Searching for an entrance to the fairy kingdom? Just look for a hawthorn. But a word of warning: don’t harm the tree. You’ll only be asking for trouble…
In the garden of a house in Blythe Street off Sandy Row there grew an old hawthorn tree – a fairy tree. In 1980 it was scheduled to be chopped down as part of a Northern Ireland Housing Executive scheme. The plan was fiercely opposed by local people, who knew of the perils of harming a fairy tree. For the hawthorn is said to guard the entrance to the fairy kingdom, and misfortune is sure to befall anyone so foolhardy as to cut one down.
The superstition remains a persistent one even today, and there are many tales of bad luck coming to those who have ignored it – including a workman on the Blythe Street project who was injured after damaging the fairy tree.
In the end the NIHE went ahead and demolished the house, but left the tree untouched. They also created the Fairy Thorn Garden, a children’s play park incorporating the fairy tree, a wishing well and a brightly coloured mural.
HAWTHORN – TREE OF MYTH AND LEGEND
In Celtic folklore, the hawthorn is believed to offer protection. The tree produces beautiful white blossoms, usually in May. According to myth, the flowers should never be brought indoors for fear of displeasing the fairies. However, placing the blooms outside to banish evil spirits was a common practice for many years.
In Victorian Belfast, May Bushes were brought into town from the countryside and decorated by whole neighbourhoods. This was a quite competitive endeavour and local rivalries got so intense that ultimately the practice was outlawed.
An bhfuil tú ar lorg bealach isteach go ríocht na síog? Níl le déanamh ach sceach gheal a aimsiú. Ach coimhéad: ná déan dochar don chrann. Nó beidh tú ag tarraingt trioblóide ort féin...
I ngairdín tí ar Shráid Blythe, giota ó Sandy Row, bhí seansceach gheal ag fás - crann sí. Sa bhliain 1980, bhí sé beartaithe go leagfaí é mar chuid de scéim de chuid Fheidhmeannacht Tithíochta Thuaisceart Éireann. Bhí muintir na háite go daingean in éadan an phlean, thuig siad an chontúirt a bhain le dochar a dhéanamh do chrann sí. De réir an tseanchais, is í an sceach gheal an bealach isteach go ríocht na síog, agus bheadh drochrath ar dhuine ar bith a bheadh amaideach go leor le ceann a leagadh.
Tá an phisreog go fóill ann sa lá atá inniu ann fiú, agus tá go leor scéalta ann de mhí-ádh ag siúl leo siúd a thug neamhaird uirthi - ina measc siúd bhí fear oibre ar an tionscadal ar Shráid Blythe, a gortaíodh i ndiaidh dó dochar a dhéanamh don chrann sí.
Sa deireadh, lean an FTTÉ ar aghaidh agus leag siad an teach, ach níor bhain siad don chrann. Chomh maith leis sin, thóg siad Gairdín na Sceiche Gile, clós súgartha do pháistí ina bhfuil an crann sí, tobar rúin agus múrphictiúr geal.
SCEACH GHEAL - CRANN NA MIOTASEOLAÍOCHTA AGUS NA FINSCÉALAÍOCHTA
Sa bhéaloideas Cheilteach, creidtear go dtugann an sceach gheal cosaint. Tagann bláthanna áille bána ar an chrann, i mí na Bealtaine de ghnáth. De réir na miotaseolaíochta, níor cheart na bláthanna a ghlacadh taobh istigh ar eagla go mbeadh na síoga míshásta. Mar sin féin, ba nósmhaireacht é leis na cianta na bláthanna a chur taobh amuigh den teach leis na hainsprideanna a dhíbirt.
I mBéal Feirste le linn aimsir na Victeoiriach, glacadh na Sceacha Geala ón tuath isteach go dtí an baile mór agus dhéanadh na comharsanachtaí iad a mhaisiú. Ba ghníomhaíocht iomaíoch é seo agus d’éirigh an iomaíocht chomh dian sin idir na ceantair go ndearnadh an cleachtas a chosc sa deireadh.
