The Great Rath at Downpatrick as a Gentle Place

In her discussion of raths and souterrains, Elizabeth Andrews writes that she was told the great rath at Downpatrick had been a very gentle place, meaning one inhabited by fairies. She notes that there is no known souterrain in it. Gentle is the Ulster country-people's cautious word for places belonging to the fairies. The great rath at Downpatrick is usually identified with the Mound of Down, the large earthwork beside the town.