Omeath On-Line : Folklore - Long Womans Grave

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Long Womans Grave

The story of the Long Woman’s Grave

Conn O Hanlon "Ceann of Omeath Mara" died rather suddenly and on his death bed he told his eldest son Conn to divide his lands with his younger brother Lorcan. Conn replied that he would bring his younger brother to a height and give him all the land as far as he could see. The father was happy that all the land would be fairly divided when he had died. When Conn the elder died much to the surprise and disgust of Lorcan, the younger Conn brought him to a great Lug or hollow high up in the mountains at Aenagh where it is impossible to see more than a few yards around the black hollow. He said, "as far as you can see is yours" laughing. As you can imagine Lorcan was far from pleased but he also owned a splendid boat and with this he started to trade to the East, running some profitable cargoes and he started making plenty of money from these ventures abroad. On one of these trading trips to Cadiz in Spain he had the good fortune to meet a Spanish Grandee and her daughter. He saved the ladies when they were sailing in their pleasure yacht. When they returned to the shore the Grandee held a banquet in honour of Lorcan. Lorcan was extolled by the ladies and their guests for his bravery but especially so by his daughter who was extremely grateful for the rescue.

Lorcan and the tall Spanish lady seemed enchanted with each other from the beginning. She was seven feet tall, only three inches smaller than Lorcan. He learned from her that her father’s people were of the royal line of Spain. Her mother was one of the princely O Donnells a branch of which had long been settled in Spain. Her mother’s Christian name was Cauthleen, a name which the daughter also bore.

Lorcan boasted about his wealth back home. He said that he could stand on a great height and for as far as he could see the land was his. Cauthleen was impressed by this and being totally besotted with her Lorcan declared his love far her and offered to leave his mercantile career behind and take her home and settle down.

Cauthleen gladly accepted but her father dissented as she had already been engaged to a Spanish nobleman. The couple united in secret and set sail for Ireland. They arrived in Lough Carlinn, sailed up the Lough and cast anchor in Omeath. The natives were impressed with Lorcans wife as she was very well dressed and her jewelry was very striking but it was her extraordinary height that generated most attention.

She was taken aback by the beauty of the area and was eager to see the lands of Lorcan. At last she reached the hollow in the rocks. Lorcan told her exactly what Conn had told him "That he owned the land as far as you can see". She was so disappointed and without she fell forward, suffered a heart attack and died. Lorcan was so much in love with his bride and felt so badly with the part he had played in her death that he ran wildly up the steep path to the bog of Aennagh and flung himself into the bog.

The natives who were awaiting the Long Woman to return became anxious and went in search of the couple. They came upon her body in the enclosure of the rocks but they never found Lorcan dead or alive. They dug a grave for Cauthleen and buried her where she lay in Lug Bhan Fada. Each native cast a stone on top to raise her burial cairn and this can still be seen in the mountains overlooking Omeath today.

The landscape around this popular tourist attraction is quite unique as although the area is situated in the scenic Cooley Mountains it is impossible to see more than a few acres because of the depression in which the area is situated. The bog of Aennagh is seen as a habitat for many different types of flora and fauna as it is situated almost on top of the mountain yet it has all the characteristics of a low lying bog.