Eochy’s Cairn is situated on the top of a hill overlooking Lough Mask in south county Mayo. This impressive site has never been excavated and is certainly one of the largest cairns I have come across, measuring around 45 metres in diameter and 6 metres in height. According to tradition it was the burial place of the last king of the Fir Bolg Eochaid mac Erc. Eochaid was king for ten years before the Fir Bolg were defeated by the Tuatha Dé Danann in the first battle of Moytura. During the battle Eochaid was overcome with thirst but the druids of the Tuatha Dé hid all sources of water from him and he was killed by Tthe three sons of Nemed on the strand at Beltra in County Sligo. One of the more interesting features wasn’t visible on the day of my visit as the grass was thigh high however it is recorded that the entire monument is enclosed in a huge oval enclosure 145 metres north to south within which several standing stones are placed. It must be said that I found Eochy’s cairn enigmatic but with a level of foreboding that led me to keep my visit short and much time spent at a distance from the cairn rather than close to it. It was notable as I never usually feel like this is the presence of cairns and after our visit other members of the group I was with echoed the ominous feeling at the site.

GPS: 53.58851, -9.26362