Away With The Fairies

Fóidín Mearbhaill or Meara is according folklore, especially in the West of Ireland, a widely-held superstition that the fairies sometimes put a spell on a piece of earth, usually a sod of grass.  Whoever inadvertently steps upon it loses their way at once and cannot find an exit until the fairies tire of their game and at last throw open the unseen doors. It is also widely believed that one can counter the spell by turning one's coat inside out and so wearing it.

The fairies of the Lagan Valley are still at this game, but have updated their procedures to better reflect modern times. Recently while en route to Lambeg station with the bike intending to cycle back down the river to the city, I figured out a last-minute short cut with Google Maps on my iPhone, but was lead to use the map of the environs of Derriaghy station as the focus of my cunning plan instead of Dunmurry station, where I alighted.

I was a confused little sod indeed for a while.

Where my brain was.

Where I actually was.