Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THIS WEEKEND IS going to be a hot one (temperature wise, at least) so make the most of it: here’s three more great heritage sites to visit around Ireland as part of our ongoing series on off-the-beaten track places you should visit.
Seefin Passage Tomb, County Wicklow
The Neolithic passage tomb of Seefin stands on top of a 650m high mountain in North Wicklow. It appears to be part of a series of tombs, as a number of other peaks in the area like Seefingan and Seahan also have similar large cairns covering passage tombs. This would have been an incredibly difficult undertaking in the Neolithic period. The peaks of these hills are all around 650m – 750m above sea level, so why would they have constructed these elaborate and large stone tombs? When you arrive at Seefin it immediately becomes apparent.
The views are just simply spectacular and some of the finest vistas you can ever enjoy in Ireland. The whole of South County Dublin and Wicklow opens up around you: rolling hills, well ordered fields, shining lakes all stitched together like a well-ordered quilt. It is almost like those who constructed the graves wanted to claim ownership of all they could see. That by placing their ancestors far above the low lying lands of the living, the shades of their forebears could watch over them from their tombs.
But who was buried at Seefin? The tomb was excavated by R.A. Macalister in 193. However he reported finding no artifacts and stranger still, no human remains in the tomb. Perhaps then the remains had been removed in antiquity by the decedents of the tribe; if they migrated from the area they may have wanted their ancestors with them. Perhaps in some remote period the grave had been desecrated with all traces of the those interred removed and destroyed; or perhaps no-one was buried in the tomb at Seefin in the first place, maybe the tomb was merely a symbolic marker in the landscape and never a final resting place? Or perhaps the remains were there and Macalister missed them? Whatever the case, it is certainly strange that 5,000 years ago a large community worked together to construct an elaborate tomb, that was then left empty. Perhaps in the future, a small investigation of the unexcavated tomb of Seefingan might provide the answer.
The tomb at Seefin is a large stone cairn, measuring around 25m in diameter and about 3m high. You can see a number of large kerb stones around the base of the tomb defining its outer edge. The tomb has a passageway around 10m long and opens into a chamber with five compartments. According to Macalister there are two decorated stones at the entrance, but perhaps because of the very strong light when we visited on the 13 July, we couldn’t make out any megalithic art.
(Video: AbartaAudioGuides/YouTube)
Getting there
Seefin is in Wicklow, roughly half way between the Sally Gap and Manor Kilbride on the R759. If you are travelling from Dublin go on the N7 and exit onto the N81 at Citywest. Turn left onto the R759 and continue along this road. The turn off for Seefin is on your left immediately before the large entrance to the Kippure Estate and Kippure Bridge. The turn off is only a small lane so expect to miss it and you can always turn around in the entrance for the Kippure Estate.
Drive for a few minutes up this steep track. If you come to the fences and warning signs for the Army Rifle Range you have gone too far; simply turn back and park your car in a handy lay-by. Be sure to approach Seefin from the south (as the Army range is to the north but is well marked by a fence and signs), follow the track through the fir-tree forest plantation. The track was rough and steep and haunted by swarms of ASBO-deserving horseflies but bear with it and keep climbing up. When you get to a fallen fence where the path seems to disappear, cross to the left hand side of the fence and keep following the fence up. After a total climb of around 30-45 minutes (we took it very handy as it was so hot and it took us around 40 minutes and we’re by no means athletes) you’ll find the tomb on the summit.
Our first glimpse of the tomb had a crow rather ominously perched on top of it, very atmospheric! Enjoy a well-earned rest and take in the simply wonderful views. We were obviously gluttons for punishment, as we decided to take on Seefingan, the twin peak that is also crowned with a Neolithic passage tomb identical to Seefin (see below). Unlike Seefin however, Seefingan is still unexcavated, and appears as a simple large cairn of stones. It’s well worth the walk as you can enjoy even more spectacular views as Seefingan is around 100m higher above sea level than Seefin. It’s very easy to get to, just follow the rough path to the north-east through the bog (jumping the odd minor crevasse) for around 20 minutes or so and you’ll arrive at the tomb.
