Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 5 1887.djvu/75

 Rh went to the forge to have a sword made, bringing his cow with him. Another brother, named MacSambthainn, happened to be there, and MacKineely gave him the cow to hold while he went into the forge. Bailor, who was always watching for an opportunity, immediately changed himself into a red-headed boy, and went up to MacSambthainn and told him that he had overheard the two brothers arranging that they would make his swords of iron while they would use all the steel for MacKineely's sword. Enraged, MacSambthainn uttered a dreadful oath, handed the rope of the cow to the red-headed boy, and rushed into the forge; while the red-headed boy, quicker than lightning, carried off the cow, and when the brother came out they saw Bailor with the cow in the middle of the Tory ground. The place where the cow was dragged on shore is still called Port-na-Glaise, or cow harbour. Immediately after the loss of the cow MacKineely went to the Druid, to ask what he should do; but was told he never could get back his cow till Ballor was dead, as he would always keep the hind eye open and petrify any one who tried to get near her. He then went to his familiar spirit, or friendly fairy, called Birage, who told him she would enable Ballor to be killed. To do this she dressed MacKineely in women's clothes, and on the wings of a storm wafted him to the tower on Tor-more where Ethnea lodged. Here Birage demanded admittance for a noble lady she had rescued from the hands of a cruel giant who was carrying her off, and the twelve matrons, fearing the fairy, admitted her and MacKineely. Birage then caused a deep sleep to fall on the matrons, while Ethnea and MacKineely were left together to fall in love; after which the fairy brought MacKineely the way he came back to his abode on the mainland.

In process of time, three sons were born in the tower of Tor-more; and when Ballor heard of them he was furious, and ordered them to be drowned. They were rolled up in a sheet fastened by a pin, and brought to the whirlpool off the island where Ballor had ordered them, to be cast. Here the pin, or deloz, fell out, and the boys fell into the water, one sinking at once, but the two others were caught and put again into the sheet and cast into the whirlpool—the place being now called Port-a-Deloz, or the harbour of the pin.

The boy that sank was not, however, drowned, as Birage had taken