Irish fairies — known in Irish as the aos sí ("people of the mounds") — are the supernatural race of Celtic folklore, believed to dwell in the ancient earthen mounds, raths, and fairy forts that still dot the Irish landscape. Far from the tiny winged sprites of storybooks, the fairies of Irish tradition are powerful, human-sized beings: the wailing banshee, the shape-shifting púca, the fairy cat cait sidhe, and the solitary leprechaun all belong to their ranks. The Irish traditionally called them "the good people" — not out of affection, but out of caution, for it was safest never to offend them.
Irish faeries — known in Irish as the aos sí ("people of the mounds") or daoine sidhe — are a supernatural race believed to live alongside humans in an unseen Otherworld. Far from the tiny winged sprites of children's stories, the fae of Irish folklore are powerful, proud, and easily offended beings, treated with deep respect and caution. In Ireland, they were often called simply "the Good People" or "the Gentry," out of a wise reluctance to name them directly.
Who Are the Irish Faeries?
Irish tradition holds that the faeries descend from the Tuatha Dé Danann, a godlike race who ruled Ireland before the coming of the Gaels. When they were defeated, they did not leave — they withdrew into the sí (the fairy mounds) and into the Otherworld, becoming the aos sí. This is why so many fairy places are also ancient burial mounds and ring forts: they are said to be doorways to where the Good People still dwell.
Who Are the Aos Sí?
According to Irish mythology, the aos sí are the descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann — the god-like race that ruled Ireland before the coming of the Milesians (the ancestors of the modern Irish). Defeated but never destroyed, the Tuatha Dé Danann retreated into the hollow hills and beneath the ancient burial mounds, becoming the fairy folk. This is why disturbing a fairy fort or cutting a lone hawthorn tree is still considered profoundly unlucky in rural Ireland: these places are their homes, and the old agreement was simple — leave them undisturbed, and they will leave you in peace.
The Otherworld and Tír na nÓg
The faeries live in the Otherworld — a realm that exists parallel to our own, most famously imagined as Tír na nÓg, the "Land of the Young," where no one grows old, and sorrow never comes. The boundary between the human world and the Otherworld is thin in certain "thin places," and thinnest of all at the turning points of the year.
Types of Irish Fairies
Irish fairy lore divides broadly into trooping fairies, who live in courts and travel in grand processions along fairy paths, and solitary fairies, who live and act alone. Among the most famous are the banshee, whose keening cry foretells a death in the old Irish families; the púca, a shape-shifter who appears as a black horse, goat, or hare; the cait sidhe, the fairy cat honored with milk offerings on Samhain; the leprechaun, the solitary fairy shoemaker and guardian of hidden gold; and the changeling, a fairy child left in place of a stolen human infant. Each carries its own rules of respect — and its own dangers when those rules are broken.
When the Fairies Walk: Samhain and the Thin Veil
The aos sí were believed to move among mortals most freely on the threshold festivals of the Celtic year — above all on Samhain, October 31st, when the veil between the worlds was thinnest. On that night the fairy mounds were said to open, and the trooping fairies rode out in procession. Many classic Irish Halloween customs began as fairy protections: costumes to confuse fairy eyes, offerings of food left at the door, and iron or salt carried in a pocket, since both were proof against fairy power.
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Types of Irish Faeries
Irish folklore divides the fae into two broad kinds:
- Solitary fairies — who keep to themselves and are often tied to a task or a place: the leprechaun (the shoemaker and hoarder of gold), the banshee (whose wail foretells a death), the púca (a shape-shifting trickster), the dullahan (the headless horseman), and the clurichaun (the leprechaun's mischievous, wine-loving cousin).
- Trooping fairies — who travel together in great processions, feast, dance, and ride out along the old fairy paths, especially at Samhain and Bealtaine.
Other beloved figures include the merrow (Irish mermaids), the far darrig ("red man," a grim prankster), and the changeling — a fairy left in place of a stolen human child. For a deeper look at the ranks and rulers of the fae, see our guide to the Irish fairy kings of folklore.
Where Do the Faeries Live?
The fae are woven into the Irish landscape itself:
- Fairy forts (raths) and fairy mounds — the circular earthworks that dot the countryside are considered fairy dwellings. To plough one, build on one, or cut it down is to invite serious misfortune, which is why so many survive untouched in the middle of farmed fields. Read more about fairy mounds and the thin veil between worlds.
- Fairy trees — the lone hawthorn, especially one standing by itself in a field, is a fairy tree. Harming it is deeply unlucky.
- Thin places — holy wells, ancient sites, and lonely crossroads where the Otherworld presses close.