The climb was made easier for us by the exceptionally dry weather, I think given the nature of the ground, that the path could become quite dangerous in wet weather so please do wear good boots and appropriate clothing if you are attempting it on a less than perfect day. If like us, you are going up on a nice sunny day I recommend insect repellent; those horseflies were merciless thugs and I’m still scratching a number of bites now. Above all though, please do be aware of the Army Rifle Range and respect their warning signs!
For those interested in prehistoric archaeology, or those who love a bit of hillwalking, or those who just want to see some of the finest views in Ireland, Seefin is a real must-see.
Navan Fort / Emain Macha, County Armagh
One of the most important sites in prehistoric Ireland, Navan Fort (also known as Emain Macha) is an incredible place of mythology and archaeology. Like The Hill of Tara, one of the other great ‘Royal Sites’ of prehistoric Ireland, Navan Fort is part of a large and complex landscape of monuments in an area steeped in the legends of Ireland. It was said to be the capital of Ulaidh and home of the great Ulster Warriors of the Red Branch, Emain Macha was also the seat of King Conor MacNeasa and it is entwined with the story of the great Cuchulainn – Hound of Ulster, who discussed epic battles and heroic campaigns here. The importance of legends relating to Emain Macha lived on through time – the famous Brian Boru spent a night at Navan Fort in 1005 to prove his worth as High King of Ireland. In 1387, Niall O’Neill chose Navan Fort as the location for a house where he could entertain guests – hoping to impress them with his wonderfully historical location.
However, in the 1960s this important site came under threat as a local quarry that was located very close to the northern part of the site wanted to expand. The quarry was already located adjacent to Loughnashade (or Lake of the Treasures) so any expansion would have meant certain destruction of archaeological deposits. An archaeological team headed by Dudley Waterman began the enormous task of excavating the site, to try to understand more about life in one of Ireland’s most important Iron Age royal centres, and to try to assess how the physical remains could match the historical and mythological descriptions.
They discovered a large enclosure that encompasses an area of around 6 hectares. At the heart of the enclosure there are two visible monuments: a large circular mound and an earthwork known as a ring-ditch. The information that came from the excavation of these features gave a startlingly complex story of activity that stretches over millennia. However the main activity on site seemed to centre around the Iron Age, around 2100 years ago in 90 BC. A huge wooden temple was constructed at the summit of the site, using over 280 large wooden posts. Strangely there is no evidence to say that anyone lived in this massive structure. Instead shortly after its construction, the temple was filled to the roof with a cairn of limestone rubble, then once the wooden structure was completely filled, it was burned down and the remains of the cairn were carefully covered with a mound of soil.
This unusual and unparalleled activity is one of the great mysteries of prehistoric Western Europe. Why did they go to this incredibly time consuming labour intensive trouble of building a structure of enormous dimensions, only to then fill it with stones and destroy it by burning? What gods were they hoping to placate? For what reason? Theories in archaeology abound about this strange behaviour, though no-one can say with any certainty the reason behind it. It is often the case in archaeology that by excavating a site you end up with more questions than you had before you began and the mound at Navan Fort is certainly a great example of that!
Poignantly, the excavators also discovered the skull of a Barbary Ape in Iron Age deposits at Navan Fort. This ape came from Northern Africa or Gibraltar, and no doubt was a little bewildered to find itself in (comparatively) cold and wet Armagh. This ape would have been an object of huge curiosity and was likely to be a treasured possession of the ruler at Navan Fort, who would have shown off his ability to trade with far-flung and exotic places.
More artefacts of immense importance were discovered in the ceremonial pool called Loughnashade. Four beautifully made bronze horns/trumpets were discovered in 1798, along with a quantity of human bones. These trumpets were the largest prehistoric horns ever found in Ireland and are thought to date to around 2,000 years old. Of the four trumpets unfortunately only one survives today; the other three have disappeared. From the surviving trumpet replicas have been created, to hear what these ceremonial trumpets would have sounded like check out this YouTube video and just try and imagine yourself as a homesick Barbary Ape.
