School: Baile Uí Mhurchadha, Borris
- Location:
- Ballymurphy, Co. Carlow
- Teacher: Michael Ó Seachnasaigh
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- XML School: Baile Uí Mhurchadha, Borris
- XML Page 030
- XML “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.
- Collector
- Mary Kennedy
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Ballymurphy, Co. Carlow
- Informant
- Patrick Murphy
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- Over 70
- Address
- Rathgeran, Co. Carlow