Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 28, 1917.djvu/214

 1 82 Collectanea.

and a centre of legendary druidism according to those who with no evidence choose to regard remotely prehistoric circles as druidic temples) go to study druidism with him. It will be remembered that the " whole fleet " of the Danaan at Croagh- ateeaun came from the seaward side, up Croaghateeaun.^ The Achill story has curious and archaic features, but how far these were true folktales and how far booklore I am not in a position to determine.

The sea-god Lir (divested of his divinity) figures in Mayo legend as the father of the Swan children; a fruitful subject for a paper by itself ; this tale calls for a student. The swans are remembered from Portacloy to Inisglora. They were three boys and a girl, children of a king, and turned to swans by their cruel stepmother. She compelled them to haunt the roughest " streams " {i.e. tideways), chief of which is the tide- race called Straffoda-con, running up the east creek of Broad- haven, between the promontory forts of Dookeeghan (Dumhach Ui Caochain) and Duncarton (Dun Certain or Dunkirtaan). Her power ceased on Sunday, when, as we saw, the hapless birds sat on the church of Inisglora till delivered by the saint. When a sinful hand touched them they fell to dust. The swan song of the dying princess is preserved. Other legends told of them resting in the cliff forts of Dun Fiachrach and Dunminulla.- If, indeed, the word eala (swan) be a component of the last name, as Scales' map (1776) and Bald's map (1813) with " Dunvinalla " suggest, we have an allusion to the enchanted birds, but I never heard any local person from Downpatrick to Belmullet name the huge fort platform anything but Dunminulla, as also Otway and his friend Henri name it. Otway tells us of yet a fifth site which he calls " Tholler na Amloodheer." Here a man came from the east and fought on behalf of the royal birds in a field near Shaen Lodge close to Belmullet.^

'^Folk-Lore, vol. xiv. pp. 97-98 ; see also vol. xxi. p. 198, and vol. ii. Silva Gadelica, pp. 123-6.

2 Described m Journal Roy, Soc. Anit. Ir. vol. xlii, p. 124, p. 197. Fiachra was one of the sons.

'^ Enis and Tyrawiy, pp. 95-97, and Dr. Charles Browne, Proc. R.I. Acad. vol. iii. (ser. iii.), p. 641.