Fairy faith and changelings: the burning of bridget cleary in 1895

Despite all their inherent contradictions the ubiquitous fairies of rural Ireland played an important role in Irish oral tradition up to modern times. Tales of the Little People or the Good People as the fairies were often known, of the banshee, of the making of spells and pishoguery, of uncanny goings-on at strange hours, were taken quite seriously and form part of the great wealth of Irish folklore. A recent manifestation of fairy faith or belief in the fairies was the re-routing of a new County Mayo road in 1959 because workmen refused to destroy a fairy fort in its path. ¹ In general, however, these folk traditions were innocuous but the burning of Bridget Geary as a changeling in 1895 demonstrates that the strength of belief in the fairies had dangerous potentialities. ²