Knockma Hill (Cnoc Meadha), Co Galway

Cnoc Meadha is a hill west of Tuam, Co Galway.

It is said in legend to be the residence of Finnbheara, the king of the Connacht fairies. Of two large cairns on the hill, one was thought to be the burial-place of Finnbheara and the other of (the other) Queen Medb, whose name may be transformed in the name Cnoc Meadha. Knockma Hill is topped with prehistoric cairns.

G. H. Kinahan wrote of the place:

The soft breezes that pass one in an evening in West Galway are called fairy paths. They are said to be due to the flight of a band of the good people on their way to Cnockmaa, near Castle Hackett, on the east of Lough Corrib, which is their great resort in Connacht. A soft hot blast indicates the presence of a good fairy; while a sudden shiver shows that a bad one is near.