Overview
Magh Slécht (pronounced Moy Shlokht, sometimes Anglicised as Moyslaught) covers roughly three square miles in the south-eastern parish of Templeport, County Cavan. Templeport Lough closes it off to the south, the slopes of Slieve Rushen to the north, the Shannon–Erne Waterway to the east and the River Blackwater to the west, so it reads as a distinct basin. It is really a set of gentle drumlin hills rather than a flat expanse, but the surrounding peaks give the effect of a true plain. The name translates as ‘the plain of prostrations’, a hint at the spiritual activity that once defined the ground.
Myth and ritual
Before its current name, the area was Magh Senaig (‘plain of the hill-slope’), and it appears in early Irish place-lore as a route taken by mythological figures heading north from the Hill of Tara. By 1911 BC, under the Firbolg High-King Fodbgen, the plain became the national centre for the cult of Crom Cruach, a pre-Christian deity tied to fertility and harvest. Medieval texts describe a great stone idol at Killycluggin, ringed by twelve lesser statues, with worshippers crawling on their knees, foreheads to the earth, towards the central altar during the Samhain rituals.
The story carries into the early medieval period. In the 5th century, St Patrick is said to have confronted the cult, striking the idol with his crozier so that it fell face-down with its head pointing towards Tara, while the twelve surrounding stones sank into the ground; a Christian church was then founded at the site under St Banban the Wise.
Magh Slécht also features heavily in the early annals and genealogies. It was the territory of the Masraige tribe, later taken by the Uí Briúin in the 8th century. It saw the death of High King Tigernmas and 4,000 followers during a plague in 1413 BC, the murder of the Ulster hero Conall Gulban in 464 AD, and the Battle of Magh Slecht in 1256 AD. The plain stayed part of Connacht until the late 16th century, when the English Crown shifted it administratively to Ulster. The McGovern clan, who trace their line to the Uí Briúin, remain the commonest surname in the townlands around it.
The monument trail
Magh Slécht is one of the most concentrated open-air archaeological landscapes in Ireland: over 80 recorded monuments survive in eight square kilometres, from the Neolithic to the medieval. There is no single entrance or fenced path; the sites are woven into the working farmland, visible from field boundaries, minor roads and footpaths.
The main features:
- Megalithic tombs and ring barrows: nine Neolithic tombs and seven Bronze Age burial mounds across the drumlins.
- Stone circles and standing stones: three stone circles and nine standing stones, including the site traditionally linked to Tigernmas’s grave.
- Crannogs and early settlements: six lake dwellings and over 30 ráths or souterrains, the mark of continuous habitation.
- Early Christian sites: three church ruins, two holy wells and two bullaun stones.
The original Crom Cruach idol no longer stands in the field, but a major fragment, the Killycluggin Stone, a cone-shaped pillar carved with La Tène Iron Age designs, is preserved and on display at the Cavan County Museum. On the ground, the landscape itself acts as a guide: the sheltered basin against the rough peaks of Slieve Rushen gives the vantage points that explain why ancient communities chose this exact spot.
Practical information
- Access and parking: this is a rural landscape, not a formal park. Access is by local roads skirting Templeport Lough and the Shannon–Erne Waterway; use the marked lay-bys and farm gates and always leave gates as you find them.
- When to visit: open year-round. Spring and early autumn give the most comfortable walking and softer light; winter brings a stark quality to the stones and tombs.
- What to bring: sturdy boots, a waterproof, a detailed Ordnance Survey map or offline GPS and plenty of water, as reception can be patchy across the drumlins.
- Etiquette: this is active farmland. Stay on public footpaths, respect field boundaries and keep off private land. There are no facilities or toilets on site.
- Admission: free, no booking.
Nearby
- Cavan County Museum – in Cavan town, home to the Killycluggin Stone and the context for the whole region.
- Cavan Burren Park – a short drive away, with a guided dolmen trail, wedge tombs and good interpretive signage.
- Templeport Lough and St Mogue’s Island – the lake on the southern edge holds a small island with an early medieval church ruin, linked to St Mogue, born in the parish in 550 AD.
- Slieve Rushen – the mountain on the northern boundary, with marked routes and wide views over the basin and the Shannon–Erne Waterway.
Reading Magh Slécht takes a willingness to slow down. The nearest fuel, cafés and refreshments are in Templeport and Bawnboy, which make a good base for a full day among the stones.