it was only a little elf or "changeling" that was in the cradle. She asked the tailor what she'd do and the tailor told her to put down a big fire. She did this and the tailor took the changeling out of the cradle and threw it in at the back of the fire. It let a squeel and went up the chimney like a puff of smoke, and when the mother came back to the cradle her own good child was lying in it.

child would be once again their own.
The parents decided to take the advice of the wise old woman. They repaired on the following night to the fort. The music and pony-riding continued as on the previous night, and when the father got a favourable opportunity, he threw the pot-hooks round his child's neck - and had his son secure in his arms in a moment.
When the parents and their child reached home, the mother went to the cradle, where the changeling had been - and found not the changeling in the cradle, but a block of wood. the changeling had disappeared, and the block of wood remained as silent testimony, that the changeling had been there.Nancy Canfield is now dead, but she believed firmly in the truth of this tale. Nancy is dead about ten years ago.

other, and he brought back with him a little black stone. It was said he stole this stone from the fairies, and all his power was in this stone/ He was brought all over South Leitrim to cure people who were taken away with the fairies. He did not employ the "story method" (eg throwing the elf a changeling in behind the fire). He went up to the room when the changeling was, closed the doors and windows and went through certain ministrations with the little black stone he stole from the fairies. He was nearly always successful and most people regained their health after his visits. He cured all kinds of crooked feet, crooked eyes, humps and wasting diseases, as those diseases were caused by the fairies. The priests were very angry with anybody that called in Smyth but in spite of all opposition he did a big trade. The stone as I heard it described was about the size of a crown was round and polished and jet black. Jimmy Smyth is dead about 100 years.

I often heard this story (which May Power has written here). The changeling's mother was called Cáit Mhór na Réidhe. She had a son who was named "Bucky" Lahiffe. His children still occupy the homestead.
The changeling could tell when anything went wrong in the neighbourhood, such as when a cow got stuck in a trench or when somebody was going to die or was in any trouble.

The people of the house took the changeling into the house thinking it was he himself. that was in it and they nursed the changeling till it died and nothing at all was left with them.
A little while after he sent word home that he was with the little people and on Hallow eve that was coming, he would be passing by his home. in a group
of horsemen telling whate place in the group he would be and the colour of the horse he would be on, greyish colour, and that he would like them to try to take him from the little people. but if they attempted to take hi[?] to be sure to keep their grasp on hi[?] for if they tried to release him withou[?] getting him the little people would kill him.

The old Irish people had many “piseoga” as regards graveyards, cornfields and forges. They say that cornfields are very dangerous for women especially women with young children.
The following is told of a farmer and his wife. During the harvest the farmer was short of hands to bind the corn. He sent in for his wife (who had a baby about six months old) to help him. As she had no one to take care of the baby she placed it on the sheaves of corn near the farmer who was working.
After a short time the child was taken by the fairies and an old man was put in its place. As soon as the changeling was put there it began to cry, the woman hearing it thought it was her own child, went over to pacify it but the farmer stopped her and the child still continued to cry. Then the woman did not touch it the changeling was taken

gave the baby out to him and the boy took it. She left a sick baby instead. So the boy came home and gave the baby to his mother and told her to take care of it. After a few days the changeling got sick in the mother and it died. The boy did not go in the wake or funeral but he went to meet it the day the changeling was to be buried. So he told them to take the lid of the coffin but they would not do it at first. But he persevered so hard that they did it in the end. When they took it off they saw only a broom instead of the remains. The boy caught the broom and threw it over the bridge. He told the man and all the people that he had the baby alive at home in his own house. Then he told them what had happened. The baby was sent home after awhile and it lived to be very old after. The boy became the babys God father after.

The woman did so & the beggar-woman placed it on the fire. All this time the the changeling was very quiet and didn't put a míog out of him. Soon the griddle was red hot. The beggar-woman grasped the lad in the cradle & put him down on the red griddle. The changling began howling & screaming & begging for mercy. the beggar-woman told him she'd keep him there unless he brought back from the rath nearby the child that was stolen. He then told the mother to go to the fort and that she'd find her own child under a "bucky"-briar. She did so and came back rejoicing. When she came to the house she found the changeling had vanished & the beggar-woman told her that when she took her eyes off him that he vanished up the chimney. The husband & wife baked six griddle cakes of oaten bread in thanksgiving to the old woman.
The beggar woman was always sure of a welcome in that house ever after

