As the somewhat enigmatic title suggests, there was a focal point for this particular journey - the first in over a year on a bike for me, the Triumph trickle charging in the garage, unloved, for all that time since the highs of the Wales adventure. Life has a peculiar way of just steamrolling on and trips away are becoming more and more infrequent as jobs, parenthood, old[er] age continue - time truly waits for no man! I think I had said in another post that I thought - naively - that I would have more time when I got to middle age; the truth is I have much less. The bike had no MOT - so when a plan to see Loughcrew megalithic complex formed, it was the ideal opportunity to kill many birds with one stone. I booked an MOT in Derry for the same day of leaving (a bit of a risk, but the Triumph is serviced regularly and garaged, so I was confident there were no defects) - sure enough she sailed through.
But shortly after this joy the weather began to close in from the west - angry clouds combined with early Autumn dusk translated to a very wet and windy journey south to the camping spot for that evening - Strandhill. I don't mind riding in the dark, but combine that with, at times, vicious cross-winds and heavy rain through the Tamhnaigh an Mhullaigh mountains (and An Bearnas Mór [Barnesmore] Gap) it was interesting to say the least. However, even in those conditions, the way the road plunges through those peaks is something to behold; they rise like great shadows to the immediate right and left, dwarfing you in the process. Absolute blind trust has to be placed in your machinery in such conditions.
An Leathros
It had been a long time since I had been in Strandhill; the place has a very agreeable vibe to it - maybe it's due to it primary 'function' as a surfing destination, maybe it's the presence of Cnoc na Riabh and Binn Ghulbain that seem to surround the settlement or a combination of many factors, but there is a sense of being in the present when there. It was dark when we arrived and the immediate priority was to pitch the tents in what feels like an extension of the dune systems right next to the shoreline.
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| The camp site in the Dunes at Strandhill |
The noise of the ocean has always had an affect on me, I need to be near water - always have done. Rolling countryside is beautiful, but water is - literally and metaphorically - essential for me. Once camp was set up, we meandered to the Strand Bar for pints of Guinness and craic. I had in my head that it was a Friday, so had to remind myself that it was a Wednesday on entering to find it more quiet that last visits. A Trad trio playing agreeably in the corner added to the atmosphere.
That night I fell asleep to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach - the noise become hypnotic in a way, but has a very grounding effect. The tents hunkered within the dune system that provides some shelter from the wind. I was surprised to see other campers there, I had thought around this time of year it would be empty, but then again why wouldn't others also have the same idea as us? It was only interrupted by Kivi struggling in the dark to get out of his tent, zips can be a nightmare! As is tradition, the morning is completed with breakfast in Shells before breaking camp and travelling towards Binn Ghulbain - which faces the road out of Strandhill. In the daylight, its sheer rocky top sits above the grassy lower slopes and it is symbolic of being in 'Yeats' Country'. But it is significant in myth that far predates Yeats; it was the hunting ground for the Fianna, it is also the setting for the setting for the story of 'The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne'. St Columba is also said to have fought a battle on the plain beneath at Cúl Dreimhne in the mid-6th Century.
Turas Thoir
Initially eastwards on the R292, we turned southwards skirting Lough Gill on the R287 crossing over into Liatroma (Leitrim). The Leitrim countryside is noticeably more rugged than some of the other surrounding counties, at times the roads became little more than surfaced tracks complete with grass in the middle, a contrast to sweeping turns of 'R' roads but adding variety to the biking. Our destination was a stop at Mainistir na Craoibhe Léithe (Creevelea Abbey) located in the ancient kingdom of Bréifne Ua Ruairc (West Bréifne) that existed from 1256 - 1605.
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| Creevelea Franciscan Abbey |
The abbey is of the 3rd order of the Franciscans and is one of the last founded/built in Ireland prior to the dissolution of the monasteries by the King of England (Henry VIII). It was founded in 1508 by Eóghan O'Rourke, Lord of West Bréifne, and - probably due to its position off the beaten track - is not only in superb condition, but also quiet (we were the only visitors there). There are extant remains left including the church (nave, chancel, transept and choir), chapter house, cloister and domestic buildings. When I flew the drone over I noticed that the tower had later chimneys inserted. I thought it odd at the time, but post-trip research has shown that the bell tower was converted into lodgings/living quarters in the 17th Century (hence the chimneys) and the church was covered with a thatched roof. The Franciscans were driven out by the Cromwellian Army in the 1650s. After the Restoration, the abbey remained in use until 1837.
