WICKED FAIRIES

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1078, 16 September 1930, Page 10

WICKED FAIRIES

DISTURBANCE AT “HOLY WELL” EXTRAORDINARY COURT CASE “Pishogues” (wicked little fairies) and the evil influence they were supposed to exercise if ff stranger came by stealth before sunrise on the first morning in May and skimmed the water of a well used by people in the locality, were mentioned in an extraordinary case at Tipperary Circuit Court recently, when Mrs. Bridget Egan, a farmer’s wife, aged fifty-six, claimed £IOO damages for assault against Daniel Devitt (30), a motor garage proprietor, of Cashel. This belief in pishogues, elves, etc., belongs to the fairy lore of Ireland, which is not peculiar in this respect, as in many parts of England, especially in Cornwall, similar beliefs prevailed in bygone days in the power for good of certain occult agencies. During the hearing of the case there was continuous merriment, in Court. Mrs. Egan said she and her friend, Miss Peggy Maher, went before sunrise to ti>e well in Cashel, which she had heard was a holy well, to drink the water and pray. Her grandfather, who was suffering from an ailment, similarly visited the well 50 years ago, three years in succession, before dawn on the first day of May in order to get cured, and tiie witness also was suffering from a complaint and desired a cure at the well.

There was a railing round it and steps down to it. and she and Miss Maher recited the rosary walking round and round the well. At the same time they drank some water, and were about to resume prayer when Devitt suddenly appeared, snatched the rosary beads from her hands and broke them, pushed her roughly out of the well, flinging some of the water on her, and exclaiming. “Now, the spell is broken.”

Miss Peggy Maher, who accompanied Mrs. Egan at the well, said she had always heard it spoken of as*a holy well. Some six years ago a miracle was worked there, she said. Devitt, in evidence, said that, awakened by a noise outside, he got out of bed and went to the well, which was beside - his house. Seeing the women parading round and round the well he thought they had come to poison the water, and told them to be off.

He denied snatching Mrs. Egan's rosary beads, or throwing water on her. As the women were leaving the well. Miss Maher said, “I wouldn’t wish for anything to have been caught by him,” and Mrs. Egan replied. "What harm if we had the job done?” (Laughter.) The witness, cross-examined, denied being afraid tiiat if the women came to tiie well that morning they would cast, an evil spell on him. He also denied that sickness in the family was caused by Mrs. Egan coining to the well before sunrise on the first of May last year. Mr. Justice Sealy »ii(l the women, believing the place to be a lioly well, had a perfect right to go and pray there. Devitt, whatever his reason, whether, as suggested by plaintiff, to break the spell oil himself and liis family, or, as be said himself, to prevent. the women from poisoning the well, had no right to interfere with them.

The judge gave a decree for 20s and £3 expenses.