Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 5 1887.djvu/332

324 NOTES ON CORNISH FOLK-LORE.

Piper's Hole.—It is interesting that Miss Courtney should record in her Cornish traditions the "Piper's Hole" legend. This legend is very common round Ireland, in places where there are cliffs and caves, one of the latter nearly invariably being called the "Piper's Hole or Cave," into which a piper went to explore, and never returned; but at times he takes to play the pipes that can be plainly heard. Only the other day I heard of such a cave, which, as yet, I have not had time to visit. It is situated on the west shore of Lough Swilly, some six or eight miles of Kathmullen. The story is:—In the troubled times when the McDonnells first invaded the county, they made from Rathmullen, their headquarters, a raid into the country to the northward, and the inhabitants with their piper took refuge in this sea-cave. The invaders smothered the people in the cave (whose bones remain there till this day) except the piper, who went forward to explore, but never came back, and at the present day he at times is heard playing at Kerrykeel, some eight miles to the westward, and at other times at Rossnakill, some ten miles to the northwest. The origin of the legend in so many places seems to me to be due to natural causes, as at certain times when the wind is in a certain direction, or perhaps on account of some peculiarity in the atmosphere, you will hear in a cave a sound as if of bagpipes. There is somewhere in Ireland a place marked on the maps as the "Devil's Mill." Where it is, I cannot now recollect; but I think it is somewhere in the co. Wexford. I went to visit it, and was surprised to find that there was not the trace of any sort of mill on the stream. On looking up some of the natives, I learned that there never was a mill, and no one would presume to utilize the water, as it was pre-occupied, the devil having a mill there, the working of which could be plainly heard