School: Smithstown, Castlecomer (roll number 14626)
- Location:
- Smithstown, Co. Kilkenny
- Teacher: Bríd Ní Mhórdha
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0865, Page 222
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- XML School: Smithstown, Castlecomer
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- XML “Fairy Forts”
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- There are a few fairy forts in this district. All of them are called raths. They are all in the same town-land, and are in view of one other. All of them are circular in shape. The names of them are Doyle's rath Stone's rath, Willoughby's rath. There is a fence of bushes round each. One man went to explore one of them, and fell and died soon after. There are stories told about some of these raths, and one of them is about Big Johnny's Fort which is as follows. Once there was a man going somewhere or another and he came across this fort. Now it happened that there was a well beside the fort and the man went to get a drink. When he put his mouth into the water, a little red man leaped up out of the well and caught the man by the heels and dropped him into the well. From that day to this the man is supposed to appear beside the well every night crying.
- Collector
- Richard Shorthall
- Gender
- Male
- Informant
- Richard Shorthall
- Relation
- Relative (other than parent or grandparent)
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 62
- Occupation
- Miner
- Address
- Croghtenclogh, Co. Kilkenny
