Images

Image of Kesh Corran Cairn (Cairn) by ryaner

Knocknarea to the left on the horizon, Benbulben to the right. The mountains that can just be made out in the hazy distance between them are Slieve League in Donegal.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Kesh Corran Cairn (Cairn) by ryaner

Hard to believe at this height, but a lot of the cairn material has been robbed.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Kesh Corran Cairn (Cairn) by ryaner

Over the north-eastern shoulder of the cairn. An area at the north end of the mountain plateau was excavated, creating a flattened platform on which the cairn was built. One would likely presume with all the work that its construction entailed that it contains a passage tomb, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t. I couldn’t make out likely passage entrance.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Kesh Corran Cairn (Cairn) by ryaner

Keshcorran cairn is the largest of all the cairn and passage tomb monuments in the Carroweel/Keshcorran complex.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Kesh Corran Cairn (Cairn) by ryaner

Keshcorran approached from the north-west, the view as we first saw it after our circuitous route up from the caves.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Kesh Corran Cairn (Cairn) by ryaner

The small mound of stones on top of the cairn. Knocknarea is 20kms or so to the north over the topmost stone.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Kesh Corran Cairn (Cairn) by ryaner

Over the southern shoulder of the cairn, the flat top of Keshcorran mountain stretches away to the right. Carrowkeel is in the middle distance to the east.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Kesh Corran Cairn (Cairn) by ryaner

Keshcorran cairn. Between the left of the bottom of the cairn and the little bump (actually the old extent of the cairn) is Knocknarea mountain, the focal point of most of the monuments in Carrowkeel/Keshcorran.

Image credit: ryaner

Articles

Folklore

Kesh Corran Cairn
Cairn(s)

There is a hill in this locality called Keash Hill. Caves at the back of this hill are still pointed out as places where giants lived. Nearby there is a hollow with a flag flooring which is called the “Giants’ Table” and likely it is here they cooked and eat their food.

Running parallel to this hill and at the back of it is a place called “Dun Ui Bhéara” where the Cailleach Bhéara is supposed to have lived.

Old people tell stories of a fight between the Cailleach Bhéara and one of the giants. He stood on the summit of the hill and fired stones down at her. She lifted stones and earth and fired them up at him. The stones that reached the top of the hill form a “cairn” which is still to be seen. The place from which they were taken formed a small lake which remains to the present day.

Some time ago if children were bold their mothers threatened to tell Cailleach Bhéara and immediately they got quiet. She was able to walk across Lough Arrow and the waters at their deepest part just reached her arm pit.

From the Schools Project of the 1930s, now being digitised at Duchas.ie.

Sites within 20km of Kesh Corran Cairn