Do fairies still dwell among us

 

DO Mayo men and women still occasionally encounter leprechauns, phookas, banshees or any of the other various Irish fairies’ kith and kin?  Or has modernity banished the fairies to the shadowlands of legend and lore?

 In his travels throughout Ireland over the last decade actor, writer and storyteller Mark Lyon has encountered credible witnesses who have shared with him stories of personal encounters with the fairy folk, leading him to wonder if such encounters are as prevalent today as they were in 1959 when historian Dermot Mac Manus published The Middle Kingdom, in which Mac Manus collected first-hand accounts of then living individuals who recounted having actual encounters with Irish fairies. 

To Lyon’s knowledge no attempt has been made since then to determine if such encounters still occur in today’s Ireland. 

In the hope of learning whether 'The Good People,' as it is said they prefer to be called, still haunt the Irish countryside or lurk within secluded urban byways, Lyon is launching what might be called an Irish Fairy Census throughout Ireland asking for first-hand accounts to be submitted to him by anyone who has encountered Irish supernatural beings in any of their elusive and fascinating forms. 

 'I have experienced inexplicable and seemingly supernatural events on the Hill of Tara and on the Holy Island of Monaincha and I clearly recall seeing what I believe may have been fairies as a child,' disclosed Lyon. 

'These experiences have caused me to wonder if we may occasionally obtain a glimpse into a world beyond our ken.' 

Lyon hopes that modern accounts of fairy sightings may open a window of insight into that world.

You can post accounts on The Connaught Telegraph Facebook site or contact Lyon at mlyon@hauntedisles.com or by post at 12364 Summit Ridge Drive, Nevada City, California 95959 USA.