Nóra Leahy

Nóra Leahy is the widow of Martin, the mother of Johanna, and the grandmother of Micheál. She lost everyone except Micheál in her immediate family and the death of her husband sent her into a downward spiral of grief. She also lost her sister and parents, but she admits that the most difficult loss to accept was the death of her daughter. Nóra felt overwhelmed by her responsibility to care for Micheál without her husband. She found Micheál’s link to humanity when Martin massaged his legs and gave him the attention he needed. Without that support, Nóra found it difficult to care for her ailing grandson.

Nóra believes in fairies, and although she did not consider that Micheál was a changeling without the influence of the community, she was willing to subscribe to this assumption. Her...