The site feels perched alone within the landscape - close to the Bonet River on a high ridge, overlooking the historic village of Droim Dhá Thiar (Dromahair). The name roughly translates to 'ridge of (the) two demons'. These ridges were clearly significant sites - the village side of the river the site of the important early church site of Drumlease, a Patrician foundation of the fifth century AD. The O'Rourke's had their castle within Dromahair - the ruins of the castle (supposedly built in c.950 AD, although the national monuments guide [LE014-009] records a likely 13th Century date) and banqueting hall were present in the village - highlighted by the street names around an area next to the river (Castle Street, Castlefields etc), although on the site are now fourteen holiday cottages. The remains of a (17th Century) fortified house and bawn still remain and can be accessed - referred to as Villier's Castle.
We continued southward on the R289/R280 flanking the western shores of Lough Allen on the Leitrim/Roscommon border. I recognised some of these roads and we had definitely been around Lough Allen before on another trip. The R299 morphs into the N4 near Drumsna and the twists that preceded it give way to long straights which gives you time to become more of a spectator in the landscape. At Newtown Forbes the route is due east onto the L100. We stopped to take stock in Granard and had I known what I now know would have pressed to linger longer. Granard is an ancient town able to trace roots back to the 3rd Century AD. It is mentioned in the Táin Bó Cuailgne, as being one of the places where Queen Medb and her army stopped on their journey to take the Donn Cuailnge. But it is also home to one of the most impressive motte and bailey castles in Ireland, built by by Risteárd de Tiúit in 1199. I cannot believe I forgot about the Granard motte and bailey - Tom McNeill would be disappointed!
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| Drone image of Loughcrew Cairns (Cairns S, T [centre] and U) |
Loughcrew is a complex of over 30 mounds, cairns and passage tombs sprawled across two hills - Carnbane East and Carnbane West - the latter on private land and closed to the public. Carnbane is an anglicisation of Carn Bán meaning 'white cairn' - and it is believed that the great cairn[s] were covered in white quartz - the same as Newgrange and, interestingly, other Neolithic monuments such as the Giant's Ring Henge (just outside Belfast). The most famous structure at Loughcrew is Cairn T which has the Irish cruciform layout with a large central chamber and side chambers, also similar to the mounds at the Boyne Valley complex. Is has been hypothesised that they also had a dual calendar type function with alignment to the spring and autumn equinoxes, which light different carvings towards the rear of the tombs; for the Spring Equinox (around 21st March), this rectangle of sunlight highlights the solar symbol on the top left of the backstone in Cairn T slowly descending to the solar symbol at the bottom of the stone as the sun rises. It is no accident that as more of these sites are studied, alignments with equinoxes, solstices and other events are uncovered/recorded; (i.e., as well as 'larger' events such as winter and summer solstices, along with the equinoxes, Dumha na nGiall [mound of the Hostages at Tara] is aligned with cross-quarter days of Samhain and Imbolc).
Evidence also suggests that Loughcrew predates Newgrange (albeit not by much), built around 3,200 BC (but the potential inference is that this site was of ritual significance prior to or at least in parallel to more famous sites. Loughcrew's appeal is widening and there seems, to me, to be a rise in people trying to connect with ancestors, ancient traditions and culture and connecting to what these monuments seems to focus on which is the passage of time, celestial/astronomical events and seasons (the 'universe' generally), and this is their appeal to me - alongside nerding out on the archaeology - there is a spiritual element to visiting them. However, the site retains a more wild feel when compared to sister Brú na Bóinne monuments; cultural tourism, though, will remain and likely grow so care must be taken of these sites; there have been reports recently of great monuments - Cnoc na Riabh (Knowcknarea), Lia Fáil (Stone of Destiny at Tara) and others, being either vandalised or damaged by people walking on top/over them.
Múghdhorna
The following day (Friday) brought with it a band of rain that was of biblical proportions; we took respite in the new Brú na Bóinne heritage/visitors centre before having little choice but to put our heads down and drive through the rain. Outside Newry, around the Ring of Gullion, the visibility was genuinely amongst the worst I have ever experienced on a bike. We ploughed on through the Mournes Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to Meelmore Lodge to camp. We were utterly drenched and grateful that a local takeout was able to deliver to the site! Thank God for small mercies.
I always write that I hope it won't be long until the next run...but this time I mean it!!
