Experience the Home of Celtic Warrior Queen Medb (Maeve), Battle Goddess Morrigan, the Tain Cattle Raid of Cooley, and seat of Gaelic Royalty – this is the Land of Irish Legends for over 5,000 years!

1. www.rathcroghan.ie

2. Rathcroghan Celtic royal site comprises a complex of 6km²
• 240+ archaeological sites, 60 of these are national
monuments
• The sites range in period from the Neolithic up to at least
the 17th century
It is the oldest Celtic Royal Site in Ireland. It is:
• Older than the Tara complex
• The only Royal site on the island never to be disturbed by
excavation
• The location for the inauguration of Connacht and O’Conor
kings
• A unique ritual and ceremonial centre, where each
generation reinterpreted the complex to satisfy their beliefs
and spiritual needs
Queen Medb
Oweynagat, the Cave
of the Cats

3. The Irish manuscript tradition tells
us that Rathcroghan is:
•
One of the three ‘Heathen’
royal cemeteries of Ireland
•
The home of the Warrior Queen
Medb
• The location for the beginning
and end of the great Irish epic
Táin Bó Cúailnge
• The ‘fit abode’ of the Battle
Goddess Morrigan
And the place where Connacht
Kings came to be crowned, from
time immemorial up until the
High Medieval period

4. The archaeology here provides us
with a series of monuments
that clearly indicate several
generations of ritual and
ceremonial practice
No excavation has ever taken
place on the complex, with only
non-invasive scientific
techniques being used to
interpret the landscape
Much must still be
explored, meaning that visitors
can truly own their experience
with the landscape and suggest
their own theories on this
mysterious complex

5. Some of the monuments on our complex
Cashelmanannan – ‘Manannán’s Fort’
Relignaree – ‘Burial ground of Kings’
Rathnadarve – ‘The fort of the bulls’
Rathbeg – ‘The Little Fort’

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NEW Fully Interactive Audio-Visual
Exhibition (Upgrade to be finished
early 2014)
Dedicated, highly-knowledgeable,
and enthusiastic tour-guides for
both exhibition and sites tours
Wheelchair access and facilities
Conference and Lecture Room
facilities
Onsite Café
Book, Souvenir and local Craft
shop
Car park with capacity to fit two
Large coaches (across the road
from the centre)
Brochures in English, French,
German, Dutch and Italian

7. Where the N5
Dublin to
Westport Rd
intersects N61
Roscommon to
Boyle Rd
GPS CoOrdinates:
N 53.77909 W
8.25423
We are open all year
round,
From Monday to
Saturday 9am-5pm,
including Bank
Holidays!

8. Our tour guides can cater for a wide
range of historical topics and periods
pertaining to:
• The Rathcroghan complex, both
prehistoric and historic
• Co. Roscommon
• Connacht and the West of Ireland
• Ireland the wider Celtic World
One of the many monuments on our complex,
Rathmore ringfort
Let us tailor a tour to your needs and
interests
We also have a range of genealogical
resources at our disposal, for those
seeking to add detail to their family
tree or search out where their family
name originates

9. • ‘Who were the Celts?’ – an
investigation into the European Iron
Age
• A spiritual interpretation of the
Táin Bó Cuailnge
Above: UCD trip to Rathcroghan
Below: Goddess Gathering 2013
• Rathcroghan Archaeological
Conference 2013
• Arcland Community
Archaeological Conference 2014
• Goddess Gathering Conference
2012 & 2013
• UCD Archaeological Society Tour
November 2013
And many more besides...

10. Due to the nature of the monuments
on the Rathcroghan complex, the
stories associated with them, and
their use through the centuries,
many people feel a spiritual pull
to this landscape.
We try to harness these beliefs and
traditions by:
• Recounting the stories and
Cernunnos – the ‘horned god’ of Celtic polytheism
folklore of the area
• Allowing people access to the
monuments so that they can make
a spiritual connection
• Provide insight to the theories
that people may have of the sites
and their significance
Depiction of Medb commanding her troops

11. Primary school
•
Fun and informative workshops that educate
children on different aspects of life in Ireland in the
Iron Age and Medieval period
Secondary school
Junior Cycle
•
A curricular-linked exhibition and sites tour that
works closely with some of the specific learning
outcomes of the History programme
Transition Year
•
A unique tour experience down into Oweynagat –
‘Cave of the Cats’, the pagan Celtic entrance to the
Otherworld, awaits any who are brave, or foolish
enough!
Senior Cycle
•
Talks and workshops available for those who want to
make the most out of their Leaving Certificate
Research Project
Scouting Ireland workshops
•
Linking strongly with the NEW scouting education
programmes, we transform scouts into
archaeologists for a day of learning and fun!
Medieval Cooking Demonstration
Sacrifices to the Morrigan!

12. Exhibition Tour
Adult
Senior
Student
Child or Schools
Groups 10+
Groups 20+
€7.00
€6.00
€6.00
€5.00
€5.00 pp
€4.00 pp
Site Tour (Min. of 4 people or €20)
Adult
Senior
Student
Child or Schools
Groups 10+
Groups 20+
€5.00
€4.00
€5.00
€3.00
€4.00 pp
€4.00 pp
Combined Tours (Exhibition and Sites)
Adult
Senior
Student
Child or Schools
Groups 10+
Groups 20+
€10.00
€8.00
€9.00
€6.00
€8.00 pp
€7.00 pp
Workshops are priced according to what is
required, with a base line price of €10

13. So, when you are planning your next trip to
Roscommon, Connacht and the West of Ireland, make
sure not to miss out on its spiritual homeland and REAL
capital!
Any and all questions are most welcome.
At this point I would like to invite your organisation to a
complimentary tour of our facilities, to see what we can
offer you and your customers!