Picture Credit: Frank Scott
The 2017 Táin March begins this Friday, May 19th, in Rathcroghan and Roscommon people are being invited to take part and follow the famous trail.
The Táin March was established in 2011 as a community walking festival to celebrate and promote the epic tale of the Cattle Raid of Cooley. This story of envy, honour and military prowess is reputed to have taken place about the time of Christ and involved the armies of Connacht and Ulster in a titanic struggle over a prize bull called Donn Cúailnge. The Táin March begins in Rathcroghan, where Queen Medb began her quest for the Brown Bull of Cooley and ends in Omeath Co. Louth on the June Bank Holiday.
Roscommon County Council and Rathcroghan Visitor Centre extend a warm welcome to everyone to come along to Rathcroghan mound at 10am or Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, Tulsk at 12.30pm on Friday where Queen Medb will assemble her army and set out on her epic journey. Queen Medb’s army will be welcomed by school children from nine local primary schools who have undergone warrior training with Chris Thompson, under the Heritage in Schools Scheme. The children will send Queen Medb’s army on their way with praise poems read out by their class champion and the blowing of a great ceremonial trumpet. Come along on Friday to hear our young warriors champion their Queen!
“Rathcroghan is one of the royal sites of Ireland and royal capital of Connacht. All are welcome to come along, watch the royal spectacle and walk a bit of the way with Queen Medb and her army starting on Friday 19th” said Nollaig Feeney, Heritage Officer, Roscommon County Council.
Walkers are welcome to join the Táin March anywhere along the route which starts out from Rathcroghan mound at 10am on Friday walking to Lissonuffy, south of Strokestown. It starts again at 9am on Saturday from Lissonuffy graveyard, goes across Sliabh Bawn and on to cross the River Shannon at Tarmonbarry around lunch time before continuing on to Clondra. Over the following two weeks the march will continue on through Longford & Meath finishing up on Louth on June 5th. Full details are on www.tainmarch.ie or on Facebook.