 Knocknarea |
by
Ransboro N.S. |
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| Knocknarea Mountain is 4 miles west
of Sligo town. It is 1014ft (327 metres) high. Other names for it are “Hill of the Moon” or “Hill of the King” or the “Hill of the Slaughter”. As legend has it Queen Meabh was buried there in the Iron Age. The cairn is around 55 metres across & ten metres high. There are 4 other tombs on the top of the mountain and another on the mountain side. In or around 170 years ago Roger C. Walker, of Rathcarrick, excavated one of the smaller tombs on Knocknarea. He found a large quantity of half burnt bone of men and animals, and amongst them small round beads without any hole in them. Recently Stefan Bergh excavated a Stone Age enclosure on the Ransboro side. |
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Knocknarea is situated in Sligo between Ballisodare Bay and Strandhill. It is said that Queen Maeve is buried on the mountain and that the mound on the top is her cairn. According to local folklore, she was the great warrior Queen who lived at Rath Cruachan, but she chose to be buried here facing her enemies. The Tain or Cattle Raid of Cooley as all about getting the brown bull of Cooley from the Ulstermen. There are beautiful views of both Ballisodare Bay and Culleenamore on one side and Sligo Bay and Benbulben on the other. To climb Knocknarea, follow signs for Strandhill/ Knocknarea and it will take approximately 25 mins to climb to the top from the car park. It is one of the most striking landmarks in the country. |
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