Some people spend their time avoiding the wee folk, others pursue the fairy gentry in search of fortune. Lore tells us the "fairy folk live in the oaks,"...and the hawthorn trees, the fairy forts, even the sea. But just where can the wee folk be found?
The fairy folk, some say, are the ancient citizens of the Tuatha de Danaan, a godlike race which inhabited Ireland generations ago. The de Danaan (Children of the goddess Danu) fell to the invading Milesians.
With their defeat the de Danaan retreated to the sidhe mounds, circular barrows and other wild places. These circular barrows, or ringforts, forever after were considered fairy forts or raths.
Historically, ringforts are circular enclosures surrounded by an earthen or stone bank which were used as farmsteads from about 500 to 1200 A.D. Within the protective earthen bank, activities such as cooking, grain grinding and pottery making took place along with everyday living. Approximately 40,000 ringforts still dot the Irish countryside.
Two such sites exist on the Burren, County Clare. One ring, Ballyallaban Ringfort, is guarded by a fairy pooka (who takes the form of a pony). The ring possesses an unearthly feel: even a cynical mortal might find themselves fleeing the area, glad to still have their wits about them. The other, a large earthen fort is enchanting by itself with its gown of thousands of naturalized irises.
Another ringfort with a distinctly otherworldly atmosphere is Beal Boru, the seat of Brian Boru, High King of Ireland from 1002 until his death in 1014. Located in County Clare between the River Shannon and the Killaloe-Tuamgraney road, the overgrown site is another to be approached with caution lest a trespasser offend the resident invisibles. Close by is Magh Adhair, the Inauguration Place of the Kings of Thomond, including Brian Boru. A quiet site, gorse and fuschia hedges camouflage fairy goings-on and a stone pillar still stands which probably played a part in the crowning ceremonies, much like Lia Fail on the Hill of Tara.
More direct routes to the land of fairie or Tir Na n'Og, exist in cave entrances, two of which are located at Lough Gur, County Limerick and at Rathcrogan, County Roscommon.
The cave at Lough Gur is choked with trees and bush cover. Despite the pleasant day on which I visited the site, an ill will blew about the cave and its darkness permeated the surrounding hill. At Rathcrogan, the cave is a limestone fissure referred to as the "Cave of the Cats" which aligns with the midsummer sunset.
The many standing stone sites also give rise to fairy workings. Perhaps Irelands best known portal tomb is Poulnabrone, located alongside the Corofin-Ballyvaughan road in County Claire. This Late Stone Age monument, though the topic of much fairy legend, once held the bones of 16 adults and children who lived in the surrounding farming community.
To those searching for the wee kind, these sites are a good place to start. But remember, the fairie folk are felt more often than seen and their fondest sport is that which they make with humans.
