Day 21: The Fairy Woods
Located in Cloonasee – the meadow of the fairies – the Burren Nature Sanctuary is located just outside the village of Kinvara in County Galway, along the Wild Atlantic Way.
The sanctuary has many features along it’s interactive walk, however my favourite area was the fairy woods. I was lucky enough not to have anyone else around when I reached this point in the walk.
Fairy folklore is an integral part of Irish mythology and culture. The Tuatha Dé Danann are a supernatural race in Irish mythology, and are thought to represent the main deities of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland. The Tuatha Dé Danann constitute a pantheon whose attributes appeared in a number of forms all across the Celtic world.
The Tuath Dé dwell in the Otherworld but interact with humans and the human world. Each member of the Tuath Dé has been associated with a particular feature of life or nature, but many appear to have more than one association.
Wandering through the fairy woods at the Burren Nature Sanctuary, I had a lot of fun locating all the fairy houses, tucked away in mounds, rocks and trees.
Kate Kelsen 