A trip down memory lane for my latest Country Diary today.

I have a number of people to thank. First and foremost is John Maguire of Clonee, who went above and beyond in terms of helping me get access to sites, and pointing me in the right direction for the larger context. Particular thanks also to Owen Rush for the chance to visit Drumkeen’s fairy fort, as well as to Jim Muldoon, and Ann Marie McVeigh, for visits to the fairy forts of Letterboy and Monavreece/Moneyvriece.

I’d also like to thank John B. Cunningham for a wonderful and stimulating conversation about the history of Fermanagh in general, as well as the Ederney area in particular. John was also kind enough to send me a number of documents which filled me in on a lot of background that, ultimately could not be fitted into a piece of such brevity. However, I am looking forward to the getting the chance to use that information in the future. At the very least I am delighted that I now know a lot more about the history of the area I grew up in.

As always, many thanks to Paul Fleckney, editor of The Guardian’s Country Diary.

And, finally, because of all those long-ago walks that he insisted on, without which this piece would never have been written, I also have to acknowledge the dog who was my constant companion when I was young. Thank you, Frisky. You were a good boy.