The Legend of Oisín and Tír na nÓg -

Oisin, the son of the legendary warrior Fionn Mac Cumhail, was invited to Tír na nÓg, the land of perpetual youth, by its beautiful princess named Niamh.  On an evening in June the two set off on a mystical white horse from Rossbeigh beach and galloped over the waves to Tír na nÓg.

After many happy years Oisín longed to see his father and friends back in Ireland. Niamh, his wife, begged him not to go. She eventually conceded but warned him he could not touch the ground or he would become mortal again and would never be able to return to Tír na nÓg.

When Oisin arrived back in Ireland via Rossbeigh Beach, he was unable to find his father. You see, although it only felt like three years had passed, in reality it had been 300 years and his father and all that was familiar was long gone. It was near here that he met some men trying to move a boulder at the roadside. Wishing to help, Oisín leaned over to lift the giant stone when suddenly the girth broke and Oisín fell to the ground. The mystical white horse immediately galloped off to Rossbeigh and back over the ocean to Tír na nÓg. As he lay on the ground, Oisin turned into an old, old man, before crumbling into dust.