Little Sprouts Weekend: Week 10
Some places make you look twice.
A grassy mound in the middle of a field.
A circle hidden beneath trees.
An old bank beside a lane.
A hollow in the ground that looks almost as though it leads somewhere.
For generations, places like these have gathered stories around them in Ireland.
Ringforts, mounds and hills became associated in folklore with the Aos Sí, the beings of the fairy world.
So this weekend, we're not trying to find an actual secret entrance.
We're doing something much simpler.
We're asking:
Can you find a place that looks as though it could hide a doorway to another world?
At a glance
Best for: Ages 3–9. Younger children can simply choose the most mysterious-looking place they see.
Time: 10–20 minutes
You will need: Nothing
Where: A local walk, park, country lane, field edge, woodland or somewhere you can see an old mound, bank or hill
Adult preparation: None
Keep in mind: Archaeological sites should be respected. Don't dig, move stones, climb unstable banks or enter private land without permission.
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Each is rooted in Irish nature, folklore and the changing season. Nothing elaborate. Nothing that requires preparation.
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This weekend's Little Sprouts adventure
1. Look for a place that feels different
As you walk, look at the shape of the land.
Can you spot:
- a grassy mound?
- a raised bank?
- a ring of trees?
- an unusual hollow?
- an old stone boundary?
- a hill that stands out from everything around it?
You don't have to know what it is.
This isn't an archaeology test.
You're simply looking for somewhere that makes you pause.
2. Stop and look around
Once you've chosen your place, stay a respectful distance away and really look.
What makes it feel interesting?
Is it the shape?
The trees growing around it?
The shadows?
The old stones?
The fact that it seems to have been left untouched?
Ask your Little Sprout:
What do you notice first?
3. Find the doorway
Now comes the imaginative part.
Ask:
If another world were hidden here, where would the doorway be?
Maybe your child chooses:
- a dark gap beneath a tree
- a hollow in a bank
- a space between stones
- the top of a mound
- somewhere completely invisible
There is no correct answer.
They don't need to touch or enter anything.
Just point.
Imagine.
Wonder.
4. What might be on the other side?
Ask one more question:
What do you think would be waiting on the other side?
A forest?
A feast?
Animals that can talk?
A place where it is always summer?
A world exactly like ours, except for one strange thing?
Let your child make the story.
You don't have to supply one for them.
5. Leave the place exactly as you found it
Don't dig for entrances.
Don't move stones.
Don't climb on archaeological remains.
And don't go onto private land without permission.
In fact, leaving these places alone fits rather neatly with many of the old stories too.
Irish folklore contains repeated warnings about disturbing certain fairy forts, bushes and mounds.
If you found one place that made you imagine another world, the adventure counts.
No fairy fort nearby?
You absolutely do not need one.
Look for any small place that seems as though a story could begin there.
Perhaps:
- a gap under tree roots
- a hollow between rocks
- a tunnel through a hedge
- a dark opening beneath ivy
- a little path disappearing around a corner
Ask the same question:
If this were a doorway, where would it lead?
The imagination is the adventure.
Enjoying this adventure?
What is a fairy fort?
The name fairy fort is commonly used in Irish folklore for ancient circular sites that became associated with the aos sí.
Archaeologically, many of these are ringforts.
They were real places where people lived.
Most ringforts are roughly circular or oval enclosures surrounded by an earthen bank and ditch. Archaeologists generally date many of them to the early medieval period, roughly AD 500–1000, when they functioned as homes and farmsteads.
So the fort itself isn't imaginary.
People lived there.
Animals were kept there.
Food was prepared there.
Children probably played there.
Centuries later, after those settlements had fallen out of use, stories continued to gather around many of them.
And that is where archaeology and folklore become especially interesting together.
A fairy fort near Drogheda
There is a particularly lovely folklore record from Beamore, near Drogheda in Co. Louth.
It was collected as part of the Schools' Collection in the 1930s.
The account describes a circular grassy mound at Beamore that was known as a fairy fort.
Local tradition said that fairies danced around the fort on one night of the year.
Another record from the same school describes a place at Beamore Cross called the Fairy Ring, where a man was said to have seen fairies dancing around the fort at midnight.
These aren't archaeological descriptions of what actually happened there.
They're something different.
They are records of the stories people in that area told about the landscape.
And because this was recorded in Co. Louth, it's a lovely reminder that Irish folklore isn't something that only belongs to faraway mountains or famous tourist sites.
Stories were attached to ordinary places close to home too.
The difference between a ringfort and a fairy fort
This is an important distinction for children and grown-ups.
A ringfort is an archaeological site.
A fairy fort is the folklore that may have become attached to a ringfort or similar place.
The two ideas can exist together.
We can say:
“People lived here a very long time ago.”
