Biddy Early - The Wise Woman Of Clare

Where is Biddy Early's bottle? Was it a magic bottle or was it just an instrument that this notorious woman used to foretell the future and to effect cures? Indeed the question is often asked: did this woman, symbolic of Clare, really exist?

Meda Ryan in a book entitled Biddy Early - The Wise Woman of Clare has documented the story of this remarkable woman who was born in lower Faha, a townland between Feakle and Gort in 1798 and died in a two roomed thatched cottage outside Feakle in 1874. Arguments still persist as regards 'the gifts' that Biddy had, which were beyond the comprehension of those who knew her personally. The mention of her name in any part of Ireland, but especially in County Clare, releases an astonishing flood of stories, cures, prophecies, warnings and broken spells.

There is no doubt but Biddy Early was a remarkable person. She was christened Bridget Ellen Connors. Her mother's maiden name was Early, and for some reason this was the surname either given or taken by Biddy. Possibly 'the gift' was handed down to her from her mother, because her mother, Ellen, had a reputation as a healer. People continued to call Biddy's mother Ellen Early even after her marriage to Tom Connors.

Biddy's parents were poor and eked out a living on their small rented holding. From an early age Biddy learned of the curative properties of herbs and berries. She helped her mother pick ingredients from the wild for each herb-healing brew that her mother made. During these early childhood years on the farm with her parents, Biddy, like other children of the time went about barefoot.

In her book, Meda Ryan traces Biddy's life from her early years, in poverty-stricken circumstances, when she saw evictions and was the victim of an eviction while still a young girl to her death and the drowning of her 'magic' bottle. When Biddy was only sixteen, both her parents died within a few months of each other. From this period on she suffered many hardships. For a short time, she lived with relatives in Slieveanore. But, because of her strange ways and her knowledge of events before they happened, there was a constant battle between Biddy and this couple who had no other children. Biddy ran away, travelled the roads for some days and eventually found work at Carheen under a landlord named Sheehy. After a few difficult years, an eviction put her back on the road again.

Life was not easy for this young girl who worked in a variety of big houses. Sometimes, as she travelled the roads in search of work, she was reduced to the station of a beggar. Eventually, weary and penniless, she entered The House of Industry, Ennis, known locally as 'the poor house'. A fine-looking girl with striking red hair, Biddy's first break came when she married Pat Malley, a widower almost twice her age who had a grown son.

Of this union a son was born to Biddy, a son who was to die later in mysterious circumstances. After five years, Pat died, so at twenty five years of age Biddy was a widow. But not for long. She married her stepson. Throughout this period, Biddy used to advantage her rare 'gift' of foretelling the future, coupled with a power to heal. At some stage she acquired what became known as Biddy's magic bottle. In 1840, Biddy's second husband died of a liver ailment thanks to excess consumption of low-grade alcohol.

Biddy's third husband, Tom Flannery, a labourer, brought her to a thatched cottage overlooking Kilbarron Lake outside Feakle. This was said to be her happiest marriage but she was married four times and outlived all four husbands - her last marriage was to a man in his forties when she was seventy.

In her book, Meda Ryan relates some of the many documented stories where 'a portion' in a bottle is given to the caller. For instance, there's a story of a young boy who had backed into a tub of boiling water, and got scalded. The father was advised to go to Biddy. He had to go to borrow money from a neighbour. Upon arrival at Biddy's house, Biddy consulted her own bottle and then gave 'a portion' to the father and warned him to be careful of the bottle and not to break it. "Keep the five shillings that you got from your neighbour and when you go home, give them back the money". The man put the bottle in his pocket and thinking of his son, he hurried over the ditches eager to get home. In a rush, he jumped over a style and broke the bottle. Panic struck him. When he got home his son was very ill and by morning he was dead.

Meda relates how she spoke to Margaret Murphy, a neighbour of Biddy's, who was in her eighties at the time of her research. Margaret's grandaunt got what the doctor called a fever, but she didn't believe it was a fever and asked her sister, Margaret's grandmother, to go to Biddy. She walked from Cahirhurley, outside Bodyke, to Biddy's place. Biddy told her she should hold tightly the bottle she gave her. Despite some difficulties on the way, she got the potion home and gave it to her sister. Next morning her sister was up and at work on her farm.

Biddy's house was a popular destination for visiting and card playing - there was always plenty of drink. People who came for cures brought presents but a jar of whiskey was a favourite. Curing and foretelling together with drinking and card playing did not find favour with the local Catholic clergy, who openly spoke out against the deeds of Biddy Early. So Biddy's 'magic' cures were denounced from the altar. In the book, there are stories of her encounters with the clergy. One tells of how a priest who went down to chastise Biddy found that she put 'a spell' on his horse so that he had difficulty moving. The priest was compelled to seek her help and promise that he would never bother her again.

Biddy lived during a period when there was great belief in the fairy folk, in the supernatural, in pishogues and in the power of the Catholic priests. Consequently, the interaction of these elements is woven into the life of this woman who became a legend in her own lifetime. Daniel O'Connell and other famous people such as the Gypsy queen visited her. As the years wore on, long lines of horses, carts and carriages continued to wait patiently along the rough road beside the 'humpy bridge' between Ennis and Feakle.

And what of Biddy's bottle? There is the story of the priest who was with her when she died and one of Eamon O'Conner and members of a sub-aqua club and of Dr. Bill Loughnane and the dresser where Biddy kept her bottle.

In some ways, Biddy would not be out of place in today's field of alternative medicines with faith and healing and herbal treatments. Indeed, ingredients she sued in her day are now processed into a Clare beer in a brewery in Inagh that carries her name.

Fact, legend and mystery are combined in this story of Biddy Earley - The Wise Woman of Clare. Meda Ryan's book went into many prints when it was first published in 1978. This paperback edition is out in time for Christmas and could help to stimulate within families the telling of stories about Biddy Early that have remained untapped.

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