A slice of Knocknarea from a photo by Stefan Bergh. |
Queen Maeve's Cairn The Great Cairn of Knocknarea is a huge Neolithic monument, probably built around 3,200 BC. It is situated on the highest part of the flat top of Knocknarea, 321 m above the sea and is about 55 meters in diameter. Without a doubt it is one of Ireland's most imposing monuments, built in one of the most stunning and highly visible locations of any Passage cairn. There is a wide panoramic view for 40 km in all directions. The Queen Maeve's Cairn is probably one of the best preserved monuments of its kind, and gives a fair idea of the original shape and form of this type of monument - a truncated cone with a flat platform top. The top is slightly dished, as is the flat top of nearby Cairns Hill West. Queen Maeve surely had a coating of chunks of quartz crystal, as plenty of them have shown up near the cairn over the years. The source for quartz is found just a few km to the south, in the Ox Mountains around Croughan hill and cairn. Dr Stefan Bergh the Swedish archaeologist, has surveyed all the monuments in Coolrea peninsula and published his research in the 1995 book, Landscape of the Monuments. Stefan found that there is a low platform, 6 meters wide and 30 cm high, running around the cairn. There is a similar ring around the small satellite to the north of Maeve's Cairn. He found other ring platforms at Cairns Hill, Listoghil and Knocknashee. He also noted six circular settings around the circumferance of the cairn, which are similar to settings at Newgrange, Knowth and Cairn T.
The passage and chamber have remained hidden for at least 2,000 years. The cairn is said to be the resting place of the legendary Queen Maeve of Connaught; its state of preservation is probably due to her fierce reputation. Maeve ruled Connaught from her palace at Rath Croghan near Tulsk in Roscommon, and she is best known for her role in the Tain Bo Culainge, where she led her province to war against Ulster to take the Brown Bull of Cooley, where Cuchullain single-handedly held off her army. That she chose to be interred in the Great Cairn of Knocknarea says something about its prestige as the most important and ancient sacred site in Connaught.
Interestingly, the round platform summit of Maeve's Cairn is at the same altitude as Cairn K at Carrowkeel, the passage of which is oriented directly to Queen Maeve's Cairn. If, on a map, you draw a circle from Cairn K which touches Maeve's Cairn on Knocknarea, you would find that it also touches Maeve's Palace, the mound of Rathcroghan in Roscommon. Coincidence? Whatever the case, it is one of the most important and visually dominating neolithic monuments remaining in Ireland. Gabrial Beranger's 1779 record of Queen Maeve's Cairn, right. |
Looking northeast to Knocknarea and Benbulben from the cairn on Knocknashee, about 17 km from Knocknarea. Picture: Leo Regan.
Legend
tells us that Maeve was buried standing upright within the chamber, with
her armour on and facing her ancient enemies in Ulster. There are also
stories of chieftains being buried in