Fairy
Tales And Ghost Stories
Traditional Medieval Introduction.
"From ghosts and ghoulies
And werewolves and witches
And things that go "thump" in the night
Oh Lord deliver us.
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Ireland is renowned for its
links with the mystic and magical. All around the world one may find people familiar
with the leprechaun, the banshee, the little folk.
There are many stories told on how the fairies came into being, the Christian
story is that the fairies were cast out of heaven after a great war, those who
look further back into the myths of time find other reasons for their occupation
of this land. Whatever your opinion of how they came to be here there is a wealth
of stories and legends.
It is not our intention to influence you either way; whether you believe or not
is a matter of personal choice but there is no doubt that many people believe
implicitly that the little folk are around us. That we should honour their sacred
places; take note of the warnings handed down from times past.
This booklet could have been a life times work. There are thousands of stories
already collected and many more waiting to be collected.
We hope that you will enjoy the stories within as much as We enjoyed collecting
them. They are presented as they were written, without editing or correction.
From the book "Great Irish Stories of the Supernatural". Some of you readers may
regard fairy stories and ghost stories with scepticism or even dismiss them as
typical example of the "tall story" for which the Irish are famous. Of these stories,
a very substantial number consists of hero tales glorying in Ireland's great heritage;
but equally impressive is the quantity whose theme is the twilight world and the
figures that dwell in the borders of consciousness and reality; the ghosts and
banshees, the fairies, the devils and revenants.
In Ireland it is believed that when one is asleep three things happen in the mind,
dreams which are mostly nonsensical images, nightmares, which are often manifestations
of our inner fears, which we keep suppressed when we are awake, and the Aishling,
which is often a glimpse of the future and is based on the supernatural. It should
never be ignored but it comes sometimes as a warning, sometimes as a portent -
either way it will happen.
A
Fairy Story
"I
know you would like to hear all about a fairy story. A long time ago two men
were mowing hay in a field in which there was a fort. The field is in Glendree
not far from this. The men were moving around the fort and they were very hungry.
One of the men called for their dinners and when they looked around there was
a cloth spread upon the grass and the dinner laid on it. The man who called
for the dinners would not eat it so the other man ate it. The man who would
not eat it died that same night. The other man lived happily ever after."
John Nash,
Glendree, Tulla, Co. Clare.
Legend
of Cullane Lake
Near the lake was situated
the stronghold of the elf Parnaras, chief's of the locality. A legend is told
about this family.
In the vicinity of this castle was a meadow. The chieftain observed that when
he woke every morning some of the grass in this pasture was eaten.
On his instructions some of the men watched the place during the night and to
their amazement saw a mare and foal come out of the lake, graze for a time and
then return from whence they came. They told their master and he ordered them
to catch the two animals.
They succeeded in catching the foal but the wily mare eluded them and jumped into
the lake. The foal was trained and in due course became the best war steed in
the country. Elf Parmara was very proud of his possession.
One day while he, mounted on the famous horse, was riding past the lake the mare
put her head out of the water and whinnied. The foal in answer to her call jumped
into the lake with the chieftain on his back. The chieftain and his steed were
never seen again except on certain occasions
. Legend has it that he rides around Kilkishen every seven years. He was once
seen near the lake by an old man in the locality.
Patrick Benson, Kilkishen, Age 60.
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Sarah Waterson & Kathleen Dowdal
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East Clare Development Association
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