There are Mermaids in The Shannon River

My family is from the Leitrim village in Ireland. It’s a small community, but a busy one. I don’t go back home much. I know if I did, my mum and sisters would greet me in the yard with smiles and hugs. Mum would have something baking in the oven, something warm and sweet. We’d sit together in the garden, eating our treats and trading stories from the last two years. I haven’t been home in two years. I don’t think about how long that feels very often, but it has felt like a lifetime. 

Fifty years ago, my grandfather claimed to have seen a mermaid in the Shannon river. The other villagers stuck up their nose at the idea and spread the story like wildfire throughout the village. Word travels fast when there’s only about 600 people to tell. My grandfather became a laughing stock and my family has been shamed ever since.

When I was young, I would sit on my grandfather’s knee and listen to his stories. He told the one about the mermaid nearly every time I sat with him. “Finn, you should have seen her. She was the most beautiful creature I ever saw, other than your grandmother. She had long hair and piercing blue eyes. She had the most beautiful voice. She sang to me about the water and told me all about the wonders at the bottom of the Atlantic,”. My grandfather’s stories were epic and verged on mythic. As a child, I ate up every word. I believed wholeheartedly in my grandfather’s mermaid, but my mum was adamantly against the mermaid tales. 

“Your grandfather is just telling you stories, don’t listen to that old kook,” mum said, stirring together the ingredients that would become our dinner. “He’s been telling everyone that story for years. He filled your father’s head with these fanciful stories and now he’s just filling yours as well. I’m warning you, Finn, don’t get caught up in such stupid tales,” she warned.

My mother has never liked my grandfather, and I know it’s partially because of the mermaid story. The mermaid story enthralled my father when he first heard it. My dad and grandfather spent many days out by the river where my grandfather had claimed to have seen the creature. Mum would make them sandwiches and they would sit by the water, just waiting for a mermaid to appear. 

Eventually, mum got incredibly tired of waiting for my father to come home. I overheard my parents having frequent arguments  about my grandfather and the mermaid.  “What do you expect to find out there, Shane? You know just as well as I do that there’s no such thing as mermaids. Why do you keep feeding into his idiotic fantasies?” my mother whispered fiercely. They were standing in the kitchen, in the warm glow of an oil lamp. I was in the hall, deep enough in the darkness where my presence would not be known. 

“Nora, there are magical things everywhere. Why is a mermaid in the Shannon river so impossible?” Dad sighed. 

“Because it’s not true! You know there is no mermaid out there. For god’s sake, you’ve been out there every day for months. You haven’t been working and the bills are due. I need you to give up these crazy fantasies and start providing for your family,” mum said, sternly. 

My father hung his head, shamefully. He looked tired and defeated. “Okay, I’ll quit looking for the mermaid,” he agreed. My father never did go looking for the mermaid again. He went back to work and provided my sisters and I with a great childhood and education. He never forgot about the mermaid though. Some nights when I was older, after my mum and sisters had gone to bed, my dad and I would stay up talking and drinking ale. When it got late enough and my father had consumed enough alcohol, he would look me in the eyes and say: “Look for the mermaid, Finn. All the riches in the world are with the mermaids,”. 

My father never explained what that meant, but the passion for adventure and mythicality is something I inherited from both my father and grandfather. The older I got, the more obsessed with the mermaid story I became. Not only did I think about mermaids constantly, but I also thought about the rumor that had shamed my family for fifty years. I wanted to prove that my grandfather wasn’t crazy. That there are mermaids out in the Atlantic and my grandfather had seen one in the Shannon river.

I’ve been living on this boat for two years now, sailing around the Atlantic ocean, searching. There are a couple of other guys on the boat, young fishermen all needing a good enough catch to keep the bank from taking their boats and homes. We’ve spent the last two years fishing the ocean and looking for mermaids. I keep telling myself that we’ll find one any day now, but I keep looking at the horizon and all I see is water and blue sky.  

“You giving up for the day?” Pete asks, grabbing my shoulder with a thick hand. Pete is one of the biggest guys I’ve ever met. His fingers look like meaty sausages and he towers above all the other men on our boat. He looks like the kind of guy who would try to start fights in the pub, but he is the kindest man I’ve met in all my life; I am lucky to call him a friend. 

“I’m about to give up for forever, Pete. I’ve been at this for so long and we haven’t found any evidence of mermaids,” I sigh. 

