School: Ballyduff (roll number 17097)

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1. Fairy Forts (continued)

   

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   to grow at the "holly rocks", and the fairies would tip the plant and it would change into a white horse and off they fly. This is how they got their horses.

   There was a boy named Jim Doyle who lived in Carrick Na Mae, near Ballyduff school. One day the fairies took him away with them. They kept him away for a week. His people were looking for him everywhere, but could not find him. One morning his father, Mat Doyle, was crossing the hill to work, and his son Jim was left at his feet, as if he came out of a cloud. His father took him home, but, they were all afraid of him. They brought him to Father O'Doherty, who was priest in Ashford at that time. After the priest had prayed for a long time over the boy, he became alright again.

   Years ago people were afraid to go to bed without leaving a bucket of clean water and a clean hearth. They used to say that the fairies would come in when everyone would be in bed, and enjoy themselves all night. The people thought it a good thing to show them a welcome by having those preparations made.

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   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

   Sally Geoghegan

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Ballyduff Upper, Co. Wicklow

   Informant

   Mrs Merryman

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Killiskey, Co. Wicklow