Folkloristic-Ethnological Studies in Ireland

Folk belief and landscape in Connacht: accounts from the Ordnance Survey letters

“…61 Ó Crualaoich's argument that mná feasa or wise women existed on the periphery of society due to their traditional wisdom being seen as something malevolent by patriarchal societies in the guise of the Catholic priest perhaps indicates why the term 'witch' is used in these stories related above. 62 It is perhaps easier to apply the term to the more recent story of the woman who used the Iall Steill, as an aspersion of necromancy could be more closely aligned with darker practices. Not normally associated with places unless they attain a level of notoriety, as characters such as Biddy Early did, 63 it is interesting to discover in this extract the association of a purported witch with an abbey, though this is only through a story relating the foundation of the abbey, which happened to have witches featuring in it.…”

“…For our present purposes, it is relevant to note that, despite this lack of association, Ó Crualaoich highlights the mythical ancestor of the wise woman, the cailleach, as being "the shaper who has formed the features of the landscape." 64 Another type of supernatural being is mentioned in the Lettersthe banshee. The foremost expert on this figure, Patricia Lysaght, explains that the banshee is different from other types of fairies, as she is a solitary figure, unlike fairies who exist in communities; and that her single aspect is that of a death messenger.…”