Irish Wonders: The Ghosts, Giants, Pooka, Demons, Leprechawns, Banshees, Fairies, Witches, Widows, Old Maids, and other Marvels of the Emerald IsleMcAnally, D. R. (David Russell)
General
Irish Wonders: The Ghosts, Giants, Pooka, Demons, Leprechawns, Banshees, Fairies, Witches, Widows, Old Maids, and other Marvels of the Emerald Isle
In Cork, for instance, it has been seen by hundreds of people off
Ballydonegan Bay, while many more can testify to its appearance off the
Bay of Courtmacsherry. In Kerry, all the population of Ballyheige saw it a
few years ago, lying in Tralee Bay, between Kerry Head and Brandon’s Head,
and shortly before, the villagers of Lisneakeabree, just across the bay
from Ballyheige, saw it between their shore and Kerry Head, while the
fishermen in Saint Finan’s Bay and in Ballinskelligs are confident it has
been seen, if not by themselves, at least by some of their friends. It has
appeared at the mouth of the Shannon, and off Carrigaholt in Clare, where
the people saw a city on it. This is not so remarkable as it seems, for,
in justice to the Enchanted Island, it should be stated that its
resemblance to portions of the neighboring land is sometimes very close,
and shows that the "enchanter" who has it under a spell knows his
business, and being determined to keep his island for himself changes its
appearance as well as its location in order that his property may not be
recognized nor appropriated.
In Galway, the Enchanted Island has appeared in the mouth of Ballinaleame
Bay, a local landlord at the time making a devout wish that it would stay
there. The fishermen of Ballynaskill, in the Joyce Country, saw it about
fifteen years ago, since when it appeared to the Innisshark islanders. The
County Mayo has seen it, not only from the Achille Island cliffs, but also
from Downpatrick Head; and in Sligo, the fishermen of Ballysadare Bay know
all about it, while half the population of Inishcrone still remember its
appearance about twenty years ago. The Inishboffin islanders in Donegal
say it looked like their own island, "sure two twins couldn’t be liker,"
and the people on Gweebarra Bay, when it appeared there, observed along
the shore of the island a village like Maas, the one in which they lived.
It has also appeared off Rathlin’s Island, on the Antrim coast, but, so
far as could be learned, it went no further to the east, confining its
migrations to the west coast, between Cork on the south and Antrim on the
north.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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