Superstition aside,these are culturally significant and should be respected as such.
If they did, it seems to be more an exception than the rule. I’m a historian, and for my masters thesis I had to look up a load of fossilised pollen profiles. Several of them had been taken as part of ‘rescue excavations’ of archaeological sites that were about to be pulverised by a national road, a motorway, or a ring road. All so’s a couple of thousand people can commute two hours a day up to Dublin to have a miserable time at work. A lot of Irish archaeologists have stories about working with a digger more or less at their backs.
Sure we can all laugh about how superstitious some are about fairy forts, but if the chips were down I wouldn’t go fucking around with one either. Don’t want to find out whether the juju is real or not.
It’s very easy to laugh at the story but it’s part of a broader issue of construction plowing through places of significant cultural and archaeological significance for capital projects. There’s a great book on this called ‘The Men Who Eat Ringforts’, worth a read.
Here’s another case study used in a book of a ringfort being split for the m18 motorway
De Lorean had one cut down, to build his car factory, and we all saw how that turned out for your man.
Our cultural heritage is important.
We wouldn’t snicker at native people in another country not wanting sacred sites to be obliterated by a motorway, we should have the same respect for ourselves.
I don’t believe in fairies, but I do not mess with fairies.
I’m all for preserving the heritage and a bit of Druid spiritualism never did any harm. The attempt to shoehorn it all into the fabric of Irish Christianity is a bit less to my taste but whatever works for people I guess.
It’d be nice to see the same public support for restoring the native deciduous forests that were obliterated by colonisers. We can’t just rely on the fairies to do that as well.
If Eddie Lenihan says don’t cut down a tree you don’t cut it down.
Absolutely support it.
1. Our kids deserve to inherit our culture
2. You dont mess with fairies.
In fairness Eddie Lenihan could tell a story that would have people in Antarctica opening up supermarkets for selling snow.
>Fairy *bush*
Give the Aos Sí some respect, you savage.
Obviously it is just superstition but as has been rightly pointed out, it is also our cultural heritage and should be protected imo.
But to me it seems as though it has been just left as a bush on the side of the road. Is it not an opportunity missed to celebrate it more so with some element of visual recognition – nothing tacky or over the top but at least some nearby artistic sculpture or signage to draw attention to its presence – would be enjoyable I’m sure for tourists etc.
We used to run tours for Americans and would run through this road on a coach while ferrying tourists from place to place. We had one of those pa systems for doing tour guide banter and would point this out as “the most valuable bush in Ireland ” and tell the story along with a bunch of the tales you would know about why you don’t mess with a fairy fort
These sites should be respected. Cultural heritage is important.
Fuck around. Find out.
TIL:Ireland respect culture more than cars”
Fixed the headline for you
I am a non religious person but I have been told first hand accounts by farmers who destroyed a fairy ring the misery that befell them afterwards and there is no way would I ever desecrate a site belonging to the other folk.
Don’t fuck with the fae
As a story teller of folklore that focus a lot of fairies i will tell you all.
Don’t fuck with the Fae. They are the ultimate winners of making people play fuck around and find out
Growing up in Clare – I’d the rotten sludge in the bottom of a student fridge before I hurt a fairy tree.
Yup. It’s just down the road from me. I remember the chatter at the time. Kinda funny
Don’t go messing with the Faeries. We have enough things going missing in this country.
Fuck it . They should move the motorway. How many countries respect fairy rings and forts? Silly as it sounds .
Ireland should preserve our own uniqueness. Not but because of superstition or religiosity ( who de feck is religious now ?) but because it has been changing and progressing faster then any other European nation ever.
Mind you, I’m including the fall of the iron curtain and how those satellite states changed so quickly.
But – Ireland is a different animal all together . I was going to say Horse instead of animal, but thought that would be too cliché haha.
Now I’m on one – The amount of 15th C – 18C castles that should have been or should be preserved is shocking. Meanwhile , most of the locals looking at these castle ruins everyday of their lives , don’t have a clue of its history.
Going back to the motorways – We pay enough tax – Let them shower of c**t’s in Europe pay for that . Thought’s ?
Fight me
Simply dont mess with fairies. It’s an amazing part of our culture passed down over so many generations.
26 comments
Rightfully so
Superstition aside,these are culturally significant and should be respected as such.
