In the middle of a field stands a lone hawthorn tree. It looks the same as any other hawthorn tree with its serrated leaves, knotty bark, and thorny branches, but this tree is special. This is what’s known as a fairy tree, and it has magical powers.
Dotted throughout the Irish countryside are lonely trees standing untouched in the stark landscape. These fairy trees act as portals to the other world that, according to Irish folklore, the ‘wee folk’ of the Sidhe inhabit.
Quick answer: An Irish fairy tree is a lone tree, usually a hawthorn (sceach gheal in Irish), that folklore says belongs to the fairies. Harming one is said to bring bad luck, so farmers, councils and even road builders have left them standing for generations.
- Most common species: hawthorn, with the occasional ash.
- The big rule: never cut, move or damage a lone fairy tree, and don’t bring its blossom indoors.
- Most famous examples: the Latoon fairy bush beside the M18 in County Clare, the wishing trees on the Hill of Tara in County Meath, and the lost DeLorean fairy thorn at Dunmurry.
- Still protected today: the Latoon bush still grows beside the motorway it famously held up, checked October 2026.
What are Fairy Trees?
Fairy trees are magical trees that act as gateways between the mortal world and the other world where the faeries live. Fairy trees also act as a sacred meeting place for these otherworldly beings, making them places of great significance.
Fairy trees can be of any species, although they’re most commonly hawthorn or ash. However, it’s the location that truly distinguishes a fairy tree from an ordinary tree.
While ordinary trees grow in woods, fairy trees stand alone in the middle of a field or by the side of a road.
Throughout history, the Irish people have been superstitious about fairy trees, with farmers unwilling to remove them, even if it means they can’t grow crops where the tree stands. That’s why you’ll often see an untouched fairy tree standing in the middle of a perfectly cultivated field.
According to folklore, cutting down a fairy tree would bring bad luck for the rest of your life. On the other hand, those that treat the tree with respect, offering gifts or decorating it with ribbons, stand to be blessed by the residents of the other world.
How are Irish Fairy Trees connected to Folklore and Mythology?
For many years, a mythical race known as the Tuatha Dé Danann lived in Ireland and was worshipped by the Irish people. This tribe consisted of supernatural, godlike beings bestowed with special powers.
When the Gaels, known in the legends as the Milesians, arrived in Ireland, they defeated the Tuatha Dé Danann, forcing them to retreat underground. Here, they became known as the Sidhe, or faeries, of the other world.
The faeries used various gateways and portals to travel back into the mortal world. These were situated at the base of magical fairy trees, in burial mounds, and fairy forts. Some could even travel between worlds by diving underwater.
Fairy Trees Superstition
According to Irish folklore, fairy trees can bring either good or bad luck depending on how you treat them.
What Happens if You Cut Down a Fairy Tree?
If you chop a fairy tree down, it’s said that you’ll be cursed with bad luck for the rest of your life. Some even believe that “you will never get a good nights sleep again.”
Even taking a bough of the plant when it’s in flower can anger the faeries and bring bad luck on your family.
The National Museum of Ireland notes that hawthorn blossom carried into a house was believed to foretell a death, while a hawthorn stick brought home would bring “trouble and discontent” with it. The one time hawthorn was welcome was on May Eve, when families decorated the May bush outside with ribbons, flowers and eggshells to mark the start of summer at Beltane.
These superstitions may seem outlandish, but there’s evidence to suggest there might be some truth to the rumors.
In the late 1970s, the car manufacturer DeLorean began building a new luxury car plant in Dunmurry, near Belfast.
Standing on the proposed site was a lone hawthorn, regarded by many as a fairy tree. Local contractors refused to touch it, and according to Lisburn Museum, the tree then disappeared overnight. Rumor has it the head manager cut it down himself, though no one ever owned up.
The company subsequently went into receivership and closed permanently in October 1982.
The superstition surrounding the removal of a fairy tree is so great that, in 1999, a proposed road between Limerick and Galway was reportedly re-routed to save a prominent fairy tree growing on the proposed route. Some accounts say the move delayed the completion of the road by a decade, although the county engineer later said the road wasn’t moved at all!
Here’s how the best-known fairy tree stories actually played out, year by year:
Can You Touch a Fairy Tree?
Although some offer gifts in the form of ribbons that they tie to the branches of a fairy tree, the main myth states that even touching one could attract the attention of the faeries and bring bad luck or ill health to your door.
What Happens if You Thank a Fairy Tree?
You’d think that thanking a fairy tree would bring you good luck, but that’s not the case. In the other world of faeries, it’s considered rude to say thank you as it suggests that “you’d forget the good deed they’d done for you.”
The best way to deal with fairy trees is to avoid them, as you would any place where faeries might congregate.
There are some exceptions, however. Golfers at the Ormeau golf course in Belfast are said to be encouraged to nod at the fairy tree that stands there and apologize to it if they hit it with their golf balls. No one touches the tree, however, not even the club’s gardeners!
If you’d rather not test your luck, here are the old rules in one place:
What Types of Trees are Considered Fairy Trees in Ireland?
Fairy trees can be of any species, although they’re most commonly hawthorn trees, and the fairy people will utilize the occasional ash tree if needs must. The location of the tree is what truly distinguishes a fairy tree.
While ordinary trees grow in woods, fairy trees stand alone in the middle of a field or by the side of a road. Many of them are surrounded by a ring of rocks or stones, which protect the tree and signify its importance.
Hawthorn is a native Irish tree, and University College Cork’s tree guide calls it “perhaps best known as a fairy tree.” It also has its own month in the Celtic tree calendar, which shows how long trees have held a special place in Irish life, just like the Celtic Tree of Life symbol.
