The Fairy Bush of Latoon
When a new motorway in Ireland was planned through a hawthorn bush, a storyteller warned it was a meeting place of the fairies. The road was moved.
What was reported
In Irish folklore, lone hawthorn bushes and ancient circular earthworks, known as fairy forts, belong to the 'good people', the fairies, and harming them brings bad luck. Farmers across Ireland have long ploughed around them.
In 1999, the folklorist and storyteller Eddie Lenihan warned that a new road near Latoon, in County Clare, would destroy a whitethorn bush where, he said, local fairies gathered before setting out to fight their rivals. The story was reported around the world, and the road plans were altered to leave the bush standing.
Explanations offered
The fairies are folklore, but respect for fairy forts and bushes has protected many ancient sites across Ireland that might otherwise have been destroyed. The authorities did not say the fairies were the reason for the change, but the bush survived.
- When
- 1999
- Where
- Latoon, County Clare, Ireland
- Witnesses
- A storyteller, local people and road builders
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.