Allen Blog- Hugh's Story- The Fairy Fort

 

Hugh grew up in a magical place. Besides the ruins at Dangan Castle, Hugh's family farm was bordered by the most magical of places- a fairy fort.

                                  Allen farm on left and fairy fort on right

This enticing hill surrounded by rings of grass covered ridges and depressions that would have been a tempting place for young boys to play. But it was very likely forbidden- a place only entered upon by a childhood dare and then quickly exited at a full run. Or did the neighboring Allen children become so familiar with this place that they played comfortably there? If so, they were looked on kindly by the fairies.

Because this was a real fairy hill- a place surrounded by superstition. These ancient fairy forts, dotted across Ireland, belonged to the realm of the fairies and were protected by them. Rumors of mysterious occurrences surrounded them- strange dancing lights or the sounds of soft lilting music in the dark of night. These curious places were not to be disturbed by humankind. There were stories of people who had gone into a mystical trance or even disappeared if they wandered onto them. Some believed that fairy forts had secret underground caverns that led to the other world. And woe betide anyone who disturbed this protected piece of earth in order to build human abodes- this would provoke the wrath of the fairies and bring seriously bad luck. To this day, the fairy forts of Ireland, including the one next to Hugh's childhood home, remain, respected and left alone by the local people.

In fact, the fairy fort next to Hugh's home was the very one that had given the name to the area in which they lived. "An Daingean" which later became Dangan, means "the fort."

We know now, that this was an ancient ring fort, also known as a rath. Dating back to the Bronze Age- 500-1000 A.D., these circular or oval hills had been the site of fortified homesteads or farmsteads. The oval ring at Dangan was 35 meters wide- and at that size was likely the abode of a Celtic nobleman. 

During Celtic times, there were eight chieftains, or Tuaths, in Meath, who served the King at Tara. Below these chieftains were free farmers, who also had smaller raths. These were built to protect the farmstead and its most prized possession- cattle- from raids.

The raised circular/oval hill was surrounded by earthen or stone banks for protection which were then surrounded by a fosse- a ditch of water that was the progenitor of later castle moats. A winding incline led up to the rath. The family lived on top of the ring fort, and their dwelling sometimes included an underground passage- souterrain- used as storage or a refuge during attacks. Some of these went quite deep into the earth, and are probably the origins of the later superstitions that these were fairy entrances into the other world.

The rings and depressions around the Dangan ring fort can be seen clearly in the satellite image below.

                                              Ring fort at Dangan

Watch the video below to learn more  about ring forts!

A video about Irish ringforts

Irish Fairy Tales to read online

Irish Fairy Tales by Stephens

Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry by Yeats

Sources:

http://www.meathheritage.com/index.php/archives/item/me01769-dangan-ringfort-rath

Cusack, Illustrated History of Ireland, 1868 Chapt XV