Vera the Witch

County Sligo

A long time ago, there was an old woman who was a witch. She was many hundred years old. To all around her she was known as the "Old Woman of Bheara". She lived in a house on the outskirts of the Mountain of the Two Birds.

Vera owned a cow. However this was no ordinary cow. The cow was magic, and it gave Vera the very best milk in all of County Sligo. No matter how jealous most people were of Vera's cow, they knew that they could not steal it, for fear of Vera's powers.

One foolish man and his son were not so wise, hence they decided to seize Vera's cow for their own gains. They knew not of the awesome powers that Vera possessed. So, when night fell, father and son snuck into Vera's mountain garden and captured the cow.

Whilst these events were taking place, Vera knew exactly what was happening. She grabbed her magic wand, went outside into her garden and touched the man and his son with it. In a flash, they were transformed into stone figures.

Would you believe it that unfortunately Vera slipped in the darkness, and as she fell, her wand accidentally touched her cow. Thus, the cow turned to stone. It was a tragedy for Vera. She was now a sad and lonely old woman, with her age finally beginning to take effect.

Vera decided she did not want her lifestyle anymore. Vera asked the fairy wind to take her to the Lake of the Two Geese, which was situated on the top of the Mountain of Two Birds. It was there that she took her own life. She drowned, and to this day remains in the murky depths of the lake.