Looking east to Benbulben's Head from the Wedge megalithic at Streedagh.

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Benbulben is Knocknarea's only rival for the most dramatic mountain in County Sligo. It's steep buttressed western extreme and flat top looms over the road from Sligo to Donegal like a huge barrier. The hulking outline of Benbulben is visible from all around Sligo; it dominates the landscape to the north of the town. Ed Reavy's reel was named after Benbulben. Benbulben is named after a Gaelic chieftain and means Gulban's Head. It is the western point of the Dartry Mountains, a large and bulky collection of heads and valleys and forms the main physical barrier between Donegal and Sligo. The mountain is formed from Dartry limestone, a hard limestone filled with the fossels of sea creatures which lived some 300 million years ago. The dramatic and unusual shapes of Benbulben, Benwhisken and Eagle's Rock were sculpted by glaciers during the last ice age. Looking east at Benbulben's Head from Barnaribbon townland near Sligo - Donegal road. The flat top is 500 meters above sea level. There are many megalithic monuments scattered around the skirts of Dartry mountain, and a few more on it's peat-covered top. They are mostly court and wedge monuments, and none are in great condition, having been used as quarrys for building stones. I will add a list of them with pictures in the near future. The one below is just west of Ballintrillick village and is located right under the magnificent backdrop of Benwhisken, the frozen wave. As well as being an impressive physical reminder of Sligo's ancient past, Benbulben is a dominant mythical landmark; the mountain is well known in Sligo's folklore tradition. There were many local traditions about the mountain which regarded it as a major Sidhe of the Túatha dé Danann, and the young Evan Wentz collected stories around the mountain in 1911, accompanied by Yeats and AE. Fionn MacCumhail and the Fianna loved to hunt in Sligo, and Kesh Corran and Benbulben were two of their favourite hunting grounds. There is a tale where Fionn falls in love with a bewitched woman, Siav, who had been changed into a deer. He rescues her and they live together for seven years before she is recaptured by the enchanter. Fionn searched for Siav for many years, but to no avail. While hunting on the top of Benbulben on day several years later Fionn discovered a young boy who turned out to be his son Oisin, who became one of the most famous of the Fianna. Benbulben is also the setting for the final tragic scene in the saga of Diarmuid and Grainne. Fionn had spent sixteen years in persuit of the lovers - Grainne had run away with Diarmuid instead of marrying Fionn. Eventually, having supposedly gotten over it, Fionn allowed them to live in peace and they dwelt at Grainnemor near Kesh Corran. However, Fionn grew jealous again and set Diarmuid up by enticing him to a hunt on Benbulben, knowing well that it was likely to be the death of Diarmuid. There was a geas or spell on Diarmuid that he could not hunt boar, and he was fatally gored by the green-eared boar of Benbulben, who tossed him up on it's back and galloped up to the river Drowse and back. Diarmuid lay dying and Fionn could have saved him by giving him a drink of water from his hands, but his heart couldn't forgive and he let him die. Grainne died by her own hand soon after. The tale of Diarmuid and Grainne has given rise to many sites being named Labbys or Leaba Diarmuid agus Grainne, as they had to sleep in a different place each night for fear of Fionn. The picture above shows Diarmuid and Grainne's cave at the back of the Horseshoe valley behind Benwhisken.