Slieve na Calliagh [Sliabh na Cailli]

About Slieve na Calliagh [Sliabh na Cailli]

Rising as the highest point in County Meath, this atmospheric summit is better known as the heart of the Loughcrew megalithic complex. Crowned by Neolithic passage tombs, the grassy ridge offers an expansive 360-degree panorama across the Irish midlands, stretching from the Mourne Mountains to the distant Slieve Blooms.

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Did You Know?

• •The name Sliabh na Caillí translates from Irish as the 'Hill of the Hag'. According to local folklore, the Neolithic cairns on the ridge were created when a giant hag, An Chailleach Bhéara, dropped stones from her apron while leaping between the peaks of the Loughcrew Hills.
• •The summit is home to Cairn T, one of the most significant passage tombs in Ireland. During the spring and autumn equinoxes, the rising sun aligns with the passage to illuminate Neolithic carvings on the backstone of the chamber.
• •A large, decorated kerbstone on the northern side of Cairn T is known as the Hag's Chair. While it looks like a ceremonial throne, it is a structural part of the tomb mound that has been steeped in local legend for centuries.
• •From the trig pillar, the view encompasses the Central Plain of Ireland; on a clear day, you can identify the Hill of Tara to the southeast and the distinctive profile of Cuilcagh on the northern horizon.
• •It is the only place in County Meath where you can stand at 906 feet and still feel entirely insignificant, mostly due to the five-thousand-year-old architecture that has outlasted every local inhabitant since the Stone Age.