Farewell Ireland, One More Arch. Site

Today was mostly a driving day, requiring about 4 hours to cross the country back to Dublin. But we enjoyed the scenery along the way, and found a great guided tour of another archaeological site. The Rathcroghan Mound has not been excavated, but rather studied using MRI-like methods and ground-penetrating radar techniques so as to leave the site intact. The site is presumed to be a gathering place and the inauguration site for the pagan kings of the region.

We were also taken onto a farmer’s land to view a limestone cave opening, which is regarded as one of the chief entrances to the Irish Otherworld. The cave, known as Oweynagat, is also infamous in early Irish literature as Ireland's Gate to Hell. The festival of Samhain, traditionally held at Rathcroghan, is the night when malevolent spirits from the Otherworld ventured out of the cave to create a world ready for winter. In the Christian tradition this day is celebrated as Halloween, or All-Saint's eve.

Early Medieval ancestors created a stone entry into the cave, which was roofed with large slabs. Two of these slabs bear ogham inscriptions (4th-8th century), one of which translates to “[the stone] of Fraoch, son of Medb.” It is presumed this refers to the legendary Connacht warrior Fraoch and to the great Warrior Queen Medb of Connacht.

The tour guide wove in lots of old Irish lore from the Táin Bó Cúailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley) an epic from Irish mythology. This is the story of Cú Chulainn, the boy warrior who in single combat holds off Medb’s army.

It was interesting that these legends were well-known to the other guests on the small tour (all Irish), but fairly new to us.

Ireland is a beautiful, GREEN, country. Most of our travels took us through wild, rugged areas. Although it was often windy, the temperatures were warmer than we expected. A light shirt under a rain jacket was sufficient. After Donegal, the rain tended to come more overnight, and the daytime sprinkles/mist would come and go.

Next up for us is Iceland, which we’ll share in a separate blog. Thanks for joining us!Read more