Megalithic tomb - wedge tomb

The National Monuments Service's description

On a low ridge in an area of grass and scrub cover on a plateau, with land sloping gently to E. Westropp (1899, 370) recorded marks of fire on this monument. Described by de Valera and Ó Nualláin (1961, 20) as an E–W orientated wedge tomb (L c. 5m; Wth at rear 1.75m; Wth at front 2.5m; H at rear 1.35m; H at front c. 1.6m) in the centre of a grass-covered mound (c. 12m E–W; c. 9m N–S; est. H c. 1.5m). The sides of the chamber were each formed by a single limestone slab (L 5-5.15m; H 1.35-1.4m; T 0.25m) with flat dressed upper edges sloping up to the W. The S sidestone (L 5m; H 1.35m; T 0.25m) was mostly intact. The E portion of the N sidestone (L 2.3m; H 1.3–1.35m; T 0.25m) was still standing; the W portion (L 2.75m; Wth 1.4m) was broken and lay prone to the N. The back of the chamber was closed by two low slabs (N stone: L 0.75m; H 0.3m; T 0.15m; S stone: L 0.9m; H 0.25m; T 0.2m) standing on edge. These may be the remains of a single slab, of which a possible fragment (L 1.5m; T 0.2m) lay to the E. A collapsed capstone (3.45m E–W; 1.75m N–S) rested against the internal side of the N sidestone and two more slabs (W fragment: L 2.3m; E fragment: L 1.6m) lying on the capstone may have been part of it. Two smaller slabs (L 0.7m; H 0.3-0.4m; T 0.12-0.15m) stood upright W of the N and S sidestones. They were set perpendicular to the line of the chamber and may have emphasised the entrance. A field wall, marking the townland boundary between Baur North and Cregavockoge, runs N–S over the W end of the tomb chamber. An inspection in 1998 found the wedge tomb unaltered in the interim (SMR file). A cist (CL009-019002-) lies c. 24m to the NE.

The following item has been uploaded:
CL009-019----_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 Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 2 November 2021

References

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

Westropp, T.J. 1899 Prehistoric remains in the Burren, County Clare. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 29, 367-84.

SMR file - Sites and monuments record files in the National Monuments Service, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.