Knocknarea

An isolated hill on the coast of Ireland’s beautiful County Sligo, Knocknarea is visually-arresting as it rises from the landscape. On the Cúil Irra peninsula, this domed limestone hill reaches 1,073 feet (327 m) and is topped with an extraordinary, enormous summit cairn.

Known as Queen Maeve’s Cairn, it’s said to be the burial place of the mythical queen of Connaught in Irish mythology. It’s thought to have been created around 3000 BCE and contain other graves. A Neolithic embankment and evidence of huts and tools has revealed the hill to be a significant meeting place in prehistory. 

Exploring mythology and history with coastal views

Queen or no queen, an adventure on Knocknarea rewards in many ways. Thanks to its peninsula location, the trails to the summit and the top itself are all blessed with excellent views of the surrounding scenery. As you make your way to the hill, its stacked limestone cliffs, covered in grass, are mesmerising. 

There are numerous ways to reach the top, allowing you to tailor your adventure to the time you have. The trails are generally easy underfoot, wide and clear to follow, but the higher you go, the steeper it gets. Nonetheless, it’s a perfectly suitable outing for enthusiastic children as well as adults. 

You can ascend this beautiful hill at any time of year but it does lie on an exposed, Atlantic coastline. The weather conditions can change quickly no matter what season, so be prepared with appropriate clothing and footwear. Dogs are only allowed on some paths and must always be on a lead, so pay attention to signage.