|
| |
|
| |
| |
 |
| |
| |
The wind has bundled up the clouds high over Knocknarea and thrown the thunder on the stones for all that Meave can say. Angers that are like noisy clouds have set our hearts abeat; But we have all bent low and low and kissed the quiet feet Of Cathleen, the daughter of Houlihan. |
| |
| |
W.B. Yeats
|
| |
| |
Crowned by Miosgan Meabha (Irish for Meave's Cairn), Knocknarea a flat toped, limestone mountain in Co Sligo is one of the most memorable mountains in Co Sligo. The poet W.B. Yeats was inspired by its beauty and mythology. It features in Seven of this poems.
There is much debate on the name Knocknarea. The most used is Cnoc na Ri meaning 'the Hill of the Kings'. On top of the mountain is a large Cairn, which probably covers an unopened passage grave. Legend has it that this is the tomb of Meave Queen of Connacht.
On the southern side of Knocknarea there is a wide spectacular cleft called 'The Glen'. The sides are lined with Trees and Shrubs, bounded by steep cliffs and overgrown with many Ferns. The old people called this place the Alt, which is an Irish word for a wooded Glen. You can wander through this area during the spring and summer months.
It is particularly difficult in Autumn and Winter as the area can get very slippery and dangerous with water from Knocknarea.
Sligo gets its name from Sligeach meaning 'the Shelly River' which was the ancient name for the Garavogue River on which the Town was built. |
|
| |
| |
|
|
