Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Country and County: Connaught

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Dragons / Folklore / Folktales / Irish Folktales / Legends

Oilliphéist

In ‘Irish Myths and Legends’ by Ronan Coghlan, we are told that Oilliphéist, is an Irish word meaning ‘dragon’ or ‘great worm’, and that ‘a creature of this sort, hearing that Saint Patrick was coming to drive out its kind, cuts its way through the land, thus forming the River Shannon.’ The Shannon is 224 miles long and the is Ireland’s longe

Fairies / Folklore / Folktales / Irish Fairies / Irish Folktales

Fairy Nurse

There lived a woman in Innish Shark — one of the group of islands on the eastern coast — named Biddy Mannion, as handsome and likely a fisherman’s wife as you would meet in a day’s walk. She was tall, and fair in the face, with skin like an egg, and hair that might vie with the gloss of the raven’s wing.

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Anniversary Ghosts / Apparitions / Black Dogs / Book Review / Ghost Stories / Haunted Hotels / Haunted Pubs / Hauntings / Photographed Ghosts / Poltergiests / Review

Irish Ghosts by Peter Underwood

Peter Underwood, a world renowned expert on the paranormal, has published a new book focussing on Irish Ghosts. I had great hopes for this book having owned a copy of his 1973 book Gazetteer of Scottish & Irish Ghosts for a number of years, and I’m pleased to say I’ve not being disappointed.

Aquatic Monsters / Cryptozoology

Lough Dubh Lake Monster

Lough Dubh or Black’s Lake is a popular fishing venue by the river suck which was the scene of a possible monster sighting in the early 1960’s a creature was hooked by Mr Mullaney (a schoolmaster) and his son whilst out fishing. Described as having "short thick legs with small ears and a white pointed horn on the snout.

Ancient Sites / Burial Mounds / Fairies / Folklore / Irish Fairies / Legends

Sheebeg Cairn

Sheebeg Cairn (Sí Beag) is traditionally considered to be the burial site of Gráinne, (daughter of Cormac mac Airt, High King of Ireland ) and the giant hero of Irish legend, Fionn Mac Cumhaill (or Finn McCool), leader of the Fianna warriors of Ben Bulben.

Ancient Sites / Burial Mounds / Irish Folktales

Knockinarea

Knockinarea is the name of the prominent mountain on the Cuil Irra peninsula to the west of Sligo, County Sligo. The name of the hill has been interpreted as: The Hill of the King, The Hill of the Moon and The Hill of the Executioner amongst other things, and dominates the views from miles around.

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Folklore

Under Ben Bulben by William Butler Yeats

Swear by what the Sages spoke
Round the Mareotic Lake
That the Witch of Atlas knew,
Spoke and set the cocks a-crow.

Swear by those horsemen, by those women
Complexion and form prove superhuman,
That pale, long-visaged company
That air an immortality
Completeness of their passions won;
Now they ride the wintry dawn