The Caves of Kesh

A rich body of folklore surrounds the Kesh Caves, in which they are depicted as 'Otherworldly' places and home to supernatural individuals. The first literary reference to the caves is contained in the story 'Cath Maige Mucrama', which relates the birth of Cormac Mac Airt, legendary high-king of Ireland. According to the story, a female wolf kidnapped the infant shortly after his birth and reared him in one of the Kesh Caves. The earliest version of this tale was written in the 9th century (O'Daly 1975, 18), but a more complete form is contained in the 12th-century Book of Leinster (Camey 1968, 148- 61). On the 1838 OS 6-inch map, one cave (Cave P) is annotated Owey Cormac Mac Art. http://www.carrowkeel.com/sites/carrowkeel/cavesofkesh.html