I can’t think of a more wonderful day to spend my birthday, the 21st September, than a visit to two amazing ancient sites, Keshcorran and Carrowkeel, both filled with history, mythology and wonder. These two places have been on my bucket list for ages, so this was particularly special!
We began our journey by heading to Sligo, one of my favourite counties in Ireland, with its wild upland areas, of rather plateaued peaks and valleys that echo of a glacial past. The Kesh Caves or the Caves of Keshcorran, consist of white Cherty Limestone, and were formed by atmospheric weathering. Quartz crystals are abundant in this area and there is evidence that these caves were once deep under layers of ice.
The actual walk up was pretty quick, initially fairly flat as the path gently rose to the left after crossing over a field. It then takes a turn upwards over a steeper, stepped incline with loose gravel. This then flattened to become a narrow path that gradually ascended towards the caves. Now, I have to say that my head for heights isn’t the best and the drop to the right as we went up was very steep, as the grassy hillside fell sharply away down to the fields and shrubbery below. There are 16 caves, many interlinked, but it is the first one that is the largest and so well worth a visit. Here there are three openings leading to a deep cavern filled with boulders and mud but offering spectacular views of the Sligo countryside. Further along the hillside, more caves are accessible via an even narrower path which I have to admit I did not venture to, though my daughter did.
These caves have seen the evidence of an amazing and varied array of animal life, going back as far as 8000 years ago. From horses, to foxes, wolves and stoats, lemmings and badgers, and even bear and reindeer, the Kesh caves were a wealth of information regarding the fauna of ancient Ireland. There is evidence of occasional human habitation dating from Neolithic times. It is, however, the mythology and folklore of this fascinating place that is perhaps the most interesting
According to legend, it was here that Fionn MacCumhaill was trapped by the Witches of Conoran. Fionn and his men were hunting on the hill but had not asked permission of the Fairy Ruler Conoran, who sent his three daughters, to ensnare Fionn and his men, making the great leader of the Fianna as weak as an old man. Eventually, an ally of Fionn released him and the warriors by beheading the witches. The deepest cave, Cave P, is said to have been where the famous High King of Ireland, Cormac Mar Art, was raised by a wolf and there is also a very interesting tale connecting these caves with Uaimh na gCat or Cave of the Cats in Rathcroghan, County Roscommon.
It is said that one day a woman was led to Uaimh na gCat by a stray calf and in her attempt to get it back, the woman was dragged deeper in this cave, often considered the Mouth of Hell. According to the story, written down in the late 18th century, she awoke next morning to find herself somehow transported to the Kesh Caves, miles away in County Sligo. With all these wonderful stories, and history and pre-history of the caves, it was well worth every bit of my shaky steps.
I’d recommend wearing good boots as the gravel steps and narrow path could be slippery in wet weather, though thankfully it had been a dry week when we did the climb. It does mention a half hour to get there but to be honest, it took us less than 15 minutes to arrive at the first cave, and that included my more gingerly footsteps in the later half of the climb.
