We decided to have a bit of a local day today which was just lovely. We visited two beautiful historic sites today that were far off most tour maps meaning there were few tourists to ruin our picturesque visits.
Lough Crew, the name of a large estate near a lake was our first stop. The lake was not the reason for our visit though, instead the hilltop adorned with history predating the pyramids, legends of witches, and stunning views was our destination. Paula, who works with our wonderful host Marilyn works as a tour guide here and she was kind enough to spend a great deal of time explaining what we were seeing and the legends surrounding the area. The megalithic site (yes, megalithic) just looks like a big rock pile on top of the hillside, but in actuality, this burial mound is over 5,000 years old, older than the pyramids of Egypt. Inside the tomb are three small sections where historians believe the cremated remains of tribal leaders were buried. Inside there are also sketchings on the rock faces, the most detailed one that is illuminated perfectly on the spring and fall equinox.
There are many other small raised mounds in the area that they believe were once burial mounds, but the rocks were taken away by farmers over the years to build their stone fences. Why was the large mound left undiscovered and seemingly untouched until the mid 1800s? Because of the witch. The Irish are as superstitious as they are friendly. A large rock resembling a throne sits next to the large mound. It is here a great witch used to sit and lookout across the 18 counties (almost half the country) wanting to rule it all. She was given a challenge, and if she succeeded, her wish was to be granted. The challenge was to leap across the four hills carrying stones in her apron without dropping any. She tried, but sadly failed, dropping the stones she created these mounds of rocks now thought to be burial mounds, then falling to her death. Legend has it that if you walk three times around the tomb, then sit in the throne and make a wish, it will surely come true. Yes, of course we did that.
The views were outstanding even with the onset of rain approaching. We once again had fun taking photos before descending the hill.
We drove back down the country roads to Fore Abbey. There were no tour guides at this set of ruins, nor all too many signs, so my knowledge is not nearly as extensive. What I do know is that this area was settled by priests and monks well over 1,000 years ago, and the Abbey itself built around 1200. The amount of the structure that remains is quite impressive. We took a little stroll around the grounds and through the quaint little village before heading back to our home cooked Sunday Roast (on a Saturday). Marilyn is quite the cook and she prepared a terrific meal for us!
We went out and watched PJ, her partner, as he tended to his cows. He currently has about a dozen calves he keeps in a small pasture out back. Twice a day, he brings in the moms for feeding. Each cow is responsible for feeding her own calf and one he bought from market. A couple are so young that PJ is still trying to train them on how to get the milk from the moms. So fascinating!
Now, we are about to head to the local pub to join in the birthday celebration of a local to Collinstown!
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