I imagine a mist is rising over the river and lake. It’s an Ireland kind of morning. The ground is damp with rain, the air is crisp and cool. All that I can see is quiet and lovely, a grand spring morning, but beneath the stillness and calm, mystery lurks. Always, mystery. And, that, dear reader, reminds me of that distant, enchanting island that will always be in my heart.
One of the fascinating features of the Irish countryside is the “fairy ring” or fairy fort. They are the circular remains of ancient fortifications built during the early Middle Ages or earlier. Huts and people, cattle and farm animals lived within the walls for safety. Now, nothing is left but reminders: a scattering of stones, an earthen mound, and a mysterious tale passed down through the generations. If you are walking through the countryside and come upon a crumbling circle of stones, leave it alone. Don’t disturb a single rock or blade of grass. Folklore says that if the owner of the land wants to do away with the fort to have more land for farming, he had better think twice. Bad things happen to anyone who disturbs these remnants of an earlier civilization.
With mist creeping down from gorse-covered hills like watchful spirits, the crumbling remains of castles that dot the landscape, and the feeling of enchantment in the crisp air, it is easy to imagine ghostly shapes rising from the mists of time. If I ever happened to be striding through the green fields of Ireland and came upon a circle of stones or dirt, you can be very sure I would tiptoe carefully away. It’s not that I’m superstitious, but I have an abiding respect for the legends and stories of those fairy forts of Ireland.
But, my goodness, I am far removed in time and miles from the mysterious history of the emerald isle. The coffee is hot; the morning, crisp and clear; but, there’s something in the air–do you feel it? Maybe it’s the niggling feeling that the secrets of the past are only a thought away, and I wonder what it was like a few centuries ago, when within those fairy rings real people lived and dreamed their dreams. In Ireland. In April.
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