School: Tullogher, Ros Mhic Treoin (roll number 14648)
- Location:
- Tullagher, Co. Kilkenny
- Teacher: Mrs Winnie Murphy
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0846, Page 327
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- Fairies are believe to exist in ráths. A ráth or rath is a portion of a field. It consists of a round circular grassy spot surrounded by sceach bushes & inhabited by fairies & kept sacred for them: no one would dare to violate a ráth by cutting down bushes or ploughing up the ground. If they did any of these things some dire misfortunes would occur to them: But cattle may graze and the sceachs may be trimmed. Many stories are told of people who were fool-hardy enough to interfere with these fairy abodes.(a) A farmer one day took a hatchet with him to cut down a sceach bush in a ráth (rath) which he wanted for fencing with.
He commenced the work, but when looking towards his house he saw it on fire. He ran immediately to extinguish the fire, and found it wasn't really burning at all. He returned to cut the sceach and again saw his house on fire and again he went home to extinguish it, and found it wasn't on fire.
But the third time he saw his(continues on next page)
