Kilmalkedar Early Christian Site

The Dingle Peninsula, Co Kerry, Ireland

Kilmalkedar Romanesque Church, Ogham Stone and Cross

Kilmalkedar Church, Ogham Stone and Cross

Kilmalkedar Romanesque Church

Kilmalkedar Romanesque doorway

Kilmalkedar Cross

Kilmalkedar Cross

Kilmalkedar Ogham Stone

Kilmalkedar Ogham Stone

Kilmalkedar Ogham Stone and Cross

Kilmalkedar Sundial

Eightercua Stone Row

Eightercua Stone Row

Eightercua Stone Row, Co Kerry, Ireland

Eightercua Stone Row
The alignment is on a low ridge visible from the road. By chance I met the friendly landowner who gave me access to the stones

Eightercua Stone Row

Lugnagappul Ogham Stones

Lugnagappul Ogham Stones

Legend has it that there was a battle at a place known as Pairc na Fola (Park of Blood). There at a low cairn called Cnoc na Fola (Hill of Blood) the slain were buried. At the edge of the cairn is a three stone row containing two ogham stones.

Lugnagappul Ogham Stones

Lugnagappul Ogham Stones, Cnoc na Fola (Hill of Blood), Co Kerry, Ireland

Fourknocks Passage Tomb

Fourknocks Passage Tomb, Co Meath, Ireland
Fourknocks
The decorated lintel stone on the right  as you enter the chamber

Fourknocks Passage Tomb
The decorated lintel over the right chamber

Fourknocks Passage Tomb
The decorated lintel over the central chamber

Fourknocks Passage Tomb
The entrance to Fourknocks Passage Tomb

Fourknocks Passage Tomb

The central chamber

Fourknocks Passage Tomb

The right chamber

Fourknocks Passage Tomb

One of the decorated stones

Castlekeeran

Castlekeeran – Three High Crosses, Ogham Stone and Cross Slab

Castlekeeran - the West Cross
The West Cross

Castlekeeran - the South Cross
The South Cross

Castlekeeran - the North Cross
The North Cross

 Castlekeeran Ogham Stone
The Ogham Stone

 Castlekeeran Cross Slab
The Cross Slab

Ogham Stone 2
The Ogham Stone inscription reads COVAGNI MAQI MUCOLI LUGINI, translated as “Cuana son of the people of Luigni” (Wikipedia)

Loughcrew Megalithic Complex – Carnbane West

Cairn L
Cairn L, Loughcrew Megalithic Complex – Carnbane West, Co Meath, Ireland

Carnbane West
The kerb of Cairn L with Cairn H in the middle ground and cairns F and G on the horizon

Cairn H
Cairn H

 The entrance to Cairn H
The entrance to Cairn H


Cairn H

Cairn L from the south west
Cairn L from the south west

Cairn D
Cairn D

Cairn F with Cairn D
Cairn F with Cairn D in the background

Cairn I With Cairn T on the horizon
Cairn I With Cairn T on the horizon

Cairn I
Cairn I

Loughcrew Megalithic Complex – Carnbane East

Cairn S with Cairn T in the background
Loughcrew Megalithic Complex – Carnbane East, Co Meath, Ireland

The Hag's Chair, Cairn T
The Hag’s Chair at Cairn T

The Hag's Chair on Sliabh na Cailleach
The Hag’s Chair on Sliabh na Cailleach, the Mountains of the Hag (Witch)

Detail of the Hag's Chair
Detail of Cross inscribed into the Hag’s Chair

Cairn V
Cairn V, Carnbane East

Cairn T from Cairn V
Cairn T viewed from Cairn V, Loughcrew Megalithic Complex, Carnbane East

Cairn V and Cairn T
Another view from Cairn V of Cairn T, Loughcrew Megalithic Complex

Cairn S
Cairn S

The Equinox Stone, Cairn T
The Equinox Stone in the chamber of Cairn T which is illuminated by the sun at sunrise on the Spring and Autumnal Equinoxes