Pete rests his forearms on the gunwale and stares out at the water. The sun is a bright ball of fire in the sky, ready to disappear beyond the horizon at any moment. “I’ve been thinking, Finn. I know you’re only on this boat to find a mermaid and prove something to everyone back home, but you’re a big help on the ship and with the fishing nets. What I’m trying to say is, we dock back in Ireland in a couple of days to sell the fish we’ve caught, and even if you have given up on finding the mermaids, we’d like it if you would sail with us again,”. 

Pete isn’t looking at me, and I know it’s because he’s been thinking about asking me to stay for weeks now. “Pete, you know I love you and every single man on this ship, but I miss my family. I haven’t seen my mum and dad in years, I haven’t written them any letters. They’ll be wanting me home,” I explain. 

Pete keeps staring at the horizon quietly, “I understand. I have a daughter back home who probably doesn’t even know who I am. I’d like to go back, but I’m worried that she’ll never forgive me for leaving in the first place. If I go home now, I may never return to the sea again, and I need it like I need air,”. 

“I’ve felt that way about the mermaids for so long, but we’ve sailed all over the Atlantic together and I’ve seen no evidence that mermaids exist. Maybe everyone is right, maybe my grandfather is just crazy,” I say, staring out toward where the sun is beginning to set. 

“It never hurts to see for yourself,” Pete says, then we’re both quiet, just staring at the calm water that goes on for miles and miles. Then Pete puts his big hand on my shoulder again, “I’m going to go down and have some dinner. Come down and have an ale when you’re done looking for your mermaid,” he says, then he leaves me there. I am alone, staring at the great blanket of water, searching the water for anything resembling a mermaid.

Searching for mermaids. It seems silly that I’ve spent two years looking for something that may not even exist. I’ve done so much reading about them and their calling cards. I’ve listened all night for their siren’s song, but in two years I’ve not heard or seen a thing. What a significant waste of time. 

The sun is almost beyond the horizon and the last light of day dances across the waves. I’m going to miss the twilights sitting on the deck, watching the water, and listening. I can hear the soft lapping of waves on the side of the boat. I can hear Pete and the others down below deck talking as they eat their dinner and drink their ale. Then I hear music; It’s soft like a flute or piccolo.

I look around, searching for the source of the beautiful harmony. The men below deck wouldn’t be playing music like this. They’re more fond of drinking songs and poorly playing a lute when they’re drunk and missing home. This song was more like a hum and the words are not of a language I’ve ever heard before. There are tears running down my face and I cannot stop them. In my body, I feel no emotional response to the music, but my eyes leak like a running faucet. 

Then I see her. The top of her head is just barely sticking up out of the water. I can see the way her grayish, blue hair parts down the middle and disappears into the water. I can see her piercing blue eyes, the color of the deep sea waters. Water droplets hang from her eyelashes and speckle the hairs in her eyebrows. She’s staring at me without blinking, and though I am awed by her beauty, I am suddenly afraid.

She comes closer, slowly at first, then with the same fierce swimming abilities of a dolphin. I see her silver tail shimmering in the water as it swivels back and forth. I am without words; every vocal cord stretches and urges to call out to Pete and the others, but no sound leaves my mouth. She comes to the edge of the boat and I stare down at her as she stares up at me. Music floats through the air without any source, but I hear the mermaid humming along. I am hypnotized by her as she looks right at me and says: “Did I hear you’ve been looking for a mermaid?”. She flicks her tail and ocean water splashes on my face. I taste the salt in the water and shut my eyes quickly. I open them and she’s still there, she tilts her head as if she finds me endearing, a smile spreads across her lips. 

“I- uh- I” I stutter. She giggles and it echoes in an unrealistic way. 

“Do humans not know how to speak their own language? Or perhaps, you speak another human tongue,” she says, then she begins speaking in a language I’ve never heard before. 

“No, uh, no. I speak English,” I say. 

“English,” she says, as if she’s contemplating the word. “I too speak English,” she says, simply.

I stare at her for a moment, lost in her deep blue eyes. She looks like no one I’ve ever seen before; I think she must be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. “I’m Finn, it’s nice to meet you,” I say, nervously holding my hand out to her. 

She looks at my hand, then up at me. “Finn. Like fin?” she says, then she flexes her tail and splashes the water again. 

I laugh, unable to hold it in, “Yes, exactly like that,”.  

