Rathcroghan (also known as Crúachan) is an Iron Age archaeological site near Tulsk, in the county of Roscommon. Legend has it that it was once the seat of the High Kings of Ireland, including the powerful Queen Medb and King Ailill Mac Mata… Today, extensive remains attest to the fact that Crúachan was probably the capital of Connaucht in those remote times.

Visit the Crúachan AI Heritage Centre

Location configuration

There’s only one step between the legend and the true history of Crúachan, and with good reason: the site is teeming with archaeological remains dating back to prehistoric Ireland. Crúachan is in fact a gigantic complex encircled by an enclosure 380 metres in diameter. A Visitor Centre will show you the history of the site through an exhibition, and will lend you a guide to discover the great prehistoric traces of Crúachan!

The Rathcroghan Mound

The “Rathcroghan Mound” is a circular mound 88 metres in diameter, rising up to 4 metres in some places.

In fact, it is the most imposing structure in the whole of Crúachan, and is clearly visible both from the ground and from the air. It lies at the very heart of the site, and according to recent research is a kind of tomb and a place used for ceremonies and rituals of the period.

Many archeological objects have been found here, attesting to this hypothesis.

Rathmore

Rathmore takes the form of a circular fort entirely covered by a mound of small stones, earth and grass. Far less imposing than Rathcroghan Mound, archaeologists assume that this fort was once the residence of Irish kings and clan chiefs.

Rathnadarve

This is supposed to be the place where the two bulls of the mythological story “The Razzia of the Cows of Cooley” (Táin Bó Cúailnge in Gaelic) clashed. According to legend, a brown bull from Cooley belonging to Queen Medb beat the bull of her husband, King Ailill Mac Mata.

Relignaree

Relignaree is supposed to be the burial place of the high kings of Ireland at the time. Relignaree resembles a large circular enclosure, where, according to legend, all the kings who once reigned in Crúachan were buried.

Legend has it that it was here that Ireland’s last pagan king was buried before the island experienced the first waves of evangelization.