Treasured Ireland

Besides relaxing, the Irish like to have fun, as we all know, and have no qualms about padding their pasts with conjured plots. One example is Queen Maeve's tomb, a rocky cairn atop Knocknarea, a mountain in Sligo. The grave measures 55 meters wide, 10 meters high and can be seen from miles away. Maeve, as the story goes, was the mythical Iron Age Queen, whose father was the high king of Ireland. Supposedly, the monument was constructed for the battle heroine, who was buried standing and facing her enemies, holding her sword and shield, even in death.

But Lynda Hart, our guide at Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery, politely quashed that account. "The monument predates her by 3,000 years," said Hart. Scientific data concluded that the cairn was constructed around 3,000 B.C.E., probably for a Neolithic king. Maeve didn't go about her rampages until the Iron Age. Therefore, unless the early Irish were psychic, the tomb likely was built for someone else. Could the Iron Maid Queen of Ireland's remains may have been placed inside later. We'll never know. The tomb is considered a sacred burial site, so excavation is prohibited.

Piling stones to mark graves has been an Irish ritual as old as the hills they grace. We toured about a dozen sites at Carrymore, some that date back to 4000 B.C.E. and as recently as 90 A.D. Much research has been conducted on these megalithic tombs, which number about 200. Skeletal remains, tools dating back to both the iron and bronze ages, and other artifacts, such as Carrowkeel-style pottery, have been unearthed during various excavations over the years.

Many of the tombs, however, were first disassembled by grave diggers in search of gold, then again in the 19th century by neighboring landlords complying with a new law mandating defined land markers. Thus, the abundance of stonewalls. The site is now protected and managed by the National Heritage Sites of the Office of Public Works.

The Irish seem to be equally fascinated and respectful of their ancestors' graves. Small stones mark enclosed Famine cemeteries, memorials to those who died during the Irish Potato Famine. Also known as the Great Hunger, the Famine took place from 1845 through 1849, a result of a potato fungus that destroyed the main crop and catastrophic farming practices mandated by the British. Unofficial records say it claimed more than 500,000 lives. I visited one out of respect for my many ancestors, who were among those numbers.

Fairy trees, which Irish lore tells us is the homes of fairies, are also the true burial sites of Famine babies, who died before baptism. Some of these trees have raised controversy lately, as the government seeks to build more roads through Northwest Ireland to accommodate the new clusters of primary and holiday homes. The public gathered round these fairy trees scheduled for the axe, forcing the rerouting of planned roads.

Castles are another Irish bastion. Though Ireland hasn't had a monarchy in nearly a thousand years, many of the former royal residences, or remnants thereof, still stand. Lack of blue blood, however, did not deter wealthy clans from building stately mansions with similar blueprints. I visited two castles, both in Donegal, (pronounce it Dun na gal if you want to be taken for a local.)

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