Photo courtesy of Colleen D'Angelo
Grace Hammett, 10 and Julia Hammett, 7, wearing fairy door T-shirts they received after completing the Dublin Fairy Trail.
Photo courtesy of Colleen D'Angelo
Did you know that Dublin has seven tiny fairy residents?
Each one has a secret home hidden inside various Historic Dublin shops, and you can go on a whimsical journey in search of their magical fairy doors.
Each green, sparkly door was made by carpenters in a 200-year-old cottage in the heart of Ireland, and every fairy has his or her name on the door.
Niamh Sherwin Barry is the director of the Irish Fairy Door Company and she wanted Dublin, Ohio, to be the first place in the U.S. where Irish fairies set up their homes.
I decided to go in search of these enchanted fairy doors and enlisted the help of my neighbor, Liza Moore, and 2-year-old Layton and 4-year-old Parker. We started at the Dublin Convention and Visitors Bureau, where we picked up a trail map and passport and found that a fairy named Clover lives there with a beautiful garden. Fun fairy fact No. 1: Fairies take care of sick or hurt insects in their gardens.
Next we headed to Ha’penny Bridge Imports of Ireland and found that Penny the fairy is living the high life with her fancy yard. The shop also sells fairy doors so you can invite an Irish fairy to live at your own house. After you purchase a door, register your little sprite online with the National Fairy Council and you will get a lease agreement including rules for the fairy and her little human friend. Sophia Spanoudis, 6, has a fairy named Elsa and has bought her accessories at Ha’penny. Sophia got a T-shirt when she completed the Dublin Fairy Trail and still likes to find the doors when she shops in Historic Dublin. Fun fairy fact No. 2: Fairies bring good luck and happiness wherever they go.
We crossed the street to Chelsea Borough Home and had a tough time finding Flora’s green door amidst the shiny ornaments and home décor. The shopkeeper helped by telling us when we were getting warmer as we moved closer to the fairy home. Then, Parker and I chatted about what fairies might look like, and we found out fun fairy fact No. 3: Fairies look like humans, but with special wings and powers. They have also been written about for thousands of years.
Winan’s Fine Chocolates was next door – the perfect stop for a hot chocolate and to search for Cocoa’s fairy door. Since fairies love raisins and candy, we figured chocolate-covered raisins could be a favorite treat to leave outside their doors. Dublin resident Emma Michele leaves water and gumballs for her fairies, and they, in turn, leave notes and sweets for her. Emma received a fairy garden for her 6th birthday, and she made a fairy house out of an oatmeal container. One of her fairies is named Tink and, according to Emma, she is best friends with Tinkerbell. Fun fairy fact No. 4: Fairies take worries away and sometimes help grant wishes.
Photo courtesy of Colleen D'Angelo
Layton and I decided we needed cookies to go with our hot chocolate, so we strolled over to the Sisters Sweet Shoppe. Sugar Plum’s green door was also difficult to find, or maybe we were just distracted by the cake, ice cream and chocolate. This is the place to be if you have a sweet tooth.
Speaking of teeth, 5-year-old Kamryn Bicking says her door is used by her tooth fairy. Kamryn puts her tooth in a tiny bottle, and the fairy takes the tooth and leaves gold dollars and a sprinkle trail of fairy dust. Fun fairy fact No. 5: Your teeth are precious to fairies, and they display them in their homes like trophies.
The Terra Art Gallery was the next stop and is surely a favorite spot for little pixies. It has paintings from local and foreign artists, painting parties, and art lessons. Grace and Julia Hammett, ages 10 and 7, loved following the fairy trail and talking to the shop owners, especially at Terra.
“It’s fun and something that our family can do together,” says Grace. Fun fairy fact No. 6: Fairies love to draw and paint, and also love when their humans draw pictures for them.
The final stop on our fairy trail was Boho 72 Boutique, which is filled with fabulous clothes and sparkly jewelry and everything else that humans and fairies love – especially a little pixie named Trixie. This leads us to fun fairy fact No. 7: Fairies love shiny things, particularly items that no one else wants, like old buttons, charms and paper clips.
Now that our Dublin Fairy Trail Passport is completed, we can submit it for a free green T-shirt, the same color as the mystical fairy doors that we searched for. Starting on March 17, there will be more fair doors at local shops, which means more fairies in Dublin. The trail will be refreshed and updated. Click here to find out more about the Dublin Fairy Trail, and click here to find out more about fairy doors and taking care of your little sprite.
Colleen D’Angelo is a freelance writer who lives in Dublin with her husband, three children and several small animals. She enjoys playing tennis, walking the Dublin bike paths and traveling.
