The Fairy Child – 18th Century Irish Folk Ballad of Love, Loss & Light
The Fairy Child is one of Ireland’s most tender and sorrowful ballads — a song that drifts between heartbreak and hope. Written in the 19th century and attributed to the poet Samuel Lover , it tells the story of a mother whose little boy is stolen by the fairies, leaving behind a frail changeling in his place. Her song is both a lament and a prayer — an appeal to the unseen world for the return of her “fairy boy.” Unlike many lively Irish tunes, The Fairy Child moves slowly and softly, with each verse painting a scene of quiet tragedy. We see the golden-haired child sleeping on his mother’s breast, the robin singing outside, the flicker of the rushlight dying, and finally the lonely midnight when the mother realises her true son has gone. The ballad carries the unmistakable mark of Irish folklore, where joy and sorrow often share the same breath — the living world and the Otherworld forever intertwined. Yet even through grief, the song finds light. In its final verses, the mot...