If they did, it seems to be more an exception than the rule. I’m a historian, and for my masters thesis I had to look up a load of fossilised pollen profiles. Several of them had been taken as part of ‘rescue excavations’ of archaeological sites that were about to be pulverised by a national road, a motorway, or a ring road. All so’s a couple of thousand people can commute two hours a day up to Dublin to have a miserable time at work. A lot of Irish archaeologists have stories about working with a digger more or less at their backs.
Sure we can all laugh about how superstitious some are about fairy forts, but if the chips were down I wouldn’t go fucking around with one either. Don’t want to find out whether the juju is real or not.
It’s very easy to laugh at the story but it’s part of a broader issue of construction plowing through places of significant cultural and archaeological significance for capital projects. There’s a great book on this called ‘The Men Who Eat Ringforts’, worth a read.
Here’s another case study used in a book of a ringfort being split for the m18 motorway
https://preview.redd.it/2872qci4lnva1.jpeg?width=768&format=pjpg&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=5bce41503aa7be6efa736d2ccfca4351727d34cd
De Lorean had one cut down, to build his car factory, and we all saw how that turned out for your man.
Our cultural heritage is important.
We wouldn’t snicker at native people in another country not wanting sacred sites to be obliterated by a motorway, we should have the same respect for ourselves.
I don’t believe in fairies, but I do not mess with fairies.
I’m all for preserving the heritage and a bit of Druid spiritualism never did any harm. The attempt to shoehorn it all into the fabric of Irish Christianity is a bit less to my taste but whatever works for people I guess.
It’d be nice to see the same public support for restoring the native deciduous forests that were obliterated by colonisers. We can’t just rely on the fairies to do that as well.
If Eddie Lenihan says don’t cut down a tree you don’t cut it down.
Absolutely support it.
1. Our kids deserve to inherit our culture
2. You dont mess with fairies.
In fairness Eddie Lenihan could tell a story that would have people in Antarctica opening up supermarkets for selling snow.
>Fairy *bush*
Give the Aos Sí some respect, you savage.
Obviously it is just superstition but as has been rightly pointed out, it is also our cultural heritage and should be protected imo.
But to me it seems as though it has been just left as a bush on the side of the road. Is it not an opportunity missed to celebrate it more so with some element of visual recognition – nothing tacky or over the top but at least some nearby artistic sculpture or signage to draw attention to its presence – would be enjoyable I’m sure for tourists etc.
We used to run tours for Americans and would run through this road on a coach while ferrying tourists from place to place. We had one of those pa systems for doing tour guide banter and would point this out as “the most valuable bush in Ireland ” and tell the story along with a bunch of the tales you would know about why you don’t mess with a fairy fort
These sites should be respected. Cultural heritage is important.
Fuck around. Find out.
TIL:Ireland respect culture more than cars”
Fixed the headline for you
I am a non religious person but I have been told first hand accounts by farmers who destroyed a fairy ring the misery that befell them afterwards and there is no way would I ever desecrate a site belonging to the other folk.
Don’t fuck with the fae
As a story teller of folklore that focus a lot of fairies i will tell you all.
Don’t fuck with the Fae. They are the ultimate winners of making people play fuck around and find out
Growing up in Clare – I’d the rotten sludge in the bottom of a student fridge before I hurt a fairy tree.
Yup. It’s just down the road from me. I remember the chatter at the time. Kinda funny
Don’t go messing with the Faeries. We have enough things going missing in this country.
Fuck it . They should move the motorway. How many countries respect fairy rings and forts? Silly as it sounds .
Ireland should preserve our own uniqueness. Not but because of superstition or religiosity ( who de feck is religious now ?) but because it has been changing and progressing faster then any other European nation ever.
Mind you, I’m including the fall of the iron curtain and how those satellite states changed so quickly.
But – Ireland is a different animal all together . I was going to say Horse instead of animal, but thought that would be too cliché haha.
Now I’m on one – The amount of 15th C – 18C castles that should have been or should be preserved is shocking. Meanwhile , most of the locals looking at these castle ruins everyday of their lives , don’t have a clue of its history.
Going back to the motorways – We pay enough tax – Let them shower of c**t’s in Europe pay for that . Thought’s ?
Fight me
Simply dont mess with fairies. It’s an amazing part of our culture passed down over so many generations.