Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Megalithic tomb - wedge tomb
Gleninsheen, County Clare, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Gleninsheen
- County
- Clare
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.06591, -9.14890
- SMR number
- CL005-135----
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1753 map "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1753 · Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
On a very slight rise in mixed rough pasture and exposed limestone pavement, overlooked by slightly higher ground to the S and W. Described by de Valera and Ó Nualláin (1961, 9) as a considerably broken and disturbed wedge tomb (est. L 3.3m; Wth 1.25m at E, 1.8m at W), orientated E-W and embedded in a barely traceable oval-shaped mound (c. 9.5m E-W; est. 6m N-S; max. H c. 1m). A later field wall extends E and W from the mound, on which de Valera and Ó Nualláin (ibid.) noted then recently damaged flat slabs. The upstanding S sidestone (L 4.25m; H 0.95m at E, 1.2m at W; T 0.2-0.3m) was dressed on its straight top edge, while its E and W side-edges were quite straight but undressed. There was a thin vertical crack near the centre of this slab. Only a small piece (L 0.9m; 0.2m; T 0.25m) of the N sidestone remained upstanding; a flat slab (L 2.15m) on the N part of the mound may be the rest of this sidestone. A small stone (L 0.85m; H 0.6m) orientated N-S between the upstanding sidestones was thought to possibly mark the W end of the chamber. De Valera and Ó Nualláin (ibid.) considered two tall tapering stones (H 1.4-1.55m; L 0.7-0.9m) just W of this endstone to most likely be related to the later field wall at the mound. Among other prostrate slabs on the mound, some may be fallen endstones from the E end of the chamber; Westropp (1899, 381) found both ends still standing. A large irregular slab (L 2.2m) at the S side was suggested by de Valera and Ó Nualláin (ibid.) as possibly part of the tomb’s capstone. Westropp (ibid.) noted that the monument was ‘perfect’ in 1862. Approximately 100m to the NNE is a wedge tomb (CL005-136001-), while c. 165m to the SSW is another (CL005-133----). The famous Gleninsheen gorget and a bronze armlet (NMI 1938:8587) were found c. 440m to the E.
Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Conn Herriott
Date of upload: 29-9-2025
References
Westropp, T.J. 1899 Prehistoric remains in the Burren, County Clare. The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 9, 367-384.
de Valera, R. and Ó Nualláin, S. 1961 Survey of the megalithic tombs of Ireland, vol. 1: County Clare. Dublin. Stationery Office.
Nearby in the register
- Megalithic tomb - wedge tombunder 1 mi
- Megalithic tomb - wedge tombunder 1 mi
- Rock artunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - cashelunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.