On a bright moonlit evening in the Irish countryside, a lively company of fairies gathers beside a river to dance and enjoy their usual amusements. Their celebration is interrupted by news that a priest is approaching. The little beings quickly hide, but one of their encounters with a local villager soon leads to an unusual request.
Dermod Leary is preparing to welcome Father Horrigan into his humble home. Although he is pleased to receive the priest, he worries that he has nothing suitable to serve alongside the potatoes cooking for supper. His attempt to find a fish in the river brings him into contact with the fairies, who offer to provide a magnificent meal in exchange for a favour.
Dermod must decide whether to accept their offer and how to respond to their strange question. What follows is a humorous encounter involving a missing salmon, a cautious villager and a priest whose presence is enough to send an entire company of fairies fleeing.
A Moonlit Gathering by the River
It was said that the fairies, sometimes called the good people, were among the angels who had been cast out of heaven. According to this belief, some had not been sinful enough to fall into the worst place, but neither had they been good enough to remain in heaven. They therefore came to live in the world.
Whether this explanation was true or not, a merry troop of fairies was enjoying itself one bright moonlit evening towards the end of September. They had gathered near Inchegeela, in the western part of County Cork, where the surrounding countryside was marked by mountains, barren rocks and a poor village.
The fairies had little reason to worry about the poverty of the place. They could obtain whatever they wanted simply by wishing for it. Their main concern was finding quiet places where people would not interrupt their celebrations.
That evening, they had chosen a green spot beside the river. They danced in a circle, played their games and enjoyed the moonlight. Their little feet moved so lightly that even the drops of dew on the grass trembled without being disturbed.
Their enjoyment continued until one of them noticed something that changed the mood of the gathering. A priest was approaching along the nearby road.
The fairy immediately warned the others through a short verse:
“Cease, cease, with your drumming,
Here’s an end to our mumming;
By my smell
I can tell
A priest this way is coming!”
The warning was enough. The fairies scattered in every direction, seeking places where they could remain hidden. Some concealed themselves beneath the green leaves of the lusmore plant, whose crimson flowers could disguise their little red caps. Others found shelter among stones, brambles, the riverbank and nearby holes and crevices.
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They were determined not to be seen by the approaching visitor.
Father Horrigan Arrives at Dermod’s Cabin
The fairy’s warning had been correct. Father Horrigan was travelling along the road on his pony. It was already late, and he decided that he would end his journey at the first cabin he came across.
That decision brought him to the home of Dermod Leary. He stopped at the dwelling, lifted the latch and entered with a customary blessing for everyone inside.
Father Horrigan was a welcome visitor wherever he went. He was known as a pious priest and was greatly loved by the people in the surrounding country. His arrival was therefore a happy occasion for Dermod, who was pleased to receive him.
However, the visit also presented a small difficulty. Dermod wanted to offer his guest something to eat with the potatoes being prepared for supper. His wife, whom he casually referred to as “the old woman”, had the potatoes boiling in a pot over the fire. Although she was not much past twenty, this was the familiar expression Dermod used for her.
The household had potatoes, but there was no suitable relish to accompany them. Dermod felt troubled by this because he wanted the priest to enjoy a proper meal.
He remembered the fishing net he had placed in the river. It had not been there for very long, so he did not expect to find anything inside it. Nevertheless, he thought there was no harm in checking. Perhaps a fish had entered the net, and perhaps his wish to provide supper for the priest would be rewarded.
With that hope, Dermod made his way down to the river.
The Missing Salmon
When Dermod reached the riverbank, he discovered a magnificent salmon caught in his net. It was a fine fish, the kind that would have made an excellent addition to the meal waiting at home.
He was delighted by the discovery and moved to take the salmon out of the net. But just as he was about to secure it, something unexpected happened.
The net was pulled away from him.
Dermod could not see who or what had taken hold of it. He only knew that the force was strong enough to prevent him from removing the fish. Before he could understand what had happened, the salmon escaped and swam away with the current.
The fish disappeared into the river, leaving behind a shining trail on the water under the moonlight.
Dermod stood watching the place where it had vanished. His disappointment soon turned into anger. He stamped his foot and waved his hand as he complained about the salmon’s escape.
He believed that some evil power had helped the fish get away. He had felt the net being pulled against him, and the strength of the force seemed far beyond what he could explain.
As he continued to grumble, a small voice answered him.
The Fairies Make an Offer
One of the fairies who had hidden during the priest’s approach came forward. A large company of companions followed behind him.
The little speaker corrected Dermod’s suspicion. It had not been the devil or some other evil force that had pulled the net away. According to the fairy, eighteen of them had joined together to pull against Dermod.
Dermod stared at the strange little being in amazement. He had not expected to meet the fairies beside the river, much less to discover that they were responsible for losing his salmon.
