Dr Gillian Kenny

There's a belief in Ireland, for example, in things called fairy darts.

Elf darts is another name for them.

So it's like bits of stone or they'd fashion into like arrowheads.

They were probably like Stone Age arrowheads that people found.

And they would fire them at cattle and cause them some kind of harm.

And fairy women are often described trying to steal away princes or heroes in the myths.

So there's also a belief in changelings, for example, as well.

This is where the fairies would swap your baby and put a fairy baby in its place, a changeling.

And the way you'd know it was a changeling was, OK, so your baby would start to smoke a pipe.

LAUGHTER Or...

Or play the fiddle.

Or start talking in an old man's voice.

So then you might go, I think my baby's a fairy.

Oh, my God, is that a flat cap?

Hi, Sean.

There are a variety of protections against fairy attacks on your cattle.

The first is an amulet of mistletoe and mountain ash, which you will have to use.

You may also want to enlist the help of your local friendly cunning folk, people who practice healing and defensive magic.

So these are the cunning men and wise women, Ban Fassa, of the Irish tradition.

They can do incantations, prayers, and so on.