Cnoc na Riabh, Knocknarea

Cnoc na Riabh, Knocknarea

In early August I got to visit the wonderful Queen Maedbh's cairn, on Cnoc na Ríabh (Knocknarea or the "hill of the ridges") in County Sligo. It's so called as it is said that the warrior queen of the Ulster Cycle is buried there, upright and in armour, facing her enemies in the north. This cairn has never been excavated and so there is a mystery about what lies within.

It is a massive cairn and the views are absolutely astounding looking towards the mythological Ben Bulben. 

It is a steep enough climb up there, about 40 mins and although first half is fairly easy, the second part becomes quite steep with rough stones underfoot. Still, it's worth the effort as it is indeed a place which is really hard to capture on film or in photographs. Queen Maedbh is one of the main protagonists in the famous tale of the Táin Bó Cuailnge or the Cattle raid of Cooley. It tells the story of how the Queen of Connaught, determined to capture the brown bull of Cooley, so she could equal her husband's wealth, raided the northern province and came face to face with the young Cúchullain who alone was there to defend the Ulster. It is a story filled with all the drama needed to make a true saga, jealousy, loyalty, tragedy, love and ends with Cúchullain finally slain and the brown bull captured and brought back to Maeves home. There it fights the White bull of Maedbh's husband, Ailill where it is victorious but fatally injured. There journey of Maedbh has left its legacy on the landscape as has the final journey brown bull, who died when he returned to Ulster. She and her armies, travelled the width of the country in a rather convoluted manner, to eventually reach the north. The brown bull is said to have had pieces of the white bull stuck to its horns, dropping parts along the way, till he collapsed in his home on the Cooley penninsula. 

Here is my own depiction of Queen Maedbh, her cairn silhouetted in the background, as she stands determined, ready to face her enemies.

Near the cairn, there is also evidence of circular house foundations and earthen banks and they are estimated to be around 5500 or so years old. From a slightly earlier era (about 200 years) are the smaller monuments in the nearby Carrowmore Megalithic site which spreads over quite a large area. Mainly consisting of uncovered dolmen circles, these structures surround a much larger central cairn and there are views across to Knocknarea itself.  

I have to say, Sligo is just so full of ancient heritage and stories, this is just two places among many!

Contact Details

Margaret McKenna
Carrick Eighter, Virginia, Co. Cavan, Ireland
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Art to me, is storytelling a means to visually capture the atmosphere and tell the tales behind our landscape or capture the essence of that person’s character.

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