The fairy then offered to solve the problem of the priest’s supper. He promised that if Dermod returned to his cabin and asked Father Horrigan one question on their behalf, a magnificent meal would appear before the priest in a very short time.
The offer sounded generous, especially to someone who had just lost the fish intended for his guest. Yet Dermod was not prepared to accept it.
He firmly refused to become involved in any arrangement that might place his soul in danger. He explained that he would not sell himself to the fairies for the sake of a supper. He also believed that Father Horrigan would never want him to make such a bargain.
The fairy did not give up immediately. Instead, he asked Dermod to do something much smaller. Would he be willing to take one civil question to the priest?
Dermod considered the request. He was cautious, but he reasoned that merely asking a question would not bring him into danger. He agreed to deliver the message, while making it clear that he would have nothing to do with the promised meal.
The fairy then revealed what the company wanted to know. They wished to find out whether their souls would be saved on the last day, just like the souls of good Christians.
Dermod listened to the question and returned to his cabin.
The Question Reaches Father Horrigan
By the time Dermod arrived home, the potatoes had been taken out of the pot and placed on the table. His wife was serving the largest potato to Father Horrigan. The potato was described as a beautiful, laughing red apple, with steam rising from it.
The priest was ready to eat when Dermod approached him with some hesitation.
He politely asked whether he might put a question to his reverence. Father Horrigan invited him to speak.
Dermod then asked whether the souls of the good people would be saved on the last day.
The question immediately attracted the priest’s attention. Father Horrigan looked at Dermod sternly and wanted to know who had instructed him to ask it.
Dermod did not attempt to hide the truth. He explained that the good people themselves had sent him. They were waiting in great numbers beside the river and wanted him to return with the priest’s answer.
Father Horrigan did not give Dermod a direct answer to carry back. Instead, he told him to return to the fairies and invite them to come to the cabin themselves.
He was willing to answer their question, along with anything else they wished to ask, but they would have to approach him in person.
The Fairies Disappear
Dermod returned to the riverbank, where the fairies had gathered in anticipation of his message. They crowded around him, eager to hear what Father Horrigan had said.
Dermod delivered the priest’s response. The fairies would have to come to the cabin if they wanted their question answered.
Their reaction was immediate.
Rather than approach Father Horrigan, they fled in every direction. Some hurried one way, others disappeared another way, and many rushed past Dermod so quickly that he became completely bewildered.
The fairies who had been so confident while speaking beside the river were unwilling to face the priest themselves. Their interest in receiving an answer disappeared as soon as they were invited to ask their question directly.
After some time, Dermod recovered from the confusion and made his way back to the cabin.
A Supper Without the Salmon
When Dermod returned, he joined Father Horrigan for the meal. The two ate the potatoes that had been prepared, without the salmon Dermod had hoped to provide.
Father Horrigan made light of the strange encounter, but Dermod could not forget what had happened. He felt that it was unfortunate for the priest to have no proper relish with his supper, especially when the fairies had seemed capable of providing a magnificent meal.
He also continued to regret the loss of the fine salmon. He had found it in his net, only for an unseen company of fairies to pull it away before he could take it home.
The fairies had promised a splendid supper, but their fear of meeting the priest had brought the offer to nothing. Dermod was left with the simple potatoes, while the salmon remained lost in the river.
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Moral Lessons
The story reminds readers that a tempting offer should not always be accepted without careful thought. Dermod is offered a wonderful meal, but he considers the possible cost before agreeing to anything. His refusal to exchange his spiritual well-being for food demonstrates caution and sound judgement.
It also shows the importance of honesty. When Father Horrigan asks who sent him, Dermod tells the truth rather than concealing his meeting with the fairies. His straightforward response allows the priest to deal with the matter directly.
Finally, the tale uses humour to show how confidence can disappear when a person is challenged to stand behind their words. The fairies are willing to make demands through Dermod, but they are unwilling to approach the priest themselves.
Knowledge Check
1. Where did the fairies gather at the beginning of the story?
Answer: They gathered on a green spot beside a river near Inchegeela in County Cork.
2. Why did the fairies hide when they heard that someone was approaching?
Answer: They heard that a priest was coming and hurried to conceal themselves.
3. Why did Dermod Leary go down to the river?
Answer: He wanted to check his fishing net for a fish to serve with the potatoes at Father Horrigan’s supper.
4. What happened when Dermod tried to remove the salmon from his net?
Answer: An unseen force pulled the net away, allowing the salmon to escape.
5. What question did the fairies ask Dermod to put to Father Horrigan?
Answer: They wanted to know whether their souls would be saved on the last day like the souls of good Christians.
6. Why did the fairies run away at the end of the story?
Answer: They fled when Father Horrigan invited them to come to him personally and ask their question.
Source
“The Priest’s Supper” is credited to T. Crofton Croker and appears on page 9 of Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry (1888), edited and selected by W. B. Yeats.
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