And also:
“Much later, people told stories that fairies lived here.”
We don't need to choose between history and story.
We simply need to be clear about which is which.
Why did these places gather stories?
We can't know exactly why every particular fort acquired its folklore.
But imagine seeing one centuries after it had stopped being used.
A circular mound remains in a field.
Trees grow on its banks.
Nobody remembers exactly who built it.
It looks old.
Different.
Perhaps a little mysterious.
Stories have always helped people explain places like that.
In the Schools' Collection, fairy-fort accounts appear again and again from communities across Ireland.
Some describe music.
Some describe lights.
Some describe dancing.
Others warn people not to cut bushes or interfere with the fort.
The details change from place to place.
That local variation is part of what makes folklore so interesting.
A mound at Slane
There are records from Slane, Co. Meath too.
One Schools' Collection account describes a high green mound near the Hill of Slane and another mound along the old road towards Beauparc.
The second was associated with stories of fairies dancing there at night.
Another record from the area describes Cnoc na Síog (a circular mound surrounded by trees) and stories of music and dancing there.
Again, these are recorded traditions, not evidence that supernatural events occurred.
But they show how strongly certain shapes in the landscape could become connected with stories.
What should we do around old forts?
The simplest answer is:
Look. Don't disturb.
Many ringforts and other archaeological monuments survive because generations of people did not level them.
Today, they form part of Ireland's archaeological heritage.
Some are on private farmland.
Some can be difficult to recognise.
Some may have steep banks, deep ditches or uneven ground.
So Little Sprouts Weekend isn't about getting inside a fort.
You don't need to.
Often the most interesting thing is simply to see one in the landscape and realise:
People lived here hundreds of years ago, and people kept telling stories about the place long after they were gone.
Questions to wonder about together
Choose whichever questions interest your child:
- Why do you think people told stories about old mounds and forts?
- If you lived here hundreds of years ago, what would your house look like?
- What might make a place feel mysterious?
- Where would you hide a doorway to another world?
- Why do you think some old places were left untouched?
And:
If this place could remember everyone who had ever stood here, what stories would it tell?
One thing to notice before Sunday ends
If you don't manage a walk, keep this one tiny.
Find one place outside that looks a little different.
A hollow.
A mound.
A gap beneath a tree.
A dark corner in a hedge.
Stop for a moment.
Then ask:
If this were a doorway to another world, where would it lead?
That's enough.
You don't need to find a real fairy fort.
You don't need to collect anything.
You don't even need to leave the garden.
You don't need to find another world. Just find a place that makes you imagine one.
Join Little Sprouts Weekend and get Four Irish Folklore Stories free
Each week, Little Sprouts Weekend brings you one small seasonal adventure to enjoy together.
One story. One little adventure. One thing to notice before Sunday ends.
It's created for families with children aged 3–9, with simple ideas designed to work without a garden, specialist knowledge or a big shopping list.
When you join, you'll also receive Four Stories for the Turning Year — a free collection of Irish nature myths, one for each season.
Frequently asked questions
What is Little Sprouts Weekend?
Little Sprouts Weekend is a free weekly family ritual for children aged 3 and up, rooted in Irish nature, folklore and the changing seasons.
Every Friday, families get one simple, screen-free adventure to try over the weekend. It might be finding an acorn, listening for autumn sounds, spotting a fairy tree, or noticing the first signs of winter.
The idea is to keep it small and doable. No big setup, no specialist knowledge, and usually nothing to buy.
One story. One little adventure. One thing to notice before Sunday ends.
It’s designed to help busy families slow down, step outside and notice the season together.
What is a fairy fort in Ireland?
Fairy fort is a folklore name commonly associated with old circular sites such as ringforts.
Irish folklore contains many stories in which these places were associated with the aos sí, or fairy folk.
Archaeologically, many ringforts were early medieval homes and farmsteads.
Did people actually live in ringforts?
Yes.
Ringforts were enclosed settlements used as residences and farmsteads. Many broadly date from around AD 500–1000, although individual sites can vary.
Are ringforts the same as fairy forts?
Not exactly.
Ringfort is an archaeological term.
Fairy fort reflects the folklore that later became associated with many of these places.
A single place can therefore be both a real archaeological ringfort and a place with recorded fairy folklore.
Can children visit a fairy fort?
Only visit archaeological sites that are legally and safely accessible.
Many ringforts are on private land.
Children should not dig, move stones, damage banks or bushes, or climb on unsafe remains.
You don't need to enter a fort to do this Little Sprouts adventure.
Are there fairy fort stories from Louth?
Yes.
The National Folklore Collection's Schools' Collection contains accounts from Beamore near Drogheda describing a circular grassy fairy fort and local traditions about fairies dancing there.
These records preserve local folklore rather than proving supernatural events occurred.
