The Merrow

On the wild coast of County Kerry, a fisherman named Dick Fitzgerald discovered a beautiful woman sitting on a rock, combing her long green hair. She was a Merrow, a creature of the deep who could walk on land only by wearing her cohuleen druith—a magical red cap. Knowing the legends, Dick crept up and snatched the cap, for without it, a Merrow could never return to the sea. Deprived of her home, the maiden followed Dick to his cottage. Over time, she grew to love him, or so it seemed; they married and raised several children. For years, the sea-bride lived as a mortal, yet she often gazed longingly at the horizon. One day, while Dick was away, she found her hidden cap at the bottom of an old chest. The call of the ocean proved stronger than the bonds of her earthly life. She kissed her children goodbye, walked to the shore, and vanished beneath the waves, never to be seen by Dick again, though her descendants are said to have webbed skin between their fingers to this day.