Loughcrew, also spelled Lough Crew (Irish: Loch Craobh, meaning "lake of the tree"), is a historically significant area near Oldcastle in County Meath, Ireland. It contains a group of ancient tombs dating back to the 4th millennium BC. Some of these tombs are decorated with rare stone artwork and are located on top of a range of hills. The hills and tombs together are called Slieve na Calliagh (Sliabh na Caillí) and represent the highest point in Meath. Loughcrew is one of the four main passage tomb cemeteries in Ireland and is protected as a National Monument. The area is also named after the Loughcrew Estate.
The tombs
There are remains of more than thirty ancient tombs at Loughcrew. It is one of the four main passage tomb cemeteries in Ireland, along with Brú na Bóinne, Carrowkeel, and Carrowmore. The megalithic monuments are located across four hilltops: Carnbane East, Carnbane West, Carrickbrack, and Patrickstown Hill. These hills and the tombs together are known as Slieve na Calliagh or Sliabh na Caillí, which means "mountain of the Cailleach," a figure from Irish mythology. A legend says the monuments were made when a giant hag walked across the land and dropped large stones from her apron.
No full dating program has been done there, but the monuments are believed to be about 3300 BC in age. The structures include cruciform chambers, which were covered by mounds. Unique carvings, such as lozenge shapes, leaf shapes, circles, and some with radiating lines, are found there. The stones used in the monuments, such as orthostats and other structural pieces, are often made from local green gritstone, a soft rock that was easy to carve.
In 1980, an Irish-American researcher named Martin Brennan found that Cairn T in Carnbane East is aligned to receive sunlight from the rising sun during the spring and autumn equinoxes. The light travels through the passage and shines on the art on the backstone. Brennan also identified similar alignments in Cairn L (53°44′36″N 7°08′03″W / 53.743299°N 7.134040°W / 53.743299; -7.134040), Knowth, and Dowth in the Boyne Valley. The alignment of Cairn T is similar to the famous illumination at Brú na Bóinne (Newgrange), which is aligned with the winter solstice sunrise.
Irish folklore says it is unlucky to damage or disrespect these tombs, as it may bring a curse. However, some of the Loughcrew tombs have been vandalized with graffiti, and security patrols have been added to protect them.
Modern history
In more recent centuries, Loughcrew became the home of a group from the Norman-Irish Plunkett family. The most well-known member of this family was St. Oliver Plunkett, who was killed for his beliefs. The family church is located in the gardens of Loughcrew. Because of its remote and empty location, Sliabh na Caillí was an important place where Roman Catholics met during the Penal Laws. Although the woods there are no longer present, a clear example of a Mass Rock can still be seen at the top of Sliabh na Caillí today. The Plunketts were involved in the Irish Confederacy of the 1640s but lost their land during the Cromwellian Settlement of 1652. Their estate at Loughcrew was given by Sir William Petty to the Napier family around 1655. The Napiers are descendants of Sir Robert Napier, who was the Chief Baron of the Exchequer of Ireland in 1593.
The Napiers built a large estate covering about 180,000 acres (730 km²) in north Meath over the following centuries. This estate was similar to the one developed by their neighbors, the Taylors of Headfort. After a third and serious fire in 1964, the three Napier sons asked the court to allow the family trust to be broken up so the estate could be divided among them. Later, Charles and Emily Napier restored the house and gardens. They now open the gardens to the public and host an annual opera festival.