17 Nov Aghade Holed Stone
(Cloghaphoill)
Tullow, Co. Carlow Niall of the Nine Hostages has been called the "Irish Genghis Khan" due to the number of his descendants. More than three million...
Author: Howard
16 Nov Tullylin and Carns
Culleens, Co. Sligo Is it possible that there might be a connection between an ancient inauguration stone, a nearby fairy fort, and the apparition that appear...
16 Nov Dunbeg Fort (An Dún Beag)
Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry In 1910 T.J. Westropp called Dunbeg "the most complex and remarkable of the Irish promontory forts." But archaeologists have few finds from...
12 Nov Castlestrange La Tène Stone
Athleague, Co. Roscommon The glory of the Castlestrange Estate has long since turned to ruin. However one remnant of its opulence still remains: the prehistoric La...
11 Nov Tobernaveen Holed Stone
Woodville, Co. Sligo The use of this stone in folk remedies did not end at the beginning of the twentieth century. A woman living very close...
09 Nov Carrowkeel Passage Tombs
Castlebaldwin, Co. Sligo The Carrowkeel passage tombs are only 20 minutes from the rushing traffic of the N4. But they are a world apart: a transition...
30 Oct Rathcroghan Royal Site
Tulsk, Co. Roscommon Rathcroghan has both a geographic and a symbolic presence. It is an archaeological treasure trove, but it also is the venue of a...
27 Oct Mooghaun Hillfort and
the Great Clare Find
Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare The treasure trove of golden ornaments must have been connected to nearby Mooghaun Hillfort. But how did the gold come to be deposited...
23 Oct Knockbrack Chambered Tomb
Cleggan, Co. Galway Just above the windswept strand at Sellerna Bay, at the western edge of Connemara, the Knockbrack Tomb looks out over the sea. Ten...
20 Oct Minard Castle,
Ring Fort, and Holy Well
Anascaul, Co. Kerry The drama of the Anglo-Irish conflict, explosively played out here in 1650, was—more than 300 years later—the backdrop for the 1970 film Ryan’s...
16 Oct Gallarus Oratory
Dingle, Co. Kerry
You can still feel the community pack
This place: it’s like going into a turfstack,
A core of old dark walled up with stone
A yard...
16 Oct Knock Áine
Knockainey, Co. Limerick This sacred hill of the fairy queen Áine, who was known as both sun goddess and love goddess, was a ceremonial site long...
16 Oct Rosses Point: “The Celtic Twilight”
Rosses, Co. Sligo "At the northern corner of Rosses is a little promontory of sand and rocks and grass: a mournful, haunted place. No wise peasant...
15 Oct Knocknafearbreaga Alignment
Knockanoura, Co. Clare These are, in legend, a band of robbers turned to stone. As Mary Harrison explains, there was something so powerful about these stones...
15 Oct Tullaghan Hill Holy Well
Coolaney, Co. Sligo Although it is two miles from the sea, and atop a mountain, the well was in 1188 called one of the wonders of...
15 Oct The Hill of Slane
There is now nothing remaining of the important monastery and legal center which existed here from the 6th century until the 12th. Also unseen, but...
15 Oct The King’s Stables
Navan, Co. Armagh Not a natural feature such as a holy well, this artificial pool was dug out, and allowed to fill in with water, to...
15 Oct Lubitavish Court Tomb:
“Ossian’s Grave”
Cushendall, Co. Antrim This tomb was known as “Cloughbrack” on early maps. It is unclear when it became connected with Ossian and the effort to reclaim...
15 Oct Killinagh Church
and Cursing Stone
Blacklion, Co. Cavan The ruins of the church at Killinagh, with its adjacent holy well and ruined prehistoric tomb, have long appeared to be a place...
15 Oct Doagh Holestone
Doagh, Co. Antrim A visitor to the Doagh Holestone might find the ground blanketed in flower petals, the remnants of a visit by newlyweds come to...
15 Oct The Rock of Doon
Termon, Co. Donegal The Rock of Doon is a craggy eminence with a storied past and a glorious panoramic view. On its flat summit there was...
15 Oct Tigh Mhóire
Dún Chaoin (Dunquin), Co. Kerry Tigh Mhóire contains what may be a prehistoric tomb, a fragment of an early cross-slab, and the grave of a Spanish...
15 Oct Rosdoagh Court Tomb
Rossport, Co. Mayo Its postcard location does not mean that this monument is free from modern controversies. In 2005 five local landowners were jailed for their...
15 Oct Rathgall Hillfort
Tullow, Co. Wicklow The blarney recounted by nineteenth-century travel writers in Ireland has not gone out of style. In June of 1979 our informants delighted in...
15 Oct Poulnabrone Dolmen
The Burren, Co. Clare This exquisitely-proportioned monument sits just off a main tourist route, its spacious new parking area accommodating dozens of buses disgorging daily many...
15 Oct Howth Dolmen
Howth, Co. Dublin Nineteenth-century antiquarian Samuel Ferguson believed it to be the grave of the legendary Aideen, who died of grief when her husband Oscar was...
14 Oct Labbamolaga
Knockanevin, Co. Cork Just below the hill from the crumbling stone oratory are four standing stones, the remains of a stone circle. The oratory’s entrance, unique...
14 Oct Dowth
Slane, Co Meath Dowth means “darkness.” And darkness is what's left for the visitor today. The electricity has been turned off and entrance is generally prohibited....
14 Oct Cahergal and Leacanabuaile Forts,
Ballycarbery Castle
Kimego West, Co. Kerry The two forts are known in Irish as caiseal, not far from the Irish word for castle, caisleán. In local legend, the...
14 Oct Keel East and
Slievemore Deserted Village
Achill Island, Co. Mayo All ancient monuments carry within their stones a poignant reminder of the lives of long-departed people. However the stones of Keel East...
13 Oct The Gate of the Cow;
Kilmalkedar Keelers Stone
Ballyferriter, Co. Kerry Near the town of Ballyferriter are two stone monuments vividly bringing into the landscape the stories of an enchanted cow whose milk was...
14 Sep Fourknocks
Stamullen, Co. Meath Fourknocks was unknown until 1950. It has no mention in the old folkloric literature. But the absence of fairies in Fourknocks does not...