Author: Terry Gargan

Drone image of the Borora River passing through Moynalty

The Borora – The River of the Red Cow

The River Borora rises on Loughanleagh Mountain in Co. Cavan and flows into the Blackwater River near Kells, Co. Meath. For about 11 km, it forms part of the boundary between the two counties.

The Borora is also known as Abhainn Rua or Owenroe, meaning “Red River”. An earlier form of the name, recorded in 1609 as Roah Reagh, appears to preserve the Irish word ruadh (rua), meaning red.

But could the name have a connection to one of the legendary cows of Irish mythology?

The Red Cow

In ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland, Lady Wilde recounts a story of a sea maiden who foretold the arrival in Ireland of three sacred cows. When they came ashore, they went their separate ways, each travelling in a different direction.

  • Bó Finn, the White Cow, travelled towards the centre of the island.
  • Bó Dhú, the Black Cow, travelled south.
  • Bó Ruadh, the Red Cow, travelled north.

In local tradition, Bó Ruadh, the Red Cow, is associated with the River Borora. The similarity between the names is certainly worth noting: Bó Ruadh and Borora.

A photo of a red highland cow
Photo by Esmee Hulzebos @ pexels.com

Cows in Irish place names

Cattle feature frequently in Irish mythology and traditional stories. They were a major source of wealth and status in early Irish society, so it is hardly surprising that they appear in legends about the landscape.

Rivers, meanwhile, were important landmarks. They provided water, supported settlements and often formed natural boundaries, like with Meath and Cavan. Over time, stories about people, animals and supernatural events became attached to particular places.

The Borora may be another example of this overlap between the landscape and folklore.

From the Borora to the Boyne

The Borora flows into the Blackwater near Kells. The Blackwater, in turn, joins the River Boyne, one of Ireland’s best-known mythological rivers.

The Boyne is associated with Boann, a water and cow goddess from Irish mythology.

In the Dindshenchas, the medieval collection of lore concerning place names, Boann approached a forbidden well of wisdom. Its waters rose up against her, pursuing her towards the sea and giving rise to the River Boyne.

In the same text, Boann’s name also appears as Bó Find, a variant of Bó Finn, meaning “White Cow”.

An illustration of 'Boann the cow goddess' by Jim Fitzpatrick
‘Boann the cow goddess’ by Jim Fitzpatrick

A cow at Kells

The rivers Borora, Blackwater and Boyne.

Although unconfirmed in the texts, Boann is the likely same White Cow as mentioned in Lady Wilde’s story.

This then, places two of the three sacred cows of Ireland relatively close to one another, in the landscapes of Cavan and Meath.

Interestingly, the Blackwater has a cattle connection of its own. An older name for the river is Bó Guaire, meaning “Guaire’s Cow”, which is likely connected to Sliabh Guaire in Co. Cavan, near the Blackwater’s source.

A connection, or a coincidence?

It is difficult to say whether the names Borora, Bó Ruadh and the other cattle-related traditions are connected. Similar-sounding names do not necessarily share the same origin, and folklore can change as stories pass from one generation to the next.

Perhaps the resemblance between Borora and Bó Ruadh is simply a coincidence. Or perhaps it preserves a trace of a story whose original meaning has been lost?

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Sources

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A side profile drone image of Edengora wedge tomb

Breakey Fort, Edengora

Located in Edengora townland, Kilmainhamwood, Breakey Fort preserves the remains of a site that was used and reworked over several thousand years, from the Bronze Age through to the early medieval period.

The earliest feature here is the wedge tomb, set on the western slope of what later became a large oval enclosure. Wedge tombs were built at the start of the Beaker Period (c. 2450–1900 BC), and mark the change from the Neolithic Stone Age to the Bronze Age. This is when metalworking began in Ireland, with the first use of copper and gold, along with changes in burial customs.

There are around 500 wedge tombs known across Ireland, making them the most common type of megalithic tomb. Even so, they are usually found in the west and south west, which makes the example at Breakey Fort quite unusual. The nearest other tombs are in County Cavan, at Drumeague near Bailieborough and at Virginia.

