The
Grey Man's Path is said to run from the shore to the plateau above Fair
Head, though many refer to it starting at Marconi's Cottage and going on
past Lough Dhu. There
are lots of local stories surrounding the Grey Man's Path - one of these
tells of a Mary McAnulty who lived beyond Lough Dhu above Fair Head, she always used the Grey Man's Path to come down to the shore for the purpose
of collecting dulse at the base of Fair Head.
One evening, she was returning home as usual with a full bag of dulse;
along the way she had regular favourite spots to stop and take a rest from the
hard climb, one of these was at the top
of the gulley. As she rested there this evening she noticed in the
twilight a figure of man approaching along the path, she noticed he had a
limp, she paid no heed to him and started out on her way towards Lough Dhu
where she would take another rest, the man caught up with her and
walk beside her, in politeness Mary exchanged a few words with him
about the weather, though she noticed his voice was different and not of
the accents she was used too, she noticed too, in the falling light, that
the his face was pale and expressionless below his coat hood. She did not
want to stare but could almost swear that it was grey, but paid no
more heed to this only to wondered who he was and from where he had
come and what ailed him. They reached Lough Dhu and as she sat to take
another rest, the stranger sat beside her. It was then that Mary noticed
that his hair in the fading light looked a greenish colour and she could
not resist but ask him why, he told her it was due to him having lived
beneath the waters of Lough Dhu for many years, now this alarmed Mary a
wee bit, for she thought he was either intoxicated or deranged, and
neither did she care much for. The stranger said he was very tired
and proceeded to rest his head on Mary's dulse bag and his head half ways
on her lap and he fell asleep. Mary for a moment did not
know what to do at this behaviour, bewildered she looked around as if to
expect someone coming to her aid when she noticed that that the stranger
had one foot in the shape of a broken horse hoof, now this put the
fear into her and she squeezed her leg low enough to slip it out from
below the strangers head and took off, her quiet steps turning
into the thumps of a fearful run as her heart pounded and her mind waiting
to be grabed from behind. As she got a fair distance away and
within sight of her home she heard a spine chilling neighing coming from
Lough Dhu, then it fell silent. Mary never came back along the Grey
Man's Path at twilight again and every time she passed Lough Dhu she
remembered her close encounter. The story goes that she had encountered
the devil-horse that lives in Lough Dhu and wanders along the Grey
Man's Path at twilight disguised as a human, waiting to lure some unsuspecting human
into the underworld of Lough Dhu. So........
you've been warned!.........especially if you've take too long to walk round
to Murlough Bay and twilight falls upon you!!
The
Grey Man's Path is said to run from the shore to the plateau above Fair
Head, though many refer to it starting at Marconi's Cottage and going on
past Lough Dhu. There
are lots of local stories surrounding the Grey Man's Path - one of these
tells of a Mary McAnulty who lived beyond Lough Dhu above Fair Head, she always used the Grey Man's Path to come down to the shore for the purpose
of collecting dulse at the base of Fair Head.
One evening, she was returning home as usual with a full bag of dulse;
along the way she had regular favourite spots to stop and take a rest from the
hard climb, one of these was at the top
of the gulley. As she rested there this evening she noticed in the
twilight a figure of man approaching along the path, she noticed he had a
limp, she paid no heed to him and started out on her way towards Lough Dhu
where she would take another rest, the man caught up with her and
walk beside her, in politeness Mary exchanged a few words with him
about the weather, though she noticed his voice was different and not of
the accents she was used too, she noticed too, in the falling light, that
the his face was pale and expressionless below his coat hood. She did not
want to stare but could almost swear that it was grey, but paid no
more heed to this only to wondered who he was and from where he had
come and what ailed him. They reached Lough Dhu and as she sat to take
another rest, the stranger sat beside her. It was then that Mary noticed
that his hair in the fading light looked a greenish colour and she could
not resist but ask him why, he told her it was due to him having lived
beneath the waters of Lough Dhu for many years, now this alarmed Mary a
wee bit, for she thought he was either intoxicated or deranged, and
neither did she care much for. The stranger said he was very tired
and proceeded to rest his head on Mary's dulse bag and his head half ways
on her lap and he fell asleep. Mary for a moment did not
know what to do at this behaviour, bewildered she looked around as if to
expect someone coming to her aid when she noticed that that the stranger
had one foot in the shape of a broken horse hoof, now this put the
fear into her and she squeezed her leg low enough to slip it out from
below the strangers head and took off, her quiet steps turning
into the thumps of a fearful run as her heart pounded and her mind waiting
to be grabed from behind. As she got a fair distance away and
within sight of her home she heard a spine chilling neighing coming from
Lough Dhu, then it fell silent. Mary never came back along the Grey
Man's Path at twilight again and every time she passed Lough Dhu she
remembered her close encounter. The story goes that she had encountered
the devil-horse that lives in Lough Dhu and wanders along the Grey
Man's Path at twilight disguised as a human, waiting to lure some unsuspecting human
into the underworld of Lough Dhu. So........
you've been warned!.........especially if you've take too long to walk round
to Murlough Bay and twilight falls upon you!!