belief in "changelings" in this district though people are reticent about the subject. There is at present a woman living about a mile from my home, who is said to "have been in the fairies."
It is said that when a tiny child, she got into a trance and remained so for years, neither talking nor eating, so it is understood that she was changed or "taken" by the Good People and kept with them for years. After some years she was returned and the changeling disappeared - and though quite normal and now married, this woman is always looked upon as having been "In the Fairies", but she is never regarded with any superstitious fear. She lives with her husband near "the Fairy Ring" mentioned at the beginning of this number. I am not mentioning her name but can of course do so if requestedMrs. Ann Foley (in her 80th year) a native of Milehouse, Enniscorthy, and since dead told me of another changeling. The fairy child never thrived but continually screamed.

Long ago a rath stood where now stands the Parish Priest's field. Now at that time there was a house between the rath and Boherbee. The people who were living in this house their son had been taken by the fairies and a changeling left in his place. Every second day or night the fairies used to pass through the old rath riding on horses.

slept, but they will be seriously alarmed this morning when they find her gone.”
“Gone !” exclaimed John “How could “the thing” go without the people knowing it, and how could “it” know when to go and why ?”
Although this was said somewhat confusedly, Grannie understood and replied, “Those who placed her there, John, have means of communication that we, mortals, do not understand, but in this particular instance I venture to surmise that their messenger to the “changeling” was that white butterfly you saw escaping from the coffin.
It was now between 3 and 4 o’clock on Wednesday morning, and as I am convinced that by the time the “changeling” has returned to those who sent it there, I shall now awaken the girl.
Before I do this I must impress on both of you, in the strongest possible way, the necessity of concealing from her every particular of the circumstances under which she was found and brought here.
Her sanity, and probably her very life depend on your discretion in this matter, and therefore I beg of you to be extremely cautious.
I shall ask her some questions as to her identity and that of her place of residence, and the names of her parents, and as she will be, partially at least, under my influence, she will readily answer those questions. Having ascertained so much and indeed that will be all we require

Some harvesters were cutting and binding corn in a fort-field. Among them was a poor woman, who, having nobody at home to look after her baby had to bring it with her to the cornfield.
She placed the between some sheaves in the shelter of the fort while she worked at the binding.
After some time when she came to see the baby, she found it had been taken away and replaced by a changeling. On seeing this ugly crature the poor woman was horrified and screamed loudly. Her crying attracted the attention of the farmer who came up to see what was wrong.
On hearing what had happened he ordered the workers to gather dry bushes and ferns and bring them to the spot, and place them in a ring round the changeling. He then set one of the dry bushes on fire and as the blaze was drawing near the fairy child, a hound sprang out of the fort with the poor woman's child in its mouth and dropped it at her feet. Then it sprang in over the ring of blazing bushes, grabbed the strange creature in its mouth and disappeared with it into the fort.
The mother as well as all the other harvesters, were dilighted to have the baby back again.

the blacksmith took the iron and looked at it he said "There are 3 cracks in it and it will be very hard to lay it right." "That's very strange" said the man, "my gosoon at home told me that you'd say them very words when you'd look at the iron". "Well if he did" said the blacksmith, "he's not your child but a changeling that the fairies left in his place". So the blacksmith told the man when he'd come near home to take off his coat an thrust up his shirt sleeves and rush into the house and say, "Oh! be gob! the fort in Comoneany is on fire." The man did as he was told and rushed in and said that the fort was afire. When the lad in the cradle heard it he let a squeel and rushed out the door and said - "Oh! be God! me wife and children will be burned." When all was over they got their own good child in the cradle.

The old people made use of many herbs. The leaves of Lady's Mantle boiled with unsalted butter made a liniment which was a cure for a cold in the chest. When rubbed of the chest it cured the person.
Buachaill a'Tighe was an herb which was growing on every thatched house. It was growing on the roof where the side-wall and gable met. It had a thick juicy leaf. After long periods of drought it was able to live on. It conserved the water in its leaves sufficient to last it for the whole year. It was used to make an eye-water which was used for sore eyes. One boy said that Buchaill a'Tighe boiled in milk and the decoctirn given to the changeling would bring back the child which was