(Video: ancientmusicireland/YouTube)
We will never truly understand all the secrets of Navan Fort but it is certainly well worth a visit as it is a site that has retained its importance through the centuries. Simply by standing on the summit of the remains of that large temple looking out over the landscape, one can understand how this became known as the great home of the Knights of the Red branch and how it was immortalised in tales of heroes. We strongly recommend paying a visit to the excellent visitor centre, where you can enjoy an exhibition and audio-visual that describes what was found during the excavations. There are also wonderful living history displays where you can experience life during the Iron Age and guided tours to the site are also available. To find out admission prices and more information you can visit this site.
Roscommon Castle, County Roscommon
In the early 13th century, the Gaelic Kingdom of Connacht was already weakened by a series of civil wars among the O’Conors, who were its native provincial overkings. In 1235 an Anglo-Norman noble, Richard de Burgo, invaded Connacht with an army of 500 highly-trained and well- equipped knights and all their foot soldiers and camp followers. The war was relatively short and certainly bloody. Immediately, the conquerers began to build castles and walled towns, as they had done in the south and east of the country; however parts of the west still offered strong resistance to the Anglo-Normans and held out. It was 1262 before the site of Roscommon Castle was chosen and works began in 1269. The site was chosen as it was formerly on the shores of Lough Nen, a large shallow lake that has since disappeared due to hydrological changes over the centuries. The O’Conors had a crannóg on the lake, and by constructing the castle in the heartland of the O’Conor Kingdom, the Anglo-Normans sought to send out a message about who was now the main power in Connacht.
The castle was constructed on the orders of the powerful King Edward I of England. He was a successful military-minded King, and he used strategically constructed castles to dominate territories and had used this technique to successfully subdue the Welsh. Roscommon Castle is constructed in a very similar style to those great fortresses in Wales like Harlech, Caernarfon and Conwy.
Roscommon Castle encloses an area of about 45m by 50m and originally would have had a large gateway in the middle of the eastern wall flanked by two large D-shaped towers, similar to the entrance to Castleroache in County Louth. The large stone walls also had projecting D-shaped towers at each of the four corners, and another smaller gateway led to the west. It is through this gateway that you enter the site today, and as you pass through it you can still see defensive features like murder holes (openings in the ceiling through which the defenders would have poured boiling fat or oil, or threw down large rocks or quicklime to maim and blind the attackers). The castle would have also been surrounded by a moat and possibly by a timber palisade fence giving a strong outer defence.
Like the castle at nearby Rindoon, Roscommon Castle also found itself repeatedly under attack and siege by the O’Conors and their Gaelic allies. It appears that the O’Conors succeeded in taking the castle by around 1340 and they held it for nearly two hundred years. In 1569 the castle was captured by the Tudor Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir Henry Sidney. The castle was granted to Sir Nicholas Malby, who spent a vast sum in modernising and remodelling parts of the castle to make it more of a fashionable Renaissance dwelling rather than a bleak medieval fortress. However Malby also made sure that the defensive features of the castle were well maintained and that was put to the test during the Nine Years War when the castle found itself under siege by Hugh O’Donnell in 1596 and 1599. The castle saw action during the Confederate Wars of the 1640s, until Oliver Cromwell’s forces seized Roscommon Castle in 1652 and destroyed the fortifications. A fire in 1690 did massive amounts of damage to the castle and it was left to fall into disrepair through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Roscommon Castle today is free to enter and is a great site to explore. Situated in the grounds of Loughnaneane Park and Playground, it’s very accessible site and fun for children. The castle is down a small lane off Castle Street in Roscommon Town. It is signposted, but the lane is pretty small so easy to miss (we drove straight past it the first time). If you have time I do recommend a visit to Rindoon Deserted Medieval Town as well, it’s an amazing site on a nice day. You’ll find it between Roscommon and Athlone off the N61 and here’s our blog article about it.
All photographs © Neil Jackman /abartaheritage.ie
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
I love these articles, they make me want to holiday in my own country.
Brilliant once again. There’s a book in these articles.
Fantastic article!
Another great article from Indiana Jackman.
Junior…..
