Tieveragh, in Irish roughly the hillside of the raths, is a steep volcanic plug above Cushendall that formed about sixty million years ago, like Tievebulliagh and Slemish. Two raths, or ancient ring forts, lie behind it in the townland of Coshcib. Locals call it the Fairy Hill, Cnoc na Si.
The Glens of Antrim Historical Society writes that it features in many fairy stories and that it would be a brave man who would climb to the top on a Halloween night. Tourism writing adds that on May Eve, 30 April, the fairies come out in procession, and that bad fairies lure unsuspecting visitors into the hill by playing enchanting music. Some retellings call it a gateway to Tir na nOg.
The archive notes that before modern entertainment rural people used storytelling and ceilidhing, and that imagination filled gaps in understanding of unexplained animal deaths and livestock ailments. The church answered such beliefs with holy wells and Christian feast days to replace pagan festivals.
Comments