Like others of its kind, the wedge tomb is broader at the entrance and narrower towards the back, and is aligned with the setting sun. Although no excavations have taken place at Edengora, examples elsewhere have shown that both cremated and unburnt remains were placed inside, with cremation being more common.

Later, a large oval enclosure was built around the tomb. Unlike hillforts such as the Hill of Lloyd in Kells, the enclosure at Edengora was more likely used for gatherings or ritual activity. There is no defensive ditch outside the large earthen bank, and the wedge tomb seems to have been deliberately incorporated into its design. This kind of reuse of older monuments is well known at ceremonial sites across Ireland, including the Forradh on the Hill of Tara.

The site did not fall out of use after prehistory. In a later phase, likely during the medieval period, it was reused as a settlement. A rectangular stone wall was built inside the enclosure, and although only the base of a wall survives today, the outline of a circular hut about five metres across can still be made out within it.

Breakey Fort also lives on in local folklore. It is said to be one of the places visited by the Black Pig of Ulster. According to the story, a cruel schoolmaster was turned into a pig by a magician and tore across the countryside, forming the Black Pig’s Dyke between Connacht and Ulster. Marks on the stones of the tomb are still pointed out as the animal’s hoofprints.

A drone image of Edengora enclosure
A drone image of Edengora enclosure with the wedge tomb on the left
A front view of Edengora wedge tomb
A front view of Edengora wedge tomb
AI reinterpretation of Edengora enclosure
An AI reinterpretation of Edengora enclosure during the medieval period
A drone image from above of Edengora wedge tomb
An aerial view of Edengora wedge tomb
Footprints on the stones of Edengora wedge tomb
The ‘hoofprints’ of the mythological Black Pig of Ulster

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Sources

  • National Monuments Service, ‘ME002-037002: Enclosure – large enclosure: Edengora’, Available at https://www.archaeology.ie/archaeological-survey-ireland/historic-environment-viewer-application (Feb. 27, 2026)
  • Charles Mount ‘A note on some Beaker period pit burials in Ireland’ in The Journal of Irish Archaeology, Vol. 21 (2012), pp. 1-6 (6 pages)
  • William O’Brien (2001) ‘New light on Beaker metallurgy in Ireland,’ in Richard Harrison et al eds. Bell Beakers Today, the Proceedings of the Riva del Garda conference, May 1998, Trento Trento, pp.144-160
  • Rick Schulting, Alison Sheridan, Stephen Clarke, Chris Bronk Ramsey ‘Largantea and the Dating of Irish Wedge Tombs’ in The Journal of Irish Archaeology, Vol. 17 (2008), pp. 1-17
  • F. H. A. Aalen, Kevin Whelan, Matthew Stout (eds.) Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape (Cork, 1997), pp.38-39
  • National Museum of Ireland, ‘Online collections, Chalcolithic,’ Available at: https://www.museum.ie/collections/collections-and-research/irish-antiquities/collections/chalcolithic/ (Accessed 26/02/2026)
  • “The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0710, Page 155-156” by Dúchas © National Folklore Collection, UCD is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.

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The handle and backplate of the Donore Hoard

The Donore Hoard

The Donore Hoard is a important collection of early medieval bronze metalwork, found in 1984 in the townland of Donore, near Moynalty. It turned up during excavation works close to the Borora River and dates back to the 8th century.

At the centre of the hoard is a beautifully decorated bronze door handle, with a ring held in the jaws of a beast, probably a lion. Similar designs appear on high-status doors across Europe, including one in Charlemagne’s (The King of the Franks) palace at Aachen. This suggests that Irish metalworkers were familiar with continental styles.

The ring itself shows plenty of wear but very little weathering, which hints that it was used indoors. It may have come from a church, monastic building, or a sheltered entrance, perhaps at nearby Dulane or Kells. Another possibility is that it formed part of a large, tomb-shaped reliquary, carried in religious processions using poles. Reliquaries were sacred containers used to hold the remains of saints, such as bones, teeth, or hair.

Other pieces from the hoard include finely engraved back plates, along with parts of the shafts and rings that once held everything together. A 6 cm deep shank gives an idea of how thick the original door would have been. Interestingly, there’s no sign that the object was forcibly removed. It may have been deliberately taken apart and hidden, perhaps during a raid.

