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Meath's Hidden Gem
Four Knocks Opens Door to Irish Antiquity
By Lori Alexander
Special to The Irish American Post
I'm fascinated by megaliths. During my first two months in Ireland,
I could hardly walk through a cabbage field or drive down a country lane
without being overcome by the urge to investigate some archaeological relic.
Ireland's passage tombs were built between 3000 and 2500 BC.
Each tomb generally consists of a large chamber reached through a narrow
passage, with additional offshoots of smaller chambers and recesses. Tombs
are constructed from a mix of massive foundation boulders and smaller stones.
The result is a dome shaped mound of rock and earth. My neck-of -the-woods
boasts some of the finest Irish megalithic examples, including the often
packed and preserved tourist metropolis of Newgrange and Knowth.
Although historically important, the less impressively preserved Hill
of Tara is also located nearby. A local friend suggested we visit Four
Knocks (Na Fuarchnoic, "The Cold Hills") after I bemoaned my latest
over-crowded trip to Newgrange. She assured me that we would be free to
explore the 5,000-year-old site on our own. We drove from Naul, heading
towards Kilmoon and found the route amazingly well posted.
Our only companions were farmers on passing silage tractors and a group
of children clopping down the lane on their ponies. Armed with the key,
we slogged down the narrow track, one side high with gorse and brambles,
the other bordered by a chain link fence. The biting January weather explained
the old Gaelic name of The Cold Hills. The surrounding Meath countryside
howled with the winter wind.
We heaved open the heavy iron gate and entered the pear-shaped chamber
where the remains of 65 cremations and burials had been discovered. The
main chamber was dim, lit only by vents made in the modern rooftop, and
the wintry light seeping through the door. My spooked son, a veteran of
Celt crawl tunnels, Nessie hunts and ancient gravesites insisted we leave
the door propped wide.
We discovered the larger foundation boulders were adorned with carvings.
Inside, the oldest known representation of a human face guards the entrance.
My son explored the three smaller chambers and we noted that while the
main chamber was covered with ornamentation, the inside of the smaller
chambers were curiously blank.
In finer weather, Four Knocks would be an excellent picnic area. The
top of the grassy mound can be reached by climbing a series of embedded
stones and affords a fine view of the surrounding farmland. Four Knocks
lacks the visitor center of Newgrange or the accompanying guide, but is
well worth a look if you are hoping to get a glimpse of Irish prehistory
and avoid the beaten path.
Newgrange, Tara, and Four Knocks are situated in such close proximity
that the exploration of all three could be accomplished in a single day
from a base of Dublin or Drogheda or Trim. The key to Four Knocks is held
by caretaker Fintan White and is available till 6 p.m.
To find White, travel from Four Knocks towards Kilmoon, go left at the
crossroad, and continue approximately one mile. His house is located on
the right hand side, and clearly marked by a placard on his low stone wall,
"WHITE." If you forget to bring a light, check the stone shelf to the right
of the entrance. You may be lucky, as we were, and discover a flashlight.
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