So, please excuse the background noise throughout the video - my street was particularly noisy this evening and my cats were also chasing each other around the house. Brownie points if you spot them in the background!
This video has been on my mind to make for a while, as someone who has grown up with a very strong belief and respect of the Irish Fair Folk / Good Neighbours. Here are Five Fair Folk Fundamentals, talking about the Irish Daoine Sidhe or "fairies" as they are sometimes called.
In this video I briefly go through:
1. Some examples of the different beings under the Sidhe umbrella (namely the Púca/Pooka, Beansí/Banshee and the Róin/Selkie)
2. Some names that are alternatives to the F-word ("fairies"/"fairy")
3. Likes and Dislikes
4. Fairy Trees/Bushes (with an extra story from my grandad)
5. People and the Good Folk
I also give some personal insight into stories and information I was told growing up in Ireland about these beings.
Here are a list of resources for further research:
Duchas.ie
National Folklore Collection and the Schools Collection where you an search manuscripts and read stories of most things in Irish folklore - particularly the Good Neighbours there are 10k search results relating to "fairies" alone : www.duchas.ie/en/src?q=fairies
Morgan Daimler
---- in general one of my main trusted resources on all things Fair Folk
Their Youtube Channel is here: / @morgandaimlerfairies
TikTok: @carasidhe
Twitter: @MorganDaimler
Blog: lairbhan.blogspot.com/
Also They have been published many times over on topics related to the Good Folk, as well as Irish Paganism: www.amazon.com/Morgan-Daimler/e/B0047QW0WY/ref=sr_…
Link to an interview with Morgan Daimler on Lora O'Brien's Youtube Channel: • How to Stay Safe when Working with Ir...
(more links for Lora below)
Eddie Lenihan
I mentioned Eddie in this video as being someone who actively fights to preserve fairy trees and bushes - he also has written a number of books on the subject available on his website (I have 'Meeting the Othercrowd' and 'In Search of BIddle Early' - but there are others on my wishlist). He also retells the stories on his YouTube Channel!
Website: eddielenihan.weebly.com/
YouTube Channel: / @tellmeastorypodcastwithedd7774
Lora O'Brien
Playlist on Irish Fairy and Folk Tales: • Video
---Also, Lora is the co-founder of the irishpaganschool.com/ where there are lots of classes on Irish lore, and some specific classes on the Irish Good Folk (some taught by Morgan Daimler, mentioned above) and a wonderful community of people interested in and sharing resources and learning on these topics
Shane Broderick
Shane is a UCC Celtic Studies Graduate with a real passion for Irish folklore, check out his blog below:
irishfolklore.wordpress.com/2018/12/22/fairies-and…
Hog and Dice
--- Irish folklore and storytelling
YouTube: / @hoganddice
TikTok: @hoganddice
Other TikTokers that cover Irish folklore topics:
@cailinrua
@anirishwitch
@ogerain
News Articles on Fairy Trees and Bushes in Ireland:
Fairy bush survives the motorway planners (Sat, May 29, 1999)
www.irishtimes.com/news/fairy-bush-survives-the-mo…
A farmer and his magical field: How fairies have ‘kept the land sacred in Ireland’ (October 29, 2020)
www.agriland.ie/farming-news/a-farmer-and-his-magi…
Warning over damage to Hill of Tara 'wishing trees' (Updated / Monday, 15 Jul 2019)
www.rte.ie/news/leinster/2019/0715/1062259-wishing…
From ringfort to ring road: The destruction of Ireland’s fairy forts (Sat, Mar 13, 2021)
www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/from-ringfort-…
'I won't defend Danny Healy-Rae's politics but I will defend personal belief in fairies' (Aug 12th 2017)
www.thejournal.ie/readme/i-wont-defend-danny-healy…
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@TheCraftyCailleach | Irish History & Folklore