County Roscommon, Ireland
Rathcroghan / Cruachan Aí
Enter the royal landscape of Queen Medb.
Connected Celtic Clash cards
Association: Strong literary & traditional connection
The legend
Cruachan is the great royal centre of Connacht in Irish heroic tradition and the seat of Queen Medb.
It is from this world that the events of the Táin Bó Cúailnge — the Cattle Raid of Cooley — unfold, placing Medb at the centre of one of the greatest surviving stories of early Irish literature.
The real place
Rathcroghan is an extensive archaeological landscape containing numerous prehistoric and early historic monuments.
Today the Rathcroghan Visitor Centre interprets the archaeology, history, Queen Medb and the Táin.
Why it matters in Celtic Clash
Queen Medb's Celtic Clash card connects directly to one of Ireland's great surviving royal landscapes.
Visit the place
Visitors can explore the Rathcroghan landscape and visitor centre.
The monuments are genuinely ancient; their association with Medb and the Táin belongs to Irish literary tradition.