The decorative style of the Donore Hoard is very similar to that of the Tara Brooch and the illuminated pages of the Lindisfarne Gospels. Lindisfarne itself was founded by the Irish monk Aidan, who travelled from Iona at the request of King Oswald of Northumbria. All of this points to a shared artistic tradition across Ireland and northern Britain, known as Insular art, which blends earlier Celtic designs with Christian imagery, using spirals, triskeles, and intricate geometric patterns.

Donore Hoard knocker as seen from the right
Closeup of Donore Hoard backplate
Donore Hoard knocker as seen from the left

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Sources

  • Michael Ryan, ‘The Donore Hoard: Early Medieval Metalwork from Moynalty, near Kells, Ireland,’ Antiquity 61 (1987), pp. 57–63. 
  • Roger Stanley ‘Diffusion, Imitation and Evolution: The uncertain origins of ‘Beakhead’ ornament’ in J.A. Franklin, T.A. Heslop, C. Stevenson (eds) Architecture and Interpretation: Essays for Eric Fernie (Woodbridge, 2012), pp. 118-120 
  • ‘Insular Art’ in C. Hourihane (ed) in The Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art and Architecture (Oxford, 2012), pp. 380-387 
  • National Museum of Ireland https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Collections-Research/Irish-Antiquities-Division-Collections/Collections-List-(1) (April 20, 2025) 

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The New Line Road, Kilmainhamwood

Famine Road, Kilmainhamwood

The New Line Road, connecting Kilmainhamwood to Tierworker in County Meath, was built in 1846 as a public works project during the Great Famine.

Public works were first rolled out in 1846 to provide employment to the poor, and generally consisted of road building or levelling, the repair of walls, and other manual labour. By May of 1846, around 1,000 people were employed on such schemes across Meath. These were jointly funded – half through local taxation within the barony, and half by the Treasury. The number of workers quickly rose to 1,300 by June, including 500 in the Kells district, with 90 at Moynalty and 35 at Tierworker. By late July, this figure had reached almost 3,000.

Wages ranged from ten pence to one shilling per day, later adjusted so that those judged “lazy” earned less and those considered “vigorous” earned more. As the price of meal increased, however, these wages became inadequate.

The Moynalty Relief Committee reported:

“Even supposing he can work six days in each week and be blessed with uninterrupted good health, he cannot possibly support himself and his family.”

Those unable to find employment often sought relief in the workhouses. Under the Poor Law system, five were established in Meath, including one in Kells. By March 1847, the Kells Workhouse held 850 people in a building designed for 500. Additional sheds were built in December 1846, and an auxiliary workhouse was later opened at Staholmog.

Conditions in the workhouses were harsh. Inmates were forced to carry out “irksome” labour, and families were separated on entry. Even those who survived these conditions remained highly susceptible to illness. The Paupers’ Graveyard in Kells opened in 1851, in the aftermath of the famine, and quickly filled with victims of famine-related diseases such as typhus, dysentery, and cholera.

Between 1841 and 1851, Meath’s population fell by 24% – roughly 20,000 deaths and 20,000 emigrants. The north of the county was among the worst affected: the Barony of Lower Kells fell by 38.7%, Lower Slane by 33.8%, Morgallion by 36.9%, and Moybologue parish by a staggering 48.9%, nearly half its population.

Overall, Meath’s population declined twice the national rate after the famine, driven by emigration and fewer births and marriages.

The Kilmainham River along the New Line Road, Kilmainhamwood.
The New Line Road, Kilmainhamwood_portrait
The New Line Road, Kilmainhamwood.
The Paupers' Graveyard, Kells
A view from the Paupers’ Graveyard, Kells, towards the Spire of Lloyd.
A plaque marking the location of the Workhouse in Kells
A plaque marking the location of the Workhouse in Kells.
The Workhouse memorial plaque, Kells
The Workhouse memorial plaque, Kells.

