Hill Of The Witch Loughcrew Co Meath

 

                                          Above Image: Entry to hill from car park

                                          Above Image: Stone steps to base of trail

                                         Above Image: A warning to the curious!

                                      Above Image: Posts indicating trail to follow

                                           Above Image: Approach to the summit

                                                       Above Image: Cairn W

                                  Above Image: Cairn T with Cairn V in foreground

                                      Above Image & Below 3 Images: Cairn S

                                                         

                                                    Below  2 Images: Cairn U

                                   Above Image & Below Image: Entrance to Cairn T

                                                  Above Image: The passageway

                                          Above Image: Passageway entry stone

                       Above Image & Below 5 Images: Interior stones & Passageway

                                           Above Image: View from the summit

                                          Above Image: Trail back from the summit

                              Above & Below Image: Flat extending rock on trail down

The Hill of the Witch is translated from the Gaelic "Sliabh na Caillighe" and refers collectively to the hilltops of Carbane East, Carnbane West, Patrickstown and Carrickbrack. There are approx 25 or more cairns scattered over these hills but the most interesting are on the 276m high Carnbane East which is mostly itself now referred to as the hill of the witch and it's impressive hilltop cairn is known as the "Hag's Cairn" or archaelogically as Cairn T. The scattering of cairns over these hills have all individually been given alphabetical letters.

The legend behind the name is that a giant witch while roaming across the lands of Meath dropped from her apron a large number of stones thus forming the widespread cairns. The myth states the witch or "Hag" was named Bhearta. 

As stated Carnbane East is the most interesting and so that is where we headed on a quite breezy but sunny morning. The starting point to the hill was not hard to find and a small car park is provided. Our objective was not only to view the cairns but to gain access to the largest one, Cairn T. The key for this we procured from the coffee shop at Loughcrew Gardens a short distance away, which I would heartily recommend for refreshments.  A refundable deposit of 50 euro is required or you can in lieu leave your driving licence. The gardens belong to the Loughcrew estate which was the seat of the Plunkett family and notably Saint Oliver Plunkett who was martyred in 1681. The family church, now in ruins, is a really worthwhile visit and is not far from the coffee shop. I covered this in a previous post (here). 

The ascent of the hill while a little steep initially is not that strenuous. You just follow a set of steps and then a series of wooden posts up to a grassy ridge, then turn left and walk on toward the summit. It takes approx 15 minutes. During June to August there are often OPW guides who will give you a history lesson and guide you into the tomb. At present the interior is closed to the public because of COVID but hopefully that will change soon and anyway it doesn't inhibit you from viewing all the exterior cairn remains. When we visited it was still possible to gain the key and it was just before summer season so we could self guide.

As the magnificent 5000 year old Hag's Cairn came into sight it really was breathtaking. The atmosphere on the hill that day was invigorating anyway. The wind was strong and the views were magnificent in the sunshine and fast moving iron grey clouds. My son had of late undergone major surgery and he said that that day on the hill he had never felt so alive.

The hilltop is surrounded by a rudimentary fence and there is an information board and a pedestrian stile to allow entry. The area is scattered with the exposed remains of several cairns and there are many stones decorated with ancient carvings. You can climb down into the exposed chambers in a couple of cairns. (Cairns S and U). The main cairn is still intact with it's cruciform chamber within and is covered by a mound of stones and surrounding kerb stones. One of the larger stones is unusually shaped and is known as the "Hag's Chair" There is a cross carved into it and you can sit up upon it.

We were lucky, perhaps being off season, to have encountered no other visitors on the summit only a few walkers along the trail. You can indeed follow trails to the other hilltops but it is a fair walk of nearly a couple of hours and strenuous enough at times and some of them are on private farmland.

Once we had the iron gate open on the Hag's cairn we entered a different world. There are many beautiful carvings on the large stones within and a good torch is required to illuminate the beauty and mystery of the chamber. The passage way and chamber are not as large as say the one at Fourknocks (see earlier post here) but still nonetheless amazing. Cairn T was not only a tomb but a place of ritual and orientation to the heavens. On the Spring and Autumnal equinoxes the sunlight streams into the passageway illuminating the chamber and revealing the patterns adorning the stones.

Just like it was in the tomb at Fourknocks there is a feeling of being so divorced from the modern world, sheltered in ancient history and in the darkened chamber your senses are heightened and I felt truly conscious of the nature and importance of this venerated place. 

We spent quite a bit of time on the hilltop examining the various features and taking in the wonderful scenery and I would highly recommend a visit here. If you are reading this Karl, thanks for the recommendation!

