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Tag Archives: sligo
Staid Abbey
The ruins of this old church are located near Streedagh. Very little is left of the church, which may be linked to the monastic settlement on Inishmurray Island.
Captain Francisco de Cuellar was a survivor of the one of the three Spanish Armada ships that were wrecked at Streedagh in 1588. He mentions in a letter composed in Antwerp on his journey back to Spain that he reached a church close to where he had been washed ashore. He recounted that the church had been burned and that inside he saw twelve Spaniards hanging, hung he said by, “Lutheran English”. It is likely that Staid, being so close to the area of the Streedagh shipwrecks is the church de Cuellar describes. Continue reading
Labby Rock
Labby Rock situated in the townland of Carrickglass is said to get its name from the Irish word “leaba” meaning bed. This is one of Ireland’s most dramatic looking portal tombs. Its enormous capstone must be seen up close just to appreciate the sheer size of it! A walking trail that starts off at the Cromlech Lodge before going through some forestry leads the walker right up next to the tomb.
Like some other places around Sligo, Labby Rock is associated with the story of Grannie and Diarmuid. They are believed to have slept here whilst evading the pursuing Fionn MacCumhail. The tomb is also said to be the burial place of the Tuatha Dé Danann King, Nuada of the Silver Arm.
Posted in Megaliths
Tagged diarmuid and grainne, megalithic, portal tomb, sligo, walking trail
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Carrowmore and the Goddess Beara
Like so many other ancient sites in Sligo, Carrowmore is associated with ancient legend. Long before the reign of Queen Maeve when the mythical gods and goddesses watched over the land there lived a Goddess named Beara.
Beara had planned to build a set of enclosures in which she could keep her animals safe. She gathered a large number of stones from around the local landscape that she would use to construct the enclosures. She then filled her apron with them for ease of carriage and set off. However while flying over the area now known as Carrowmore she dropped a number of these stones which then fell to the ground.
The stones fell into a large clearing surrounded by forest. As the stones fell to the ground they created a series a cairns which still stand today. Continue reading
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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St Attracta’s Well
This well is located not far from the Western
Edge of Lough Gara and very close to
Clogher Stone Fort.
The well is named after St Attracta who was reputedly baptised by St Patrick. A bullaun stone is located inside the well and water taken from this stone is said to provide a cure for warts. There are also a number of round shaped praying stones, which are sometimes known as “cursing stones” placed on top of the rear wall of the well.
Carrowmore Tomb 7 from Knocknarea
I heard Tomb 7 in Carrowmore described a while ago as one of the “poster boys” of Carrowmore. It is one of the more intact tombs in the Carrowmore cemetery and possibly the most photographed. Tomb 7 is usually photographed with Knocknarea and Maeve’s Cairn in the background.
I wondered how the tomb would appear if viewed from Knocknarea, so the last time I was up on the summit of the mountain I pointed my camera in the direction of Carrowmore and tried to take a few pictures, luckily it was a clear day so Carrowmore was visible in the distance.
Although the picture below is not of high quality it is just possible to make out the round stone circle surrounding Tomb 7 in the center of the image.
The picture below is zoomed in further on Tomb 7 from the same angle, again it is not of a high standard due to the restrictions of the digital camera zoom used but the round stone circle and tomb are easily identifiable.
