Megalithic tomb - wedge tomb

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated at the E edge of a partially grass-covered limestone plateau, within the NNW sector of an enclosure (CL009-001054-), which lies within a very large multiperiod field system (CL009-001001-/CL005-116---*/CL008-045001*) that stretches from Lissylisheen to Lisdoonvarna. The land falls away to the E, providing good views from NW to S.

This wedge tomb was described by de Valera and Ó Nualláin (1961, 24) as follows: ‘The monument is very ruined. The chamber is collapsed and the roofstone now lies at the south-east. The south side of the camber is broken and displaced but though the northern sidestone leans heavily inwards, its base appears to be almost in situ. A transverse stone remains in situ at the west end of the chamber. Outer-walling is represented north of the chamber by four stones and on the south by two stones. A single stone at the west indicates a continuation of this feature across the front of the tomb. Beyond it are four stones which may be the remains of a kerb. The grass-covered mound surrounding the structure appears to consist of earth and stones. A stone fence crosses the north end of the mound. The uneven nature of the ground and the distortion cause by the fence makes exact definition of the edge difficult. In general the mound appears to be roughly circular and is approximately 11.50 m. in diameter. It rises to a maximum height of 1.25m near the west end of the chamber.’

While de Valera and Ó Nualláin (ibid.) noted that the original dimensions of the chamber could not be ascertained, their plan indicates that it was orientated to the WNW and was c. 2.5m in length and c. 1.7m wide internally at the open W end, narrowing to c. 1m towards the rear. The possible kerb noted is similar to one that was exposed in the excavations of another wedge tomb (CL017-180002-) in Parknabinnia townland (Ó Maoldúin 2015); alternatively, it may be the footing of an outer tomb façade. The mound surrounding the tomb appears to abut it and is therefore possibly of later date. FitzPatrick (2008, 137) suggests that it possibly served as a boundary marker in medieval and later times. The surrounding field system is likely to include settlement elements contemporary with the tomb, similar to those identified in Parknabinnia townland (e.g. CL016-167003-, CL016-173----) (Jones 2008; Jones et al. 2015) and elsewhere on the Burren (e.g. CL006-146----; CL010-230----) (Jones et al. 2011). The well-known cashel of Cahermacnaghten (CL009-001010-) lies c. 340 m to the NW.

The following has been uploaded: 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, Olive Alcock and Ros Ó Maoldúin

Date of upload: 27 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.

Jones, C. 2008 Roughan Hill prehistoric landscape. In Comber, M. and Jones, C. (compilers) Burren landscape and settlement. An Irish National Strategic Archaeolgical Research (INSTAR) project. The Heritage Council.

FitzPatrick, E. 2008 Cahermacnaghten: investigating Gaelic estates. In M. Comber and C. Jones (compilers), Burren landscape and settlement. An Irish National Strategic Archaeological Research (INSTAR) Programme, 132-157. The Heritage Council.

Jones, C., McVeigh, T. and Ó Maoldúin, R. 2015 Monuments, landscape and identity in Chalcolithic Ireland. In K. Springs (ed.), Landscape and identity – archaeology and human geography. British Archaeological Reports, International Series 2709, 3-25. Oxford: Archaeopress.

Ó Maoldúin, R. 2015 Preliminary report on the excavation of wedge tomb CL017-180002-, Parknabinnia, Co. Clare. Licence 15E0053. Unpublished report, National Monuments Service, Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

De Valera and Ó Nualláin 1961 Survey of the megalithic tombs of Ireland, vol. i, County Clare. Dublin. Stationery Office.