The Labby Rock dolmen on Moytura

The Labby Rock or Carrickglass dolmen is located in a shallow valley on the north end of the ridge of Moytura. The Labby Rock 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. The huge capstone measures about 5 by 3 by 1.5 meters, and was probably found and raised on location There are two other huge chunks of rock nearby about the same size as the dolmen. The capstone is a hunk of hoary Moytura limestone containing chert and magnesium which gives it a strange, rugged texture. It rests on four supports which seem far too slight to support it's massive bulk. There is a well formed portal at the front of the monument.

It is said locally that bones were found in the chamber, probably by Louisa Tennison who also dug into Shee Lugh on the hill above. In the local version of the Battle of Moytura it is said that Nuada was slain on this spot by Balor of the Evil Eye, and the dolmen erected over his body.

The Moytura myth has been mined by Hollywood and is the central theme of the first (now fourth) movie, A New Hope. The Labby Rock scene is where Obe Wan meets Darth Vader in the Death Star, and Obe Wan goes back into the force. George Lucas studied under Joseph Campbell, and his films achieved enormous popularity because they used a major ancient mythological archetype for their foundation.

All four types of megalithic monument are represented on the ridge of Moytura: there is the ruined chambered cairn, Shee Lugh, on the ridge above; a fine wedge monument is situated about 600 meters to the south, and the chamber or gallery of a large court cairn located on the south end of the plateau. There were some 14 megaliths on this side of Lough Arrow, but most are in a sad state of repair, and many are gone.

The ridge of Moytura is one of the most important mythological sites in Ireland. The Second Battle of Moytura, the centre piece of Irish mythology is set here, and most of the monuments on the ridge are associated in some way with the Battle, such as the Eglone, a giant who was turned into a pillar of stone. The Labby is said in local folklore to be the grave of Nuada and Macha, where they were interred after being slain by Balor of the Evil Eye.

This monument is located on the Historical Trail walking route, and is easily accessed by following the signs and path from nearby Cromleach Lodge — a hotel which takes it's name from the Labby.

Orientation

Unusually for a Sligo monument there is no view to Knocknarea Mountain and Queen Maeve's cairn, whch are now hidden by a forestry plantation, but also by a drumlin. The dolmen faces south-east to the direction of the winter solstice sunrise, the place of rebirth in ancient Irish cosmology. Newgrange for the best known example of a winter solstice monument.

The entrance of the dolmen is aligned to the cairn of Shee Lugh which sits on the highest point of Moytura, though a group of trees from a nearby farm obstruct the view to the cairn. This seems to be a feature of Irish dolmens: that they are focused on a nearby hilltop where there may or may not have been a monument when the dolmen was constructed. This parallels the view from the Drumadone Dolmen near Boyle, which is oriented to the cairn of Shee Gorey in the Curlew Mountains nearby, and the Streamstown dolmen near Riverstown which is oriented to Cairn K on the top of Carrowkeel.

There is no view to the wider landscape from the Labby. The view to Carrowkeel, which lies just west across Lough Arrow,is blocked by the local terrain. There are a two large ringforts in the fields nearby, which, though only a dozen metres higher offer amazing views of the surrounding landscape.

There is a fine bivalliate ringfort down the hill from the Labby. Lough Arrow has a well preserved range of medieval monuments including a ruined MacDonagh tower house and Ballindoon Abbey, on the lake shore, many crannogs and plenty of ringforts. Ballindoon translates as Town of the Forts and was the home of the MacDonagh chieftains. They probably had their inaugurations on top of Heapstown Cairn.