Roscommon Ireland Has A Dark Secret
If you’re driving along a small county cut-de-sac in Roscommon, Ireland, there’s a whole world of hell just beside you known as a hell cave.
A stone-lined underground structure that was created between the 7th and 12th centuries is hidden at the side of the road.
Once built above a natural cave, this underground structure was once known as “Ireland’s Gate to Hell”. During the festival of Samhain, the gates would open.
Samhain & The Hell Caves
Samhain is the old-fashioned Halloween. Traditionally, it’s the time of year when the veil between this world and other worlds is weakened. Once this veil became flimsy, spirits could enter our world, and walk among the living.
Other worlds can have a real dark side, as you may recall from a lifetime of popular culture. Once a year on Halloween, the dark side emerges from what’s known as Oweynagat – Cave of the Cats.
That is one of two sites that have acquired legendary reputations for being entrances to the underworld in Ireland. They are known as the Hell Caves. One has been shut down but he church since 1625. The other is a mud hole frequented by cats. It’s this one – Oweynagat – which is said to be the birthplace of Halloween.
From these portals, spirits are said to emerge and wreak havoc.
The famous Cave of Cats is located southwest of Rathcroghan Mound, a sub terrain in Ireland. Beneath an old road that leads into a dark, narrow limestone cave is what’s believed to be the birthplace of Halloween.
So, as a reminder, the O.G. Halloween was called Samhain. The Irish believed that the prehistoric graves from the past could open during this time. The gods and spirits that were said to dwell inside were free to walk the earth.
Early Christians believed that the gate would open on Halloween every year. Because of this, dead souls were able to enter the world of the living through the portal.
A triple-headed monster is also rumoured to hang out here. Please be careful I hear they’re awful.
How to Visit Oweynagat
If you’re super into this kind of thing, you probably are interested in visiting the caves. Or at least the one that’s not been protected by the church since the 1500s.
Because of this, you have to be careful because the cave is on private property. it’s not a part of the Rathcroghan Visitor Centre. Tourists have been flocking in increased numbers over the past few years to experience some of the oldest and largest un-excavated sites in Europe.
While the cave is accessible and worth the visit and the travel to get there, please remember that it’s a protected site. Having such an amazing monument open to the public is great news for Halloween lovers. However, please make sure that your visit doesn’t make anyone thing of closing the site to visitors!
Here are the GPS coordinates of the Cave of Cats: 53.797305, -8.310578.
Put these into your Google Maps, gear up with some kind of cross, or sage, or something to protect you, and beware!
