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The Danaan were sidhe - Fairies, Druids or Witches. Sidhe (pronounced 'shee') literally means "people of the (fairy) hills". It is the Gaelic name for the fairies in both Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland. Usually these fairies are attracted to those who are beautiful as well as wealthy. The Sidhe or SHEE, Si, Sith, also pronounced SEE. Are of the Royal courts of the Faery Realms, aka TirnanOg (Tier-na/HN-Ock - Land of Ever-Young), Annwyn (welsh/"Owen"), Avalon (British), and Albion (Scottish). There also several other names, like Tir Nman Bamn (Land of Women). Check out "Faery Folk" By Edain Mccoy for more complete refrences.

The Sidhe are the kith born of the dreams of kings and queens - both noble and otherwise. Regal, beautiful and graceful, they are power and coldness personified. They are tied intimately to the Dreaming and are new to the Changeling Way - most of the Sidhe on Earth are either exiles or escapees from Arcadia, unable to return home. As a result, they feel the cold sting of Banality far more harshly than commoner kithain, but they still command both the Seelie and Unseelie courts and are determined survive the coming of Winter.

The people known as "The Sidhe" or people of the mounds, or "The Lordly Ones" or "The Good People" were descended from the "Tuatha de Danann" who settled in Ireland millennia ago and in being defeated by the Milesians they retreated to a different dimension of space and time than our own, believed to be living under mounds and fairy raths and cairns,  and also the land of "Tír na nÓg" a mythical island to the west of Ireland.  Placenames in Ireland with the pre-nouns Lis, Rath, and Shee are associated with these people for example Lismore, Lisdoonvarna, Sheemore, Rathfarnham etc.

Down through the ages the Sidhe have been in contact with mortals giving protection, healing and even teaching some of their skills to mortals - Smithcraft or the working of metals being one such skill.  Cuillen (Culann) is one such sidhe smith who has been told of in the legends of Cúchulainn and the later legends of Fionn mac Cumhail.

The Gaelic word sí or síog refers to these otherworldly beings now called fairies.  The Irish fairy is not like the diminutive fairies of other European countries, the Sidhe are described as tall and handsome in all accounts, also they are dressed very richly and accounts of their halls are of richly decorated places with sumptuous foods and drinks.

The Sidhe are generally benign until angered by some foolish action of a mortal.  Many trees and mounds are considered under their protection and if a mortal destroys or damages these then a curse is put upon himself and his family.  In some parts of the countryside people would not build their houses over certain "fairy paths" because of the type of disturbances which would ensue.