Bricklieve Mountains - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Carrowkeel is a megalithic hill top passage tomb cemetery. There are 14 cairns located at different positions on the hilltops with a further group of 6 cairns extending west towards Keshcorran Mountain, which is also capped with a large cairn. The Carrowkeel tombs are protected National Monuments and are considered one of the "big four" passage tomb cemeteries in Ireland, along with Carrowmore, Brú na Bóinne and Loughcrew.

It is one of the largest and best preserved neolithic landscapes remaining in Ireland today. Lough Arrow is surrounded by mountains on three sides - the limestone Bricklieve Mountains to the west, the sandstone Curlews to the south and the limestone Braulieves, or Arigna Mountains to the east. It is fed mainly by springs but also by a number of streams entering on the lake's western and southern sides. The lake drains north into the Unshin River.

Ballinafad Castle was built in 1590 and is also known as the ‘Castle of the Curlews’. The castle is in ruins and is accessible year round. There are no tours, guides, or fees. Visitors can park in a small lot at the foot of the hill where they will find an interpretive sign. Visitors cannot enter the castle, but the interior is visible through breaches in the walls that are closed off by iron fences.

This is the largest mound of stones in Ireland, a full 60 metres in diameter. Surrounded by mossy limestone kerbs and lined all around with beautiful chestnut trees, the cairn is unique in that it is located on low ground. It was constructed c. 3000 BC and is believed to enclose a passage grave. Legend marks this cairn as the site of the famous healing well of Dian Cecht, a magician and healer of the great T'uatha De Danaan, one of the original occupying tribes of Ireland.

The Curlew Mountains are a range of low-lying hills situated between Boyle and Castlebaldwin in northeastern Connacht. Curlew Mountains has an elevation of 243 metres. Curlew Mountains is situated northeast of Cloonloo. Geologically, the Curlew Mountains are made of Devonian sandstone and conglomerate that is harder than the surrounding Carboniferous limestone, hence their appearance as an upland feature.

The Labby Rock or Carrickglass dolmen is located in a shallow valley on the north end of the ridge of Moytura. It is an impressively massive portal dolmen: with a capstone weighing an estimated seventy tons, it is among the largest monuments of its kind in Ireland.