School: Ráth na mBeach (roll number 17129)

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1. Fairy Forts

   

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   There are two or three forts in the school district. They are called different names such as dún or rath. There is a big ditch around them and a lot of old bushes grown on them. Some people say that it is not right to plough a fort that if cattle were grazing on it after it had been ploughed that they would all die. This is a story I heard about it. There lived a man who had a house in one of the fields and he had two cows and one of them died. One morning when he got up out of bed he saw the cow that died down the field eating at a bart of oats. He went down to where the cow was and he caught her. She ran on to the fort and she went in a hole in the (top?) of the fort and the man trying to hold her. The cow to where she used to be tied. He beat her until he got her to the door and there was an old woman standing at the door and there and she said to the man that it was no good to bring unless he would the spancel with him. He brought the spancel and cow and she lived for a few years after. When he was outside he heard them beating the old woman for telling the man to bring the spancel with him. If she did tell him the cow would be of no used to him.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. place-space-environment
      1. legendary and spiritual places (~158)
         1. fairy forts (~5,616)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Eoghan Mac Dhúarachain

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Rathnamagh, Co. Mayo