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Author Archives: admin
Countess Markievicz
This statue of Countess Markievicz is located in Rathcormack, Co. Sligo and was unveiled in 2003. Countess Markievicz was born Constance Gore-Booth in 1868. She was the daughter of local land owner Sir Henry Gore-Booth and spent her childhood living … Continue reading
Five Free Heritage Sites to Visit in Sligo
1. Carrowkeel Carrowkeel is one of the four major passage tomb cemeteries in Ireland. It consists of 14 passage tombs situated on the Bricklieve mountains. The cairns are in various states of preservation. One of the cairns, Cairn G has … Continue reading
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The Bat Cairn
One of the last things most people expect to see during the middle of the day would be a bat given their nocturnal nature. So on my last visit to Carrowkeel I was surprised to find a lone bat hanging … Continue reading
Carrowkeel – Cairn B
While heading up the road that leads into Carrowkeel the first cairn in the passage tomb cemetery a visitor is likely to see is Cairn B. Situated at the top of a high steep sided ridge, it could be considered one of the more difficult cairns in the Carrowkeel cemetery to gain access to.
Because of its location this passage tomb remains in a relatively good state of preservation. The entrance and the chamber is built into the top half of the cairn well above ground level. A narrow entrance and short passage lead into the cairns chamber. The chamber at first appears to be undifferentiated but there is a slight recess on the eastern side.
The cairn was excavated in 1911 by R.A.S. Macalister. Cremated human remains and shreds of pottery were found within the chamber.
Posted in Historical/Heritage Sites, Megaliths
Tagged cairn, carrowkeel, megalithic, passage tomb, sligo
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Listoghil – Tomb 51 Carrowmore
Tomb 51 which is also known as Listoghil is the largest tomb in the Carrowmore cemetery. It is located in the approximate center of the cemetery which also happens to be the highest point in Carrowmore.
The chamber is situated inside the centre of a large cairn which makes Listoghil unique as it is the only tomb in Carrowmore to have a cairn.
Tomb 51 was excavated in the 1990′s and has since been reconstructed. The cairn was rebuilt and an uncovered passage leading into the central chamber was constructed. Various radiocarbon dates have been obtained from Tomb 51 by Swedish archeologist’s during excavation and it is thought that the central chamber was built over 5,500 years ago although there may have been earlier activity on the same site prior to this.
In the early 1990’s megalithic art was discovered to be engraved on the front side of the roof slab of the central chamber, though this can be hard to see it is a rare example of megalithic rock art in County Sligo.
Posted in Historical/Heritage Sites, Megaliths
Tagged cairn, carrowmore, cúil irra, megalithic, passage tomb
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Cashelore Stone Fort
This stone fort is located just outside the village of Ballintogher. A narrow lane leads to the fort which is located on a small hilltop. The fort is oval in shape and its walls still stand in a good state of preservation.
A cashel refers to a round or oval shaped enclosure sometimes called a “fort”. Cashels were normally made from stone as opposed to the more common Irish ring forts which were similarly shaped but consisted of earthen banks in place of stone walls. The name Cashelore is derived from the Irish, Caiseal Óir which translates into fort of gold.
Creevykeel Court Tomb
This megalithic monument located at Creevykeel, just North of the village of Cliffoney is said to be one of the best examples of a court tomb in Ireland. It’s certainly one of the easiest to gain access to, situated just a few meters off the main Sligo to Bundoran road.
The court tomb was excavated in the 1930′s and has since been partially reconstructed. It consists of a large court, which leads to the entrance of the gallery. The gallery consists of two chambers. These were originally covered by a corbelled roof. A long cairn surounds the end of the tomb. Interestingly, the site does not seem to have been used very frequently for burials as only a four burial pits containing cremated remains were found, two in each chamber. It’s possible the site was also used for some other unkown ceremonial purposes.
The court may have originally been semi circular in shape and then at some later stage made into a full enclosed oval shaped court as is seen today. The rear of the tomb contains another three chambers that were built into the cairn. No evidence of burials was found in these chambers. Within the court is a small round structure added in medieval times which was believed to be used for iron smelting.
In local foklore the tomb was sometimes known as a “giants grave” which was a name given by people to many megalitic tombs around Ireland and still used as a term to refer to some of those tombs today.
Quartz as a link to the past
I had a discussion recently with a couple of people about how quartz could be seen as a link to the past. One person observed that today quartz is commonly used to cover graves of the deceased and that it … Continue reading