Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-02-24
THE HEADLESS COACH.
A Warning Phantom That Roams
the County Cork.
QUEER IRISH sUPERsTITIoNS.

No wonder strange superstitlons lin
ger In the scattered hamlets by the sea
or In the lonely cabins on the rocky is
lands round the iron coast, for on win
ter nights when the mighty surges
break laundering against the towering
cliffs and the storm wind walls weird
ly through the hollow cayeFns and ivied
ruins, where the deserted fortresses Of
the powerful chieftains OF bygone days
look down on the foaming waves
and the cry OF the gulls and curlew
echoes over rock shores and across
wide loughs and estuaries. one might
we'll fancy that the sounds were the
voice of giants or wizards doomed for
their sins to wander forever round this
coast. the mournful wall Of the ban.
shee" or OF 1.-THE White Lady Of the
Cllffs"-a famous Munster apparltlon.
Women and children. crouchlng over
the fire Of driftwood. peat or furze
branches flaming fitfully on the open
hearth. cross themselves as a louder
wall rings through the darkness or a
rumbling sound Is heard that to their
ears seems to be the rolling of the
wheels of the headless coach" or
death COACH" so called In the County
Cork because horses and driver are
supposed to be headless. The coach
man IL the dullahan- that is. dark
or sullen person. goblin Of most
malignant disposition.
This phantom is said to follow"
many old Munster families. the yehi-
Gle numbering heavily up the avenue
and stopping ut the front door when
ever a death Is about to occur In the
house. ! know numbers of persons
and not by any means merely unedu-
Gated peasants--wh0 are persuaded
that they have heard the rumbllng Of
the headess coach Needless to say,
the noise of heavy cart at night
along an unfrequented road is sutfl-
Client to terrify superstitlous people
into believing that they have heard the
death coach, They take good care not
to zee 1t.
Another much dreaded apparition is
the phooia, or fairy horse, very ma
licious spirit that Is said to appear IN
the shape of beautiful coal black
! steed with fire darling from his eyes
and nostrils.
Occasionally he adopts the form OF
black bull or goat and sometimes he
appears as an awful compound of sew
eral black administrators, bull. goat
and ram. In his equine form he is
said to Hmuse himself by entlclng soil
tary travellers whom he meets after
dark into mounting him. and as he In
variably looks like a mate cut OF a
horse" such as every Irlshman appre-
ciates, he is said to succeed very fire.
Quently In his nefarious plan.
The instant the rider Is on his back
the elfin steed dashes off madly through
stream. lake and bog hole. thicket and
coppice. hedge and ditch. marsh and
ravine, till the terrified mortal, drench-
ed, torn and bruised. shrieks for mercy
or perhaps remembers to gasp out
prayer. when with furious bound the
phooka filings him off, preferably into
muddy pool or furze brake, and darts
away, leaving the unhappy rider to
pick himself up. invariably finding that
he Is miles out Of his way.
Sudden falls are attributed to this
malignant sprlte. and many man who
has lost his way or met with an accl-
dent coming home from fair or funeral
on dark night Is convinced for the
rest of his days that he has been led
astray by the phooka. although his
troubles were possibly due to a yet
more potent spirit, Dangerous rocks
and crags are often called "carrig-na-
phooka" (rock of the phookal. just as
deep pools or holes In river or bog
are "poul-na-phooka." A beautiful wa
terfall In Wicklow bears this name.
The ''poukeen." as he Is sometimes
called. is also said TO adopt the form
OF a great black bird or a bat The
latter Is greatly feared by the country
folks. In the bat form he Is supposed
to lure people into climbing ivied walls
and towers, from which he throws
them. an idea which seems to bear
some relation to the vampire stories OF
eastern Europe. He is the pouke Of
Spenser, and from breaking the necks
OF the unwary to spelling the black
berries ON Michaelmas eve In order to
vex the archangel there are few enor-
mites of which he Is not guilty, ae-
cordlng 10 popular belief
PUCK. the household fairy" Of Eng
fish legend finds his Irish counterpart
In the tir-darrlg. or red man, a mer.
~ goblin, very similar to the Scotch
red cap. or brownie. He Is said to be
dressed In scarlet. The attire OF most
OF the Irish fairies Is supposed to con-
sist OF green suit. red shoes, long
white stockings and red or black cap
with an eagles feather. This little red
clad sprlte Is said to be remarkable for
the extreme beauty OF his voice. which.
according 10 the now fast disappearing
race OF story tellers, Is ''like the sound
OF the waves" "the music OF angels or
the warbllng OF birds" A sweet voice
Is highly esteemed In Erin. where a
girl possessing that excellent thing In
women" Is said to be able to coax the
birds or the bushes. New ireland Re
view.