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| Caves of Keash |
Some years ago, I watched the
moon rising over Keash Mountain. As I stood still, looking up at the caves, I
had a clear sense that the moon was moving and wondered what our ancient
ancestors would have thought about this phenomenon.
Keash Mountain, also known
Keshcorran, was formed over 300 million years ago at a time when there were
huge rises in sea levels and the area would have been under the sea. Geologists
believe that the caves were created over a period of 40 million years due to
chemical erosion of the limestone rock.
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| View from the Caves of Keash |
The Keash Caves are located along the western slopes of Keshcorran within the rich prehistoric landscape of the Bricklieve Mountains. Sixteen interconnecting caves and fissures penetrate the base of a 15m to 30m high limestone rock face which forms a narrow band mid-way up the western slopes of the mountain. The sun-god Lugh is first mentioned in connection with Keshcorran in the 'Children of Tuirinn'. The area to the south of Keash was called Sliabh Lugha, and Lughnasa was celebrated on top of the mountain until the beginning of the twentieth century.
Archaeologists have found little
or no sign that the caves were used in the Mesolithic, Neolithic or Bronze Age.
Human remains, and fragments of bone such as brown bear (12,040-11,650 BC), red
deer (11,950-11,430 BC) and wolf (11,260-10,960 BC) were also recovered from
the caves. The Keash dates are important as prior to this, knowledge of the
range of animals that populated Ireland at this time was uncertain. Other finds
from the Keash Caves included an antler point, worked bone, a bone comb
fragment, two bone needles, two fragments of bone needles or pins and a
whetstone.
The human remains uncovered
included a number of human teeth found, along with the teeth of other species.
One isolated adult tooth, recovered from the entrance to Coffey Cave (J), was
radiocarbon dated to the early Iron Age (200 BCE – 30 CE). Other teeth found scattered
throughout Plunkett Cave (P) may be later, dated from the Early Medieval Period
(460 – 670 CE).
It is possible that these teeth
may reflect some form of ritual tradition that continued over several hundred
years. A tempting possibility is that the teeth may have been placed in the
caves as part of ritual activities associated with the festival of Lughnasa. At
nearby Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery 168 human teeth, representing 23
individuals, were recovered as secondary insertions in Grave 27 during the Iron
Age.
A
prehistoric stone axe was discovered in Plunkett Cave and may have been
deposited there sometime between the Late Mesolithic and Middle Bronze Age. However,
several Early Medieval artefacts were found at the same location giving rise to
the possibility that the axe may have found its way into the cave in early
historic times.
During the 1980s a substantial
hilltop enclosure was identified on Keshcorran through aerial survey. Recent
fieldwork by Tatjana Kytmannow (2005) has considerably
increased our knowledge about the mountain. Two cists, a cairn with cist, a
possible hut site, a large enclosure, a section of pre-bog wall, a massive
'megalithic' wall structure and a wedge tomb have now been identified
suggesting a ritual complex, spanning a period from the Neolithic into the
Bronze Age.
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| Aerial View of Keshcorran Cairn |
Keshcorran cairn is the most
westerly and highest tomb of the Keshcorran/Carrowkeel megalithic complex and is
believed to hold an unexcavated passage tomb. Archaeologists believe that the
cairn probably dates from the early middle Neolithic Period, around 3500 BC.
‘potent places in the landscape, places associated with the Otherworld
and supernatural beings, places that were feared and respected’.
In one tale, a hunting party,
accompanied by the harper Corann, set out from the palace of the Brú na Boínne
(Newgrange) chasing after a giant evil sow that was causing destruction and
death. The enchanting music of Corann’s harp was said to have mesmerized the
beast which allowed the warriors to slay it. Its enormous body became the
mountain of Keshcorran.
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| The three Hags of Winter |
Another dramatic story about the
cave involves Fionn Mac Cumhaill who one day came across the three daughters of
Conoran, known as the ‘Hags of Winter’. The hags set a trap for Fionn and bound
him, sapping his strength using a cursed cord. Fionn was rescued when one of
his men took the three witches by surprise and beheaded them.
In conclusion, the Caves of Keash
are located along the western slopes of Keshcorran within the rich prehistoric
landscape of the Bricklieve Mountains. The discovery of human remains, and
those of animals such as the cave bear, the arctic lemming, reindeer, and Irish
elk were found in the caves. These finds may reflect some form of ritual
tradition that continued over several hundred years. A prehistoric stone axe
discovered in Plunkett Cave may have been deposited there sometime between the
Late Mesolithic and Middle Bronze Age although a later date is possible.
Several archaeological monuments
including a cairn, large enclosure, and wedge tomb, have been identified on the
hill-top. The Keash Caves feature prominently in the Early Medieval and Medieval
myths associated with the Otherworld and supernatural beings. Over thousands of
years the monuments in the Keshcorran complex have provided testimony to the
importance of this area in ancient times. In the words of Sam Moore:
“Kesh Corran creates a sense of place, a sense of identity and a memory
of both.”
For more information
about Keshcorran see:
Sam Moore in The Corran Herald 2014/2015: Prehistory in the Bricklieve Mountains.
Tatjana Kytmannow (2005) Archaeology Ireland, Vol. 19, No. 4
(Winter, 2005), New Prehistoric
Discoveries in the Kesh Corann/Carrowkeel Complex, Co. Sligo.
Marion Dowd (2013), The
Archaeology and Mythology of the Keash Caves, Co. Sligo in Dedicated to
Sligo: Thirty-four Essays on Sligo’s Past, Edited by Martin A. Timoney.
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