Walk 9 - Cathair Chomain and Slievenaglasha
Overview: Set partly in the Burren National Park this walk is steeped in history. The trail from the car park to Cathair Chomain is well marked and established and easy to walk. From here on you would be well advised to use Tim Robinson's map of the Burren to find your way. I walked this in late May and found it one of the hardest walks in the Burren so far as the ground was pretty uneven and it was hard to see all the limestone grikes due to the length of the grass. I would allow approximately 3 hours as it is so slow going but well worth it if you are interested in the historical remains of a bygone age.
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Getting there: From Kilnaboy pass the church and graveyard on your right as you travel towards Kilfenora and take the next right approximately ½ a mile further on. You are now on a very narrow road which leads up into a part of the Burren littered with tombs and ring forts. After about a mile you will pass a sign on your left for Parknabinnia tomb which can be seen from the road. Continue for a further two miles and you will pass a sign for Crevagh Wedge tomb on your left(which is worth a visit) and shortly afterwards you will see a sign on your right for Cathair Chomain at a point where the road widens leaving plenty of room to park.
The Walk:Pass through the swing gate from the parking area and you should find an information board with the history of the triple ring hill fort of Cathair Chomain. The path leading to the fort is an Office of Public works path and is well kept and 1km in distance. The fort itself is in quite a ruinous state but dramatically situated on a cliff edge and from its remains can be seen to have been quite large.
From here proceed in a north easterly direction and within approximately ¼ of a mile you should reach the first tomb. The second tomb is roughly the same distance again and in
the same general direction but on the other side of a boundary wall as is illustrated on Tim Robinson's map. This tomb has an office of public works plaque attatched to it and over time appears to have been built on to as can be seen by the ruined dwelling beside it.
By keeping this boundary wall to your left and the valley to your right you should approach rhe ring fort of Mothar na Cearan of which there is not a great deal left - it probably looks its grandest from the valley below where I photographed it. Proceeding in much the same direction as before you should reach the wedge tomb of Cappaghkennedy after a further ½ a mile and is probably the grandest of the three tombs on this walk. At this point the triangulation stone on the top of Slievenaglasha / Cappaghkennedy is within sight and enjoys great views towards Eagles Rock and across Clare.
For my return I chose to follow the ridge top of Slievecarran in a South Westerly direction keeping Mullagh More to my left. You will reach apoint where you pass over a number of hilltop cairns. From here proceed in a westerly direction back to Cathair Chomain and the OPW path back to your car.
Knockanes from Slievenaglasha
