School: Mullagh (B)
- Location:
- Mullagh, Co. Cavan
- Teacher: James Drury
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1003, Page 007
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At certain periods of the year the lake becomes covered with a greenish scum and then the local peasantry will tell you that "the fairies are cleaning out the stables".
At night fairy horses are heard plunging through its waters and are supposed to feed along its margins by the light of the waning moon. Tradition states that an O'Reilly chieftain captured one of these - a mare, which left him a magnificent foal, and through this stock Mullagh became famous for its breed of horses. O'Reilly was warned never to let the mare approach the lake, but one day a careless groom rode the animal to the shore for the purpose of giving her a drink.
Suddenly she plunged into the water carrying the rider with her and mare and groom disappeared for ever.
Maolseaghlan O'Reilly seems the only chieftain owner of the Castle whose name is enshrined in local tradition. The following story of how he killed 'The Mabe' is still told among the people of the district but after much search I can find nothing to help one in fixing the period in which it may have occurred.
J.Drury N.T. (62)
Mullagh
- Collector
- J. Drury
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 62
- Occupation
- Múinteoir
