Slieve Gullion Passage Tomb
Location: Slieve Gullion, Co. Armagh
Classification: Passage Tomb
Rating:
The Slieve Gullion Passage Tomb, also known locally as Cailleach Beara's House, is the highest surviving passage tomb in Ireland, sitting at an altitude of 577 meters on the southern summit of Slieve Gullion in County Armagh. The circular cairn measures 30 metres (97 feet) in diameter and 5 metres (16 feet) high and is encircled by a kerb of large boulders. A short, lintel-roofed passage leads to an octagonal central chamber with a cruciform arrangement of three small side recesses. The entrance to the tomb is aligned southwest to the winter solstice, when the setting sun illuminates the internal chamber.
When excavated in the 1960's, three large blocks of stone were found, seemingly used as ceremonial basins. Some bits of worked flint and a barbed-end arrowhead were also found, the only remnants that survived the centuries of probable tomb raiding. Radiocarbon dating suggests it was built c.3500-2900 BCE.
The Cailleach is an ancient goddess often associated with Winter gives and her name to many of the features on this mountain including the small lake known as Cailleach Bhéara's Lough. According to one tale, The Cailleach and her sister, Áine, the Irish goddess of summer, both sought after the legendary hero Fionn mac Cumhaill. When Áine said she would never marry a man with grey hair, The Cailleach secretly put a spell on the lake, so that anyone who swam in it would grow old instantly. She then tricked Fionn into swimming in it, turning him into an old man with grey-white hair. Fionn still refused the Cailleach's advances and, forced her to give him a restorative potion to make him young again, but his hair never returned to its true colour.
Description
The Slieve Gullion Passage Tomb, also known locally as Cailleach Beara's House, is the highest surviving passage tomb in Ireland, sitting at an altitude of 577 meters on the southern summit of Slieve Gullion in County Armagh. The circular cairn measures 30 metres (97 feet) in diameter and 5 metres (16 feet) high and is encircled by a kerb of large boulders. A short, lintel-roofed passage leads to an octagonal central chamber with a cruciform arrangement of three small side recesses. The entrance to the tomb is aligned southwest to the winter solstice, when the setting sun illuminates the internal chamber.
History
When excavated in the 1960's, three large blocks of stone were found, seemingly used as ceremonial basins. Some bits of worked flint and a barbed-end arrowhead were also found, the only remnants that survived the centuries of probable tomb raiding. Radiocarbon dating suggests it was built c.3500-2900 BCE.
Folklore
The Cailleach is an ancient goddess often associated with Winter gives and her name to many of the features on this mountain including the small lake known as Cailleach Bhéara's Lough. According to one tale, The Cailleach and her sister, Áine, the Irish goddess of summer, both sought after the legendary hero Fionn mac Cumhaill. When Áine said she would never marry a man with grey hair, The Cailleach secretly put a spell on the lake, so that anyone who swam in it would grow old instantly. She then tricked Fionn into swimming in it, turning him into an old man with grey-white hair. Fionn still refused the Cailleach's advances and, forced her to give him a restorative potion to make him young again, but his hair never returned to its true colour.
Gallery
Accessibility Rating: Moderate - Difficult
There are no facilities at this monument
Accessibility
Accessibility Class: Moderate - Difficult
Facilities
There are no facilities at this monument
Map
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