Cairn T passage
Cairn T passage to chamber

Loughcrew decorated stone - rock art
Loughcrew decorated stone – rock art

Cairn T decorated stone
The “energy” seeming to emanate from this stone is coincidental internal camera flare

Cairn T and Cairn S
Cairn T with Cairn S in the foreground

Farranmacbride Court Tomb 2

Farranmacbride Court Tomb - west chamber
The entrance to the west chamber


Detail of the west chamber

Farranmacbride Court Tomb
The east part of the site

Farranmacbride Court Tomb - subsidiary chamber
The subsidiary chamber

Farranmacbride Court Tomb - The east gallery
The east gallery with the subsidiary chamber to the left

Farranmacbride Court Tomb
Farranmacbride Court Tomb, Glencolmcille, Co Donegal, Ireland

Kilclooney More Dolmen

Not the famous one that’s a bit further north up the R261 but a small portal tomb surrounded by reeds
Kilclooney More Dolmen

“Other” Kilclooney More Dolmen (Portal Tomb), Co Donegal, Ireland

Kilclooney More Portal Tomb

Kilclooney More Portal Tomb

Doon Standing Stone

Doon Standing Stone
Doon Standing Stone, Co Sligo, Ireland

Doon Standing Stone
The same stone… in the next field there is another Standing Stone but local flooding prevented approach

Drumcliff High Cross

Drumcliff High Cross
Drumcliff High Cross, Co Sligo, Ireland

Drumcliff High Cross
West face of the 9th-10th-century high cross at Drumcliff

Drumcliff High Cross

Drumcliff High Cross
Drumcliff High Cross with the shaft of another high cross and ruin of the round tower in the background

Gleniff Horseshoe

Gleniff horseshoe cliffs
Gleniff Horseshoe, a scenic six-mile loop near Cliffoney, Co Sligo, Ireland

Gleniff horseshoe cliffs
A view of the Cliffs on the drive

Cottage ruin
Gleniff horseshoe cottage ruin

Gleniff waterfall
Small waterfall at the old mill ruins

Gleniff wood sculpture
Wood sculpture at the old mill ruins

Gleniff wood sculpture
More oddities

Moneygashel Cashel

Moneygashel Cashel
The track leading to Moneygashel stone fort

Moneygashel Cashel
Moneygashel Cashel, Co Cavan, Ireland

Moneygashel Cashel
The entrance to the cashel

Moneygashel Cashel
Inside the cashel with a view to the south

Moneygashel Cashel
The building attached to the wall of Moneygashel Stone Fort

St Mura’s Cross

Fahan Cross Slab aka St. Mura’s Cross, Co Donegal, Ireland

The west face of the Fahan Mura Cross Slab

St. Mura's Cross aka Fahan Cross

The east face of the Fahan Mura Cross Slab

Small Fahan Cross

The small cross slab embedded into the wall at Fahan



Glencolmcille Turas Station 9

Glencolmcille Turas Station 9, Co Donegal, Ireland. The decorated northern face of the holed cross pillar

The stone is also known as Cloch an Aonaigh or the Stone of the Gathering

Casheltown Wedge Tomb

Casheltown Wedge Tomb
The three Wedge Tombs at the overgrown Chasheltown site. The 2 stones in the foreground are part of a kerb that encircles the tombs

Casheltown Wedge Tomb

Casheltown Wedge Tomb
The largest of the Casheltown Wedge Tombs with the smallest just to the right

Casheltown Wedge Tomb
The overgrown site in colour

Casheltown Wedge Tomb
The smallest of the tombs

Kilcar old church

Kilcar old church and graveyard
Kilcar old church and graveyard, Co Donegal, Ireland

Kilcar old church and graveyard

Kilcar old church and graveyard - Bullaun stone
The bullaun stone that sits in the ruin of Kilcar old church