To find the site take the junction 9 exit from the M3 onto the N51 for Athboy. Once in Athboy take the right hand turn onto the R154 and drive approx 7KM until you reach a crossroads with the N52. Continue straight through on the R154 and drive another 12KM passing through Crossakiel and eventually reaching a T-junction with the R163. Turn left here continuing on the R154 towards Oldcastle. Drive approx 2.2KM and you will reach a small fork in the road. Take the left fork following the sign for the Loughcrew and if you want to get the cairn key drive approx 5KM until you see the sign for the Loughcrew Gardens and Limetree coffee shop on your left hand side. If you want to visit without the key then drive only 3KM and you will see the sign for Loughcrew cairns pointing down a right hand turn. About 1KM up this road is the car park and hill entry point.

The Gothic Arch Templeogue Co Dublin

                                        Above Image:  The arch as it was in 2014

                        Above Image: Templeogue House. Parts of the old castle were 

                                               incorporated into the towers at the back. 

Anyone who would be frequently driving down the N81 towards Templeogue in the last few years would have been surprised recently to see this stone archway appear as if out of nowhere. It has in fact been a feature for centuries but in the years following the 1980's it began to disappear beneath the ivy and bushes that grew alongside the then newly installed Tallaght by-pass. The Gothic style arch has now once again been exposed to the light as it is anticipated that it will become a feature along a new greenway being developed by the County Council.

The arch is not in anyway medieval or nor is it associated with the ruins of the nearby church at the Spawell roundabout (see earlier post here) but in fact a folly built as part of the ornamental landscaped gardens of the former Templeogue house demesne.

The house itself was by built in late Elizabethan times incorporating parts of the towers and subterranean vaulted cellars of the former 16th century Talbot castle. The lands had been granted to Thomas Domvile by James II following the bloody battle of the Boyne and it was Thomas's son Compton Domville who had the gardens laid out. 

Both the Talbots and subsequently the Domviles were stewards of the City watercourse which ran on the North section of their land and Compton sometime following his Father's death in 1721 had several ponds designed in the forested gardens, that drew from the watercourse that connected to each other via a series of steps which had statues placed at each dropping point. At the Southern end he built the tall Gothic arch under which the stream flowed and then dropped as a twenty foot waterfall before rejoining the City watercourse. 

In 1780 the Domviles moved to the lands at Santry and the ornamental statues and indeed an ornamental temple which had stood on a mound were transferred with them. Only the arch remained probably as it was not practical to take it down and try reassemble it. So as the estate waned the arch became a lonely sentinel over the diminishing gardens. Over subsequent years the streams and ponds dried up and disappeared and the mound on which the temple stood was finally levelled in 1972. The house is now utilized as a training centre and has been renamed St Michael's house.

I remember visiting the site of the arch some years back and finding little of it visible. From the roadside it just looked like part of the overgrown bushes. It was a forlorn sight. But now it has returned and serves as a reminder of a more fruitful time in its existence.

To find the arch take the N81 from Tallaght to Templeogue and after the Spawell roundabout look for it on your left behind a fence. Parking is difficult on the dual carriageway but if the gates of St. Michael's house are open (they are a few metres past the arch) you can park in the spaces inside the gate. The arch is fenced off but you can still get very close to it. If you like you can park at the church ruins back at the roundabout and take in both sites on foot.

Mount Venus Dolmen Co Dublin

 

                   Above & Below Image:  The gap between capstone and portal stone

                                      Above & Below Image: The huge capstone

I came across this Dolmen a number of years ago but had a chance more recently to visit again. Situated in Woodtown not far from Rathfarnham it is generally known as the Mount Venus Dolmen.

The dolmen is actually an ancient portal tomb dating to the Neolithic period sometime between 4000BC - 2500BC. Portal tombs generally consist of two or more vertical stones supporting a a larger more flatter capstone. They were often covered over with soil or stones or in some cases laid bare.

The Mount Venus tomb can be found in a bushy and somewhat neglected spot on an earthen bank above the West side of the approach drive into the DSPCA animal shelter. There are a set of steps leading up from the car park to a small recreation area but a small diversion in through a hedgerow brings you to the location. 

I was disappointed to see that the area was still somewhat overgrown but its hard to really miss this huge monument from the past.

The capstone measuring approx 18 feet by 9 feet has partially collapsed off all but one of the portal stones forming a triangular crevasse in between. A smaller stone lies beneath and another portal stone adjacent which is overgrown measures approx 15 feet. The size of the portal stones would indicate quite a high entrance height into the tomb when it was in its complete standing form..

The capstone is considered to weigh an incredible 44 tons!  William Borlase, a British antiquarian in his extensive publication "Dolmens of Ireland" described the dolmen as one of the most magnificent examples he had ever seen.

The dolmen has been in this ruined condition since the mid 18th century and is thought to have collapsed into its current state as a result of shock waves from the huge earthquake that took place in 1755 with its epicentre in Lisbon, Portugal. The shock waves also damaged part of Galway's city wall and some strong tsunami waters hit the peninsula at Auginish in County Clare destroying the central section of the peninsula thus creating an island offshore. 

