Our Big Adventure

SLIGO to MAEVE’S MOUND

This area is rich in archaeological remains, from Megalithic to Medieval. Dolmen tombs, ring forts, standing stones and high Celtic crosses dot the area. We visit Carrowmore the largest megalithic cemetery in Ireland. Thirty passage tombs dating around 4000BC still survive. Many more would have been plundered during raids, and later cleared by farmers over the past centuries. The tombs consist of a circle of large boulders with a roofed chamber in the centre. The fixed, enduring and visible stone monuments in which lay the bones of their ancestors would have been an important ritual centre for the Stone Age inhabitants for this area . The deliberate layout of the cemetery is around an area of free space where ritual activity may have taken place. You can see ‘Maeve’s Mound’ in Knocknarea, from miles around. Queen Maeve was a Ancient Celtic warrior queen that legend has it, waged a war with Ulster in which 1000’s of soldiers were killed, and all over who had the best bull do you believe. Celtic women were not bound by the confines of monogamy even within marriage. Legend has it Queen Maeve was infamous for her beauty and her sexual prowess. She had an array of lovers, most of whom were officers in her army which thereby ensured the loyalty of her troops. Her bravest warriors were granted sexual favors, so the men fought hard and courageously on the battlefield for a chance to enjoy Maeve's "willing thighs." Her grave mound sit high atop a 328m hill, that you must climb, so we park Josephine in the lot at the foot of the hill and start climbing the muddy, stony track to her cairn. This extraordinary tomb is 192m around it’s base, 24m high and 31m in diameter, no wonder you can see it for miles. It is said that Maeve is buried in full battle gear, spear in hand, facing her Ulster enemies even in death. It is hard to comprehend the time and work that this massive tomb must have taken the ancient inhabitants of this land. The track was nearly as hard to come down as it was to climb, but so very worth while. After our ‘mountain climb’ we are in need of a coffee so head to Bundoran, a famous surfing beach here where the Quicksilver Masters Surfing Championship has been held. Racks of wetsuits that can be rented hung outside the surf-shop, probably needed all year here. There was also a spa that caught my eye, they use seaweed collected from the beach that is used in hot sea water baths, then the oil from the seaweed used for your massage. We didn’t have the time or the cash to try this out, but what a great idea for a Qld spa.

posted by Brian and Julie @ 8:21:00 PM