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HOW FAIRY FORTS WERE SEEN Superstition claimed that ringforts were "fairy forts" imbued with Druid s’ magic and farmers were afraid to alter them. The previous inhabitants of Ireland before the Celts were the Tuatha Dé Danann . They came to be seen as fairies. Fairy forts and also in prehistoric Tumuli were seen as entrances to their world. {Link without Title} Previous inhabitants of Ireland were seen as fairies. The habitations of previous people in Ireland were seen as Fairy forts. Even cutting brush on fairy forts was reputed to be the death of those who performed the act.Eddie Lenihan and Carolyn Eve Green, ''Meeting The Other Crowd: The Fairy Stories of Hidden Ireland'', p 125 ISBN 1-58542-206-1 There are many superstitions about terrible supernatural events happening at fairy forts. For example a lady who allegedly lived in one jumped at her would be lover as a Dragon . Real accidents which happened at ringforts etc could be given supernatural explanations. For example a man who tried to blast a Dolmen suffered a Septic hand. The wrecked dolmen was subsequently left untouched. {Link without Title} Also allegedly a Leprechaun may know of hidden gold in a Fairy fort. {Link without Title} EXAMPLES OF TALES INVOLVING FAIRY FORTS Fairies revenge Workmen were working to level earthworks in a fairy fort at Dooneeva. The originator of this fell apparently dead. His wife, a Wise Woman brought him back to life magically. {Link without Title} A cow was taken and restored A farmer’s best cow kept grazing in a fairy fort. It was unlucky for the cow to graze there but the cow pined when it was prevented from going to the fairy fort. One day the farmer found the cow there with broken legs. He killed the cow and his family ate the meat, some fresh and some Salted . A year later the cow was seen in the fairy fort. The Fairies told the farmer they had taken the cow because they needed the milk for their children. They had substituted an old Stray horse and made the horse to be like the cow. The farmer took his cow home. He became very prosperous because the fairies supported him. {Link without Title} An old fairy was prevented from marrying a young girl A rich farmer’s son investigated why none of the cows would enter a field with a fairy fort and found an old fairy in the fort. The old fairy asked the young man to help him get a young girl for his wife. The farmer’s son would not give the young girl to the old fairy but instead married her himself. As revenge the old fairy destroyed most of the father’s property. The farmer’s son and his wife rode to her parents’ house. The daughter proved who she was. The daughter had three brothers. The brothers went to the fairy fort and started digging till they found a large flat stone. The old fairy begged them to spare his house. When they spared it he became their friend and restored what he had taken. {Link without Title} The Fairies and Paddy of Rathmoor Farm Paddy was worried because his farm wasn’t doing as well as he thought it should. His crops were all too often blighted and his beasts were poorly. Paddy always did all he reasonably could to steer clear of The Troubles . Still, he wondered, could he have offended the fairies who lived in the Fairy fort on his farm? Paddy wanted to go and ask the fairies but he feared he would offend them further. All evening he debated with himself what to do. ''This story draws from different cultural traditions. Fusion of elements from different cultures on the Internet will become increasingly important in the future.'' The full story is here REFERENCES
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