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Ballymorris

Rath

Nearest Town:Caher (6km SE)
OS Ref (IE):   S0097829559 / Sheet: 74
Latitude:52° 25' 3.54" N
Longitude:   7° 59' 8.24" W

Added by Rhiannon


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Folklore

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After all the stuff about fairies this seems rather mundane, it's more like historical stories (albeit pretty muddled in its mix of pagan Irish tribes, Danish invaders and Christian institutions). The piece is still entitled 'fairy forts' though, so I guess the fairies turned up as tenants in the end.
In a field owned by Mr James Lonergan lie two large forts. They are situated by the side of the river Aherlow and are in the townland of Ballymorris.
It is said that they were built by the old Irish and in one of them a great chief lived. All that now remains of them is a mound of clay with a few whitethorn bushes growing round in a ring around it but once it was a huge fort.
Inside was the great house in which the chief lived: outside this was a great wall of clay and outside was a deep trench with the water from the river flowing into it.
When the Danes came to Ireland they plundered the fort, killed the chief and put the Irish tribe out and went in themselves.
It is said that they plundered St Pecaun's church andtook some of the Sacred Vessels away and hid them in the fort. By now they were very strongly entrenched and they plundered every church school and monastery in the surrounding district.
The Irish at this time were fighting amongst themselves but after a while they united and drove the invader out of the fort and out of the district also. They restored the stolen treasures to the churches, schools and monasteries.
From the Schools Collection of the 1930s, now being transcribed at duchas.ie.
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
10th April 2016ce