Fairy Death Coach (Co. Roscommon)

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fairy death coach

The next tale the mother [in Ratra, Roscommon] told was about the death coach which used to pass by the very house we were in. Every night until after her daughter was born she used to rise up on her elbow in bed to listen to the death coach passing by. It passed about midnight, and she could hear the rushing, the tramping of the horses, and most beautiful singing, just like fairy music, but she could not understand the words. Once or twice she was brave enough to open the door and look out as the coach passed, but she could never see a thing, though there was the noise and singing. One time a man had to wait on the roadside to let the fairy horses go by, and he could hear their passing very clearly, and couldn’t see one of them.When we got home, Dr. Hyde told me that the fairies of the region are rarely seen. The people usually say that they hear or feel them only. Evans-Wentz, 71-72

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