The Folk-Lore Journal/Volume 4/Legends of St. Columbkille of Gartan

LEGENDS OF ST. COLUMBKILLE OF GARTAN.

ST. COLUMBKILLE was travelling through Monreagh, near Rathmullen, to Donegal, when the place was thickly inhabited, and no one would give him bite or sup. He cursed them and said, "A time will come when one man will possess all, and then there will be lots to eat for the wayfarer." The curse has been fulfilled,—one person now possesses all.

The saint on his travels came to Fadda lough in Fanad, the tract between Mulroy and Swilly Waters, and found a man fishing, who he asked for a fish. The man replied that he had not caught any. This the saint did not believe, and said, "No one will henceforward catch more fish that you have now caught." The man had not caught a fish, and no one has since caught one there. [Query: Is not this very similar to the curse of the "barren fig-tree?"]

The saint had a hermitage in the lake, now called Lough Columbkelle, a little to the eastward of Ballaghnagalloglach (anglice, ford of the swordsmen), now Millford. He lived on the fish he caught there; but a pagan used to come and poach, notwithstanding that he was warned off time after time by the saint. At last, one day the saint said, "You may catch three fish, but a devil a bit will you catch more if you fish from morning to night." Since then any one going to fish there will easily catch three fish, but never more.

Gartan Clay. (Folk-Lore Journal, vol. iii. p. 275.)—Although this clay is commonly reported to have been blessed by St. Columbkille the O'Freels, whose territory by the ancient map lay about Gweedore and Gweebarra, claim that an ancestor, Termear O'Freel (O'Freel of the Sanctuary), built the church, made the well, and blessed the clay. When creating the well he struck the solid rock, and said, " Henceforth the water here will never fail, as the spring is supplied from the lake on the top of Muekish."

Muckish is one of the highest hills in the co. Donegal, about eight miles to the northward; but on it at the present time there is no lake, although there are lakes in its vicinity to the eastward and westward. That the O'Freels had something to do with the place is evident, as only a Freel can find the clay (see ante, vol. iii. p. 275). As there were five or more St. Columbkille in Ireland, it is possible the Saint of Gartan may have belonged to the O'Freels, although popularly his history is mixed up with that of St. Columbkille, of Cormorroe, co. Clare, who was one of the O'Quins or O'Brians.

Donegal Customs, &c.

Good Friday and Easter.—The people near Ramelton, parish of Tullyaughnish, on every Good Friday go to Arddruman Strand, Lough Swilly, to pick mussels. My informant states—"All the girls of the country start at daybreak with sacks, and do not come back till dark night; they go great distances out into the water, where the mussels grow on the rocks as thick as primroses."

The mussels brought home are fried and eaten on Easter Sunday. On Easter Saturday the beggars going about the country ask for their "Easter Eggs." In places in Cornwall sea shellfish are also gathered on Good Friday. (See Paper by Miss M. A. Courtney, Folk-Lore Journal, vol. iv. p. 222.) In connection with the Cornish customs it may be mentioned that in the cos. Wexford and Wicklow the people light fires on St. Peter's Eve (the patron of the fishermen), but I have not remarked the custom elsewhere in Ireland, although from what I have heard I suspect that at one time it was also the custom in the co. Donegal.

Erysipelas. This in Donegal is known as The Rose; it is very common but can be cured by a Stroker. The following is said to have happened: A nurse of the Rectors had the rose and the doctor was called in; after he was gone the woman's friends brought in a "stroker," who rubbed the nurse with bog-moss (Sphagmum), and then threw a bucket of bog-water over her in the bed. This treatment cured the woman, and is said to be that generally in vogue, but is not efficient except the right person does it.

Blowing Horns. Formerly cows' horns were blown at weddings but now they blow bottles. A bottle is prepared as follows: Put about half-an-inch of water in it and clap the bottom of the bottle in the embers of the fire (greeshue), this will cause the bottom to break off cleanly and evenly—a bottle thus treated is more easily blown than a cow's horn.

If a person dreams of a dog, it is a man, or of a cat, a woman; that probably will do him either a harm or some good. A man dreamed that a dog of mine attacked him, and the next day coming back from breakfast he was struck across the head with a stick by a beggar man; he was fully persuaded that the dream foretold the blow.

Fairgorta, Fairgarta, or Hungry grass (Fer, grass, and gorta, hungry). This grass grows in wild desolate places, and any one who chances to put their foot on it is immediately seized with weakness and sleepiness. The following happened, not in this county, but Connemara, co. Galway— Two of us were traversing the hills between Oughterard and the sea; coming home my companion said he felt faint; then he wanted to lie down and go to sleep. The latter I would not allow, and between dragging and carrying him I got him to a cabin at about 9 p.m. He could neither eat nor drink; so I treated him like a tired pointer and forced into his mouth oaten-meal and salt; which brought him to. This man was supposed to have trodden on the Fairgorta; and people found dead in the hills are said to have met with a similar mishap.

Sayings. "He is not right." This is said of any one who can do things out of the common; or a knowing person who can guess at things that an ordinary mortal would never think of.

"He is not all there." Said of an idiot or a fool. Said in contempt of any one who does foolish things.

"That's the element." Intended to indicate that what is going on is above the common; it specially is used when describing good music.

Juggy's Well, Monkstown, co. Dublin.

This is scarcely old enough to be folk-lore, the name of the well being only a little more than half-a-century old, but at the same time a record may prevent speculation hereafter.

The following is the origin as given by an old coachman of my father: "When I was a boy, before there was a railway in the country, everything for Kingstone, or as it was then Dunleary, was brought in carts along the Rock Road; at the bottom of Monkstown Hill at the well sat an old woman who used to get halfpence from the quality for taking the drags off the wheels of the carriages. When we were passing with the carts we always stopped to take a drink; so the old woman got a jug which she used always to fill when she saw any of us coming; we got to call her Juggy, and generally had a halfpenny or a bit of 'bacca for her when we passed. Poor Juggy went when the railway was made, at least, I never saw her since, but the name has stuck to the well."

It is probable the name will always remain as it is recorded on the Ordnance map, and unless there is a record of its origin it will be a "puzzleite"; in fact it is at the present time, as I have heard some curious pre-christian derivations suggested.