Dodging Thunder and Lightning

Walk Date: 06 Jun 2016. As we arrived at Carnbane East (Slieve Na Calliagh) the CHP of county Meath, Mother Nature was roaring again, there were a few claps of thunder and flashes of lightening. We had read that it was a short trek across a field to the summit which was also the home of Loughcrew Megalithic Cairns. In minutes we were at the top and at that stage the thunder and Lightning was very frequent and quite harsh, Dillon(dillonkdy) allowed me take one picture and I pushed for two before we literally flew off that hillside back to the car. We will have to return at our leisure to see the Cairns in more detail another time (we were there less than 15 minutes for this visit) but for now our two day mission was complete, 8 CHP’s done, thanks to my sister Helen for walking with us and well done to Dillon(dillonkdy), a great achievement, a total of 14 counties covered so far in the challenge. The long drive to County Cork via the outskirts of Dublin remained and the lightening lit up the road frequently for the journey. See Dillon’s (dillonkdy) full story of his County High Point Challenge at https://dillons32chpchallenge.github.io/progress/index.html We also found Kieron Gribbon's High Point Ireland website (www.highpointireland.com) to be a useful source of information for our 32 County High Points challenge. Definitely worth checking out if you're planning to do any of the High Point challenges. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/976/comment/18816/

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pdtempan on Slieve Na Calliagh

I've been asked to offer some clarification on the name of this peak. Audi-Anne comments: "Slieve na Calliagh or Lough Crew and Carnbane East all appear to be the same place. " Well, yes, and no! Slieve na Calliagh, from the Ir. Sliabh na Caillí, 'mountain of the cailleach or hag', is the name of the group of hills as a whole. The archaeological complex on several of the tops of these hills, consisting of passage tombs with megalithic art on their walls, is best known as Loughcrew. This is the name of a townland and a parish in the area, and the complex (described as a "passage tomb cemetery" at www.megalithomania.com) lies within this parish. Presumably Loughcrew was originally the name of a lake, and the name was only later applied to the townland and parish in which the lake was situated, but I'm not aware of any significant lake in the area now, so perhaps it has been drained. Can anyone with local knowledge comment on this? Carnbane is also the name of a townland, and several of the most important monuments in the complex are located in this townland. This name comes from Ir. An Carn Bán, 'the white cairn'. I presume that this name refers to one of the hill-top monuments in the complex (local knowledge again?). So, the 3 different names apply to places in the same area, but one applies to the group of hills, one to a townland and parish, and one to another townland. I hope this helps. We can add the names Loughcrew and Carnbane to the explanatory text in the next update to the summits list, so that nobody overlooks the peak in MV because of the multiple names. By the way, there's no problem about the site being Neolithic AND megalithic. The first term refers to the date, the second to the style of construction with massive rocks (megaliths). Maybe you're thinking of Mesolithic, which is the period preceding the Neolithic. It's great to see that some of the newly-added peaks below 400m are attracting plenty of comments, and that an interest in archaeology is boosting the contributions. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/976/comment/3326/

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OPW guides greatly enhance a visit to this summit

The highest point of County Meath is an absolute must on the MV list, especially so for history lovers. The views on offer are truly expansive, but it is the significance of the landscape that provides added interest. Clusters of megalithic cairns are situated at Slieve na Calliagh and surrounding hills in the North Midlands, comprising one of the largest prehistoric burial grounds in Ireland.

The presence of so many cairns invests this landscape with power and spirituality. Unsurprisingly, these high and holy places have drawn people to them for eons. Queen Maeve was reputed to have sat on the Hag’s Chair, one of the large rocks of the cairn atop Slieve na Calliagh, to proclaim the law of the land. More recently Catholics held mass here in secret, denoted by a cross carved into the rock surface. The Rev. Eugene Conwell was the first person to seriously study the cairns of Loughcrew in 1863, and it was he who ascribed to them the various letters that are still in use today.

Cairn T or Hag's Cairn atop Slieve na Calliagh, is a classic example of a Passage Tomb similar in design to Newgrange, comprising a cruciform underground chamber with a corbelled roof topped by an enormous cairn 35 metres in diameter. A richly decorated backstone reveals that the Cairn has a clear astronomical purpose. The illumination of the passage and chamber at the winter solstice sunrise in Newgrange is world famous, but less well known is the equinox illumination at dawn in Cairn T. Over the course of about 50 minutes, a beam of sunlight shaped by the stones of the entrance slowly creeps up the passage towards the backstone, moving from left to right illuminating solar symbols.

A pleasant 10-15 minute walk up a grassy hill from a small car park brings visitors to the passage tomb. If you ensure that your visit takes place during June to August the passage tomb is open and there are OPW guides on site who accompany visitors inside and explain the history and significance of the site and its artwork. At other times the tomb is locked, but it is possible to obtain access by collecting a key at nearby Loughcrew Gardens.

Our visit coincided with the last admission of the day: 5.15 pm. The weather was fickle, depressingly overcast, cold and blustery, and it was difficult to believe that it was the day prior to the summer solstice. Two guides, who had been braving the elements all day outside the tomb and who were clearly cold and looking forward to knocking off for the day, enlivened our visit with their enthusiasm and professionalism. One told me she had worked at the site for 19 years and she and her colleague provided an excellent and informative narrative. Once inside we were given a torch to illuminate the various petroglyps. Although this was the last of 6 summits we had climbed over the course of 2 days including Ireland’s remotest peak, those 2 OPW guides ensured that little Slieve na Calliagh will stand foremost in my memory. Thank you ladies! Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/976/comment/6386/

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A short stroll into ancient history

More of a short stroll than a climb, yet Loughcrew is one of the most fascinating tops to visit in Ireland, especially on a clear day. A treasure trove of ancient history awaits the visitor, although if you're interested in Ireland's ancient monuments, look it up before you visit or bring a guide book as information provided by the powers that be on site is minimal. The shot shows the main Cairn T as seen from the outlying small Cairn W as the sun sank low in the sky. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/976/comment/6261/

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paulocon on Slieve Na Calliagh

Having set myself the goal of standing atop the high points of all 32 counties in Ireland and after my youngest daughter informed me that she'd love to 'climb a mountain', Slieve Na Calliagh offered the perfect opportunity to keep us all happy!

This was my second high-point in a week but was a complete contrast to the ardous climb up Slieve Donard in the Mournes. The location is very easy to find, simply head for Oldcastle from Kells and it's signposted for the last few kilometres. From the carpark, it's around a 400-500 metre walk to the tomb itself. For a family trip, it's excellent in that the walk up the hill provides a challenge to younger kids and a sense of achievment when they reach the top - a gentle introduction to hillwalking!

Although it may be one of the lower county high points, the fact that the land around is so flat means that the views from atop the hill are excellent. We had a bit of a haze today but I believe that in a really clear day, you can see the Mournes in Down and the Wicklow Mountains. Today, we could see the hills of Baileboro in County Cavan as well as lakes in Westmeath. The history of the hill and the archaeology upon it obviously make it one of the more interesting summits to be found.

All in all, a great one for the family - the kids absolutely loved it as did I. Highly recommended and I'll certainly be bringing my crowd back again! Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/976/comment/3354/

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