Folklore stories maintain that, in order to grow in such exposed areas and withstand the harsh elements, “there had to be some sort of magical force helping them.”
Are there any Famous Fairy Trees in Ireland that are Worth Visiting?
You can find fairy trees dotted around every village in Ireland. Almost every farmer has at least one, but some are more famous than others.
The Hill of Tara Wishing Tree
One important faerie tree stands on the Hill of Tara in County Meath.
Also known as a Wishing Tree, the lone hawthorn tree standing on the Hill of Tara is extremely important. The area around it was once an ancient burial site and later became the seat of the high kings of Ireland. Today the Hill of Tara is cared for by the Office of Public Works and is open to visitors all year.
Unfortunately, this famous faerie tree is now struggling to stand under the weight of the human ‘prayers’ and offerings bestowed upon it.
The tree toppled over in June 2019 after too many people attached non-biodegradable offerings to its branches. According to the Tara Skryne Preservation Group, the message from the tree is clear – it no longer wants these human burdens!
The tradition of tying offerings to a tree is an old Irish tradition, but not one that was originally linked to fairy trees. Rag trees, as they are known, stand at holy wells and other ancient sites, while fairy trees are often situated in exposed, windswept locations.
As a result, the weight and amount of offerings attached to the tree “has caused a sail effect in high winds,” resulting in it toppling over.
Fortunately, many fairy trees have escaped this tradition and stand untouched, just as the fairies would want.
The Latoon Fairy Bush in County Clare
Known as the Latoon fairy bush, this hawthorn grows at Junction 11 of the M18 (the Newmarket-on-Fergus and Ennis bypass) in County Clare, and it was saved in May 1999 after a campaign by local storyteller Eddie Lenihan.
The fairy tree that caused the re-routing of the road between Limerick and Galway still stands proudly by the side of the road, despite being vandalized in 2002. The tree responded by magically sprouting new growth within a year of the attack.
Although many drive past this gnarly hawthorn bush, few stop to offer prayers, perhaps because it’s believed to be a battleground where the fairies of Munster and Connacht attempt to resolve their ancient conflicts.
There are many stories about certain trees, but few have survived in modern times. Nevertheless, the belief that removing this tree would enable the conflicting fairy armies to find a common ground halted road works as recently as 1999.
People feared that, should the tree be removed or cut down, the fairies would take their revenge. Lenihan himself warned of “death and great misfortune” for motorists using the new road, and his advice still stands: “Never shift a fairy bush.”
How can People Learn More about Irish Fairy Trees?
There are some excellent online resources that explore the history of fairy trees and explain what the Celts believed about the other world, its inhabitants and its many entrances.
I found this article site particularly helpful while this one discusses where to find fairy trees in Northern Ireland and beyond. Irish folktales like this one also shed light on the significance of fairy trees.
For first-hand accounts, the National Folklore Collection on dúchas.ie holds thousands of local stories and customs written down by Irish schoolchildren in the 1930s, so it’s worth searching for fairy trees near your own county, and the National Museum of Ireland’s hawthorn sheet sums up the old beliefs in one page.
Why might the Irish Tradition of Fairy Trees be Relevant or Meaningful Today?
Even ordinary trees are pretty magical. They remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to combat the effects of climate change.
Irish folklore may seek to protect fairy trees because of the wee folk that utilize them, but their powers go beyond that.
Hawthorn trees, in particular, provide shelter and nesting space for various species of hedgerow birds, while fruit-eating birds like blackbirds and thrushes feed on its fruits.
The more trees we protect, the better it is for our environment, which suggests that the Irish tradition of watching over fairy trees is even more critical in modern times than it was in ancient Ireland.
Irish Fairy Tree FAQs
What is an Irish fairy tree?
An Irish fairy tree is a lone tree, usually a hawthorn, standing by itself in a field or by a road. Folklore says it belongs to the fairies and acts as a doorway to the other world, so it must never be harmed.
Why are fairy trees usually hawthorns?
Hawthorn has been linked with the fairies in Ireland for centuries, and a hawthorn standing alone in open ground was thought to be especially magical. Ash trees are sometimes treated as fairy trees too.
Is it bad luck to cut down a hawthorn tree in Ireland?
According to Irish folklore, yes. Cutting down a lone hawthorn is said to bring bad luck for the rest of your life, which is why many farmers still plough around them.
Why shouldn’t you bring hawthorn blossom into the house?
Hawthorn blossom brought indoors was traditionally believed to foretell a death in the family, according to the National Museum of Ireland.
Where can I see a fairy tree in Ireland?
The Hill of Tara in County Meath has hawthorn wishing trees and is open all year, and the Latoon fairy bush still grows beside the M18 in County Clare. Please look but don’t tie anything to the branches.
Conclusion
To the Irish, fairy trees are sacred and full of magic. They allow the wee folk to move between worlds.
They also provide meeting places and battlegrounds where fairy communities gather and attempt to resolve their differences.
In Ireland, fairies are dangerous spirits that are easily angered and slow to forgive, which is why fairy trees are heavily protected wherever they grow.
Even if you don’t believe in Irish folklore, protecting these sacred hawthorn trees is just as important in modern times as it was for the ancient Celts.
Hawthorn trees provide shelter and food for many different species, including fairies, and help reduce the impact of climate change.
Personally, I hope there are wee folk living among the roots of Ireland’s famous faerie trees, and if there are, I hope they are powerful enough to protect these trees long into the future.
