Megalithic tomb - court tomb

The National Monuments Service's description

In a slight hollow in an area of limestone pavement, overgrowth and rough pasture, within a large multiperiod field system (CL008-109001-). Marked and labelled 'court cairn' on Robinson's (1977) map. This court tomb (c. 10m N-S; c. 5m E-W) comprises a probable two-chambered gallery accessed from the N through a semicircular court, and surrounded by several overgrown piles of rubble. The access court (int. dims. 4.8m E-W; 4.2m N-S) is open at the N and defined by upright limestone slabs (av. H 1.1m). The N end of the court is obscured by; on the W by an overgrown pile of slabs and on the E by a modern drystone wall. In the centre of the court's S side there is a gap (Wth 0.52m) between two uprights, providing access to the rectangular, N chamber (int. dims. 2.8m N-S; 2m E-W) of the tomb gallery. This is also defined by upright limestone slabs: four sidestones (two at E and two at W), and two uprights at the S. Between these S endstones there is a gap (Wth 0.4m) which may be the entrance to a second chamber to the S, represented by a single E sidestone (L 2.3m). There is an overgrown pile of rubble where this second chamber's W sidestone may have stood, while an E-W running modern wall immediately to the S may have damaged the chamber's S end. There is an enclosure (CL008-002002-) c. 75m to the E.
See attachments:
CL008-002001-_01.jpg Sketch plan, not to scale.
CL008-002002-_02.jpg Photo from N.
CL008-002003-_02.jpg Photo from E.
CL008-002004-_02.jpg Photo from S.
CL008-002005-_02.jpg Photo from W.

Summary by: Gearoid Conroy and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 6 December 2022

Additional note, Conn Herriott:
There are currently five recorded court tombs in the Burren, including this monument at Teergonean, three others at Parknabinnia (CL017-180007-), Ballyganner North (CL009-059063-) and Leamaneh North (CL016-020029-), and a possible fifth (CL016-170----) at Ballycasheen. Jones (2003, 188) noted several unusual features in the court tombs at Parknabinnia (CL017-180007-), Ballyganner North (CL009-059063-) and Leamaneh North (CL016-020029-), particularly a narrow, straight-sided forecourt about as wide as the chambers, and a roughly circular or U-shaped cairn, and suggested that these monuments ‘should perhaps be referred to only cautiously as ‘court’ tombs until their relationship to court tombs is better understood.’ Jones (ibid., 193) noted that by contrast with these monuments, the Teergonean court tomb (CL008-002001-) is similar to many northern court tombs with its wider forecourt. However, he (ibid.) also observed that Teergonean court tomb may have had a circular or U-shaped cairn, in common with those at Parknabinnia (CL017-180007-), Ballyganner North (CL009-059063-) and Leamaneh North (CL016-020029-). The details and affinities of the possible court tomb (CL016-170----) at Ballycasheen await further investigation, but it does appear to be set in a low subcircular cairn.

References

Robinson, T. 1977 (reprint 1999) The Burren: a two-inch map of the uplands of North-West Clare. Map Scale 1:31680. Roundstone: Folding Landscapes.

Jones,C. 2003 Neolithic beginnings in Roughan Hill and the Burren in I. Armit, E.M. Murphy, E. Nelis and D.D.A. Simpson (eds.) Neolithic settlement in Ireland and western Britain, 188-94, Oxford. Oxbow Books.