Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. There are no traces in Irish legend of animal worship, but many concerning the influence of animals upon human life, and of their interference with human affairs. The peasants believe that the domestic animals know all about us, especially the dog and the cat. They listen to every thing that is said; they watch the expression of the face, and can even read the thoughts. The Irish say it is not safe to ask a question of a dog, for he may answer, and should he do so the questioner will surely die.