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<< Our Photo Pages >> Oweynagat - Cave or Rock Shelter in Ireland (Republic of) in Co. Roscommon

Submitted by Andy B on Friday, 09 September 2011  Page Views: 10319

Natural PlacesSite Name: Oweynagat Alternative Name: Cave of Cruachan, Cave of the Cats
Country: Ireland (Republic of) County: Co. Roscommon Type: Cave or Rock Shelter
Nearest Town: Castlerea  Nearest Village: Tulsk
Latitude: 53.797300N  Longitude: 8.31051W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
no data Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
5 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
no data Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
5

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Oweynagat
Oweynagat submitted by h_fenton : Oweynagat - the cave of Cruachain, an entrance to the Otherworld in County Roscommon, Ireland. From the denuded remains of a mound a man made passageway (souterrain) descends into a natural fissure in the limestone. The fissure extends for about fifty metres and is at present about 7 metres high/deep. The cave lies within the Rathcroghan complex, containing the ancient royal capital of the Ki... (Vote or comment on this photo)
Irish mythological site. Still visible and accessible in a small field on the edge of the complex, 700 meters southwest of the great mound where Medb’s palace was said to stand, the cave’s opening is quite small, some three feet high by four feet wide, formed by a medieval souterrain or underground passage. After that narrow opening, the cave opens up to a huge cathedral-like space.

In Co. Roscommon, in Ireland’s western province of Connacht, the cave is of of huge mythic importance. Oweynagat is part of the great archaeological complex of CRUACHAN, the ancient capital of the province of Connacht centered on the fort of its goddess-queen Medb.

Oweynagat figures prominently in ancient Irish myth and legend. It was the birthplace of Medb herself. The goddess and fairy queen Étain, fleeing with her Fsiry lover Midir from her human husband, stopped at Oweynagat with her companions, who included her maidservant CROCHAN Crogderg, whose name means “blood-red cup.” Midir was said to have wanted to visit a relative who lived in the cave, the otherwise unknown Sinech (“large-breasted one”), for whom he had great affection. At the end of their stay, Crochan was so enamored of the place—which although it seems only a dingy cave, is a great palace in the Otherworld—that she begged to stay. Étain and Midir gave her the cave, and so it was there that Crochan’s daughter Medb was born.

More at http://mitchtempparch.blogspot.com/2009/01/oweynagat.html
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Oweynagat
Oweynagat submitted by Flickr : Rathcroghan - Entry from inside Oweynagat "the cave of the cats" Just south-west of Rathcroghan Mound, is a souterrain beneath an old road leading into a dark, narrow limestone cave. This cave was believed to be a gateway to the otherworld with many creatures emerging that generally caused havoc across the country. The name Oweynagat means "cave of the cats", which could refer to the large wild ca... (Vote or comment on this photo)

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Nearby Images from Geograph Britain and Ireland:
M8083 : Rathcroghan, Co. Roscommon by Kieran Campbell
by Kieran Campbell
©2008(licence)
M7982 : The Mucklaghs, Rathcroghan, Co. Roscommon by Kieran Campbell
by Kieran Campbell
©2008(licence)
M8084 : Deserted farmstead at Toberrory, Roscommon by Eric Jones
by Eric Jones
©2011(licence)
M7984 : Primary School at Moneylea by Eric Jones
by Eric Jones
©2011(licence)

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"Oweynagat" | Login/Create an Account | 6 News and Comments
  
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Re: Oweynagat by h_fenton on Sunday, 31 July 2016
(User Info | Send a Message)
Latitude: 53.79730N Longitude: 8.31051W
Map Ref: M 79589 83114
Accuracy: 5
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Facing Fear at Cave of the Cats in Western Ireland by Anonymous on Sunday, 12 August 2012
I have received many e-mails from Megalithic Portal but have never responded till now. What is the dog doing in the road please?


Regards,

EDD
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Facing Fear at Cave of the Cats in Western Ireland by Runemage on Sunday, 12 August 2012
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    Hi EDD, the dog is in a pose captured by several Google Earth cameras, then they composed them into one image, that's why it looks so odd. I linked to it as a bit of fun.
    We had a forum thread some time ago where we spotted unusual things like this on Google Earth, it's not supernatural, just a result of their technology not always getting it right.
    [ Reply to This ]

What's inside Oweynagat ? by Runemage on Sunday, 05 August 2012
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Very nice compilation of stills on youtube, I couldn't believe it when I read the journey is now truncated because the authorities installed an electricity pole above the cave and caused it to collapse.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrjvOudgFYE

[ Reply to This ]

Facing Fear at Cave of the Cats in Western Ireland by Andy B on Friday, 09 September 2011
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Elyn Aviva writes: Even photos of the Cave of the Cats gave me the willies. I wasn’t going to enter it, not if you paid me. I was sure of that. My companions could go in if they wanted, but not me. We sloshed through the wet field to the entrance, a dark inverted triangle almost hidden by an overgrown thorn bush. A gash, a hole in Mother Earth. “No way,” I muttered, shaking my head. Jack, flashlight in hand, offered to go in first, and I watched him slither into the tight-fitting slit.

County Roscommon in western Ireland has a reputation for being boring, but it is anything but. The Rathcroghan complex has been a powerful place since the Neolithic, roughly 6000 years ago. It is an enigmatic landscape shrouded in myth, the burial place of long-forgotten heroes and the kings and queens of Connacht. It is one of the legendary “Celtic Royal Sites” of Ireland, ranking with the better-known Hill of Tara. Like Tara, Rathcroghan unites legend with history. It includes over 200 sites: ancient earthworks, tumuli, ceremonial avenues, ring forts, standing stones, the remains of a Druid school, holy wells, and caves. We’d come for the caves—one in particular, the Cave of the Cats.

More at
http://www.yourlifeisatrip.com/home/facing-fear-at-cave-of-the-cats-in-western-ireland.html
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Facing Fear at Cave of the Cats in Western Ireland by Runemage on Friday, 09 September 2011
    (User Info | Send a Message)
    That's a prime example of not going somewhere because you're not prepared for the experience that may await. Good for the author for listening to their intuition and not forcing themselves to face their fears before they were ready.

    There's a border collie demonstrating the liminality of that region. Google Earth have captured him entering the Otherworld.
    View Larger Map ;-)
    [ Reply to This ]

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