On a visit to Askeaton in 2005 I was lucky enough to meet a real Irish character Paddy Mann and his wife Alice. Paddy is a story teller of great repute in the area and carried many old stories that are passed down in the traditional fashion VERBALLY.
( yes they are both small as they look, with a house to match)
Paddy told us about the Ivess family who did an unheard of thing back around 1600. They built their stone cottage inside a Faerie Fort. As most people were terrified of the mystical occupants of these ancient mounded circles, this was the reason it was still talked about in the local histories and legends. Paddy asked if I knew where this was and then told me it was on his own farm. With the assistance of Paddy Ivess, we located the ruins and went to view them. Most of the stones were long removed but it was still quite easy to see where the house once stood, many of the original stones still outlined the area where the walls and doors were. I took a number of photographs, however you will need to stretch your imagination quite a bit to see the results.
looking across the paddock the mound is covered in vegetation. The old entrance is beside the tree on the right side.
Paddy examines the old entrance
Considering these ruins are over 400 years old it is remarkable that anything was left to see at all, we were able to pace right around the rooms and see where the old hearth had been as well as an entrance that Paddy thought would have had the animals living in a barn that was part of the building. A common practice in those days.