Written by Ben Kesp
 |
| #Ben Bulben, Dartry Mountains, Co. Sligo |
A veil of mist falls over Ben Bulben, covering its rocky top as it sinks lower, resting gently onto Glengar Lake, mysterious and beautiful. Within seconds the mountains reappear as magic surely has a hand to play. The ancient gods certainly had magic on their side. Ben Bulben is a large rock formation that forms part of the Dartry Mountains in Sligo, North West of Ireland. This beautiful formation rises majestically out of the land expelling waterfalls that find their way down its rocky slopes. Forest walks can be enjoyed that allow you to walk parallel with Ben Bulben and Glengar Lake. The landscape is lush and breathtaking.
 |
| #Ben Bulben, Co. Sligo |
Ben Bulben and the Dartry mountains formed over 320 million years ago and are also home to many legends from Irish mythology. It was the hunting ground for the Fianna warriors and in the 6th century, St. Columba battled for a copy of a Psalter he had borrowed from St. Finnian, just to mention a couple. It is an ancient mountain that hides many a legend like the carpet of mist that descends upon it.
From the majestic mountains I travelled to the 5,000 year old burial tomb of the famous warrior Queen Maeve. Queen Maeve is said to be buried upright in the large cairn facing her enemies to the north in Ulster. The cairn is known today as Maeve’s Cairn, Maeve’s tomb, Maeve’s nipple or Maeve’s grave. It can be seen resting on the summit for many miles around County Sligo. A nice hike of about forty five minutes brings you to the summit that contains the tomb. Maeve’s Tomb sitting atop of Knocknarea summit, is a large cairn measuring 180 ft wide and is 40 ft high. It is believed the cairn contains a Neolithic passage tomb and it is surrounded by many smaller passage tombs which are aligned to face Carrowmore. Carrowmore lies east of Knocknarea and is an ancient megalithic stone cemetery containing over sixty five portal/dolmen monuments.
 |
| #Knocknarea, Sligo. Queen Maeve's Tomb |
It has been an enchanting journey to the places I have visited and makes me even more curious to delve deeper into the mythology of ancient Ireland. If you have been fortunate to explore the places I have mentioned, I would love to hear from you.
Comments
Post a Comment