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Sources

  • Peter Connell, The Land and the People of County Meath (Dublin, 2004)
  • Danny Cusack and Meath County Council, The Great Famine in County Meath (Navan, 1996)
  • Noel French, ‘The Great Famine,’ Available at https://meathhistoryhub.ie/the-great-famine/ (Accessed Nov. 11, 2025)
  • Danny Cusack and Kilmainhamwood Parish Council, Kilmainham of the Woody Hollow (Kilmainhamwood, 1998)

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Shancor Holy Well and waterfall collage

The Ritual at Shancor Holy Well

Shancor Holy Well is tucked into a quiet glen just off the ‘New Line Road’ between Kilmainhamwood and Tierworker, Co. Meath. Also known as Kilfannan Well or St. Patrick’s Well, it has long been a focus for local devotion, with traditions linking it to the curing of warts, toothache, eye ailments, and even illness in cattle.

Visitors often followed established rituals at holy wells, such as completing “rounds” around the site, offering prayers, or leaving small tokens. While these practices later became part of Christian tradition, their connections to older Gaelic seasonal festivals and the belief in the water’s healing properties point to the earlier pagan origins of many of these sites.

By examining local folklore, historical references, and the practices observed at other Irish holy wells, it’s possible to piece together the ritual that would have taken place at Shancor.

The Ritual

1. Arrival:

People typically came on the first Sunday of August (Pattern Day), but also on the traditional Gaelic quarter days—Imbolg, Bealtaine, Lughnasa, and Samhain.

2. Doing the Rounds:

Approach the well, stopping at each of the four sides where crosses once stood. At each side, kneel down and say the Rosary or some personal prayers. The ‘Stations of the Cross’ were recited on quarter days. Make sure to move clockwise (deiseal) around the well, as moving anticlockwise (tuathal) is thought to invoke a curse. In most rituals, pilgrims should circle the well three times, or in multiples of three (6, 9, etc.)

3. Make an offering:

After completing the rounds, throw a small item into the well as an offering. This might be a pin, needle, medal, or coin.

4. Seeking the cure:

For warts

  • Stick a needle directly into the wart.
  • Throw the needle into the well.

For a toothache

  • Retrieve a needle from the well.
  • Stick it gently into the affected tooth.
  • Return the needle to the well, placing it back with the pointed end facing up.

For general ailments

There’s no specific instructions, but water is generally applied to the affected area. At nearby wells, such as at Carnaross, the water is drunk. Water from Shancor well can also cure sickness in cattle.

Watch a video of the ritual on social media

St. Patricks Well at Shancor, Co.Meath
The well and cross at Shancor
Waterfall at Shancor, Co. Meath
The small waterfall ‘St. Patrick’s Cascade’ beside the well

Like this content?

Sources

  • Tamlyn McHugh, ‘Our ancient landscapes: Holy wells in Ireland’ for The Heritage Council (2023), Available at heritagecouncil.ie (May 20, 2025)
  • Danny Cusack, Kilmainham of the Woody Hollow, Kilmainhamwood Parish Council (1998), pp. 90-91
  • Marion McGarry, Irish Customs and Rituals: How Our Ancestors Celebrated Life (Orphen Press, 2021) pp. 122-26
  • Seamus MacGabhann, ‘Landmarks of the people: Meath and Cavan places prominent in Lughnasa mythology and folklore’ in Riocht na Midhe 11 (2000), pp. 221-222
  • Brian Callaghan, “Shancor Holy Well,” Ireland’s Holy Wells County-by-County, Available at https://ihwcbc.omeka.net/items/show/68 (May 20, 2025)
  • Noel French, ‘Meath Holy Wells’, Available at https://meathhistoryhub.ie/holy-wells/ (May 20, 2025)
  • Irishidentity.com (2004), ‘Kilmainhamwood’s Holy Well’, Available at http://www.irishidentity.com/extras/wayoflife/stories/holywell.htm (May 20, 2025)
  • “The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0707, Page 077” by Dúchas © National Folklore Collection, UCD is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. Available at: https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5008984/4973787/5110000 (May 20, 2025)
  • “The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0705, Page 368” by Dúchas © National Folklore Collection, UCD is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. Available at: https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5008979/4973165/5112598 (May 20, 2025)

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The Corleck Head

The Corleck Head is a three-faced stone idol found near Corleck Hill, Bailieborough in 1855. It is believed to date to the 1st or 2nd century AD, during the Iron Age, based on it’s similarity to other Celtic artefacts from northern Europe. 