Seefin was excavated in 193, is that AD or BC ;-)
Aha! Good spot. It was 1931 (AD) :-)
Brilliant, and informative, article. Helps put the day-to-day cr4p into perspective.
never knew that we had so much rich history amazing :)
Im sure Neil Jackman wouldnt take offence if I said that this is only only a drop in the ocean of the material remains that survive from the Irish past. Take the Dublin and Wicklow mts for example. They are covered in Neolithic and Early Bronze Age megalithic monuments, with passage tombs and wedge tombs being the most common. I highly recommend Kilmashogue and Ballyedmonduff (wedge tombs), which are both fascinating, both just off Coilte public walking trails, and both very easy to get to. Not to mention the wealth of material in Dublin city itself!
I mean no offence to anybody here when I say this but Ireland is truly rich in archaeology and, for the most part, Irish people seem to be completely oblivious to it. City and countryside, this island has so many wonderful things to see, if only we could somehow do a better job marketing them (to use a horrible term) to ourselves. Without doubt these fantastic articles are very much a step in the right direction.
Hi Chris, I couldn’t agree more. That’s the really special thing about Ireland that we should be broadcasting across to both everyone here and anyone potential overseas visitors, that Ireland is more than just the ‘highlight’ high profile sites, that in every county, town, village, parish and around practically every corner you can usually find a heritage site that has a great story. They are great places for history fans, or for those who want to bring the kids to somewhere.
I think that one of the greatest challenges that Irish heritage faces over the next decade is how do you protect the vulnerable sites? We’ve already seen this year appalling cases of theft and vandalism of heritage sites and monuments, so how do you stop that? I think that there is no real point in waiting for the government to do anything as they simply wont put the adequate funding in place to help the departments like the National Monuments and National Museum to proactively protect heritage sites, so the best defence we have is to bring those sites back into the centre of the community instead of leaving them on the periphery. If we use the sites every day for their wonderful educational value, for their fantastic atmosphere and stories, then there is less opportunity for thieves and vandals, and more people visiting mean more pressure on councils to maintain these sites. It’s important not just to archaeology, history and heritage fans, but its important to the country as heritage can be one of the main engines of economic growth in Ireland. There were 6.5m visitors to Ireland in 2012 and 60% of those gave History and Culture as the main reason for their visit.
Sorry for the long response, but the promotion of Irish heritage is something I’m mad passionate about :-)
Absolutely spot on. I’m very passionate about it myself and your point about the advertisement of ‘highlight’ sites is so true and such a shame. Of course the Boyne Valley and Tara and Glendalough are spectacular, and superbly important to our culture, but if people see those sites and think thats the archaeological bases covered for past Irish culture then that truly is a tragedy.
You’re dead right about the protection of sites too. The tragic irony of the recent surge in heritage theft is that we actually DO want people to feel ownership for these places and objects, just not so much that you bring it home with you and put it on ebay. We, as a nation, tend to feel a strong connection to the past of this country, but I do worry that a recent nonchalance about the protection of our heritage has risen from the erroneous and short-sighted view that recent events have removed our obligation to the material culture of the Irish past, that archaeology is, in fact, a vestige of the heady days of the Celtic tiger and is a luxury we can no longer afford. Thankfully the community of the journal displays none of this reprehensible attitude, as evidence by the collective outrage seen on here when something is stolen, however the vast majority, including our government, do.
Archaeology is not just for Christmas, its for life, so lets get out and explore this wonderful country and its fantastic past. More than that though, make sure, at every opportunity, to voice your utter outrage at the prospect that common thief or TD could actively take part in the degradation and destruction of a heritage that belongs to all of us.
I know it would be a very lengthy project, but in terms of domestic interest and tourism, we really need a one-stop-shop website for heritage sites. It could be broken down county by county and could have contributors from each locality. I have a great interest in history having done BA and MA in the subject but I am still amazed at the many large heritage sites around the country that I’ve never heard of, one recent example was Jerpoint Abbey which I visited in Kilkenny a couple of weeks ago. The site was very impressive and they had a very modern exhibition room, but sadly there seems to be so little promotion of these places, obviously as mentioned due to funding issues. We could increase tourism considerably by creating a space where visitors can check what sites are nearby them, perhaps an App of some sort along with a website.
