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Magh Slécht (pronounced ''Maw shlaykht'') is the name of an historic plain in Ireland. It comprises an area of about three square miles (8 km²) situated in the south-eastern part of the Parish of Templeport, Barony of Tullyhaw and County of Cavan. It is bounded on the south by Templeport Lough, on the north by Slieve Rushen mountain, on the east by the Woodford canal, and on the west by the Blackwater River. Magh Slécht formed part of the Province of Connacht until the 16th century when it was made part of the Province of Ulster. It was originally named Magh Senaig (the plain of the hill-slope) and under this guise is mentioned in The Metrical Dindshenchas 〔Poem 25 Ailech III〕 in the story of the Dagda, Corrgenn and Ailech, wherein it states the Corrgenn travelled from Tara to Lough Foyle in the Inishowen peninsula via Mag Senaig. In Pre-Christian times the small area where the Crom Cruaich idol stood at Kilnavert was originally named Fossa Slécht or Rath Slécht and it is from this small location that the wider Magh Slécht area received its name. In 1911 BC during the reign of Fodbgen, the Firbolg High-King of Ireland, the name Magh Senaig was changed to Magh Slécht (''The plain of prostrations'') as it became the nationwide centre of the cult of the god Crom Cruaich. St. Patrick is said to have thrown down Crom Cruaich when he strtched out the Bachal Isu from a neighboring hiil causing it to fall over with its head pointing toward the Hill of Tara. The twelve surroungding idols were then swallowed up by the earth.〔St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland, A Memoir of His Life and Mission. By James Henthorn Todd (Dublin: Hodges, Smith & Co., 1864), pp. 127-8. 〕 Another name for the plain was Magh Lecet or Magh Leced. The ancient Irish prayed by prostrating themselves in a similar fashion to today's Muslims, i.e. by kneeling down on both knees and touching the forehead against the earth. The plain is not flat but consists of little drumlin hills. However as it is surrounded by mountains it is a plain in comparison. In the old Irish tale "The Siege of Druim Damhgaire or Knocklong" (Forbhais Droma Dámhgháire), one of King Cormac Mac Art's druids was called Cecht of Magh Slécht. ==Occupation== This area has been in constant occupation from pre-4000 BC up to the present day, as is evidenced by the huge number of ancient monuments which still survive. In a small area of there are over 80 monuments of different types, with many others bound to be discovered by future archaeological searches. It is the densest grouping of such monuments in County Cavan and possibly in Ireland.〔“Archaeological Inventory of County Cavan”, Patrick O’Donovan, 1995)〕 Included are * 9 megalithic tombs * 7 Ring barrows * 3 different stone circles * 9 different standing stones * 2 stone-rows * 5 enclosures * 6 crannogs * 33 ráths or souterrains * 3 Early-Christian church-sites * 2 Early-Christian Holy Wells * 2 Bullauns * 2 Medieval castles. The area was first inhabited by Neolithic hunter-gatherers who arrived via the river (originally called the Gráinne river & now canalised as the Woodford Canal or the Shannon-Erne Waterway). The first named inhabitants were the Masraige tribe who ruled Magh Slécht until they were conquered by the Uí Briúin tribe in the 8th century AD. The Masraighe were also called the ''Sons of the Liath'' or the ''Tuatha Slécht'' and Magh Slécht was sometimes called ''Liathmhuine''. The descendants of the Ui Briuin are now called the McGovern clan and are still the most numerous surname in the area. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Magh Slécht」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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