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While Newgrange may be the most famous Neolithic passage tomb in Ireland, Loughcrew is one of the most fabled.
Around 3300-2900 BC, rock cairns were piled high atop four hills that sit side-by-side in modern-day County Meath. These hills are known as Slieve na Calliagh, or “Mountains of the Witch.” Legend says that a giant witch hopped from hill to hill, dropping rocks from her apron as she went, thereby creating Loughcrew Cairns. On her last leap, she fell to her death and was ultimately buried in one of the hills.
Visitors can hike a steep but short trail to the impressive Cairn T, which protects a passage tomb. It’s no longer possible to enter the tomb, though you can peer inside at the entrance kerbstones to admire rock art petroglyphs. To get an idea of what the inside looks like, observe the smaller satellite tombs that surround Cairn T. They are missing their roofs, so the inner structure is clear; their cruciform chambers consist of a long passage entrance leading to three alcoves where ancient people would have been laid to rest. Excavations of Irish passage tombs have found cremated remains sometimes mixed with unburnt bones. Grave goods from the tombs at Loughcrew, Hill of Tara, Newgrange, and Knowth are on display at the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology in Dublin.
Every year on the spring and autumn equinoxes, the sunrise illuminates the decorated stone at the back of the passage tomb. People still visit Loughcrew annually to celebrate. Considering the winter equinox illuminates the tomb at Newgrange, perhaps monuments throughout County Meath were related.
A large stone at Cairn T’s base is called the Hag’s Chair or Witch’s Chair. If you sit on this rock to make a wish, the witch may grant it, as long as you don’t overstay your welcome by lounging on the rock any longer than 10 seconds.
The undulating hills make the view from Slieve na Calliagh quite majestic. Loughcrew Cairns is one of my most beautiful cultural heritage sites in Ireland, and it’s easy to understand why this location would have been chosen as a sacred place.
Know Before You Go
There is no fee to visit Loughcrew Cairns. An Office of Public Works employee is usually stationed onsite at Cairn T to provide interpretation, so you don’t need to hire a guide. However, there is no public transportation to reach Loughcrew, so if you don’t have a car, you may choose to join a guided tour from Dublin.
Please don’t climb on top of the cairns.