Black Horse

Barney Duffy and the Cliffside Legend

In short: A Norfolk Island legend connects Barney Duffy’s capture with a drowning story at Headstone Point.

Barney Duffy and the Cliffside Legend · A hollow tree and a cliff FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 271 Barney Duffy and the Cliffside Legend A Norfolk Island legend connects Barney Duffy’s capture with a drowning story at Headstone Point. Origin Norfolk Island · Headstone area Atlas record c. 1949 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF A hollow tree and a cliff Reach¹ 1/10 Suggested age² 8+ Member rating No votes yet 2 records · 1 countries or regions blackhorsestories.com

¹ Based on the number of Atlas countries, capped at 10. ² Editorial suggestion for reading this page. Discover Black Horse’s question

Origin and tradition

Norfolk Island · Headstone area

In the island legend, Barney Duffy hides inside a hollow tree. He curses the men who capture him, and the story places their fate at the foot of the cliffs. A radio documentary from around 1949 visits the tree. Today’s Headstone Reserve account foregrounds the coast. These sources document the telling of the legend. Whether the events happened as told remains uncertain.

Dated records and sources

  1. c. 1949 · Norfolk Island · Headstone area
    Bryan O’Brien · Isle of the Singing Pines · radio documentary · Public retelling
  2. Undated · Norfolk Island · Headstone area
    Norfolk Island Tourism · Headstone Reserve · Public retelling

Country pages

Fairy Tale Glossary

Origin
Black Horse. Barney Duffy and the Cliffside Legend. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-norfolk-barney-duffy/