Fairy Etiquette: Living Beside the Good People
Because the fae could be generous or dangerous, Irish country people kept a careful code. You did not thank them outright, boast, or name them carelessly. You left offerings of milk or bread, kept iron near cradles to guard against changelings, and never disturbed a fairy fort or fairy tree. Our ancestors developed a whole system of charms and safeguards — explored in our post on Irish fairies and anti-fairy measures. For the wider origins of these beliefs, see the myths and origins of fairies.
When the Veil Thins: Samhain and Bealtaine
The faeries are most active at the two great turning points of the Celtic year. At Bealtaine (May Eve) the fae ride out and cattle were driven between bonfires for protection; at Samhain (Halloween) the veil between worlds falls away entirely and the Good People — and the dead — walk freely. These were nights to stay indoors, leave an offering, and show respect.
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More from the world of the fae:
- Celtic Cat (Cat Sí) Necklace — the fairy cat of Irish legend — $149.99
- Children of Lir Pendant — the swan-children of the Tuatha Dé Danann — $159.99
- Celtic Fairy Ear Cuff — a whisper of fairy magic — $16.99
- Shop all Fairies & Angels jewelry
- Explore the Celtic Legends collection
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Irish Faeries — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Irish word for fairies?
The Irish words are aos sí or daoine sidhe, meaning "people of the mounds." Out of respect and caution, the Irish also called them "the Good People" or "the Gentry" rather than naming them directly.
Where do Irish faeries come from?
In Irish tradition the faeries descend from the Tuatha Dé Danann, a godlike race who ruled Ireland before the Gaels. After their defeat they withdrew into the fairy mounds (the sí) and the Otherworld, becoming the aos sí.
What is a fairy fort?
A fairy fort, or rath, is one of the circular earthen ring forts found across the Irish countryside. They are believed to be fairy dwellings, and disturbing, ploughing, or building on one is thought to bring serious misfortune — which is why many survive untouched today.
What is a changeling?
A changeling is a fairy secretly left in place of a stolen human child. Belief in changelings explains many old Irish protective customs, such as keeping iron near a cradle to guard an infant from the fae.
When are Irish faeries most active?
The fae are most active at Bealtaine (May Eve) and Samhain (Halloween), the turning points of the Celtic year when the veil between the human world and the Otherworld is thinnest.
Are Irish fairies good or evil?
Neither, exactly. The Good People could be generous or dangerous depending on how they were treated. Irish folklore is full of etiquette for living beside them — leaving offerings, avoiding fairy trees and forts, and never insulting or thanking them outright.
Conclusion
The world of Irish faeries is not a nursery tale but a living tradition, written into the mounds, hawthorns, and thin places of the Irish landscape. To honour the Good People is to honour Ireland's oldest beliefs — and you can carry a little of that magic with you in handcrafted Irish folklore jewelry.
Frequently Asked Questions About Irish Fairies
What are Irish fairies called?
Irish fairies are called the aos sí (pronounced "ees shee"), meaning "people of the mounds." Older texts use aes sídhe. The Irish also traditionally referred to them indirectly as "the good people" or "the gentry," believing that naming fairies directly could attract their unwanted attention.
What is the difference between Irish fairies and storybook fairies?
Irish fairies are not tiny winged sprites. In Celtic folklore the aos sí are a powerful, human-sized supernatural race descended from the god-like Tuatha Dé Danann. They can bless or curse, steal children, and reward or punish mortals, which is why Irish tradition treats them with careful respect rather than whimsy.
What types of fairies exist in Irish folklore?
Irish folklore includes trooping fairies, who travel in processions along fairy paths, and solitary fairies who act alone. Famous types include the banshee (death herald), púca (shape-shifter), cait sidhe (fairy cat), leprechaun (fairy shoemaker), and changeling (fairy child swapped for a human infant).
What is a fairy fort?
A fairy fort is an ancient circular earthwork or mound, called a rath or lios, found throughout the Irish countryside. Folklore holds that the aos sí dwell within them, and disturbing one brings serious misfortune. Thousands survive today partly because generations of farmers refused to touch them.
What is a fairy cat?
The fairy cat of Irish folklore is the cait sidhe — a large black cat with a white chest spot, believed to be a fairy or spirit in feline form. On Samhain night, households left out milk for the cait sidhe; homes that did were blessed and homes that didn't risked a curse.
How did people protect themselves from fairies?
Traditional Irish protections against fairies included iron in any form, salt, holy water, and turning one's coat inside out to confuse a fairy path. People also avoided building on fairy forts, left offerings of milk or bread, and spoke of the fairies respectfully as "the good people" to stay in their favor.
When are fairies most active in Irish folklore?
Irish fairies were believed most active on the threshold festivals of the Celtic year — Samhain (October 31st), Bealtaine (May 1st), and Midsummer — and at liminal times of day like dusk and midnight. On Samhain the fairy mounds were said to open, letting the aos sí walk freely among mortals.
