School: Baile Uí Mhurchadha, Borris

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1. Fairy Forts

   

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   I live in Ballymurphy, there is a fairy fort in it, which is called a rath. It is not to be seen there now, but the field is called the Ratheen field. It was believed that the fairies lived it. Edward Joyce Ballymurphy owns the field and it must have been tilled as the rath is not to be seen there now. I was told that the "Rath" was circular in shape and that there was a stone fence around. There is a story told about a boy that was living in Ballymurphy. He was in the "Ratheen" field when the rath was there and it was about nightfall and he saw a woman sitting at the rath with a head of golden hair hanging to her waist and she was combing her hair. He went over to her and she left down the comb and he took it and he ran around the rath with it and she followed him and at last he gave it to her and he went home and said it was the "Boheenka". Long ago people called the "Banshee" the "Boheenka". There are many fairy forts in this district. Some of them are in sight of one another. People dont till the "raths" or cut bushes or anything in them as they believe if they did something bad would happen to themselves or their families.

   

   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

   Mary Kennedy

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Ballymurphy, Co. Carlow

   Informant

   Patrick Murphy

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   Over 70

   Address

   Rathgeran, Co. Carlow