“Now put your foot on my foot and look over my left shoulder, and you
will see the king and queen and all the beautiful lords and ladies
with gold bands round their heads dancing on the grass. But take care
when you see them to make no sign of the cross, nor speak the name of
God, or they will vanish away, and perhaps even your life would be in
danger.”
On hearing this the girls ran away in fear and terror without ever
using the spell or seeing the fairies. But the other remained, and told
her friends next day that she had danced all night to the fairy music,
and had heard the sweetest singing, so that she longed to go back and
live for ever with the spirits on the hill.
And her wish was granted, for she died soon after, and on the night of
her death soft music was heard floating round the house, though no one
was visible. And it was said also that beautiful flowers grew on her
grave, though no hand planted them there, and shadowy forms used to
gather in the moonlight and sing a low chant over the place where she
was laid.
The fairies can assume all forms when they have special ends in view,
such as to carry off a handsome girl to Fairyland. For this purpose
they sometimes appear at the village festivities as tall, dark,
noble-looking gentlemen, and they wile away the young girls as partners
in the dance by their grand air and the grace of their dancing. And
ever after the young girl who has danced with them moves and dances
with a special fairy grace, though sometimes she pines away and seems
to die, but every one knows that her soul has been carried off to the
_Tir-na-oge_, where she will be made the bride of the fairy king and
live in luxury and splendour evermore.
Yet, though the fairies are fond of pleasure, they are temperate in
their mode of living, and are besides honest in their dealings and
faithful to their promises. If they borrow wine from the gentry they
always repay it in blessings, and never indulge much in eating or
drinking. But they have no objection to offer to mortals the subtle red
wine at the fairy banquets, which lulls the soul to sleep and makes
the reason powerless. The young men that they beguile into their fairy
palaces become their bond-slaves, and are set to hard tasks. One man
said he had marched with Finvarra’s men all the way from Mayo to Cork,
but there they had to leave him as they were going to Spain and could
not take him across the sea on their white horses.
They also much desire the aid of a powerful mortal hand to assist them
in their fairy wars, for they have often disputes and battles amongst
themselves for the possession of some coveted rath or dancing ground.
Once a fairy prince came to a great chieftain of Connaught, one of the
Kirwans, and begged for aid against a hostile fairy tribe that had
invaded his territories. The required aid being given, the fairies and
their mortal auxiliaries plunged into the lake and fought the enemy
and conquered; after which the Connaught men returned to shore laden
with rich presents of silver and gold and crystal wine-cups as the
expression of gratitude from the fairy prince.
It is said that Kirwan of Castle Hackett, the great Connaught chief,
also received a beautiful fairy bride on that occasion, and it is
certain that all the female descendants of the family are noted for
their beauty, their grace in dancing, and their sweet voices in
speaking. Lady Cloncurry, mother of the present Lord Cloncurry, was of
this race, and in her youth was the acknowledged leading beauty of the
Irish Court and celebrated for the rare fascination of her manner and
voice.