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whispered about, that Father John O'Mulconry, as the people 

 still called him, was endued with the hereditary bardic power 

 of banishing the rats by satire. In the meantime an inter- 

 ment took place, at which the Rev. gentleman himself offici- 

 ated, and seemed horror-stricken at what he saw. This was 

 in the autumn of the year ; and in a few days after, an honest 

 respectable farmer, named John Foley, who lived at Querin, 

 about four miles to the east of the Church of Kilferagh — the 

 end of a large bog intervening — was out on an early morning 

 to look after his cattle and his corn-fields, which skirted the 

 same bog. While thus engaged, he noticed a rather thick and 

 low fog or mist, confined to a narrow breadth, but extending in 

 length almost across the bog. Surprised at such a phenome- 

 non, he stood to observe it more closely ; but his surprise was 

 soon increased when he perceived it moving directly towards 

 him, and with remarkable velocity. He immediately thought 

 of his hitherto invisible neighbours, the fairies ; and, thinking 

 it would be as well not to stand in their way, he ran as fast as 

 he could to get out of their line of march, which, having suc- 

 ceeded in doing, he turned to have a view of them. But his 

 surprise was much greater at seeing in this mist a long com- 

 pact train of rats, numbering hundreds of thousands, and 

 crushing to the ground everything in the way of plant or 

 shrub that opposed their progress. They quickly climbed over 

 the walls or ditches of John Foley's corn-field, which was near- 

 est to the bog, and passed straight through it, entering another 

 and another of his fields indirect succession, and trampling 

 to the ground the corn to the full breadth of their front, which 

 was several yards. They passed on then through Querin, di- 

 rectly to the flat, low accumulation of sand which is called 

 Querin Head, and which forms within it the handsome fishing- 

 cove of Querin, about six miles below Kilrush, on the Clare 

 side of the Shannon, and about five miles from Kilferagh 

 Church. Having reached the ' Head,' they immediately 

 buried themselves deep beneath the dry sand ; there they re- 



