Megalithic Monuments of Ireland

County Leitrim, 'Contae Liatroma', was named after the town of Leitrim, 'Liatroim' and it is the smallest of Connacht's five counties in both size and population. In ancient times, Leitrim formed the western half of the Kingdom of Breifne. This region was long influenced by the Gaelic O'Rourke family of Dromahair, whose heraldic lion is still on the official county shield to this day. Close ties existed with the O'Reilly Clan of East Breifne, which is now County Cavan.Leitrim has a dramatic hilly and mountainous landscape in its north-west and is relatively flat in the south-east and each is separated from the other by Lough Allen in the middle of the county. It is an unspoiled, tranquil area of great natural beauty, consisting of lofty mountains, deep valleys, pastures, lakes, rolling hills and rivers. Leitrim is not a landlocked county, as it has a short length of Atlantic coastline between counties Donegal and Sligo, where Tullaghan is located.County Roscommon, 'Contae Ros Comáin', was named after the town of Roscommon and comes from the Irish 'Ros' meaning 'a wooded, gentle height' and 'Comán', the name of the county's famous saint and the 1st Bishop of the See. Rathcroghan was home to the Celtic Kings of Connacht and then to the High Kings of Ireland. Tulsk is the nearest village to the mythological site of 'Rath Cruachán', home of the Celtic Goddess, Queen Medb (Méadhbh, Maeve). This was also the starting point of the 'Tain Bo Cuailng', or the 'Cattle Raid of Cooley', an epic tale in Irish mythology which saw the forces of Queen Medb and the Celts of Connacht, battle with the forces of the Kings of Ulster and 'Cu Chulainn'. County Roscommon borders all the other Connacht counties of Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo.