Megalithic tomb - wedge tomb

The National Monuments Service's description

Towards the S leading edge of a terrace of rough patchy grazing and bare rock pavement, in a valley between Gortaclare and Doomore mountains. A small WSW orientated and poorly preserved wedge tomb (chamber L 1.8m; Wth indeterminable) set in a low roughly circular mound (diam. 7m). The S sidestone (L 2.05m; H 1.05; T 0.15m) survives in situ but leans outward. Its upper edge is dressed and when in its original position it would have risen toward the WSW. A smaller stone (L 0.9m; H 0.85m T 0.1–0.25m) at the W end of the N side may be a remnant of the N sidestone. The backstone (L 1.15m; H 0.8m; T 0.15m) also remains in situ at the E end of the chamber. There are two stones at the E end of the chamber; a blocking stone (L 1.05m; H 0.75m; T 0.15m) and a second smaller parallel stone (L 0.85; 0.35m; T 0.1m), set some 0.4m further W. The smaller stone is likely a displaced doorstone. The capstone (L 1.5m; Wth 1.4m; T 0.1m) sits on the E end of the chamber and rests on the S sidestone, the backstone and the stone at the W end of the N side. When Westropp (Comber 2004, 60) recorded it there were two capstones. He also recorded a ‘curious little stone, shaped like a rough cross’ within it, of which there is no sign today (ibid.).
The tomb is located at the centre of an extensive multiperiod field system (CL006-042001-) that encompasses three enclosures or ‘prehistoric farmsteads’ (CL006-098002-, CL006-144---- and CL006-146----) (Carey 2009). Comparisons with the dated enclosures or ‘farmsteads’ on Roughan Hill suggest that these and some of the mound walls of the field system (CL006-042001-) are likely contemporary with the wedge tomb (Jones et. al. 2011; Jones 2016). A complex of hut sites and small enclosures (CL006-042008-) are located c. 60m to the W.

The following item has been attached:
CL006-042009-_01.pdf Details from Ruaidhrí de Valera and Seán Ó Nualláin, Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. Volume I. County Clare. (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1961).

Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Ros Ó Maoldúin

Date of upload: 14 September 2021

References

Jones, C., Carey, O. and Hennigar, C. 2011 Domestic production and the political economy in prehistory: evidence from the Burren, Co. Clare. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 111C, 33-58.

Carey, O. 2009 Coolnatullagh: a Beaker Period/Early Bronze Age secular and ritual landscape in the eastern Burren. Unpublished M. Litt thesis, National University of Ireland Galway.

Comber, M. (ed.) 2004 Archaeology of the Burren: prehistoric forts and dolmens in North Clare by T.J. Westropp (1896-1915). Clasp Press. Ennis.

Jones, C. 2016 Dating ancient field walls in karst landscapes using differentil bedrock lowering. Geoarchaeology, 31 (2), 77-100.

de Valera, R. and Ó Nualláin, S. 1961 Survey of the megalithic tombs of Ireland, vol. 1: County Clare. Dublin. Stationery Office.