat and drink his fill without worry and he thought Moll looked so beautiful in her wedding dress and he was never so happy in all his life.
Well after the wedding you will never guess where they went on their honeymoon, yes that’s right, off to the fairy glen they went and into the palace at the bottom of the oak tree. There they had another wedding feast, only this time Pat ate and drank away to his heart’s content, for he was now part of the fairy family.
Moll and Pat had children and they too had children and some of them may still be about the town of Mounthrath in the county of Laois.
Co. Longford: From the Irish An Longfoirt, meaning ‘The Port’. Co. Longford has a rich and diverse mythological history. In Co. Longford you will find Ardagh Hill or Bri Leigh, home of the legendary ‘Midir’, a king of the ancient Tuatha Dé Danann. It is also home to some of the greatest Irish folklorists. Legan was the home of Patrick Greene (Pádraig Mac Gréine) (1900–2007). He died at the age of 106 and was a teacher and folklore collector. He is estimated to have transcribed 10,000 pages of folklore material in the course of his work. Co. Longford was also the birthplace of the world-renowned writer, playwright and folklorist Padraic Colum (1881–1972), who was born in a Co. Longford workhouse.
THE LEGENDS OF LOUGH GOWNA (CO. LONGFORD)
We found these stories about Irish mermaids and monsters in the Dúchas Archive from The Schools’ Collection, Vol. 0762, pp.310–12. The collector was from St Columba’s National School, Cloonagh, Granard, in Co. Longford. Their name was not stated but there are several informants who give fascinating accounts of mermaids and sea monsters from Lough Gowna. Lough Gowna is a freshwater lake located on the border between Co. Longford and Co. Cavan. These accounts were recorded in November 1937.
The Irish equivalent of mermaids are merrows. They have fish’s tails like mermaids but also little webs between their fingers. They are said to be gentle creatures who often fall in love with mortal fishermen. According to Katherine Briggs in her beautiful collection A Dictionary of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies and other Supernatural Creatures (1976), sometimes merrows come ashore in the form of little hornless cattle, but in their proper shape they wear red feather caps, by means of which they go through the water. If these caps are stolen or lost they cannot return to the sea again. Some stories we have come across state that these merrows settle with fishermen and if they happen to find the red feather hat that they once lost they will just up and leave their mortal husband and in some cases their children, because the lure of the sea is so strong.
There are male merrows too and they are said to have little faces like pigs, yet the female merrows are beautiful in comparison.
Our story begins in 1934 with a Miss Ellen Rudden, an old lady from Granard, Co. Longford. She was walking the road along Lough Gowna on a summer’s evening when her attention was attracted to the lake by a mournful wail that came from the opposite shore.
She plainly saw a creature that looked like a person with long hair, lying on its back in the water near the shore. What she did not know was that this strange creature was called a merrow or murdhuacha. They are something between a banshee and a mermaid and are dreaded, because they appear before storms and drownings.
Two nights after Ellen saw the merrow, a poor woman who was suffering from mental illness escaped from her house in the middle of the night. Those who were in charge of caring for her followed the woman but there was no sign of her at all. She had run towards Lough Gowna, screaming, ‘She is calling me! She is calling me!’ Her body was found the next evening, floating lifelessly in the lake.
Another informant was Mr Pat Curry, an old man of 75 who said that this same creature always appears before a drowning takes place in the lake. He saw her one evening when he was a young boy working with his father in a field near the lake, and he always remembered that his father said, ‘There will be someone drowned before long.’ Two or three days after, there was a funeral in the district, and four men came from Columbkille across the lake in a boat to attend the funeral. On the return journey they heard a terrible mournful cry coming from across the lake. They had no idea what it was and then the water started to turn and swell, the boat capsized and the four men were in the water. One of the men could not hold on and the others said that he was pulled below the surface by something. The poor man drowned and his comrades were very distraught by the whole experience.
A Mr Rodgers who died in 1897 (forty years before this story was recorded), said that the merrow was seen near Inch Island, and her mournful cry was distinctly heard before a drowning that took place near the home of the Doffing family, a long time ago.
They were a wealthy family and Ralf Doffing (called locally Rafe) was the owner of the estate at the time. He was the sort of fellow that had plenty of money but did not use it too wisely. He enjoyed showing off his wealth and making it well known that he enjoyed a lavish lifestyle.
On one occasion he had a shooting party, and at night they feasted on an old yacht that he had on Lough Gowna. The yacht was never used for sailing because it was too large for the shallow lake, and it remained in deep water out from the shores, for sleeping in summer, and for entertaining guests.
On this particular night, after enjoying themselves drinking and shooting at the stars, they were about to return to the shore, and three of them got safely onto the small boat that was waiting below the yacht. But the fourth man, who had had too much to drink, tumbled down the ladder from the yacht and overturned the boat, and all four men were drowned.
The old people used to make a joke about these rich libertines after their demise. ‘Sure they could not have better luck because they spent part of the time firing at the moon from the deck of the yacht.’
Bizarrely, for an island, Ireland has an amazingly limited number of references to sea monsters in the existing folklore. We sometimes read stories referring to Selkies. We came across a lovely article by Matt Staggs called ‘Meet the Selkies: Scotland’s Shape-Shifting Seal Fairies’ (2018). He states t
hat they are also known as roane and water kelpies, and are shape-shifting fairies that travel about the ocean disguised as seals. He says that while tales of these mysterious creatures have made their way to every corner of the globe, they are native to the Orkney and Shetland Islands of Scotland. We sometimes hear stories of them on the north coast of Ireland and, oddly enough, in inland lakes. They are not described as dangerous; in fact, they are fairly harmless.
These are most common to the north and along the coast of current-day Scotland but, for the most part, the tales portray the creatures as relatively benign (they’re certainly not described as fearful or terrifying).
The following story was collected from a Mr Francis Reilly. He was rowing a boat on Lough Gowna one day with two old friends who had gone off to become priests. The two holy men were home on their holidays. Mr Reilly had known them from way back and he was delighted to see the lads after such a long time. The day was beautiful, the sun was shining and the water was calm, so they decided to take a long sail on the lake, and visit the Island of Inch, which was about 5 miles from where they started.
When they were about half an hour out, the two priests saw a strange creature come to the surface. They could not believe their eyes, for they had never seen such a creature before. It had the head of a calf and a very long neck, which appeared above the water, but they could not describe what its body was like, as it was submerged in the darkness of the lake, but it appeared to be very large indeed. The creature made a low moaning noise a bit like a cow and then it disappeared below the surface once again and swam away, its huge shadow dwarfing the boat and its terrified passengers. It seems like they had encountered something similar to the Loch Ness Monster.
They were all very shaken by this experience and they asked Mr Reilly to pull to the nearest shore, and they abandoned the sail. They never thought there was such a creature to be found in an inland lake, or any other waters for that matter.