Rathcroghan & Oweynagat
The Cave of the Cats · Tulsk, County Roscommon, Ireland
In a field in Roscommon, a low stone entrance leads into a limestone cave. In an Irish tale set on Samhain night, it leads somewhere else entirely.
Photo: Oweynagat cave entrance, Gillaween / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and darkened for display under the same licence.
Cave access update: Rathcroghan says cave entry on its site tours is restricted until further notice. Check with the visitor centre what you can see on your date before booking. This guide does not assume entry to the cave chamber.
A small opening in a much bigger story.
Oweynagat, or Uaimh na gCat, is one part of Cruachan Aí, the royal landscape of Connacht. Start in Tulsk, where the exhibition and guided tour help you read the monuments in the fields. The cave is where the archaeology and the old stories come closest together.
Your visit at a glance
Book the sites tour through the visitor centre. Cave entry is restricted.
€20 site tour plus exhibition; €6 exhibition only. Check checkout.
About 2½ hours for the guided tour; add time for the exhibition.
Off-street parking at the visitor centre in Tulsk.
Wheelchair access at the centre. Ask about outdoor stops and tour transport.
Toilets, café and shop at the visitor centre.
Outdoor stops may involve uneven ground. Wear suitable footwear.
Site tours are weather-dependent. Check arrangements before travelling.
Checked 9 November 2026: operator access notice, tour details, facilities and Heritage Ireland prices.
The night Nera followed them underground.
In The Adventure of Nera, the people of Cruachan are gathered on Samhain night when Nera accepts a challenge: go out into the dark and fasten a twig around a hanged man’s foot. The dead man speaks and asks for a drink. By the time Nera returns, he sees what looks like the destruction of Cruachan.
He follows the host into the Otherworld. There he learns that the ruin he saw is a warning of what could happen. When he brings word back, his companions are still gathered where he left them. The part that stays with you is how little time seems to have passed above ground.
Retold from Kuno Meyer’s edition of The Adventures of Nera, hosted by University College Cork. The tale links Cruachan and Samhain in Irish literature.
A cave with a built entrance
The limestone cave is natural. Rathcroghan’s visitor centre describes the entrance passage as an early medieval construction incorporating two stones with ogham inscriptions. Whether visitors can see the inscriptions depends on access on the day.
Explore the entrance reconstruction ↗Rathcroghan Mound
The mound anchors a landscape of monuments spread across the countryside. The guided tour puts the earthworks and burial monuments into context, with the exhibition in Tulsk offering a closer look at the archaeology and stories.
See what the tour covers ↗Why 4★?
The guided tour and exhibition give you a substantial visit even if you only see the cave from outside. Visitor accounts praise the guides’ ability to connect the archaeology with the stories; a September 2025 account still recommended the tour when the cave chamber was inaccessible. Reports of getting farther inside describe individual visits and aren’t a guide to current access. If the cave interior is your main reason for travelling, check with the centre first.
Start in Tulsk.
Go to Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, Tulsk, County Roscommon, F45 HH51. This is the arrival pin for the visit. The monuments are spread out, so follow the centre’s instructions for meeting your guide and travelling between stops.
Check your date and the total price before booking. Ask how much of the cave entrance is included, and tell the centre about any mobility requirements. For an indoor visit, the exhibition has separate admission.
More to see in County Roscommon.
Rathcroghan exhibition
Allow extra time for the interpretive rooms if you’re doing the tour, or visit the exhibition separately if the weather turns.
Official visitor guide ↗Strokestown Park
The National Famine Museum tells a very different chapter of the county’s history. Check the official site for house tours and current opening times.
Plan a Strokestown visit ↗