Wakeman's handbook of Irish antiquities

by W. F. Wakeman

Cairn, on Cairn’s Hill, Co. Sligo.

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Miscan Maeve.​—​On the summit of Knocknarea, which commands a fine view over the coast of Sligo and surrounding country, is a great cairn composed of small stones, and locally known as ‘Miscan Maeve,’ or ‘Misgaun Meaw.’ The cairn is oval-shaped, and measures 590 feet in circumference and 34 feet in height; the sides slope to 79 feet on one side and 67 feet on the other. The top has a major axis of 100 feet and a minor of 85 feet. According to tradition this is the burial-place of Maeve (the Mab of English folk-tales), a celebrated Queen of Connaught, who reigned in the first century. Evidence, however, goes to show that she was buried at Rathcroghan, and the cairn at Knocknarea may have been raised to her memory. There are two cairns on the summit of two hills overlooking Lough Gill, a couple of miles east of Carrowmore. That on Cairn’s Hill is about 180 paces in circumference, with a summit diameter of 36 paces; it seems originally to have been terraced. The other, on Belvoir Hill, was about the same dimensions, but it is in a more ruinous condition. From their construction, and the remains found, they were no doubt sepulchral.

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Monument at Heapstown.​—​At Heapstown, not far from Ballindoon, Co. Sligo, is a gigantic pile of stones, said to have been raised in the fourth century of our era over Oliolla, son of Eochy Moyvane, Ard-righ, i.e. ‘Chief king’ of Erin. The extreme circumference of this great work, which the peasantry assert was erected in one night, is stated to be 62 statute perches. Nothing certain is known of its history; and the story of its having had any connection with Oliolla is probably as true as that embodied in the popular legend.

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Cairn and Cists at the ‘Barr’ of Fintona.​—​It is necessary here to notice a few minor typical yet interesting sepulchres, some of which it would appear had been left undisturbed and unnoticed until recent years. One of the most instructive of these occurs at the ‘Barr’ of Fintona, about three miles north of Trillick, Co. Tyrone. The cairn was found to consist of a mound of stones, rising to a height of about 8 feet above the then level of the surrounding bog. It was quite circular in plan. Resting upon the ground, and just within the outer edge of the pile, were eight cists, each of which had the appearance of a small cromlech. Four of these chambers enclosed portions of the human skeleton; and in two of them, in addition to the remains of man, was found an urn of baked clay. All within the principal urn-bearing cavity was perfectly dry and undisturbed. The floor was flagged, and here and there lay human bones in various stages of decomposition. With them were found three vertebræ of a small mammal, probably those of a dog. A fine, richly-decorated urn, evidently a food-vessel, lay on its side in the middle of the enclosure, resting upon a large, clean slab of sandstone. One of the cists lay on the north-east side of the mound. It was oblong in form, 2 feet 4 inches in breadth by 3 feet 6 in length. The sides and bottom were neatly flagged. This grave was reached with difficulty, as it proved to be secured by two ponderous covering stones, one laid immediately over the other. Upon the floor, cushioned in damp dust, lay the remains, or portions of the skeletons, of two human beings, white and clean, as contrasted with the dark-brown colour of their kindred mould. There were but a few other fragments of bones beside the crania, and these were removed to the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy. There were no traces of the lower jaws, nor even of teeth. From the narrow proportions of the cist, it was quite manifest that no two perfect human bodies, even those of very young people, could have been deposited there. The space was far too limited to have contained even one unmutilated corpse. The bones exhibited no trace of the action of fire, and were unaccompanied by traces of charcoal or ashes of any kind. On the mould which lay on the floor being carefully sifted, no bead, flint-flake, or manufactured article of any description was discovered; and as the bottom and sides of the cist were composed of cleanly-split sandstone, it was evident that nothing but human remains had been entombed there​—​unless, indeed, we may suppose that an earthen vessel, or similarly perishable object, had crumbled into dust amongst the animal matter.

At a point in the circumference of the cairn which may be described as lying south-east from the centre, was a simple cist of quadrangular form, measuring 17 by 18 inches; its depth was 18 inches. The little chamber was found to contain some traces of grayish earth, somewhat like lime-mortar; this occurred here and there in the generally darker mould, and had the appearance of being a decomposition of human or other bones. A cavity precisely similar in formation, but somewhat smaller, lay in the circle, at a distance of about 9 feet from the cist last noticed. This also yielded nothing of interest. Upon the north-west side of the cairn were two cists, which in the temporary absence of the explorer were dug up by treasure-seekers and others. The havoc here perpetrated by ignorance is greatly to be lamented, as in one of the cists an ornamental vase had been found, one fragment of which Mr. Wakeman was fortunate enough to recover. In connection with this vessel was discovered a beautifully formed flint knife. When perfect, as originally found, it measured 3-3/10 inches in length, by 1½ inches at its broadest part. The blade was extremely thin, and exhibited on one side a central ridge, the other surface being flat or slightly convex. Like most implements of its class, it presented admirably chipped edges. The colour was dark-gray, and the instrument showed no evidence of its having been submitted to the action of fire. Another grave lay nearly midway between the first described and the more northern of the two which had been shattered by the treasure-seekers. It also was in all but utter ruin, owing partly to the dampness of its position, and perhaps in some degree to the comparatively inferior material of its component parts. The contents presented human bones​—​those of adults​—​so soft and decomposed as not to bear the slightest touch. They suggested the idea of softish mortar, or of putty. No artificial object was here found, though everything was done to bring to light any deposit which might have accompanied the bones. A trench was excavated from the northern side through more than half the diameter of the cairn; but no central cist or chamber was discovered.[53]

The importance of the discoveries made at the ‘Barr’ in their bearings upon more than one archæological question will doubtless, by a careful reader, be acknowledged. Whether the human remains there found, apparently huddled together in cists not sufficiently large to have contained an entire adult body, were those of victims immolated during the celebration of sepulchral rites, or whether they were relics of persons slain in battle, buried, and subsequently disinterred for final sepulture in the territory of their people or ancestors, are questions which it would be very difficult to decide.

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