At Swim-Two-Birds

Fergus MacPhellimey the Pooka, the Good Fairy, Slug, Shorty, Jem Casey, and Sweeny travel to the Red Swan Hotel. They stop only to eat and drink what they find in the forest. At all times, they talk about a range of subjects and sing a variety of songs, both traditional and classical.

The student drunkenly returns to his uncle’s house in the early spring. His uncle is hosting a meeting and invites his nephew to sit at the table to act as the secretary. The men around the table are plotting a traditional dance known as a ceilidhe, and they disagree about the type of music that should be played, about how to welcome a guest of honor, and about how much alcohol they should acquire. After votes, stories, and other bureaucratic procedures, the student’s uncle gives each man at the meeting an assignment. The meeting ends.

Fergus MacPhellimey the Pooka, the Good Fairy, Slug, Shorty, Jem Casey, and Sweeny arrive at the Red Swan Hotel and enter through the “maids’ private bed-room on the ground floor” (114). They lay their gifts down for Sheila to find them. While they wait for the imminent birth, they play a hand of cards.