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Revision as of 23:46, 4 December 2024
Drumlin in County Cavan, Ireland Place in Ulster, Ireland| Corleck Hill Sliabh na Trí nDée | |
|---|---|
  Corleck Hill | |
| Coordinates: 53°58′21″N 6°59′51″W / 53.9726°N 6.9975°W / 53.9726; -6.9975 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Ulster |
| County | County Cavan |
Corleck Hill (Irish: Sliabh na Trí nDée or Sliabh na Trí nDée Dána, meaning 'Hill of the Three Gods') is a small elongated promontory (Irish: drumlin) in the townland of Drumeague, County Cavan, Ireland.
A passage grave on the hill was dismantled in the mid-19th century. The 1st century AD Celtic stone idols, the Corleck Head and Corraghy Heads (collectively known as the "Corleck Gods"), are thought to have been uncovered during the excavation. Corleck later became a major site for the Lughnasadh, a pre-Christian Gaelic harvest festival which continued to be celebrated there until the early modern period. The site once held an Early Medieval stone head representing St. Bridget, but this is now lost.
Etymology
Corleck Hill's Irish names include Sliabh na Trí nDée (the "Hill of the Three Gods") and Sliabh na nDée Dána. The three Irish mythological gods referenced in the Irish name are today thought to be Conn, the Dagda and Ogma, but were earlier believed to be in reference to Brian, Luchair and Liath Luachra.
Ancient site
Human activity on Corleck Hill dates to the Neolithic period, as evidenced by a c. 2500 BC passage grave that was dismantled in the 19th century to make way for farming land. The hill became a significant druidic site of worship during the Iron Age, and has been described as once being "the pulse of Ireland". It is one of six regions in Ulster where clusters of seemingly related Iron Age Celtic stone idols have been found. Other ancient objects from the broader area include the 1st century BC wooden Ralaghan Idol, a small contemporary spherical stone head from the nearby townlands of Corravilla, and the Corraghy Heads.
From the early Christian period, it became a major site for the Lughnasadh, an ancient harvest festival celebrating the Celtic god Lugh, a warrior king and master craftsman of the Tuatha Dé Danann—one of the foundational Irish tribes in Irish mythology.
See also
- The Corleck Head
- The Corraghy Heads
References
Notes
- The son of Ler from the legend of the Children of Lir legend
- The townland of Ralaghan is about 7 km (4.3 mi) south-east of Corleck Hill.
References
- ^ MacKillop (2004), p. 104.
- Kelly (2002), p. 142
- Waddell (1998), p. 371
- ^ Barron (1976), p. 100.
- Ross (1998), p. 200.
- Rynne (1972), pp. 78, 80.
- Waddell (1998), p. 360.
- Rynne (1972), p. 84.
- Paterson (1962), p. 82.
- Ross (2010), p. 111.
Sources
- Barron, Thomas J. "Some Beehive Quernstones from Counties Cavan and Monaghan". Clogher Record, vol. 9, no. 1, 1976. JSTOR 27695733 doi:10.2307/27695733
- Kelly, Eamonn. "The Iron Age". In Ó Floinn, Raghnall; Wallace, Patrick (eds). Treasures of the National Museum of Ireland: Irish Antiquities. Dublin: National Museum of Ireland, 2002. ISBN 978-0-7171-2829-7
- MacKillop, James. A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN 978-0-1986-0967-4
- Paterson, T.G.F. "Carved Head from Cortynan, Co. Armagh". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, vol. 92, no. 1, 1962. JSTOR 25509461
- Ross, Anne. Druids: Preachers of Immortality. Cheltenham: The History Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-7524-1433-1
- Ross, Anne. The Pagan Celts. Denbighshire: John Jones, 1998. ISBN 978-1-8710-8361-3
- Rynne, Etienn. "The Three Stone Heads at Woodlands, near Raphoe, Co. Donegal". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, vol. 94, no. 2, 1964. JSTOR 25509564