She smiles widely, revealing a row of pearly white, sharp teeth in her mouth. I take a step back and she looks confused. “I scare you,” she says. 

“No, no, not at all. You’re quite beautiful, possibly the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen,” I stammer. The mermaid blushes and smiles demurely. “I’ve just never met a mermaid before. I know only about them from what I’ve read in books, myths really, and from what my grandfather has told me. I’m sorry, I’m being rude, what is your name?” I ask. 

She sinks down into the water a little and blows bubbles on the surface of the water, then she smiles at me. “But you can call me Selene,” she says. 

“It’s nice to meet you Selene,” I say, then I offer her my hand. She looks at it curiously, then grabs a hold of it. She doesn’t shake it, just holds it as she looks up at me.

 I am in awe of her, struck by her very presence. I don’t know what to say to her. I could ask her a million questions and still not know enough about her to satisfy myself. But I must know about her; I must know enough about her to tell my village and my family. Even if I did tell them all about her, would they believe me? Would they not just think of me the same as my grandfather? I needed solid proof of her existence to take back to Ireland. 

“Selene, have you ever been to Ireland?” I ask, my breath shallow in my chest. 

“Ireland? No, I have never been. Is it in the ocean?” she asks, dreamily. 

“Uh, kind of. It’s the mainland. That’s where I’m from,” I explain. 

“Where the people are,” she says. I am struck by her knowledge of people and wonder if her fascination for humans is as deep as my fascination for mermaids.

“Yes, exactly. Would you be interested in seeing it?” I ask. 

Selene contemplates for a moment, pouting her lip as she considers the question. Then she looks around herself as though she is looking for something in the water. “I have a family to get back to,” she says, her eyes round with disappointment. 

“I understand. You don’t have to go back with me. Perhaps you would like to meet my companions though. You could spend the evening with us on the boat, have dinner with us and maybe some ale?” I ask. My cheeks flush; as the words escape me, I am becoming increasingly aware that I am asking her on a date. I’ve never been on a date, not even to one of the village dances or for a cup of coffee. Never would I imagine confidently asking a beautiful woman to dine with me and meet my friends all in one day, and yet, Selene was different; in more ways than anyone could ever imagine.

If Selene didn’t want to go back to Ireland with me, introducing her to my colleagues, men who would corroborate my story, was the next best thing. Then, perhaps, after spending some time together, Selene may feel differently about returning with me to Ireland. 

Selene hesitated a moment, then smiled widely and nodded her head enthusiastically. “I would like to see your boat, sailor,” she says, smiling. I can hardly contain my excitement at her agreement. 

“Great! I’m so excited for you to meet my friends, and I’m sure they will be equally as excited to meet you! Let me help you out of the water,” I say, extending a hand. Selene looks at my extended hand quickly, then smirks. She doesn’t take my hand like I intended. Ocean gathers around her, swirling and spinning like a whirlpool. Instead of pulling her under, the water lifts her up into the air and gently places her on the deck of the boat. 

My breath catches in my throat as I am witnessing the magnificence of her. Her tail is silver and glistens in the sunlight. Her gills flex as she lays in the open air, then they dissolve into her skin as if they were never there. Her tail flops around for a moment, then before my eyes begin to fade into fleshy, human legs. She sits on the deck, smiling at me with little shame, as she becomes naked. The only remnant of her life in the sea is her unnaturally silver hair and blue eyes. She still looks otherworldly and I know it won’t take much to convince Pete and the crew that she is indeed a creature of the sea.

My face feels warm, I am aware that I have been staring at her for too long without saying a word. Selene is smiling, seemingly unaware of the state she is in; perhaps mermaids are not taught to be ashamed of their nakedness as humans often are. I avert my eyes momentarily and I hear her giggle at my embarrassment. “Okay, let’s find some clothes, then I’ll introduce you to my friends,” I say.

I help her up and it takes her a moment to find her balance. She walks like a baby deer, wobbly and slightly tilted. “Have you ever had legs before?” I ask. 

Selene shakes her head, “I’ve never been invited on a boat or on land before,”. 

I walk Selene down to my room. It is a small room with several bunks bolted to the walls. My bunk is beneath Pete’s. I don’t mind bunking beneath him unless we’ve had beans for dinner. I let Selene sit on my bunk and look through one of my books while I dig through my trunk for spare clothing that doesn’t smell too much like sweat and fish. I hand her a shirt and a pair of pants, and she looks at them for a moment in confusion. “You wear them like this,” I say, modeling the shirt and pants I have on for her to see. 

