Many tourists visit the Shannon Pot as the source of the Shannon. The land around the pot was purchased by a French man called Paul Gallico some years ago.  He has since died and Bord Failte is in contact with his representatives to buy back the land.  In recent years Bord Failte made a new road into the pot and planted trees nearby.

    FOLKLORE

Fairies:

There are several stories told about fairies.  A person should never build a house on a fairy path. If a man was in doubt before commencing a building he should erect what was called a 'seal foscaide' (temporary shelter) and if this was knocked to the ground over night then the site was a fairy path so better choose another.

A story is told about a local couple who were returning late from Cavan one night about fifty years ago. They were traveling by car (a model T Ford) when suddenly the lights failed as they drove through the 'Gap' so they had to wait until daylight to finish their journey.  They got out of the car, decided to walk in the opposite direction waiting for dawn to break.  They heard music, singing and laughter and then arguments.   

Suddenly the cock crew and the noise vanished. 'Come on', said the man and the couple set out on their journey home and arrived back safely.  The lights were working on the car.  They 'told their story to an old man the following night and he claimed that they had disturbed the fairies or the 'good people' as he called them.

There are several stories told about the fairies and their crocks of gold on the mountains around the area.   

A story is told about a local young man who had a dream about a crock of gold high up on the mountain. One night he left his home in search of the treasure.  He brought a spade with him and began to dig when suddenly he hit the crock of gold and a hen flew out of the hole. The man got so frightened that he ran the whole way home. He became very ill and his parents sent for the priest who came and said prayers over him. The young man began to improve and in a few days he was fit and well again but he never found the crock of gold. There is a place called the 'gold digging' in a river on the Cuilceach mountains.

Ghosts: 

Telling ghost stories was a common practice in this parish until the introduction of television. People used to ceili (ramble) in a neighbor's house and sit around the hearth fire on a long winter's night telling such stories.  Some people are afraid of ghosts while others fear nothing.

The story goes that a man in this parish put down a bet that nothing would frighten him.  His friends defied him and arranged a night when he would have to go to the graveyard and dig up a skull after midnight. Sure enough he brought a spade with him and began his task.  One of his friends lay in hiding. He dug up a skull and on his way out he heard a voice (that of his friend) saying, "That's my father's skull, leave it back in his grave."