The Fairy Path

A story is told about a hole in a barn wall still to be seen at my home in Aughnaseda. Up to 1920 this place belonged to a family called Clarke. Mr. David Clarke now residing near Glass-lough, who is 75 years of age [born 1863?], remembers when he was a boy that this particular barn had a front and back door directly opposite each other. This had been used by his father for cleaning corn. His father, who was a mason, decided to build up the back door for some reason. He did so with mortar and stone and next morning it had fallen down. He built it again and the same thing occurred next night.

An old woman called Katie McKenna, who lived in the same lane, told them that they might not try to close that door for it was the fairies path right up the street, through the barn to Roddie's Hill.

She advised them that if they must build it up to leave a "wee windy" for the fairies. They took her advice and built it the third time leaving a small square hole which is to be seen there to this day. Told to Rita Mc Clelland of Aghnasedagh by Mr David Clarke of Hillhall https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4742057/4731466/4816899 The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0957, Page 234 Do people still believe in the fairies? Maybe not to the same extent, but sensible people don’t go out of their way to disabuse them. Why would you tempt fate?