Corleck Hill has been a site of ritual activity since the Neolithic period, as seen by a now lost passage grave dating to around 2500 BC. In the late Iron Age, the hill became an important religious centre and was associated with the Lughnasadh harvest festival. One of the names for the hill in Irish is Sliabh na Trí nDée (Hill of the Three Gods). 

Carved from a single block of limestone, the head features three similar faces with protruding eyes, thin mouths, and unsettling expressions. A hole at its base suggests it may have been mounted on a pedestal or shrine. The three-faced form may represent Crom Dubh, a Celtic harvest god who hoards the yearly grain. A younger god, Lugh, must defeat Crom Dubh to seize the grain for humankind. 

The Corleck Head was likely buried between to protect it from Christians seeking to erase pagan symbols, especially those associated with human sacrifice. 

One face of the Corleck Head showing a small hole in the mouth.
Half of one face of the Corleck Head, showing the detail on the nose and eye.

Like this content?

Sources

  • Dáithí Ó hÓgáin, The Sacred Isle: Belief and Religion in Pre-Christian Ireland (Woodbridge, 1999), pp. 36-39
  • Michael J. O’Kelly & Claire O’Kelly, Early Ireland: An Introduction to Irish Prehistory (Cambridge 1989), pp. 290-94
  • Marion McGarry,Irish Customs and Rituals: How Our Ancestors Celebrated Life (Orphen Press, 2021), pp. 56-62
  • Seamus MacGabhann, ‘Landmarks of the people: Meath and Cavan places prominent in Lughnasa mythology and folklore’ in Ríocht na Midhe 11 (2000), pp. 219-38 (21 pages)
  • Morgan Daimler, Pagan Portals – Irish Paganism: Reconstructing Irish Polytheism (Hants, 2015), pp. 52-54 
  • Bailieborough.com, ‘The Corleck Head,’ Available at http://bailieborough.com/corleck-head/ (May 21, 2025)
  • 100objects.ie (by An Post, The Irish Times, the National Museum of Ireland, and the Royal Irish Academy), ‘Corleck Head,’ Available at https://100objects.ie/corleck-head/ (May 21, 2025)

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Nobber motte being burned during an Irish raid.

Nobber Motte

Nobber motte, constructed by Hugh de Lacy in the 12th century, served as the ‘caput’ (head) of the Barony of Morgallion. Over the years, ownership of the motte and the manor of Nobber passed through many hands—from the de Angulos, back to the de Lacys, to the Fitzgeralds, and finally to the Prestons.

In the 15th century, as English control in Ireland shrank to the area around Dublin known as The Pale, Norman settlements on the frontier, like Nobber (though there was an earlier Gaelic settlement here) became vulnerable to attacks by Gaelic Irish armies. In 1425, the McMahons from Oriel burned Nobber and captured 80 Norman prisoners. Not long after, in 1434, the Annals of Ulster records:

“Ua Neill went with a great host a week before the feast of St.Michael this year to destroy the Foreigners of Meath and Ua Domnaill, with his host, was with Ua Neill on that expedition and the host of the whole Province of Ulster was with him……And afterwards the sons of Ua Neill, namely, Henry and Aedh, went to burn the Obair. But, whilst they were burning it, Stanley the deputy of the king came upon them and proceeded to pursue them. Henry and Aedh remained at the rear of their people and brought them off safe with them spiritedly, prosperously that day.”

Due to its strategic position on the Ulster-Meath border, Nobber was reinforced in 1573 with 40 horsemen and carbines under the Earl of Kildare’s command. The motte is also recorded as being in use as late as 1648, during the Confederate War (when both Gaelic and Norman alike rebelled against the Crown), where it was used as a fort by the Parliamentarian Army.

In the illustration, the motte and its palisade wall are depicted as a square, though they were actually circular. This is the best I could do using AI and Photoshop, unfortunately, but I think the image still conveys how imposing the fort would have been in its heyday. Nobber motte stands almost 8 meters tall, has traces of an adjoining bailey (a courtyard with barracks and outbuildings), and controlled a crucial crossing point over the River Dee.