A Blacksmith in Knockenaugh had a beautiful, comely son who was the apple of his father's eye. One day the boy got very sick and worn-out looking and the father was in terrible anguish over him.
A tailor who had been great friends with the boy, was away in Cork, and he heard that he was sick, so he started immediately for the boy's house. As he was drawing near the house, he saw the boy; and he said to him in wonder: "I thought you were dying this minute."
The boy answered him:
"It isn't I am dying at all, for the fairies took me away, and they put in my stead a dying changeling." He then told him that there was a

Bridgit Mahoney and twas hard for you to come here to-night", and so it was as I had a lot of young children. He hadn't seen me for 14 or 15 years. He looked like an old man. He could hit his head again the wall and nothing would happen to him. My brother and sister's husband were coming to the wake this night. When they were yet 300 yards away from the house where they could neither be seen nor heard he said to the old woman "Your son-in-laws are coming now ma'm. He could not possibly see them but he had the second sight. He used often tell about things – "Mike Palmer's horse is down there in our field and the chain is broke" + so it would be.
His people sold the place to Jack Kissane. He didn't want to leave at all and became so violent that they had to send him to the Asylum. He lived only a short time. He was about 33 years when he died. He lived about a mile from me. He never went outside the door. The general opinion was that he was a changeling.

3.
About ninety years ago there lived in the townland of Lemonfield and parish of Crecora, Co Limerick a boy named John McNamara. He was a hunchback from birth, and the belief at that time amongst the people was that he was a changeling. The neighbours advised the father to go to Biddy Early the wise woman who lived in Clare. The father took the journey on foot until he found out where she lived. As he approached her cabin she came out and greeted him with these words “Welcome James Mc Namara from Lemonfield.” He was surprised that she knew him. Then he told her about his son and she made up some mixture and put it in a bottle and gave it to him with the following instructions - To take great care of it on his way home as he may meet many obstacles, and when he’d reach home to bolt the door and sweep the heartstone clean and put the bottle over on it, then

the wheaten and oaten cakes which had been baked and which were supposed to last till Wednesday were missing. They could not account for it and did not know what to do. That same night when the neighbours again gathered the chief topic of conversation was the missing bread. Again the family retired for the night and when they arose the next day the bread of a which a fresh supply had been already baked was again gone. During all this time the lad, Jack, remained surly and refused to touch any food. Again the story was whispered round the fire to the neighbours and one, named Larry Masterson who is now some years dead decided in company with another named Dermody to wait up on the off chance of catching the thief. When the family retired the two chatted round the fire and smoked and discussed the missing food. Cake bread and new milk had been left so that they might refresh themselves during their vigil and in a corner there was left a basket containing a lot of boiled potatoes which had been left over after the dinner.
As they night wore on conversation became dulled and they must have fallen asleep for when Masterson opened his eyes he saw "Jack" just finishing the last of the potatoes and the bread and milk had also disappeared. They now guessed that a changeling had been left instead of the boy who had gone to gather the nuts. A 'wise' man in the neighbourhood who heard the story advised that four men should go on a certain night on horseback to

during the night saying that if they went to the shores of Lough Lein they would see a host on horseback and in their midst the Daly boy on a white horse and if they caught hold of him they would get him back on condition that no one should speak until he would be safely in his own house. This was to be done at night and the changeling was to be brought and thrown into the lake.
A number of men - one of whom is alive today - set out for Lough Lein in a donkey and cart. At midnight the host passed and the boy on the white horse in their midst. They caught hold of him but just at that moment a voice said at the window at home "Your son is safe" and the mother said "Thank God". Her speaking broke the spell and he disappeared again. They went the same way the following night

or manner of change of expression. The following Sunday the father remarked that "the child seemed to have a very knowing look". From that time the mother felt a strange revulsion growing towards the child. The neighbours ceased visiting and the poor woman felt the lonely hours long while her husband was slaving in the "mills" opposite her door from "six to six" for "seven and six". One particular morning when the child was about a month old the poor woman was surprised to feel teeth in the childs mouth and on bringing him from the dim kitchen to the open door was horrified to also find a strong growth of hair on forehead, cheeks, lips and chin of her child. Hastily she fled to her next door neighbours and immediately all the neighbours congregated to see the child. Opinions poured in on all sides as to the causes and portents of such a child - the "changeling" they called it. At the end of a fortnight a full grown beard appeared all over the childs face. The broken hearted mother had all kinds of thoughts as to what she would do with the child. Extreme revulsion was quickly followed by floods of tenderness.
At last unable to bear it any longer she