380 Collectanea.
at Kilnaboy.^^ The young chief of Clan Ifearnain was hunting deer on Keentlae, and in his eager pursuit of a stag got parted from his companions. As he wandered along the shore of the lake he saw five beautiful swans playing in the water. They came ashore, took off their plumage, and became maidens of exquisite beauty. After a moment's amazement he ran out. They threw on their feathered robes, — all save one, — and flew away. O'Quin had seized one dress, and the four other swans, with plaintive cries, disappeared, leaving their sister weeping. O'Quin led her back to his castle, comforted her, and won her love. But she asked two pledges before her marriage, — that it should be kept a secret, and that no O'Brien should be admitted under their roof. Seven years passed by, the pair and their two beautiful children living in ever-increasing happiness. Then, one fatal day, there were races at Coad, and O'Quin met Teigue an chomad O'Brien, brought him home, drank freely, commenced gambling, and lost all his lands and property. The ruined man rushed to his only remaining possessions, his wife and children, but to his horror found his wife in her swan dress with a cygnet held under each wing. She gave him one look of sorrowful reproach, flew out over the misty lake, and disappeared for ever.
Lord and Lady Dunraven have published an artificial-seeming story of the O'Quin's ruin, but neither Dr. MacNamara nor I ever found any trace of it among the people of Inchiquin.'*^ According to this story, Rory the Black, son of Donal O'Quin, gets into the wilds while hunting, meets Merulan the wizard and revives him after a bad fall, and is given a magic jewel (a golden butterfly). He saves a girl from drowning, and finds that she is Enna, daughter of a wood kern but of rarest beauty. He marries her secretly, and then finds that his father has betrothed him to Maud, daughter of O'Brien, King of Thomond. He refuses the princess, and is imprisoned until weary of his dungeon, although the jewel lights it brilliantly. He yields, and determines to repudiate his
45 <4^ young man found seven wild swans, and caught one on the lake. It became a girl and he married her, and when he was false to her she flew away again." I got a similar story at Lemaneagh, in the same visit.
- ^ Mettiorials of Adare (1865), pp. 170-7; the tale in the Irish Penny Joninal
is also reproduced, p. 168.
