Councillors return to Queen Maeve’s cairn

A LOCAL councillor has said that Sligo County Council has a duty of care regarding Queen Maeve’s Grave Cairn on Knocknarea, pictured below. At Friday’s meeting of the council, Cllr Sinead Maguire asked for an outline of plans to protect the site.

The cairn has been a source of frustration for councillors at meetings in recent years as motions have regularly been tabled highlighting visitors climbing on it and causing damage. Director of services Dorothy Clarke said that the protection and management of the cairn is entirely the remit the National Monuments Service with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in partnership with the OPW.

She added that that the department has previously given a commitment to preparing a conservation plan and that the council will support the department, the National Monument Service and the OPW in their efforts to protect the monument and promote awareness around responsible recreationally enjoyment of the site. Cllr Maguire said she appreciates that the conservation of the cairn is not within the council’s remit, but said that “we have a role here too and must accept responsibility for visitors and we have an obligation to protect it for generations to come”.

Cllr Arthur Gibbons said that climbing is “a big problem” causing damage to the cairn and that an accident is inevitable. He said that some common sense is needed from everyone and suggested that the old tradition of a stone being brought from the foot of the mountain to be added to the cairn be highlighted and revisited as opposed to the apparent practice now of people taking stones away with them as souvenirs.

Cllr Healy said it should always be noted that it is a grave that people are climbing.