Overview
The 12th-century Book of Leinster calls Oweynagat dorus iffirn na hÉrend, the gate of hell of Ireland. From the surface it is utterly unassuming, a black slot under a lone hawthorn in the ditch of a field near Tulsk, County Roscommon. An ogham-inscribed stone spans the entrance to a narrow passage, which leads into a natural limestone cave. The power of the place is the stories, not the geology.
Oweynagat (Uaimh na gCat, ‘Cave of the Cats’) sits within the Rathcroghan archaeological landscape, one of the royal sites of Ireland and the seat of the kings and queens of Connacht. It is on private farmland, so the way to see it is with the Rathcroghan Visitor Centre in Tulsk. The centre says cave entry is restricted during its tours until further notice while it reviews safety, so ask when you book whether your tour includes a stop at the cave entrance.
The mythology
The cave’s reputation runs back through early medieval literature. It appears in the 9th-century Cath Maige Mucrama and again in the Book of Leinster. The most vivid tale is the Echtra Nerai, the Adventures of Nera: the Connacht warrior Nera follows a ghostly host into the cave on Samhain night, sees a vision of Queen Medb’s palace destroyed, and escapes back carrying wild garlic and golden fern to prove he had been in the summery Otherworld while it was still winter above. That link to Samhain is why Oweynagat is often called a birthplace of Halloween.
It is also named as the home of the Morrígan, the goddess of war and the Otherworld, who is said to emerge from it; in the tale of Odras she drives her cattle into the cave and turns her pursuer into a river. The cave’s own name comes from a story of monstrous wildcats that sprang out of the dark to test visiting Ulster heroes. Local folklore goes further still, claiming the cave runs all the way to the Caves of Kesh in County Sligo, after a woman who grabbed a runaway calf was dragged underground and surfaced near Keshcorran three days later.
Inside the cave
Two ancient Ogham-inscribed lintels were re-used as roof stones over the entrance, taken from older monuments. The legible one reads VRAICCI MAQI MEDVVI, ‘of Fráoch, son of Medb’, a rare written thread back to the Ulster Cycle. The wall is also said to bear the carved signature of Douglas Hyde, Ireland’s first President.
Beyond the entrance, a man-made souterrain gives way to a long, narrow natural rift in the limestone. It is not a show cave of stalactites and chambers. The entrance is a tight, muddy crawl, and the cave is not accessible to anyone with mobility difficulties or a fear of confined spaces. Cave entry is restricted at present, so most visitors will see the entrance and hear the stories rather than go inside.
Visiting
- Go with the visitor centre. The cave is on private land and is a protected monument and habitat. Do not try to find your own way in; use the guided tour, which keeps the site and you safe.
- Booking and times. Tours run from the Rathcroghan Visitor Centre and are ticketed. Check the guided tour details for current dates, prices and what each tour includes. Tours are weather dependent.
- What to wear. Outdoor footwear suitable for wet ground, and layers.
- Facilities. The visitor centre in Tulsk has parking, toilets, a café and wheelchair access. There is nothing at the cave itself. Ask the centre about access to the outdoor stops.
Nearby
The same guided tours take in the rest of Rathcroghan, including the great ceremonial Rathcroghan Mound. Further afield, Boyle Abbey and Roscommon Castle are both worth the drive.
Book through the Rathcroghan Visitor Centre rather than turning up at the field, and ask exactly what your tour covers.