28 Nov The Black Pig’s Dyke
Because some of its segments correspond roughly to the modern border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the Black Pig’s Dyke has supplied...
Author: Howard
25 Nov Loher Stone Fort
It is likely that a locally important chieftain built this fortified homestead in the Early Christian period. He certainly had a brilliant sense for its...
25 Nov The Grianán of Aileach
Bus loads of schoolchildren drive up the winding road where the Grianán of Aileach dominates the summit. As the youngsters disperse to explore the fort...
23 Nov The Mound of Down, and
Down Cathedral
The Mound of Down is but a short walk down the hill from Down Cathedral. The Mound dates from the Iron Age; the Cathedral was...
22 Nov Skellig Michael
"The scene is one so solemn and so sad that none should enter here but the pilgrim and the penitent." (Lord Dunraven, 1875) "The thing...
22 Nov Dún An Óir
There is little left to see at Dún An Óir. The earthworks from the hastily-constructed 1580 fortification have been eroded by weather and waves. There...
21 Nov The Hill of Uisneach
Of the Hills in Ireland where legends speak of a celebrated gathering several have seen a modern attempt at reviving the practice without any enduring...
20 Nov Binder’s Cove Souterrain
Binder's Cove souterrain may have been constructed as a place of refuge where its owners could escape when threatened, torches ablaze as they raced into...
17 Nov Aghade Holed Stone
(Cloghaphoill)
Niall of the Nine Hostages has been called the "Irish Genghis Khan" due to the number of his descendants. More than three million men around...
16 Nov Tullylin and Carns
Is it possible that there might be a connection between an ancient inauguration stone, a nearby fairy fort, and the apparition that appear to four...
16 Nov Dunbeg Fort (An Dún Beag)
In 1910 T.J. Westropp called Dunbeg "the most complex and remarkable of the Irish promontory forts." But archaeologists have few finds from the site. Why...
12 Nov Carrowmore Passage Tomb Cemetery
The Atlantic wind feels different at Carrowmore. It does not just rake across stone and heather; it seems to move through time, teasing together the...
12 Nov Castlestrange La Tène Stone
The glory of the Castlestrange Estate has long since turned to ruin. However one remnant of its opulence still remains: the prehistoric La Tène decorated...
11 Nov Tobernaveen Holed Stone
The use of this stone in folk remedies did not end at the beginning of the twentieth century. A woman living very close to the...
09 Nov Carrowkeel Passage Tombs
The Carrowkeel passage tombs are only 20 minutes from the rushing traffic of the N4. But they are a world apart: a transition from a...
30 Oct Rathcroghan Royal Site
Rathcroghan has both a geographic and a symbolic presence. It is an archaeological treasure trove, but it also is the venue of a queen-goddess with...
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...