Selene smiles widely and nods that she understands. She tries to put on the pants first and struggles to put them on one leg at a time. I help her balance and direct her legs into the proper holes. When they’re up around her waist, they are a little too big and sag around her hips, so I grab a piece of rope and loop it through the belt loops, tying it snuggly around her hips. Then I help her with the shirt. At first, she gets her head stuck in the arm hole and there is a fight to find her head in the fabric. Once she has her head in the right hole, she gets her arms through the proper holes and smiles. The shirt is baggy on her, but she doesn’t seem to mind. She sits on my bunk flipping through one of my books about mermaids, studying the pictures closely. “Do you know how to read?” I ask. 

Selene shakes her head, “There is nothing to read. Books would get too wet. My father always said we don’t need to know how to read human languages if we can speak them, but your words sure look beautiful,” she says, touching the page gently with her finger tips. 

“Well, I could teach you to read if you want to learn. If you come back to Ireland with me I could teach you all kinds of things,” I explain. 

Selene slams the book shut and sets it aside, “I would like to meet your friends now,” she says. 

I stand and offer her my hand politely, “Then we shall go meet them,”. She takes my hand and I lead her to the common room where we all dine and socialize. The men are already drinking ale and well on their way to drunkenly singing sea shanties when we enter. 

Pete stands up abruptly from the dinner table, a stein in his hand, “Finn, my boy, have you finally given up for the evening?” he asks, then he notices Selene standing beside me and stops. His face contorts into confusion and he lowers his stein. 

“Gentleman, I’d like you to meet Selene,” I say. Selene steps forward, smiling innocently. I can tell that she’s nervous because of the way they stare at her in utter shock. Their silence is loud and I can feel her tense up beside me. I begin to explain, “Selene is a-” 

“Mermaid,” Pete finishes, staring at Selene in a stupor.  

Selene giggles quietly and fills the space. Pete smiles, then begins to laugh as well, heartily and loudly. The other crew members join in the laughter until the whole space is filled with joyful sounds. I am confused by our laughing, but it is contagious.  

“A mermaid, can you believe it, boys?” Pete gasps through his laughter. Everyone continues to laugh. “Come, you lovely creature, let’s get you an ale. Biggs! Get this girl an ale!” Pete shouts at one of the crew members. Pete leads Selene and I over to a table and a stein is set down in front of each of us. Selene looks at the glass with confusion, then meets my eye. I smile at her, then take a drink from my stein as an example for her. She nods, then takes a drink as Pete plops down on the stool across from her. His cheeks are bright red from the laughter, but he is no longer laughing. “My god, a mermaid. Finny, can you believe it? A real mermaid sitting at our dinner table,” he says, excitedly. 

Selene is smiling widely, taking small sips from her ale. I can tell by the way her nose scrunches up when she takes a drink that she doesn’t like it very much. “Selene, why don’t you tell him about yourself,” I suggest. 

Pete directs his attention to Selene, ready to hear the mermaid speak. “I come from Salaria. It is 20 leagues below the surface. I have six sisters. Our parents were killed by fishermen when I was still small and I was raised by my eldest sister, Cordelia. I am not allowed anywhere near the surface, but I decided to leave home. My sisters are all so afraid of the world and humans and anything that isn’t Salaria. I do not want to live like that,” she explains. Pete and I hang on her every word. 

“You should return to Ireland with us, “ Pete suggests. “If it’s more of the human world you want to see, Ireland would be perfect. It’s much safer there than England or the U.S.” he explains. 

I see Selene shift uncomfortably in her seat, “Selene has made it clear that her desire is not to return with us to Ireland. She is simply a visitor on our ship. We will not be forcing her decision to stay or go,” I say. Selene looks up at me with a smile on her face. 

“Ah, then we shall give her an experience to last a lifetime,” Pete says. Then he stands abruptly, knocking over his stool in his haste, “Boys! Play the music!” he demands. 

The crew picks up their instruments and begin to play a sea shanty. They all sing loudly about the great sea and the women they have left behind. The music erupts through the room jovially. I offer Selene my hand, and she accepts it. I pull her up out of her seat and into the open area between the tables. I pull her close and show her how to dance. She is still wobbly on her feet, but she smiles widely as we spin to the music. 

