Rathcrogan the Tain and Owannaghat

Rathcroghan, Cruachan Aí, is known as the Ancient Capital of Connacht, where the festival of Samhain (Halloween) is said to originate. This majestic landscape is the oldest and largest unexcavated Royal Site in Europe. Experience Rathcroghan’s rich archaeology, mythology and history through our interpretive rooms and expertly guided tours. The Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, the home of our museum, is located in the medieval village of Tulsk, Co. Roscommon.The Rathcroghan landscape boasts over 240 identified archaeological sites, spanning a staggering period of over 5,500 years of human history. It is the location of numerous prehistoric burial mounds from the Bronze and Iron Age, ringforts (settlement sites) of early medieval date, standing stones, linear earthworks, stone forts, a great Iron Age ritual sanctuary, and even a Gate to Hell! In truth, an archaeologist’s dream.

Tread across Rathcroghan’s ancient landscape in the footsteps of the great warrior Queen Medb, who ruled all of Connacht from her home here at Rathcroghan. Hear the epic tale of the Táin Bó Cuailnge, which features a host of legendary heroes including Medb, the Battle Goddess Mórrígan, Connacht warrior Fráoch, and the boy hero Cú Chulainn, whose names and deeds are inextricably linked to the landscape that surrounds us.

Experience the legendary Oweynagat (Cave of the Cats), described by fearful Christian scribes as Ireland’s “Gate to Hell” and entrance to the Otherworld. Climb to the top of the enigmatic Rathcroghan Mound, which in the Iron Age was impressively topped with wooden ramparts and ceremonial henges, whose secret heart remains an untouched mystery.
To visit Rathcroghan is to witness ancient Ireland at its best!