Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review Volumes 32 and 33.djvu/123

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There can be no doubt but that luminous natural phenomena are very common on the islands and in the Mullet. Luminous insects and the St. Elmo's fire, balls of light at sea and on the hillside or blue phosphorescent sparks clinging to a mast, or whip, or horse's mane, have been seen by some persons with whom I have spoken, indeed (but I speak with reserve) I have seen unaccounted lights out at sea myself from the shore.

Though true fire is everywhere so inimical to fairies and ghosts, its imitation often accompanies them. About 1838 Otway tells how Mr. George Crampton and a clergyman, Rev. Mr. Stack, were riding in the sandhills near Termoncarra glebe in the Mullet on a stormy winter evening when the darkness was lit up and their horses, Crampton's stick and Mr. Stack's clothes were fringed with fire. Lieut. Henri had seen a ball of fire light on his flagstaff at Dookeeghan and throw out innumerable pencillings of brilliant rays. A fairy ball appeared on a ship's mast in Blacksod Bay, and several floated through the sandhills near Binghamstown in recent times. There are said to be luminous insects in the bogs above Portacloy and on to Beldearg in Erris and "humming globes" of pale flame have been seen, and are mentioned in many tales from Portacloy to Binghamstown. Sometimes travellers in the dark have seen their feet covered with light. Belief in Cliara rather inclines to regard such fires as of worse origin "got by the Devil himself." They are sometimes corpse candles foreboding death, usually at sea, but as a rule they are attributed to fairies both in the Mullet and on Cliara.

The Prince of all evil spirits may be reckoned among the supernatural beings seen in Co. Mayo. Satan appeared as a