IRELAND'S FAIRY FORTS

 

Cyril Helnwein

Pamela Norrington

From Wiki:

Fairy forts (also known as lios or raths from the Irish, referring to an earthen mound) are the remains of stone circles, ringforts, hillforts, or other circular prehistoric dwellings in Ireland. From (possibly) the late Iron Age  to early Christian times, the island's occupants built circular structures with earth banks or ditches. These were sometimes topped with wooden palisades and wooden framed buildings. As the dwellings were not durable, only vague circular marks often remained in the landscape. The remains of these structures, in conjunction with the vegetation around them, are associated with local traditions and folklore, perhaps involving fairies or other supposed supernatural entities, who would "defend" the structures from destruction by builders or farmers.

As of 1991, there were between thirty and forty thousand identifiable fairy forts in Ireland's countryside, the oldest of them possibly dating back as early as 600 BCE.

I first came across mention of Fairy Forts from the YT Try channel where Irish folk try a variety of food and drink. A passing comment by one gave full warning not to disturb a fairy fort out of fear of upsetting the fairies. 

Irish folklore is rich with these creatures and the following vid explains eight examples of the better known fairies.