In The Anthology of Irish Folk Tales, Richard Marsh explores the phenomenon of gates that won't stay closed in Moynalty, a small village in Co Meath.

'Most Irish people have some instinctive belief in the world of the fairies, even if sometimes it has to be excavated carefully from under a veneer of busy modernity'

Many tales warn against the disturbing of fairy forts, as they are believed to be portals to the otherworld.