Lough Foyle Myths

According to tradition, Lough Foyle takes its name from Loch Feabhail Mhic-Lodain meaning the Lake of Feval, son of Lodon - a Tuatha dé Danann who drowned in the river. His body was washed ashore by the waves which, in turn, rolled a large stone over it as a monument.

Lough Foyle is also recognised as meaning 'borrowed lake', a name which comes from the story of two mythical sisters who lived beyond the Shannon. The elder of the two had asked the other for the loan of her silver lake, promising to return it on the following Monday. The younger girl rolled up the lake in a sheet and sent it to her sister. However, the elder sister was deceitful and when the time came to return the lake she replied: 'Truly I said Monday (DéLuain) but I meant the day of judgment (Dia Luain) so I shall keep the lake.'

And so to this day the 'borrowed lake' survives in the Northwest as Lough Foyle, whereas a dried-up lake along the Shannon lies barren and bare.

Lough Foyle has another myth attached to it - that of a Storm God who lies buried in the Tonns sandbanks which stretch along Magilligan Strand for three miles. He was originally believed to have been a Tuatha dé Danann chief who fell in battle fighting for the Milesians. After his death he was defined as a sea sprite - Mac Lir or Mac Lear signifying 'Son of the Ocean.' Inis Manannan (the Isle of Man) is believed to have got its name from the Lough Foyle Mac Lear. Manannan Mac Lear is regarded as the Irish Neptune and it is said that his spirits freed during fierce storms off the coast of Inishowen Head.

In Celtic mythology it was believed that when Cuchuain hit his shield with his sword the three waves of Ireland would rise up and answer him. They were located at Dundrum Bay (The Wave of Rury), at Cape Clear (The Wave of Cliona) and at the Tonns bank (The Wave of the North).

Every so often the spirit of Manannan Mac Lear comes forth and even yet, just before a storm actually breaks, the Tonns rise up and their roar can be herd for miles around. Local people used to remark, 'Manannan is angry today,' whenever the sea was rough and the weather bad. They would look out the window to see the waves crashing against the Tonns and whisper a silent prayer for anyone caught out on the raging ocean.

In the 19th century there were numerous shipping disasters off the Donegal coast. Many of the local fishermen and sailors were frightened to go to sea because of the Tonns bank and because of the Tonns bank and because of the myth of Manannan Mac Lear's spirit.

About the year 1771 around 100 seamen - all from the Moville, Greencastle and Shrove area - were lost in a tragic accident leaving 66 widows. It was remembered as 'Black Saturday' and all the men perished in the Tonns, except one. His name was McGuinness and he managed to drift ashore at Magilligan Strand on an oar. There he saw the strange sight of all his companions walking normally along the beach with their arms folded. The vision may have been due to the effects of his ordeal, although many believe that the men did not drown but instead were carried off by the inhabitants of an enchanted castle.

The next disaster occurred in January 1831 and is remembered as 'The Big Drowning', with 21 boats destroyed. All the vessels were from Greencastle and Shrove, and were returning from the fishing grounds when a hurricane blew up. One man managed to swim ashore but before he could be rescued he was killed on the rocks. From this single disaster 70 children lost their fathers.

In March of the same year there was another apparent sea disaster with about 30 fishermen believed dead, mostly from Moville, Greencastle, Shrove and Drung. A public mass was said for them in Ballybrack Church in Greencastle and for all the bereaved families.

A week or so later many of the presumed 'dead' men came marching up the main street of Moville, to the shock and surprise of all. What had actually happened the previous week had been the fault of two Spanish sailing ships. They had accidentally caused the fishing boats to capsize out by Malin Head but had managed to rescue a number of the men. Because of a strong gale, the sailing ships couldn't turn back to release the survivors on the Donegal shore. Instead, they sailed on until they reached a port in County Mayo where they landed the men for their journey home.

They were no telephone communications at that time so families and friends of the rescued were unaware that their loved ones had survived. Some of them had given up hope and even went as far as getting married again! Of the rescued men, several never returned home to Inishowen at all but stayed in Mayo to begin a new life, forgetting their home town and grieving families for ever.

Photograph by Graham Downing

www.grahamdowning.com/ rural.htm

Back