User:John james beattie

In the Irish language, the word Bandraoi means druidess or sorceress and has its origins in the ancient pagan religions of Ireland before the coming of Christianity. It is not to be confused with the word for witch which is cailleach and means an old hag or an evil female creature. In folklore, the word survives in the witchcraft story from south Donegal, BANDRAOI LOCH A DUIN by Sean Beattie (author) and Tim Stampton (illustrator). In this tale, a bandraoi lives in a fort on an island in the middle of a lake and uses witchcraft to protect her cow from the evil spells cast by fairies. The magic spell which envelopes the island comes to an end when a fisherman arrives on the island and strikes the cow with an oar.

The story highlights the immense range of powers attribuited to the fairies. In this case, they steal milk leaving the cow dry and destroying the old food supply of the bandraoi. In the farming world, this is known as "blinking" a cow. Up to the nineteenth century, farmers blamed fairies when cows went unexpectedly dry. In a society which had tea as the main drink, the loss of milk was serious and could be fatal for very small children as the milk provided their main source of food. The fairy story referred to above illustrates the clash between the pagan and material world of the fairies and the realities of everyday life in rural areas of Donegal.

Apart from fairy stories, there are references in placenames to the fairy world throughout the county illustrating the importance of fairylore in everyday life. Sources - Bandraoi Loch a Duin, Sean Beattie, Tim Stampron, An Gum, Dublin, 2007 In Conaill's Footsteps, Lochlaonn McGill, Bandon, www.historyofdonegal.com