School: Cill Thiomáin, Durrus, Bantry (roll number 15989)

On this page

1. The Mermaid

   

   Share Share Post

   The mermaid is supposed to be half a woman and half a fish. The upper portion of her is the woman. She is often seen sitting on a rock coming her long hair.
   My father told me the story about the Glavins, about 40 years ago there lived seven brothers of the Glavins in Carrigmanus. One of them named William Galvin was digging potatoes in a field near the sea shore. When he saw a very handsome girl sitting on the rock combing her hair. He stopped gazing at her, and at last he found out it was a mermaid. But she threw off her mantle and walked to-wards him and asked him would he take her for his wife and he refused her. So she kept on asking him but he still refused. She put a majit spell over him and walked towards the sea and he found himself walking away with her. When they reached the shore she then asked him would he rather marry her than to go with her the rest of his life under neath the sea. He then consented to marry her. She then told him that there were three things that he should not do while her-self lived.
   One of them was not to kill the seal, secondly not to invite the Land Lord to a party thirdly not to invite the Parish Priest to his house. She brought the bridle of a horse with her she told him to hang it in the stable.
   They lived happily for some years together. Until one day he went fishing and it happened that a seal was sunning himself on a rock. When he stole on

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. agents (~1)
      1. supernatural and legendary beings (~14,864)
         1. mermaids (~305)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Bridie Kennedy

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Lissacaha, Co. Cork