Location: From Rathbeg keep driving for about half a km and it is on your right and signposted.
OS: M 79466 83655
Longitude: 8° 18' 42.08" W
Latitude: 53° 48' 7.23" N
Description and History: This barrow is absolutely huge! I had no idea that barrows could be so big. From bank to bank it is 85m wide. Apart from its huge size it is a pretty standard ring-barrow with a bank and fosse. The centre is raised and there is a causewayed entrance on the N side. There are several breaks in the bank which may be recent and the modern road on the SE side has destroyed part of the barrow. Known as the ‘fort of the bulls’ this barrow in Irish mythology is where a battle between the bulls of the Tain Bo Cuailnge. The battle was between Donn Cuailnge who entered the area after the death of Cuchulainn. The bull, Finn Bennach challenged him and they fought so fiercely that the sky was darkened with all the soil being thrown into the air. Eventually Donn Cuailnge won the battle and shook Finn Bennach to pieces. This monument is very impressive.
Difficulty: There is no parking here and the entrance is obscured by a bush...but it is there.
Date of Visit: 24th July, 2010.
For more sites at the Rathcroghan complex, click here.
For more barrows, cairns and tumuli, click here.
For more sites in Co. Roscommon, click here.
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| This monument was so large I was unable to get great shots of it, so you'll have to make do with little snippets. |
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| The bank is very large. |
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| Looking to the centre of the mound. |
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| Looking from the centre to the outer bank. |
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| Rathbeg in the distance. |
