This year the Autumnal Equinox landed on the 22nd September, a time to celebrate the dawn sun lighting the inner chamber of Cairn T on Sliabh na Caillí on the Loughcrew hills.
The name Sliabh na Caillí comes from the Irish language meaning “Mountain of the Witch or Hag”. The Witch referred to is not of the broomstick variety, but rather that of an ancient sovereign Goddess, the Cailleach, who it is said formed these cairns by dropping stones falling from her apron. In historical terms, these amazing monuments date from approximately 5500 years ago, and cover several of the Loughcrew hill tops, but it is Cairn T which has become well known for this phenomenon. It proves how our Neolithic ancestors were well acquainted with the movement of the celestial bodies across the sky, observing the position of the sun throughout the seasons and using its position to calculate time. It is obvious that Cairn T was far more than a tomb, more likely a place of sacred reverence where we can imagine these ancient communities gathering, as they still do today, to witness this event.
This year, after a summer that was so dreary, we were blessed with a week of glorious warm weather, that really felt like July. During the week I watched the forecast, hoping for a bright Equinox weekend, but it appeared that the weather would become cloudier by Saturday. On Thursday evening I thought that Friday would be the best day to climb the hill, even if it was just a couple of days shy of the actual Equinox itself. So, at 6am I arose, and by 6.30 myself and my daughter were on the road up to the cairn. We are blessed to live so near, and the short journey was lit by a pre-dawn glow and the moon still high in the sky. It was the perfect morning and to be honest, were surprised to see so few cars in the car park. We headed up the steps and on to the hill side, looking over the awakening town of nearby Oldcastle, streetlights still shining in the dusky dawn light.
In all the years I’ve been, I’ve never been here on such a quiet day, considering the weather was so perfect, but the atmosphere was still tangible, as we waited patiently for the bright red ball of fire to peep its head over the low bank of haze on the horizon. The minutes passed and as there were so few people there, we all had a perfect chance to witness the sun’s rays creep across the passage and light the inner chamber. Unfortunately, the interior is now inaccessible, but this did not take away from the vision of this extraordinary event, for even though the passage is about five metres in length, reaching to the dark recess of the furthermost chamber, when the sun hit that back stone, all the amazing Neolithic Art could be seen in its full glory.
There is something so wonderful and meaningful about witnessing this type of event, being part of a chain of tradition extending back to the mists of time. Heading back down the mountain, you couldn’t help but feel wonderfully refreshed and internally lifted by making that sacred pilgrimage.