Even in its current state this portal tomb is worth seeking out. The land it is on is not owned by the DSPCA but I believe by Woodtown Farm. I don't think a close-up look at the dolmen would be an issue.

To find the tomb take the R115 (Stocking Lane) from Ballyboden towards Killakee. Go straight through the roundabout (junction with Stocking Ave) and continue for approx 1.4KM taking a left hand turn onto the L4026 towards Rockbrook. Continue down this road for approx 500m and you will see the entrance to the DSPCA on your right. Drive up the avenue and park anywhere along it. Then walk on toward the wire fence and gates that lead to the Cats and Dogs Home. There is a set of stone steps on your right just before the fence. Climb the steps and walk forward on the path until you reach the fenced hedgerow. Look for a gap near a field gate. The DSPCA gate is usually open between 8.00 - 17.30 Mon - Fri. 

Old Ratoath Church Co Meath

 

                                              Above Image: The entrance gate.

                                         Above Image: West facing wall memorial?

                                            Above Image: The medieval grave slab

                                  Above Image: South face of tower with grave slab

                                                         in bottom right corner.

An old graveyard hidden down a small lane in a pleasant Co Meath village? A ruinhunter's delight! 

A medieval church once stood on these grounds but by the 1690's it had fallen into ruin with only it's chancel still evident. This too has now disappeared leaving no trace of the small church. The ruin standing today is of the Church of Ireland church named "The Holy Trinity" which was built in 1817 on an elevation within the graveyard. For such a recent construct there is little left intact apart from some foundation walls covered by bushes, but the bell tower which is on the Western side remains mostly extant. It is described as a three stage tower with castellations and is listed as a protected structure.

The walls of the graveyard surrounding this tower are believed to date from the 16th century but the West side was demolished to extend the graveyard to accommodate more recent burials. The wall at the gate contains one of the highest stone stiles I have ever come across! But on this occasion the main cast iron gates were unlocked.

By far, to me at least, apart from the tower the most interesting feature here is the medieval grave slab dating to the 13th/14th century which has now been placed into the base of the South wall of the tower. The effigy on the slab depicts a knight dressed in a surcoat and chainmail with a sword attached to his belt. He is lying 'In Pace'  his head without a helmet upon a pillow. Time has rendered some damage as his legs are now missing from beneath the knees. An inscription in what appears to be Lombardic style lettering surrounds the edge but time too has taken its toll here as well and the lettering is now mostly worn away. Considering it's age it has weathered well enough and I'm glad I took the opportunity to stop by and see it.

The ambience here is quiet with a distinct air of antiquity and very few individuals present apart from some visitors to the newer grave section. It is certainly worth a stop if in the area.

To find the ruin take the M2 motorway and exit at junction 3 following the loop road over the motorway until you reach a roundabout. Take the first exit left onto the R125 and continue on for Ratoath. When you reach the next roundabout take the third exit for Ratoath. Drive into the village until you see 'The Auld Stand pub' on your right opposite the new church. The right hand turn at this pub is Glebe Lane and the old graveyard gate is a few yards down. Parking on the lane is prohibited so you will need to park in front of the pub or a few yards before where there are designated parking spaces and then simply continue on foot around to the ruin.

Ballinascorney Famine Cross Co Dublin

                                    Above Image: Cross and base at road junction

                       Above Image: Mass Rock (left) & Stonecross Cottage ruin (right)

This stone cross is to be found in the Dublin mountains just above the town of Tallaght on the Ballinascorney pass. The cross stands on a junction of the old road to the Kilbride army camp and the newer road that leads towards Brittas (the R114). Like many antiquities it can be easily missed.

The cross unlike some of the others I have previously posted is not an ancient cross but a commemorative one built to mark those who died in the great potato famine which began in Ireland in 1847.

The cross is made of granite which is dominant among the hills of Dublin and Wicklow and stands a little under six feet tall and at it's widest, three feet. It has been placed upon a circular stone base giving it even more height. It is roughly dated to around 1850 and became a directional point for the way to the mass rock in the forest on the slopes of Ballymorefinn Hill approx 2KM away. Mass rocks were designated sites where during penal times almost 350 years ago Catholics celebrated mass in seclusion when mass was banned and any clergy found celebrating it risked being executed.

A small stone cottage ruin is situated in the trees on private ground just behind the cross. It is aptly called Stonecross cottage. 

To find the cross take the R114 towards Ballinascorney from the crossroads at the old mill pub in Tallaght and drive for approx 4.5KM until you see a little slip road on your left (L7462). Drive up the slip road and the cross is at the top at he fork in the road. You can park on the grass verge opposite.