Miosgán Meadhbha
Alternative name | Maeve's Cairn |
---|---|
Official name | Queen Maeve's Tomb (Knocknarea) |
Reference no. | 153 |
Miosgán Meadhbha,
The cairn is about 55 metres (180 ft) wide and 10 metres (33 ft) high.
The cairn is a protected National Monument. In recent years, archaeologists have warned that the cairn is being eroded by hikers climbing on it and moving or removing stones. The large number of climbers is leaving scars on the cairn and may be destabilizing the tomb inside.[7][8] Irish folklore holds that it is bad luck to damage or disrespect such tombs and that doing so could bring a curse.[9][10]
Miosgán Meadhbha is Irish for "Meadhbh's heap".[1] Meadhbh is a queen of Connacht in Irish mythology, who is believed to have originally been a sovereignty goddess.[11]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0415273145.
- ^ "Meascán Mhéabha/Miosgan Meva". Placenames Database of Ireland.
- ISSN 0790-892X.
- ^ "History of Knocknarea". Go Strandhill. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ "Ancient Places". Sligo.ie. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ ISBN 9171929452
- ^ "Hikers putting 5,000-year-old Co Sligo cairn at risk". The Irish Times, 13 January 2019.
- ^ "Sligo Weekender: Thousands of feet are destroying our heritage". 29 September 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ^ Sarah Champion & Gabriel Cooney. "Chapter 13: Naming the Places, Naming the Stones". Archaeology and Folklore. Routledge, 2005. p.193
- ^ Doherty, Gillian. The Irish Ordnance Survey: History, Culture and Memory. Four Courts Press, 2004. p.89
- ^ Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopaedia of the Irish folk tradition. Prentice Hall Press, 1991. pp. 294–295
Media related to Maeve's Cairn at Wikimedia Commons