Megalithic tomb - wedge tomb

The National Monuments Service's description

Near the top of a gentle S-facing slope in an area of rough pasture and exposed limestone pavement, with wide views from E to W, and within a large multiperiod field system (CL009-032001-). Described by de Valera and Ó Nualláin (1961, 26-7; link below) as a wedge tomb (L c. 2.6m; Wth at W 1.4m, narrowing to 1.2m at E; H at W 1.2m, dropping to 0.75m at E) with very faint traces of a surrounding mound. The subrectangular chamber was oriented SW-NE. Both of its long sidestones consisted of single limestone slabs (N sidestone L 3.1m; H at W 1.6m, dropping to 0.85m at E; T 0.2m; S sidestone L 2.6m; H at W 1.1m, dropping to 1.05m at E; T 0.1-0.2m); their top edges were hammer dressed. A broken slab (L 0.75m; extant H 0.45m; T 0.1m) extending to the S, from near the W end of the N sidestone, may have been a sill or doorstone. There was a gap (L 0.6m) between it and the S sidestone. The E end of the chamber was open, but 0.8m to the NE of the N sidestone, an upright slab (L 0.65m; H 0.25m; T 0.06m), also oriented SW-NE, was possibly indicative of a continuation of the chamber or a separate end-chamber. Four stones (L 1.4-2.05m; T 0.1m) found resting on and against the sidestones, and prostrate inside and outside the chamber were probably fragments of the capstone.

The chamber was surrounding by outer walling on all sides. That on the N side (L c. 7.5m) consisted of eight near-contiguous or overlapping slabs (L 0.4-1.4m; H 0.25-1.4m; T 0.05-0.2m), set 0.5-1m outside the chamber. The function of two further upright stones (H 0.15-0.4m) at its W end was unclear. On the S side, the walling comprised four upright slabs: two (L 0.6-1.1m; H 0.15-0.4m) at the W end and two (L 1.2-1.3m; H 1.15-1.6m) at the E, with a gap (L c. 3m) between them in which a slab (L 1.6m) lay flat. The most westerly stone was covered by a loose prostrate slab (L 2m) and another prostrate slab (L 0.65m; H 0.8m) lay to the E of the second slab. (One of these had apparently been upright and part of the walling when the monument was visited by Westropp (1901, 286).) The E end consisted of a single slab (L 1.4m; H 0.1m) and at least two slabs formed the W side, one (L 1.75m; H 0.9m) with a seemingly quite fresh vertical crack in it. Extending to the E from the S end of this slab was another slab (L 1.15m; H 0.6m) which may have been displaced. An inspection of the tomb in May 1997 found it to be unaltered in the interim. A cashel (CL009-064001-) lies c. 76m to the NW.

See linked document with 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: Olive Alcock and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 2 June 2022

References

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

Westropp, T.J 1901 Prehistoric remains in north-western Clare part II. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 31, 273-91.