Nobber Motte as viewed from the bridge crossing the River Dee
Nobber Motte as viewed from within the field.

Like this content?

Sources

  • National Monuments Service, Monument ME005-070, Available at https://maps.archaeology.ie/HistoricEnvironment/ (Aug. 23, 2025)
  • Daniel Brown, Hugh de Lacy, First Earl of Ulster: Rising and Falling in Angevin Ireland (Woodbridge, 2016), p. 249
  • Charles Mount, ‘Notes on the history of the manor of Nobber’ in Riocht na Midhe, Volume 19 (2008), pp. 79-84
  • The Annals of Ulster, U1434.3, Available at https://celt.ucc.ie (Aug. 23, 2025)
  • Noel French, Hugh de Lacy, who was so bold (Meath Archaeological & Historical Society, 2022)

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The gate at Robertstown graveyard

Robertstown Cemetery

St. Brigid’s Church in Robertstown once formed part of the vast Barnwall estate. The Barnwalls, along with the Plunketts of nearby Ardamagh Castle (Castlecam), were two of the major landholders in North Meath before the arrival of Cromwell.

The church was likely built around the same time as Robertstown Castle, which became the residence of the Barnwall family from the late 16th century onwards. However, the Barnwalls had lived locally for centuries before that. Records indicate that the manor was burned during a Gaelic Irish raid as early as 1311. At the time, the manor would have been centred on the Motte in the neighbouring field.

Two notable graveslabs can be found on the church site: one dedicated to Alexander Barnewall & Alison Nettervil (1618), with the Gaelic inscription ‘GAN GAN EAGLE’,* and a second to Francis & Catherine Plunkett (1688). Both have since fallen into the crypt.

Aside from the grave slabs, the only other significant feature is a stone cross with an inscription dating to 1685, found in the laneway leading into the graveyard. The inscription reads: ‘SOVERAIN LORD KING JAMES THE SECOND BY THE GRACE OF GOD’.

This refers to James II, King of England, Ireland, and Scotland, who was deposed by William of Orange during the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688. He fled to France, and then to Ireland to raise an army, promising religious tolerance to both Catholics and Protestants. James, however, was defeated at the Battle of the Boyne, leading to many Hiberno-Norman families like the Barnwalls and Plunketts having their land forfeited.

Legend has it that a Cromwellian settler named ‘Gutters/Gooders’ once took possession of Robertstown Castle, and gained notoriety for shooting at passersby on their way to Mass from the castle window. Gutters was finally shot by a priest and is said to be buried in Mullaghvally. Locals would thrown a stone over his grave every time they passed to prevent him from rising.

* ‘GAN GAN EAGLE’ is potentially an old Irish spelling of ‘Gan eagla’ (Without fear).

The ruins of the church, now buried beneath mounds of grass
Stone cross with inscription dating to 1685
Robertstown Castle

Like this content?

Sources

  • National Monuments Service, Monument ME011-005002, Available at https://maps.archaeology.ie/HistoricEnvironment/ (July. 19, 2025)
  • National Monuments Service, Monument ME011-006, Available at https://maps.archaeology.ie/HistoricEnvironment/ (July. 19, 2025)
  • Abraham Kennedy, ‘Upward Mobility in Later Medieval Meath’ in History Ireland Magazine, Features, Issue 4 (Winter 1997), Medieval History (pre-1500), Medieval Social Perspectives, Vol. 5
  • B.J. Graham, ‘Anglo-Norman Settlement in County Meath’ in Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature Vol. 75 (1975), pp. 223-249
  • Robert C. Simington (ed.), The Civil Survey, A.D. 1654-1656. Vol. 5: County of Meath, with the returns of tithes for the Meath baronies. Irish Manuscripts Commission, Dublin Stationary Office (1940), p. 357
  • Jack Fitzsimons, The Parish of Kilbeg (Kells, 1974), p. 263
  • Dúchas, National Folklore Collection, ‘The Schools’ Collection’, Volume 0705, Page 329

Beyond the Borora
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