![(by Alan Lee)
The Irish Merpeople are called Merrows and they can be distinguished from other sea-dwelling faeries in that they wear red feather caps to propel themselves down to their homes in the depths. Should their caps be stolen or hidden, they can no longer return to their watery homes. The female Merrows are very beautiful and, like other mermaids, appear before storms as an omen, but they are gentle by nature and often fall in love with mortal fishermen. This can partly be explained by the extreme ugliness of male Merrows. Despite their alarming aspect, the males too have their redeeming features as they are generally [unintelligible] and jovial in character. Both males and females sometimes come ashore in the form of little hornless cattle.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyh6fk3HFF1qdknh2o1_500.jpg)
(by Alan Lee)
The Irish Merpeople are called Merrows and they can be distinguished from other sea-dwelling faeries in that they wear red feather caps to propel themselves down to their homes in the depths. Should their caps be stolen or hidden, they can no longer return to their watery homes. The female Merrows are very beautiful and, like other mermaids, appear before storms as an omen, but they are gentle by nature and often fall in love with mortal fishermen. This can partly be explained by the extreme ugliness of male Merrows. Despite their alarming aspect, the males too have their redeeming features as they are generally [unintelligible] and jovial in character. Both males and females sometimes come ashore in the form of little hornless cattle.
