Category : Stories

Sub Category : Fantasy

I grew up a short distance from Lough Derravaragh in the Co, Westmeath of Ireland in the 1970s. My favourite folklore story concerns this Lough, it's presence can be felt to this day.
When King Lirs wife Eva died leaving him with four children. Some year later he remarried to the cold but beautiful Aoife, who soon became jealous of the love he had for his children.
While he was away hunting one day, she took the children to bathe in Lough Derravaragh. As they bathed happily, she cast a spell upon them, turning them into swans, condemned to haunt the water's of Ireland for 900yrs, the first 300yrs on Lough Derravaragh, the next 300yrs on the storm tossed sea of Moyle, off the Co, Antrim coast, then another 300yrs on Inishglora, Co, Mayo.
Their greiving father decreed no swan in Ireland is ever to be harmed, still law to this day. It wasn't till St Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland, that he broke the spell. Sadly they did not return to the beautiful children they once were, but we're wizened, hideous crones, who died shortly after, but not before being baptized.
I spent many the long summer's evenings, often well into the summer night's sat at the edge of this wild, lonley, but remarkable Lough, just to listen to the swans of Derravaragh sing. You see nowhere else in Ireland do swans sing like those on Derravaragh. It is a wonderful experience to sit with a loved one on one of these evenings, you just know you are listening to something very special, nowhere else will you hear theses lovely swans sing as they do here.
A short distance away you have Tullynally Castle, the biggest castle in Ireland, a quarter of a mile in circumference, and covering two acres, with more than 120 rooms. The grounds contain Ireland's largest garden kitchen. In Irish Tullynally, means, hill of the swan, very appropriate since it sits close to the area where the swans spent their first 300yrs.
Co, Westmeath is known as the Lake County with all her beautiful Lough's, all these Lough's have wonderful history going far back pre Christianity, but none more remarkable than the wild, lonley, but enchanting Lough Derravaragh, and the children of Lir.