The fairy tree village appeared in July outside the home of journalist and children’s book author Lisa Suhay, 55, a mother of five. Word spread online and now youngsters arrive wearing pixie ...

Don’t you know what this tree is, she asked. What? Why are you doing this? A man replied, she said, that he was just doing his job. “I tried to explain to them it was a fairy tree,” Suhay said.

While every tree is precious, this was not just any tree— it was a sacred fairy tree. At least, that was the opinion of Eddie Lenihan, one of Ireland’s best-known folklorists, who campaigned ...