Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 22, 1911.djvu/370

 334 Collectanea.

devotees, and merrymakers, A legend was then told how a wild young squire of the Brady family in attempting to carry off a lovely peasant girl from the pattern was overtaken by the vengeance of St. Caimin. The boat was upset by a squall, and the squire and his "understrapper" (a foster-brother) were drowned; the girl and boatman clung to the keel, and floated ashore unharmed. The local horror of the sacrilege was emphasized by the gruesome addition that, when "the young master" Avas waked in the "big house " and the foster-brother in the barn, all stole away to the better entertainment, and, when the barn was unlocked in the morning, the bare skeleton of the instigator of the outrage was found covered with rats and keerogues (black-beetles). The horrible "turf rick legend "^ says that the Iniscaltra pattern lasted for three days.

Other less famous patterns were held on the sandhills near Lehinch in honour of St. MacCreehy. The celebration got shifted to " Garland Sunday " {Domhnach cruim duibh, the last in July), and to the honour of St. Brigit of Kildare. It was finally replaced by races, which at Kilnaboy and elsewhere may also represent degenerated patterns.

At St. Lachtin's well, near Miltown Malbay, a few poor old people may be seen, especially on Sundays and Thursdays, making " rounds." These are usually two sets of five each,— the first on the causeway round the well, and the second on a wider circle "sunwise." The devotees take off their shoes, stockings, and hats, (or, if women, their shawls and bonnets), and start for the well repeating the prescribed prayers. They climb to kiss a cross on the branch of one of the weird old weather-bent trees in the hollow, and, lastly, pour water from the well on their faces, hands, and feet.^*^

Patterns were held near the very early church of Termon- chronain, near Casdetown in the Burren, and, not many miles away, on the last day of summer " rounds " are performed at the two altars of the oratory of St. Colman MacDuach at Kinallia.^i Stations were held till late years at Kilraoon, and at Tobermogua,

9Cf. vol. xxi., p. 348. "^^ Limerick Field Club Journal, vol. iii., p. 15. " Cf. ante, p. 50, and Plate IV.