Kilcar old church and graveyard

Kilcar old church and graveyard

Kilcar old church and graveyard - Grave slabs
Two of the numerous grave slabs that lie in the graveyard

Kilcar old church and graveyard - Grave slabs

 

Kilcar old church - Cairn and Holy Well

The Cairn and Holy Well in a field next to Kilcar old church

Kilcar old church - Cairn and Holy Well

The holy well flows into a bullaun stone or rock-basin

Caves of Kesh

Caves of Kesh
Caves of Kesh, Keshcorran, Sligo, Ireland

Kesh Caves
In Irish mythology the caves of Kesh were believed to be an entrance to the the Otherworld. One story tells how, when on a hunt, Fionn mac Cumhaill, head of the Fianna, was put under enchantment by three witches along with a troop of his men. The witches were the daughters of Conaran of the supernatural race Tuatha de Danaan who ruled in the underworld of Keshcorran. As the witches prepared to kill their captives the last of the hunting party Goll mac Morna encounters them and in a hard fought engagement slices in half two witches then beheads them and gets the better of the third putting her into bondage. In exchange for her life she agrees to dissolve the enchantment on Fionn and his Fianna. Diarmuid and Gráinne are also said to have sought refuge in the caves as the lovers evade Fionn mac Cumhaill who Gráinne had been betrothed to. Another story tells how the high king of Ireland Cormac mac Airt was born at the foot of Keshcorran and reared by a she-wolf with her cubs in the caves.

Keshcorran

Caves of Kesh

Caves of Kesh

Caves of Kesh

Killaghtee Cross

Killaghtee Cross
Slab with a carved Maltese cross inside a circle. The cross is thought to date from 650AD and mark the resting place of Aédh, an anchorite monk

Killaghtee Cross
Killaghtee Cross, Co Donegal, Ireland

Killaghtee old church
Killaghtee old church

Cú Chulainn’s Stone

Clochafarmore Standing Stone aka Cuchulain's Stone
Clochafarmore Standing Stone aka Cuchulain’s Stone, Co Louth, Ireland

Cú Chulainn's Stone
In the Irish saga the Táin Bó Cuailgne (The Cattle Raid of Cooley) Cú Chulainn (the hero of Ulster) is said to have tied himself to a standing stone when mortally wounded. While tied to the stone his enemies feared approaching thinking he lived until the battle goddess Morrigu (Morrígan) lands on his shoulder in the form of a raven. When sure he is dead they approach and Lugaid beheads Cú Chulainn whose sword falls and slices of Lugaid’s right hand, in revenge they cut off Cú Chulainn’s hand.

Rathlackan Court Tomb

Rathlackan Court Tomb 1
Rathlackan Court Tomb, Co Mayo, Ireland

Rathlackan Court Tomb 2

The east facing entrance to the gallery

Rathlackan Court Tomb 3

Rathlackan Court Tomb 4

The court from the east

Rathlackan Court Tomb 5

Looking down on the gallery entrance and first chamber

Rathlackan Court Tomb 6

The gallery as viewed from the back (west)

Glendalough Monastic City

St Kevin's Church and the round tower
St Kevin’s Church and Round Tower, Glendalough, Co Wicklow, Ireland

St Kevin's Church and the round tower
St Kevin’s Church and Round Tower, Glendalough

St Kevin's Church
St Kevin’s Church

Glendalough Round Tower
Glendalough Round Tower, Glendalough

Glendalough Round Tower
Glendalough Round Tower, Glendalough

Glendalough Reefert Church and cross
Glendalough Reefert Church and crosses, Glendalough Monastic City

Glendalough Reefert Church and cross
Glendalough Reefert Church and cross, Glendalough Monastic City

Glendalough Reefert Church
Glendalough Reefert Church

Glendalough Reefert Church
Glendalough Reefert Church

Glendalough Cathedral
Glendalough Cathedral

Glendalough Cathedral
Glendalough Cathedral

Glendalough Cathedral
Glendalough Cathedral