A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
The fairy orders Billy Mac Daniel to gather strong rushes from the bog beside the Fort-field. Each has a small brown blossom. When the men straddle them and repeat the fairy’s words, the plants swell into fine horses and immediately gallop away. Billy sits facing his mount’s tail and has to cling to it because the sudden departure prevents him turning around.
The mounts wait outside houses while the pair passes through keyholes to raid wine cellars. Their later ride is described as kicking clouds before them, adding an airborne quality to the journey without specifying wings. A third rush is prepared for a planned captive bride, but Billy’s interruption prevents the abduction. The narrative does not identify these temporary mounts as the insubstantial Phooka of Croker’s Spirit Horse, nor describe their later fate.
Origins & earliest records
T. Crofton Croker, Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland, condensed new edition, Philadelphia: Lea and Blanchard, 1844; X, Master and Man, pp. 70–76. The story supplies named human characters and a Limerick wedding setting, without naming an individual oral narrator.
Records & interpretation
Croker’s complete edited Master and Man narrative links the night journeys to the wedding intervention and Billy’s release. The edition places the tale in its Cluricaune section; neither the master’s name nor an identity with the neighbouring Naggeneen is supplied.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Fairy Legends X: Master and Man, pp. 70–76
Complete narrative from the drink debt to Billy’s dismissal, the thwarted abduction and human wedding. Page 77 begins the following tale.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary edited folklore collectionCroker’s Fairy Legends, 1844 edition transcriptionResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
