Description
A West Cork tale about two hunchbacked men and their encounters with the fairy folk.
Martin O'Sullivan, from a place called Drom Dhá Liag (Dromdaleague) in west Cork, was born with a humped back. He was not bitter and went about life with a smile on his face.
He was bent down from the day he was born with a humpy back.
The story goes Martin O'Sullivan was returning home late one night and passed by a fairy fort. Tired by his journey, he sat down to rest on a large flat stone next to the fort. He heard the sound of rustling leaves and felt the cold wind on his face. A minute later, he heard the sound of a sweet fiddle playing inside the fairy fort. When the fiddler finished, he heard the clapping of hands. Next, a voice called 'We'll have the song now'. A moment later, a little voice piped up, "Dé Luain Dé Máirt, 'Dé Luain Dé Máirt..." over and over again, with others joining in. While the voice was beautiful, Martin O'Sullivan began to grow tired of the repetition and decided to interrupt, singing "Dé Luain Dé Máirt Dé Céadaoin". There was silence. A tall man appeared at the edge of the fort holding a fiddle. He approached Martin O'Sullivan and the small people from the fort gathered around him. The fiddler said that he had been looking to find out the remaining words to the song for a long time.
All these years, they had been singing a shortened version of the song. They welcomed Martin O'Sullivan warmly to their fairy fort as their guest of honour. The little people gathered around Martin O'Sullivan and asked him to sing the song in full again and again. The singing went on all night. As dawn broke Martin O'Sullivan was asked to name his price for what he did for the fairies.
With Martin O'Sullivan reluctant to suggest a reward two of the fairies approached him and removed the hump from his back. As this happened, there was a blast of wind and the fairies disappeared, leaving Martin O'Sullivan alone in the fort. He could now stand straight for the first time in his life. Overjoyed he rushed home. His mother did not recognise him when he arrived at the door without his hump. His mother and the neighbours were all astounded as word travelled about the miracle that had occurred.
News the miraculous cure spread, reaching Conor McCarthy, a bitter and selfish man with a similar hump. With the aid of poteen, Conor McCarthy coaxes Martin O'Sullivan into telling him how he lost his hump. Hoping for the same reward, Conor McCarthy visits the fairy fort and impatiently interrupts the fairies' song, shouting out the remaining days of the week. Angered by his behaviour, the fairies punish him by placing the discarded hump of Martin O'Sullivan on top of his own, leaving him with two humps instead of one. Conor McCarthy's mother tells him he should never have interfered with the good people.
This episode of 'Storyteller' was broadcast on 21 July 1986.
The presenter is Eddie Lenihan.
'Storyteller' was a 12-part series of Irish folktales and stories; each episode lasted ten minutes. The first programme aired on 23 June 1986.