Tour Guide Sacred Island Carrowkeel Summer solstice Doonaveeragh Village Caves of Kesh Kesh Cairn Knocknarea Carrowmore Cairns Hill Moytura   Who What How When Where Why Pots & Basins Quartz Art

Why Were They Built? As with ancient sites elsewhere around the world, there are many views and opinions as to why the ancients built the cairns. I believe that an examination of the symbolic language used by the cairn building culture holds many answers. The number three and the cross were primary motifs of the cairn builders. The symbolic importance of the trinity can be traced back to the origins of Irish megalithic culture at Carrowmore in Co. Sligo. The central chamber of Listoghil, which is oriented to the south east is at the centre of a triune of sites which includes Knocknarea and Cairns Hill. In addition there are three arcs engraved on the roof-slab of Listoghil, and a triune engraving, discovered last year inside the chamber which greatly resembles the Indian OM symbol. There are several early monuments in the region with the classic cruciform chamber plan - Barnarashy 63, Knocknarea 1 and Carrowmore 27. At Carrowkeel the triune of sites is more difficult to spot with the layout of the monuments, but could be Kesh Corran , Treanmacmurtagh Cairn and either Cairn F or K. However there are several monuments with cruciform chambers - Cairns C, E, F (double cruciform), G, K and M. Sheemor in Leitrim has three cairns sitting on its flat summit, the central mound capped by a modern Christian cross which is lit by floodlights at night. Loughcrew has three distinct peaks and many cruciform chambers. And at the Boyne Valley, the triple spiral as mentioned above is the key signature. The use of the cross symbol needs to be examined in relation to Irish sites. Not many academic researchers have ever taken this subject on and given it the thorough investigation it deserves. The cruciform plan was in use from the earliest building phases on the west coast of Ireland. I believe the real purpose of these buildings can be understood by examining their symbolic attributes. As shown above, the symbol of the cross is as old as this type of monument, as is the repetition of the number three and the alignment or orientation to the movement to a heavenly aspect. In addition Cairn G at Carrowkeel and Newgrange have stone covering slabs still in situ, though many other mounds must have had them. In a situation such as Newgrange, we are faced with a parallel set of symbols as the resurrection scenes in the gospels. An initiate is placed within a stone tomb for three days, which in this case correspond to the winter solstice festival of rebirth and the supposed birth date of Jesus, The interior of the tomb is laid out in the shape of a cross - as are modern churches and cathedrals. On the third day the stone door is moved aside and the initiate, newly reborn in the sun, emerges into the light. The symbolism of the sunbeam within the chamber is very potent - penetrating light illuminating the mind of the initiate. A further confirmation of this practice is engraved on the Entrance stone at Newgrange and beautifully illustrated in the Books of Kells and Durrow. The Chi Rho symbol which represents the birth of Christ is engraved within the Triple Spiral, where the top two loops meet at the centre.