After the first song, Pete cuts-in and dances with Selene for a while. I watch her as her hair swishes back and forth and her eyes light up with joy. I nurse my stein, finishing my ale then getting another. We all dance and sing joyously and drunkenly. When the night turns into the early morning, Pete and the crew retire to their bunks, leaving Selene and I to ourselves.

Selene and I walk up onto the deck. My vision is blurry from my drunkenness and my balance is unsteady. We walk together, leaning on one another, then we sit down on the deck and look up at what is left of the night sky. Stars pierce the dark blue sky; I am in awe of the night. I’m sure no one will believe me when I return home and tell them of Selene and the night we shared together. 

I hold Selene’s hand as we sit on the deck staring at the stars, “I’m glad I met you,” I say. 

Selene smiles, “I’m glad I met you too. Your world is so different from mine,”. 

“I’d like to see where you’re from, almost as much as I would like you to see Ireland,” I reply. 

“You should come to Salaria! Meet my sisters! Perhaps if they met you, they would not be so afraid of humans. Maybe they would want to see where you’re from and we could all go to Ireland together,” she suggests, excitedly. 

“I would love to see where you’re from and to meet your family too, but I’m afraid I would die immediately if I tried,” I say, giggling at the thought. “But, I’d love to see you again, someday, if possible. You should come to the Leitrim village sometime. The Shannon river is attached to the ocean, you and your sisters could swim right up the river into my village, then I could meet them and show you where I’m from. You could meet my family. I have sisters as well who would absolutely adore you,”. 

Selene smiles demurely, “I would like that,”. Then she looks back up at the night sky and lays her head delicately on my shoulder. “I know that I have to go back to Salaria, but I will truly miss you, Finn. You have shown me more kindness than I thought was possible from a human being. You have made me feel safe, and I appreciate you for that,” she says. Then she lifts her head and kisses my cheek. 

Then Selene stands and walks to the edge of the boat. She looks back at me one last time, then dives into the water. I jump up and run after her. I see her tail splashing the surface and watch as she disappears into the deep. 

The crew and I return to Ireland a few days later. At the docks, Pete wraps me in a big hug, “I’m going to miss you, Finny! You’re always welcome on my ship if you ever decide to return to your mermaid,” he says. 

“Thanks, Pete. I appreciate the offer. I fear Selene will always just be a story I tell when I’ve spent too much time at the pub,” I laugh. Pete pats my shoulder with his big hand. We say goodbye again, then I go home to Leitrim.

My mother greets me in the yard with a suffocating hug. My three sisters follow her out of our home with warm hugs ready and eager questions about my journey. Then my father wraps me in a big hug and asks the question on everyone’s mind: “Did you find a mermaid?”. 

I tell them about Selene. My mum listens silently, scowling at the fantasy of my tale. My sisters eat up the story as if they have been longing to hear it the entire time I’ve been gone. Dad smiles proudly; I have joined his father’s tradition of believing in mermaids and I have added to his legacy. 

When my sisters go to bed, my mother sets down a cup of hot tea in front of me. “Are you staying for a while?” she asks. 

I take a sip of my tea, “For a while, I think. I’ve been offered a permanent position on the fishing boat, but I don’t believe fishing and proving the existence of mermaids is my calling,”. 

“Good. Then I think you should drop that foolish story,” she says. 

“Foolish? Mum, it’s the truth,” I argue. 

“And you have no proof. All you will do with a story like that is shame our family like your granddad did. I don’t care if you farm, or work in a pub, or what you do with your life, but I must insist you drop this mermaid nonsense and never repeat your story to another soul,” she demands. 

I hang my head. I do not wish to shame my family. I remember how I felt about my grandfather’s stories and how they had made me appear to my peers. To believe in something as amazing as mermaids, people require proof. It is perhaps the worst thing about humankind. 

“Do you promise not to speak of this again?” mum asks. 

I nod, and her shoulders seem to relax. She kisses the top of my head like when I was young, “I love you, Finn,” she says, then she disappears into her room.  

I keep Selene a secret and do what my mother asks of me. After a while, I get myself a job on a neighbor's farm, raising sheep and helping with the crops. I think about Selene every day and wonder if I’ll ever see her again. After a few months, I give up hope that she will find her way to Leitrim via the Shannon River.

Then one day as I’m herding my sheep, I hear someone shouting in the street. It’s distant at first and I can’t make out what they're saying, but then I hear “Mermaids! Mermaids in Shannon!”. 

