The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

Ballyline West

Rath

Folklore

There are three raths in this area, but this one seems to be the best preserved, judging from the aerial photographs. Perhaps it's this one that's the source of this story in the Schools Collection (written in the 1930s, now being digitised at duchas.ie).
There is a fort situated about one mile from the village of Ballylongford in the townland of Ballyline, in the land which now belongs to Patrick Diggins. It is round in shape and is surrounded by trees.
John Diggins had a man employed to knock the fort. The servant went to the Priest to ask if he could knock the fort, and the Priest told him that if he got any other work to do not to mind the fort. He told this to his master and the master himself went to knock it. He got a stroke of a branch into the eye and he lost the sight of that eye. He went at it again and cut the trees and ploughed the fort and set corn in it, and after twelve months, the fort grew up again.
And here's another. It's perhaps more frightening but the protagonist doesn't seem too bothered.
There is a fort in the townland of Ballyline in the land of Mr. Patrick Lavery about two miles from Ballylongford. This fort is circular in shape and it is surrounded by white thorn and black thorn bushes. There is a gap in it and there is a path near it.
One night there was a man from Ballyline named John O'Brien going home and he heard great noise in the fort. He looked in and he saw a great crowd of men inside sitting at a table on which there were plenty eatables and drinkables. One of the men invited him in, and he went and had a good time. He recognised a few of the men that were dead for years. Towards morning the crowd disappeared and the man went home after a good night.
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
2nd April 2016ce
Edited 2nd April 2016ce

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