TWO druids travelled to Skibbereen recently to reinstall a toppled standing stone to its original position.

A farmer using the land, Donal Bohane, became aware that his bull had brushed against it, causing it to topple, so he enlisted the help of the two druids, Jan and Karen Tetteroo.

In reinstalling the stone, the duo observed a few rituals that they felt would be in keeping with the myths and fairy folk legends surrounding the stone.

The couple, who travelled from Glenflesk in Killarney, explained that they are members of the Grove of Anu, which is a local grove of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids.

It’s a worldwide order – the largest of its kind in the world – and has as its aim the practice of the druidic path, and service to the community.

The couple said they originally heard the story from a professor of religious studies and that the cattle, owned by Donal Bohane, had subsequently developed problems.

One thought was that it was the fault of the fairies, or other unseen creatures and, after carrying out their own investigation, Jan and Karen concluded that the stone might have fallen on ‘a faerie road.’

There have, allegedly, been cases in Ireland where houses built on such roads had to be demolished because of ensuing misfortune.

Jan also noted that a nearby rath – which has an entrance aligned with the direction of the stone – made such an assumption more likely.

The druids had no problem using a digger to do the heavy work, but not before they had initiated a druidic ritual.

‘In the presence of the elements, the directions, three people, and with a request to the unseen, we stated our good intentions: to place the stone in its original location and position,’ said Jan.

‘The intention was to clear the spirit road or energy line of any blockage and to put an end to the misfortune cast upon the cattle using the field.’

The entire ritual took about two hours and as it ended the sun broke through the clouds, which was taken to be a good sign by all those assembled.

With a smile, Jan welcomed the sign as ‘a wink of the universe.’