The Magical Lady of Clare
Born in 1798 in Faha, Kilanena, Biddy O’Connor was the daughter of
a poor farming family. At sixteen, she was sent to Feakle to work
as a servant girl and later to Kilbarron to work for a doctor
Dunne. It was necessary for Biddy to go in to service at such a
young age so as to help her family survive in such hard times.
It was in Kilbarron that she married one Pat O’Malley, and the
couple had one child, a daughter. Pat was to die however after a
few short years of marriage. Her second husband was a Tom Flannery
from Carrowroe, who sadly died when their only child Tom was only
eight years old. It was about the time of this husband’s death that
the first story of Biddy’s magical powers occurs. Biddy being
unable to pay the rent to the local landlord because of her
husbands’ death and the expense of rearing her young son, was
served with an eviction notice. The night before the eviction was
to take place her dead husband Tom visited her and told her that
when the police arrived the following day to tell them to : “Stay
where you are”, and they would leave and return no more. Thus the
following day when they arrived, Biddy said the words her husband
had told her to say and the five policemen and sheriff were stuck
to the roadside for two hours being unable to move. After two hours
Biddy told them to go away and never return, and the lock which
Biddy had put on them was broken and they ran off with their tails
between their legs never to bother this lady and her magical powers
ever again.
Of all the tales of Biddy’s magical powers none were so
fascinating as her “Blue Bottle” with which it was said she could
see the future. Her son Tom died as a young man, but being worried
about how his poor widowed mother would survive now that he was
dead, Tom returned from the dead, to give her this magical “Blue
Bottle”. He told her: “Take this mother and it will make a living
for you”, and this bottle did indeed make her a living. People from
all over the country were to seek Biddy’s predictions for the
future which were said to be amazingly accurate down to the last
detail. It was also said that if a weary traveller was coming many
miles to meet Biddy, she would see him coming in the bottle and
meet him half way.
Biddy was visited also, for her great healing potions which it
was said healed most ailments. Biddy had a well at the side of her
house, the water from which possessed the most magical powers, and
if given with her consent could cure a person of any affliction.
Animals were of enormous importance, the death of a cow or pig
could mean failure to pay rent and the death of a working horse
could mean destitution. In this time of no vets, Biddy was relied
upon to cure the most serious of animal ailments of which it was
said she could cure very effectively with a drop of water from her
well, or one of her potions. Biddy, not being a selfish woman, did
not make a great fortune from her powers, she only accepted a jug
of poiteen or whiskey, or perhaps some food for her services but
never money. It was said that never was a tired traveller turned
from her door and many a passer-by was given a jug and a seat in
front of her warm fire.
Another great power which Biddy is accredited with her ability
to talk to and cure the wrath of the Fairies. People used to come
to her who had been bewitched by the “little people”. One man had
his entire herd of cattle cursed by the fairies and they all became
violently ill. On the advice of one of his friends he went to see
Biddy. After looking in to her bottle, she saw the problem. He had
planted a whitethorn bush along a fairy path in his field. She
instructed him to go home and remove the bush. As soon as he had
done this, his entire herd immediately returned to full health.
It is said by some that Biddy had six husbands, of this we can
not be sure, but we know she had at least three, the last being a
man less than half her age. A man called O’Brien from Limerick
visited her who was close to death and asked her to cure him. She
said she would only if he married her to which he agreed, and after
he recovered the couple were married. Although Biddy possessed such
great powers, she was unable to prevent her own death. She died in
April 1874. Her magical bottle was never seen after her death and
it has been said that she only had a loan of the bottle from the
fairies who took it back on her death.
Used with permission from Clare County Library -
http://www.clarelibrary.ie
The Cache
This cache is located at Biddy Earlys homestead. This is where she
lived and died. People still come to the cottage to leave offerings
for Biddy which adds to the mystery that surrounded her life.
Cache is a small tab-lock container in a camo-bag. At time of
placing contains some swap items plus an unregistered Travel Bug
for FTF.
Parking is not recommended, but is possible directly opposite
entrance to cache. Safer parking is possible further up the
road.
Nothing needs to be moved or interfered with in order to grab this
cache at time of placing. Please respect the area and leave
everything as you find it.