Knocknarea
| Knocknarea | |
|---|---|
| Cnoc na Riabh | |
 |
|
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 327 m (1,073 ft) |
| Prominence | 312 m (1,024 ft) |
| Listing | Marilyn |
| Coordinates | 54°15′32″N 8°34′29″W / 54.25891°N 8.57463°WCoordinates: 54°15′32″N 8°34′29″W / 54.25891°N 8.57463°W |
| Geography | |
| OSI/OSNI grid | G626346 |
| Topo map | OSi Discovery 16, 25 |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | limestone |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Hike |
Knocknarea (/nɒknəˈreɪ/; Irish: Cnoc na Riabh) is a large hill west of Sligo town in County Sligo, Ireland.
The 327-metre (1,073 ft) high limestone hill is visually striking, as it is monolithic in appearance and stands in a prominent position on the Cúil Irra peninsula between the bays of Sligo and Ballysadare. At the summit is a large mound (or cairn) of loose stones. Although it has not been excavated, it is believed to conceal a Neolithic passage tomb.
Knocknarea is an anglicization of an Irish name. "Knock" means hill, but the etymology of the rest of the name is disputed. The Placenames Database of Ireland gives the Irish name as Cnoc na Riabh (meaning "hill of the stripes"). However, P.W. Joyce preferred the interpretation Cnoc na Riaghadh ("hill of the executions"). Cnoc na Riogha ("hill of the kings") has also been suggested, as has Cnoc na Ré ("hill of the moon").
On the summit of Knocknarea is a large cairn about 55 metres (180 ft) wide and 10 metres (33 ft) high, making it the largest such cairn in Ireland outside the Brú na Bóinne complex in Meath. Although it remains unexcavated, and is one of the biggest of such monuments still unexplored, it has many of the features of a classic passage tomb. It is known in Irish as Meascán Méabha or Miosgan Meadhbha meaning Medb's Lump (Miosgán means a lump or pat, especially of butter). In English it is known variously as Medb's Cairn, Medb's Tomb, Medb's Nipple or Medb's Grave (sometimes the name Medb is anglicized as Maeve). It is believed to date to around 3000 BCE.Meabh is a figure in Irish mythology who features in stories dating to the early first millennium CE. Archaeologist Stefan Bergh, in his book Landscape of the Monuments (Stockholm 1995), suggests that a large depression some distance to the west of the mound was the quarry from which the limestone for the monument was taken.
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