OPW is responsible for the majority of National Monuments. The map browser on OPW’s website is very old-fashioned and of seriously limited use. You cannot even see north Louth sites.
Thanks four this great article and great discussion. One of the more high quality discussions on the journal!
Four those who may be interested, we have started an Irish heritage section on our website which is young yet, only a year old, but has new articles coming nearly every week. In time, we are aiming to become the kind of resource you are talking about for Irelands heritage sites all over. Check us out at http://www.enjoy-irish-culture.com/Irish-heritage.html. We are on FB, G Plus, Pinterest and Twitter as well. Thanks again. Susanna
I never knew that existed at all looks amazing the view is unbelievable !!! thank the gods ;)
Excellent. I’m heading up later this week. thanks.
There was a “passtime” in the south of the cou try centuries a go where Mr. Landlord would get a nice piece of dynamite and blow up cairns .
Macalister himself (the fella who excavated Seefin) used dynamite on the Neolithic cairns at Carrowkeel on top of the Brickleive Mountains in Co. Sligo. Made a right state of it. Different times I suppose, but still, dynamite is not an ideal scientific method of excavation.
It’s great for catching fish in Vietnam ,where tourists can also buy a cow tied to a stake for 5 dolla and an old U.S. army grenade for 2 dolla , and the tourist can then see the effects !
Crazy World !
I’m blaming Marco Polo ; although it seems he just sat o the quays collected stories of the orient published them as his autobiography ; t’would remind you of the Bertie !
Carrowkeel; and the local quarry owner is digging it for fun since !
Carrowmore ; isn’t it actually , i confuse myself sometimes !
Hey scouse , go on the old googly maps and go ;
Eyrecourt , THEN NORTH OF THE VILLAGE , TOWNLAND aBBEYLAND , SEARCH AT 50M magnification ,
and when you have finished marvelling at the phoenix look up the coat of arms of Clonfert !
now I’m off to Mongo to get my turf !
just before I go ; are dynamite ad the petrie crown related ?
as surely as king tut and ireland !
SATELLITE; GOOGLE MAPS !
Another really interesting article, Neil. Particularly liked the piece on Navan Fort. So much to learn!!
Wicklow car parks are being targeted daily for car break ins. It’s being going on unresolved for years. An attendant at car parks, taking registration numbers, would be a major deterrent. I expect car owners would be prepared to pay a parking charge. Until local authorities do this tourists in particular have a holiday messed up.
i highly recommned “Cahernahalla” at Doon, on the limerick/tipp border. a highly important site who’s significance is only being realised in the last decade. surely to compete with Tara and the boyne valley in years to come.
http://www.limerickleader.ie/what-s-on/features/these-hills-have-history-1-2185289
Its pronounced Shayfin, was there a couple of weeks ago, beautiful spot.
You could almost image an animation studio making a series of the adventures of the Barbary Ape in Iron Age Ireland..
Hi, My name is Baciu Andrei Dumitru , i went to work Monday 12 Aug 2013 to Glendalough , co Wicklow
I work for the Vikings movie catering and we were fillming at Wicklow gap, we had to park our cars up at St. Kevins National School , i finish my work at around 8 pm and found my car’s back window broken , they took a black neck bag that had my Passport , ID , Driving licence , forklift licence in .
i didn’t have any money in the bag but they tought it’s full of money , i know it’s my mistake that i should not leave my bag visible , i think the thieves might have thrown away my bag somewhere and if anyone has any information about this, please contact me at: 0860708373
i will pay a good amount of money to the person that finds my bag
Thank you very much
Fascinating stuff for anyone that has the time to delve into our distant history, going so far back its barely believable it still exists,the fact that thousands of years ago the country must have been inhabited at various times by different peoples of which we know very little, only adds to the mystery surrounding these ancient relics of the past,a treasure trove for us to enjoy.
With regard to the stone cairn at Seefin -
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150817702006641&set=a.145799391640.115311.597186640&type=3&theater
Looks like if you were getting chased you’d run in one side and wait for who was chasing to go in, wait over the other entrance and smack him with a rock!
Hence the awkward narrow entrance, time delay!
have your say