Glanaskagheen or "Scota's Glen" outside Tralee in Co. Kerry.

I wrote previously about links between Egypt and Ireland showing that many of the claims are tenuous at best here.

One piece of evidence often used is the folklore surrounding Scotia's Grave outside Tralee in Co. Kerry. There is no doubt that folklore exists purporting that this is the site of an Egyptian princess named Scotia.

I visited the site early this year and in my opinion it doesn't look archaeological. How the whole thing came about I'm not sure really. There are similar sized stones just about 50m along the riverbank and it looks to me as if what is now described as Scotia's Grave has maybe been put together much more recently than when she would have been in Ireland anyway! Many of the stones appear to just lie on the surface rather than go down to any real depth. There is a large earthfast stone nearby with a lot of graffiti carved into it.

Scota's Grave

Scota's Grave

Stone with modern graffiti

Modern stones located along the riverside near the alleged monument

My current thinking on it is that the Christian medieval scholars (such as in the Lebor Gabala Erenn) that were trying to tie the Irish into the biblical narrative may have picked placenames around Ireland that could be used to support it. The story of Scota was already in place (a text found in the 11th-century Historia Brittonum contains an earlier reference to Scota) so perhaps they looked for a placename that sounded like it in Ireland. Rather than Scotia's Glen. the placename Glanaskagheen or Gleann Scoithín. https://www.logainm.ie/en/1414581?s=Gleann+Scoith%c3%adn# actually translates as Glen of Wispy Flax or something similar. "Scoithín: A little wisp of hemp or flax ; a small lock of hair. (Dineen - Foclóir GB - 1904). (Thanks to Jim Hynes of the facebook group Irish Placename Research for that).

Another example is a site that I am very familiar with in Tipperary - Toutinna were the reputed grave or cave of Fintan is located (Fintan survived the Irish version of the biblical flood here). Michael Roche from Tipperary wondered if this hill was picked for this episode as it is the height of the Arra Mountains and this name could parallel Mt. Ararat in the biblical story where Noahs' Ark comes to rest after the flood.

So that is my current thinking on Scota's Glen at the moment. It is a visit that I wouldn't lightly. There is pretty much only one way in and one way out of the glen and some evidence of anti-social behaviour on the trail to it. The trail is very muddy and bar the sign at the road, no marked path.