Rathcroghan

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Ráth Cruachan
Rathcroghan
Rathcroghan (Ireland)
Rathcroghan
Rathcroghan
Coordinates 53 ° 48 ′  N , 8 ° 18 ′  W Coordinates: 53 ° 48 ′  N , 8 ° 18 ′  W
Basic data
Country Ireland

province

Connacht
county Roscommon
ISO 3166-2 IE-RN
Rathcroghan site map

Rathcroghan ( Irish Ráth Cruachan - "The ring fort of Cruachain", from Old Irish rà [i] th [ Raːθ ] - "ring wall") is an archaeological site in County Roscommon in Ireland .

mythology

Rathcroghan is mentioned in the Dindsenchas ("explanation of place names") as the former royal seat of Connacht , one of the four or five original provinces of the country. The name derives from Crochen, a Sidhe (fairy) and servant ETAINS , ago. She is said to have become Medb's mother .

According to Irish mythology , Cruachain was home to the castle of the royal couple Ailill mac Máta and Medb, who played an important role in the stories Echtrae Nerai ("Nera's Adventure") and Táin Bó Cuailnge ("The Cattle Robbery of Cooley ").

At Samhain (November 1st) the inhabitants of the Other World come out of the barrows and crevices around Rathcroghan , as it is described in Echtrae Nerai and also in Fled Bricrenn ("Bricrius Fest"). This is why Rathcroghan is one of the places considered to be the Other World Locations.

The archaeological sites

The assignment as the royal castle of Connacht is not without controversy, the importance of the place as a collection of Neolithic and Bronze Age tombs and meeting for ritual ceremonies ( oenach ) is assured.

Rathcroghan Mound

This artificial mound has a diameter of 90 m and a height of 6 m at the base and was created as a burial mound over a natural gravel ridge. Large structures were built on an original site made up of two stone rings, which is considered to be the Cruachain royal castle from the myths.

Rathmore

To the northwest of Rathcroghan Mound is a facility called Rathmore ( An Ráth Mór , "Great Ring Fort"). The diameter of the almost circular area is 30 m, it is surrounded by an earth wall with a ditch. A ruler's seat from the first half of the 1st century BC. Is assumed here.

Rath na darbh

To the west of the Rathcroghan Mound is Rath na Darbh (" Ring Fort of the Bulls"), anglicised Rathnadarve , just as laid out as Rathmore . The two famous bulls Donn Cuailnge and Findbennach are said to have fought their final battle here.

Uaigh na gCat
Dathi's Mound, drawing (1903) from Wakeman's handbook of Irish antiquities
The Mucklaghs

Reilig na Rí

The Rath of Relignaree also Reilig na Rí ( German  "Tomb of the Kings" ) anglicized Relignaree , in the south of the Rathcroghan Mound , is also a ring system, but with a diameter of 100 m and a stone wall. This encloses an inner wall, a basement and some stone huts.

Uaigh na gCat

The Uaigh na gCa t ("Cave of the Cats"), (also called Oweynagat ), 60 m in the southwest of Rathcroghan Mound , is a basement that Birkhan found on his visit in 1995 as a difficult to access, completely neglected and polluted cave with two main entrances ( one buried) and a side entrance. In the case of basements , a distinction is made between “earth-cut”, “rock-cut”, “mixed”, “stone built” and “wooden” (e.g. Coolcran, County Fermanagh ). Uaigh na gCat is said to be one of the most important approaches to the Other World. Birkhan saw a stone ceiling in which the name of the mythical hero Froech should be read on an Ogham stone at the entrance (VRAICCI MAQI MEDVII, interpreted as "Froech, son of Medb").

The basement ends in a large natural cave which, according to myth, has a connection with the Kesh Caves in County Sligo . The cave was home to many mythological creatures. The Ellen Trechen was a three-headed monster that emerged from the cave and ravaged the land until it was killed by the hero Amergin. Red birds and pigs emerged from the cave. The Morrigan is said to arise every Samhain (Halloween) in the cave. She is accompanied by other mythical creatures on a wagon pulled by a one-legged horse.

Graffiti by Douglas Hyde , the first President of Ireland can be seen on the cave wall.

Dathi's Mound

Right next to Uaigh na gCat is Dathi's Mound , supposedly the tomb of Dathis, the last pagan king of Ireland. However, archaeologists have not found a grave, nor does the time of construction (200 BC to 200 AD) match Dathi's dates of life. The surrounding earth wall has a diameter of about 40 m.

The Mucklaghs

The Mucklaghs ( Na Muclaigh , "the pigsties") consists of two parallel earth walls with an average height of 6 m. The legend tells of a mythical wild boar that it is said to have piled up, but it is believed that a pen for sacrificial animals was found in other places in Ireland and Britain near sacred sites.

Other plants

Rathbeg ( An Ráth Beag ) is a mound (artificial hill) with a wall. Misguan Medb is a fallen stone at Rathcroghan Mound . The Ancient Avenue probably a ceremony road width of 15 m, Cashelmanannan a Steinumwallung of 64 m in diameter and 1.5 m height.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Rathcroghan  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. P. 841.