I leave my sheep in the field where they are and run to the river. Already a crowd has gathered on the bank. I push through the people to get as close to the water as I can, then I see her. Selene is in the water, searching through the crowd. Her eyes meet mine and a smile spreads across her lips. “Finn,” she says, almost musically. The crowd turns to look at me, but I barely see them. I run into the water and wrap my arms around Selene. She kisses my cheek, “I have missed you!” she says. Then she turns to look behind her and I notice six other mermaids in the water behind her, looking nervously at the crowd. “I brought them to meet you, but I had not expected such a crowd to gather,” she says, looking at the people on the shore. 

“They have heard of mermaids in the river all their lives, but have never seen them for themselves. They’re simply fascinated by your existence,” I explain.

Selene smiles, “Perhaps now they will believe,”. 

Selene introduces me to her sisters, each one is identifiable by the bright color of their shining tale, hair, and eyes. They blow bubbles and make clicking sounds when telling me their names, then repeat it again in a language they know I will understand. I know they are weary of me and the people in my village, but they warm up enough to approach the shore and meet my family who have gathered with the rest of the village. 

I introduce Selene to my mother and she shakes her hand nervously. Mum’s cheeks are bright red as she looks at me and stutters out an apology with tears forming in her eyes. My sisters love Selene and her sisters immediately, and insist on asking a million questions. Selene answers them all happily and makes each one of them feel special. 

Perhaps no one, besides myself, is happier about the arrival of the mermaids than my granddad. He spends the afternoon talking with Selene and her sisters, telling them the story of the mermaid he’d seen when he was a younger man. The rest of the day, people approach him to apologize for saying he was crazy and to ask him to tell the story of his mermaid again. 

The villagers begin to bring the mermaid bread they have baked and vegetables from their garden. Children run along the banks laughing as their parents listen to the mermaid’s stories about Salaria. I’ve never seen everyone in the village all gathered together and celebrating in such an impromptu way, but they’ve all come out of their homes and left their jobs to celebrate the coming of the mermaids.

The crowd disperses when the sun begins to set, “Selene, we need to start heading back to Salaria,” Cordelia, the eldest of Selene’s sisters, says. 

Selene looks at me with sad eyes, “I would like you to come with me,” she says. 

“I would like that too, but you know I can’t,” I say. She hugs me tightly and I can hardly stand it. 

“Please don’t say goodbye again,” I say, quickly. “Please stay. I mean, I would love it if you stayed. I could teach you to read, and we could go dancing again. We could go visit Pete and meet his family. I could show you all my favorite foods, and we could try new foods together. Just say you’ll stay,”. 

Selene looks at me, then looks at her sisters. I can tell she feels pulled in two opposite directions. I hate the look on her face and I hate that I am the one who made her do anything other than smile. I look at her sisters and they are all waiting patiently for her response. I know they would miss their sister if Selene left them, and they are the only family Selene has in the world.

I shake my head, “No, sorry, I want you to stay, desperately, but I cannot ask you to,”. 

Selene looks up at me with wide eyes, “I would like to stay, Finn, but not now. I shall be back soon,” she says. Then she takes off the necklace she’s wearing, a small seashell on a string, and places it over my head and around my neck. “Just say my name into the shell and I’ll know you’re thinking of me,” she says. 

I am confused by the instructions, but I bring the shell to my lips and whisper her name. The shells hanging from her ears like earrings turn from blue to pink and I hear my voice echo into her ear. She smiles, then kisses me. “See you soon,” she says, then Selene and her sisters disappear into the water as they swim back toward their home in the Atlantic ocean. 

Original Art by Taylor Mote

My family has become well known in the Leitrim village. Where we used to be called insane for our belief in mermaids, we are now hailed as Ireland’s direct communication with merfolk. With Selene’s help, I’ve been able to write many books about mermaids, their culture, and their history. Those who don’t know me think these books are fiction, but the people of Leitrim know better. Selene visits often and I’ve been able to teach her how to read and write in English. We’ve gone to visit Pete and his family many times and they are always so happy to see us and hear Selene’s stories of the ocean. Every time Selene visits the mainland, I take her dancing.  

I’m a very lucky man to have met Selene. She is so much more than her strange colored hair and scales. She is a smart, funny, and wonderful person. She just also happens to be a mermaid.

I get asked a lot when talking about my books if I truly believe in mermaids, and I always tell them the same thing: there are mermaids in the Shannon River.