Marriage On The Rocks
Owen McGonigle, a fisherman from Malin, had had a sorrowful life.
He had been married to his childhood sweetheart Aoibhinn, from Culdaff,
for just a year when she died giving birth to their first child,
Oisin. Owen was heartbroken and swore never to marry another woman,
as none could replace his last love.
Many years passed, and true to his word, owen never looked at another
woman. His relatives tried to persuade him to sell his house on
the hill and to start afresh in the village where he could mix with
the locals, and meet new friends. Owen thanked them but declared
that he had no interest in moving to another home, His house on
the hill was where he and Aoibhinn had shared a short but beautiful
relationship, and Oisin was now Owen's only reminder.
Owen spent as much of his time as he could fishing and was often
seen out in his boat in all kinds of weather. One such day, as he
was pulling in his net, he thought to himself that it seemed much
heavier than usual and presumed that he had made a good catch. To
his astonishment, there was a mermaid caught in the mesh. It was
obvious that she was injured so Owen decided to take her to his
house until she was well. He lifted her tail which had fallen from
her once they had reached dry land and left it in one of his outhouses
behind the stack of nets.
During the time that they spent together, afterward waiting for
the mermaid to regain her health, Owen decided that perhaps it was
time for him to take another wife. He suggested this to the mermaid
who readily agreed, They were married soon after and as the years
passed they had two children. Owen had never been so happy - at
last he had the family that he had longed for. As time went on,
Owen seemed to forget that his new wife had once been a creature
of the sea.
One day when Owen was out fishing, his wife decided to tidy the
sheds that were full of odds and ends that never seemed to be used.
During her search she came across the tail that her husband had
placed behind the nets. This unexpected discovery brought back many
found memories of her former life beneath the waves and created
such a longing for the ocean depths within her that she set off
immediately for the sea leaving her new life behind. When Owen came
home and realised what had happened he was distraught. 'Ah! If only
I had hidden the tail better, she would still be here!'
The mermaid was never to return to her home on land, yet she always
remembered her family. Every morning, for as long as they all lived,
the mermaid placed four fish on four flat stones on the sea shore
for Owen and their three sons.
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