Our favorite theory is that they buried any number of remarkable people here to create a 'sympathetic magic' whereby worshippers could became imbued with the powers of their respected ancestors.

Indeed the entire Carrowmore complex is laid out in a spiral pattern, with all the sites except the two at the entrance pointing to a giant Dolmen (or Portal Tomb) in the center (Site 51). The two sites at the entrance point to each other, making a portal to the entire complex. Signs of ancient bonfires (from bone-fire) have been found by the archaeologists. It evokes wonderful fantasy of the sights of primeval religious ceremonies.

The capstones weigh in at several tons. They are laid on top of the uprights and their immense weight holds the whole thing together.

While these monuments seem small today, they're only the tip of the iceberg. Just like back in York, ground level has risen here. Especially around these monuments. Over the centuries the earth has drifted around them in the same way snow drifts around homes. Originally these stones stood six feet tall.

There's other intriguing details to these monuments. Here to the right you see the top of a six foot dolmen extending a foot above ground. Looking closely one sees a small 'leveling' stone which gives the capstone a specific slant. It appears that the angle of the slant was important, though of course no one knows exactly why.

(It appears to be approximately 15 degrees, or about the inclination of the earth to the solar plane.)

To the left here is a stone ring designated Site 19. We were on a tour with about 40 people. 95% of them were from the United States. The tour guide told us many people had very spiritual experiences at this ring of stones (they're all numbered). After the tour, we wondered where everyone disappeared to. Trying to park the car, we saw 'em all at Site 19.

Behind the ring you can see the mountain of Knocknaree and the tiny bump on the top is Queen Maeve's Grave.

Queen Maeve's dominates the landscape. Like the TOR in Glastonbury, you can't keep your eyes off it. During the tour our guide pointed out that all the mountains ringing the valley around Sligo had cairns on their crests which were visible to the naked eye, just like Maeve's. It's as if the ancient peoples were saying to any strangers: "We are here. This is our land."

Current legend says Queen Maeve (ancestral hero and fore-mother of the Celtic peoples) is buried here standing up in full battle gear facing her enemies to the north. But she was allied with the people to the north via marriage and the cairn was made five hundred years before Maeve by pre-Celtic peoples. It was possibly built as a symbolic tomb of mother earth, and she faced her enemies to the north (the winter darkness) and then her legend was appropriated by the peoples who came later.

So we had to climb Knocknaree and view the cairn. It's over 40 tons of stone and never been excavated. It may contain passage graves, but the effort to pull it apart and put it back together would take archaeologists 50 years, so there's no plans to do it. For now, its mysteries are safe.

Local folklore advises one to take a stone from the bottom of Knocknaree and place it on the top.

Make a wish.

Here the ancients have left clear messages to those of us in the present.

Bridget and Hyla Forever.

North of Sligo is the Court Cairn of Creevykeel. It was excavated in the 1940's by a team from Harvard. Except for a 14th century iron smelting addition, it's in excellent shape.

Court Cairns have a large court (seen in the background of these photos) which leads onto the burial chambers.

Next to Carrowkeel, another site of Passage Tombs

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