Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1889-07-27
AFOOT IN IRELAND.


to suit Quaker"
AFOOT IN IRELAND.
More Superstitions of the Irish Peas
ants-The Well Established Belief In
the wonders OF Fairy Land-Lons
observed Myths and Signs-Malevo-
lent Magicians and Imps-The NIer-
ry Little Joker Leperchaun.
LONDONDERRY, Ireland, July IS.
To the Editor Of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
Though the ordinary superstitions of the
Irish peasantry may occasionally possess
grewsome and grisly nature, that
portion which pertains to the fairy mytholo-
~ of Ireland is full of revelation of belief
In the almost universally comforting and
friendly agency of every form of fairy, elf,
gnome or imp. They are of course possessed
of supernatural powers, but no one ever
heard of an Irish fairy or imp harming any
body of right motive and life, Indeed how
ever wide and deep may be ones study of or
with these tangible folk of
Erin, no instance can be found of printed
record Or from among the countless tales of
the peasantry regarding their well-estab-
lished doings which could bring discredit
"wee folk" race aught but benignant allied
force of other good influences and people.
Tracing their exact origin is q very diff
cult matter. The word sidh or sith, pro-
nounced and Anglicized into "shee," was al
ways applied in the Oldest known Celtic wri-
tings to the residences, palaces and haunts
of those immortals Of the remotest Gaedhel-
was found the imam of the Sidhs," or the
"far-shee," and also "the woman of the
Sidhs," or the "bsnn-shee." In the Gaed-
hello mythology, however, were two classes
of these immortals. One of these consisted
of imps or demons having the power of tax
ing upon themselves the body of man or wo-
man at will. and by wooing human men and
women, and particularly in holding out raw
ishing promises of immortality, thus leading
them into fatal unions through which the
souls of the mortals so deluded were endless
ly banished from heaven. The second class
were semi immortals and magicians, wholly
devoted to Druidism and the Black Art.
These beings are the mystic folk who origi-
nally possessed Erinn and who gradually
emerge from the realm of phantoms and le-
gends giving place to the forms and activi-
gins to draw aside the veil from the silences.
BY many searchers into ancient Irish lore
they are interchangeable with the mythical
Tuatha De Dananns Those who believe
Ireland to have been peopled before the COM
ing of the Milesian colony regard the Tuatha
De Bananns as the aboriginal race, and their
gradual and mysterious fading out of exis-
and present Irish mythology. Those who
hold to the belief that the Milesians were the
l first human occupants of Erinn ara willing
enough to regard the Tutha De Dananns az
those imaginable beings easily created in the
fanciful thought of the incoming wanderers
who naturally enough could not comprehend,
| from their eastern origin and associations,
any land unpeopled and unknown of men.
Whether the mythical race had existence, OF
whether Its people were creatures of the i'm.
| agination only, 30 soon as the records of the
| doings of mon came to be kept in ancient
Erinn there were already centuries behind in
which people of some sort existed, whose
Wonderful skill in the erection of sepulchra
| mounds, and in the making of metal orna
ments and slender and delicately formed
l spear heads was such as to compel on The
part of less skillful and more warlike peo'
pie the gradual dedication of this mysterious
race, and their eventual Identification with
| the local phantoms and gods of the earliest
historically known people of Ireland.
True it Is that in the Oldest Irish authori.
ties the fairies are often called the Tuathf
De Dananns, and the latter are in turn giver
the virtues and powers of immortals an6
| fairies. Their final dispersion after the two
disastrous battles of Tailteann and Drum
Lghean was fairy-like enough. They "helt
a meeting at Brugh, on the Boyne, under thu
presidency of Manannan; and by his advic
they distributed and quartered themselve
on the pleasant hills (sidhs) of Erinn.
Hence an easy Transformation to linen ant
I women of the hills" can be traced. Many o
these sidhs are known to-day from local ira
ditien and nomenclature. The learned Joyc
states that the names of no less than sevent,
Irish townland contain Shee and its modi6
4 NH 0voo hn u,i1 frov hon
Ireland for little, or for that matter evel
glance over its map for a half hour, will fin
names of wales, streams, giens, mountain
I and hills in countless numbers, which, II
their Celtic form, have for from one to tw'
l thousand years been known as this or tina
"of or from the fairies" Sheetrim (Sidh
dhruim) or "fairy ridge" was the old nam
of the Rock of Cashel, on which stood bu
| few days ago, and also of six townlands o
county Armagh. Knoeknasheega (Cnoo-ns
sige), near Cappoquin, in county Waterford
is the chill Of the fairies" Cnilsheeghar
is the name of two townlands in county 81
go, and it's Celtic meaning is "the fairie
forest" Ballysakeery, in Mayo, means 18th
; town of the fairy hill" The Sheehys,
townland in Tipperary, means .'the fair
mountains" The Shee hills, in count
, Meath, are "the fairy hills" Cloonshee,
county Roscommon, is "a fairy meadow
Mullaghshee, at Ballyshannon, Donegal,
"the hill of the fairy palace" These illu
| trations could be multiplied indefinitely; an
, | there will be found names whose original ar
only present meaning comprehend every In
| aginable form of "rath or fort of the fai
? les, 'the mill of the fairies," "the place
3 of the wee folk, !" 'the burn where the fai
les sing" "the fairies pool" "the church
Q the fairy HILL" ''the fairies blaeksmi
D.. Shop" "store-house of the fairies, "pebbl
y heap of the fairies," ''the fairies cavern
"the mines of the fairies;" and even four
9 a few weeks since up among the mis-
j. heights of the Twelve Pins of Bunnebeol
i. in Connamara, lovely basin-like hole
= near the top of wild Bengower, which t
q by no other name than "the place where t
fairies We'd"
In the gradual evolution of the fairies
y Ireland, that portion Of its technology pr
q viding malevolent magioians of an impi
. nature has been almost wholly extirpate
The "far-shee" or imam of the hills, In 8
n Gent times was very wicked fellow indee
o up to all manner OF wizard harm, and ms
y, ing no distinction whatever between 90
Z and bad people in his depredations. SO t
'e the "ban-shee' or "woman of the hills
g. "woman of the fairy Mansions" as she
ID more pleasantly known to-day, was look
- upon in olden times as a most vindictive a
o. hurtful female demon. The former has be
1T replaced by throng of pleasant name,
a. imps, possessed Of much humor, with an
cssional turn for practical joking, while l
one in score could be fairly accused
n downright meanness. The latter has al
~ while retaining her original personality to
a degree, been what might be called the ia
r, mother of an endless brood Of lightso
oy fairies, who under no circumstances anr
=, other humans than those of evil heart 9
- sordid nature, and who are full of rewa
ne to the generous, the sacrifcial and the 90
ny The banshee itself, as everybody knows,