The mountain range containing Carrowkeel is called the Bricklieve Mountains (Breac
Sliabh), meaning ‘the speckled mountains’ – a possible reference to their appearance when
more quartz rock survived on the outside of the cairns, causing them to sparkle in the sun.
One can only imagine how these would have looked when first constructed; maybe white (like
Newgrange) acting as a beacon for miles around. As we explored the cairns and the passages
it was, simply, a marvel. The sun was high and the inside of each of the passages cool, but
their scale was awe-inspiring. How they got all the stones up there, the lintels so precisely lain,
it really made me think about the sheer force of will and effort involved. From the summit, there
are panoramic views all around and other sites, Medbh's Grave for example, is clearly visible,
there is a sense of just how complex the Neolithic landscape would have been.
These monuments were not here in isolation or even as a small grouping, they were
part of an exceptionally large ritual and religious landscape across many miles. The
engineering is also incredible, bearing in mind the simplicity of tools that they would have used.
Although not all can be entered, the major cairns can and the light-box in Cairn G is aligned
with the summer solstice sun.
The ‘light-box’ in Cairn G (Author)
All too soon we had to make the descent again, retracing our steps on the stony
trackways, at the mountain base I was, frankly, just glad I hadn't dropped the bike! We had