Hag's Chair, Loughcrew, County Meath, Ireland

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One of the places we visited in County Meath, Ireland, was Loughcrew. The cairns and passage tombs which have been found here are believed to have been constructed in the period 3200BC to 2900BC so the earliest tombs are thought to be 5200 years old. There are 32 recorded cairns over the four hills of the area. These hills are Carnbane East, Carnbane West, Carricksbrack and Patrickstown. The cairn at Carnbane East which we climbed is the highest point in Meath and the only one open to the public. From its top you can see the Cooley and Mourne mountains and Slieve Gullion to the north-east, Dublin and Wicklow mountains to the south-east, Slieve Bloom mountains (Laois and Offaly) to the south and mountains in Roscommon, Leitrim and Sligo to the west. Sliabh na Callaighe is the Irish name for the mountains and translates to ‘Mountain of the Witch’. Legend has it that, to rule over all of Ireland, the witch (hag) had to leap from hill to hill dropping stones from her apron. These became the cairns. On the last leap she fell and broke her neck. There is a ‘hag’s chair’ in which I sat in the hope of having good luck. As well as being a burial ground, the area was used for ritualistic gatherings. The Neolithic people would gather there to celebrate their ancestors, Gods and Nature. Like Newgrange, one of the tombs is constructed so that, at the solstice, the sun shines down a passage and illuminates the ‘back stone’ for a period of an hour or so – providing the sun is shining. It is mind-blowing to think of the knowledge these ancient people had. There isn't much to see as regards photos. It's just a hill with some stones and a locked iron grille going into the tombs which is the reason why you're getting me in the hag's chair.