Heapstown Cairn is a

cairn A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...

and

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

located in

County Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the local ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Location

Heapstown Cairn is located on a low hill immediately west of the River Uinshin and north of

Lough Arrow Lough Arrow () is a freshwater lake in the northwest of Ireland. This large, scenic lake covers an area of and lies mostly in County Sligo with a smaller part in County Roscommon. It is a popular trout fishing lake. Geography Lough Arrow lies m ...

, northwest of Ballindoon Friary.

History

Heapstown Cairn is thought to have been constructed c. 3000 BC and may enclose a

passage grave A passage grave or passage tomb consists of one or more burial chambers covered in earth or with stone, and having a narrow access passage made of large stones. These structures usually date from the Neolithic Age, and are found largely in Wester ...

like those at the

Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery Carrowkeel is a cluster of passage tombs in south County Sligo, Ireland. They were built in the 4th millennium BC, during the Neolithic era. The monuments are on the Bricklieve Hills (''An Bricshliabh'', 'the speckled hills'), overlooking Loug ...

, located SSE of Heapstown. In folk tradition it was the burial site of

Ailill mac Echach Mugmedóin Ailill mac Echach Mugmedóin was an Irish prince, the son of the high king Eochaid Mugmedón (d.362) by his wife Mongfind, sister of Crimthann mac Fidaig (d.367). He was ancestor of the Uí nAilello dynasty of Connacht. He lived in the late 4th ce ...

, brother of

Niall of the Nine Hostages Niall ''Noígíallach'' (; Old Irish "having nine hostages"), or Niall of the Nine Hostages, was a legendary, semi-historical Irish king who was the ancestor of the Uí Néill dynasties that dominated Ireland from the 6th to the 10th centuries. ...

. One account of the cairn's construction is given in the Second Battle of Moytura.

Dian Cecht In Irish mythology, Dian Cécht (Old Irish pronunciation ; also known as ''Cainte'' or ''Canta'') was the god of healing, the healer for the Tuatha Dé Danann, and son of the Dagda according to the ''Dindsenchas''. He was the father of Cu, Ceth ...

, healer to the

Tuatha Dé Danann The Tuath(a) Dé Danann (, meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu (Irish goddess), Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deity, ...

, puts healing herbs into the Well of Sláine, and the Tuatha Dé Danann drink from it. The

Fomorians The Fomorians or Fomori ( sga, Fomóire, Modern ga, Fomhóraigh / Fomóraigh) are a supernatural race in Irish mythology, who are often portrayed as hostile and monstrous beings. Originally they were said to come from under the sea or the eart ...

, on a suggestion from the warrior Ochtriallach, fill it with stones to keep their enemies from using it. Thus it is known as ''Carn Ochtriallach'' "Ochtriallach's cairn." In 1837, when it was illustrated by George Petrie, it stood to its full height and had a standing stone on the summit. However, much of the stone has been removed since then for road-building by the time it was illustrated by William Wakeman in 1878.

Description

The cairn is in diameter and about 10 meters high, and is composed of locally quarried chunks of limestone mixed with blocks of red sandstone. There is a kerb of huge

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

blocks around the edge of the cairn. The monument has been extensively quarried on all sides except the southeast, which probably contains an undiscovered passage grave beneath the cairn. Passage grave style megalithic art was discovered on a south-facing kerbstone in 1998.

References

{{reflist National Monuments in County Sligo Archaeological sites in County Sligo