The Grey Man's Path is a trail along the western side of Fair Head, a 200 metre basalt headland, running beneath the cliffs where wild goats roam. According to the legend a ghostly grey man appears from the mist, in a long coat trailing into the grey, when the sea is fierce and mist forms. IrishCentral describes a cloaked figure that strides along the cliffs looking out to sea as a storm brews. Sightings are said to forecast violent storms.
Spirited Isle says he is no guardian. If you follow him you will surely succumb to a watery grave, and some say he is an earthbound demon waiting to drag a victim to the underworld. Siobhan Rodgers, writing on Fairhead, calls him An Fear Liath and says he leads hikers astray. IrishCentral suggests he may be connected to Manannan, the grey-cloaked god of the sea whose rock lies off the coast.
The path is a real hazard in poor visibility, which may be part of the tale's point.
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