The Fairy Wood Of Corkagh Park

The Fairy Wood of Corkagh Park in Clondalkin is a magical place, and today I’m going to take you on a photo tour of this enchanted forest.

Last year in late December, just before Christmas, my little girl and I went on a quest to discover fairies in the woods. Her Nana sent her an Irish Fairy Door as a gift, and from the moment she laid eyes on the little arched portal, she was under a magical spell.

She searched The Irish Fairy Door company website to learn everything she could about Irish fairies, and lo and behold she discovered a fairy trail in Dublin.

Now Nana lives in Dublin so a quick day trip to the fairy woods was easy, once hats and scarves were donned to combat a crisp, cold day.

These Irish fairies guard their woods all year round.

Most of the trees had completely shed their leaves, making them eerily appealing. Spotting the fairy homes perched high amongst the branches was soooo much fun.

We met two elderly women on our trails, beaming from ear to ear. They were unaware of the fairy surprises awaiting them in the woods, and they told us they both felt like little girls again, as they searched from tree to tree for fairy doors.

Síog (pronounced shee-oh-gh) is the head fairy in this neck of the woods and her fancy toadstool door was easily spotted.

The sugar sweet fairy, Maple, simply loves treats!  This clever little fairy placed her door on a crack in the bark, close to the sweet sap of the tree.

Each fairy shares information about the special job he or she performs. Bart is the protector of all the trees in the fairy woods.

My little girl ran from tree to tree excitedly discovering each new door and fairy name. At the foot of a very large trunk we discovered this fairy meeting spot.

We believe the fairies of this wood hold their council meetings here. What a perfect place for a snack or a picnic. I’m sure the fairies would enjoy munching stray crumbs.

And fairies love toadstools. We found quite a few wooden toad stools just perfect for perching and pondering magical matters.

But our favorite tree of all was the “Worry Tree”. You simply lay your palm on the worry plaque, whisper your worries to the listening tree, and all those crazy problems magically disappear.

And you can always mail your letters to the fairies in these magical woods.

We imagined Twinkle watching over us with a sparkle in her eyes.  She’s an expert at making people smile. She helps the light to shimmer though the branches and leaves, even on a winter’s day.

Ray picked a tree that faces east, so that he can see the rising sun every morning. There’s a moonlight fairy, and a storm fairy who’s actually very calm, and not at all afraid of bad weather.

This great grandfather red wood tree guards the entrance to the fairy wood.  It is one of just a few of these California natives to be found in Ireland.  And as we hugged this giant, we felt a magical connection to our home in America.

You can learn all about the fairies of Corkagh Park and check out a map of their home on The Irish Fairy Door Company website.

We loved the Fairy Wood of Corkagh Park. A big thank you to South Dublin County Council for inviting the fairies into these woods and for sprinkling a little bit of fairy dust in this suburban Dublin park. It truly is a wonderful place.

If you would like to learn more about these fairy doors why not check out my introductory blog post.

And don’t forget you can enter to win one of three fairy doors by checking out and commenting on this giveaway post by December 2nd, 2015 at noon.

Slán agus beannacht!

(Goodbye and blessings)

Irish American Mom