Megalithic tomb - wedge tomb

The National Monuments Service's description

In rough pasture on a gentle W-facing slope near the base of Roughan hill. It is recorded in the Megalithic Survey as CL141 (Ó Nualláin 1989, 134) and by Jones et. al. (1996, 100) as site B.
A poorly preserved wedge tomb with a SSW-aligned chamber (min. L 4.6m; Wth c. 1.9m at the W end) surrounded by a low cairn (diam. c. 9m; max. H 0.6m). The N side of the chamber comprises two overlapping slabs. The inner stone (L 3.4m) rises toward the W (H at E 0.7m; Wth at W 1.1m). The alternate endings of the outer stone (full L 4.5m; max. est. H 1.3m) survive only as stumps. The S side of the chamber is marked a slab stump (L 1.8m) at its W end. The W end of the chamber is partially blocked by a broken slab (L 1.5m) and second smaller stone (L 0.7m), set outside and to the S of the first. The smaller stone likely acted as a door stone, similar to those seen at other Burren wedge tombs, such as CL017-009---- (Parknabinnia). A broken capstone (L 2.8m; Wth 1.7m) partially overlies the inner sidestone.
This tomb is part of the Roughan hill group, in Parknabinnia and Leana townlands, acknowledged as the densest concentration of wedge tombs in Ireland (Jones et. al. 2015). Excavations have been carried out at three of the tombs in that group: CL017-180002- (Ó Maoldúin 2015), CL017-009---- (Ó Maoldúin 2017) and CL016-061002- (Ó Maoldúin 2022) and their dates of construction have been confirmed as Chalcolithic to Early Bronze Age (Ó Maoldúin pers. comm.).
A cashel (CL016-165----) and enclosure (CL016-174----) are located c. 100-150m and upslope to the E of this tomb (CL016-055----). The enclosure is Jones’ (2011, 39) Farm RH5 which, along with at least two other enclosures on Roughan Hill, has been shown through excavation to be of Beaker and Early Bronze Age date, a date consistent with the wedge tombs.

The following item has been uploaded:
CL016-055----_01.jpg Plan and section (Jones and Walsh 1996, 91, pl. 1)

Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Lynda McCormack

Date of upload: 18 May 2022

References

Ó Nualláin, S. 1989 Survey of the megalithic tombs of Ireland, vol. 5, Co. Sligo. Dublin. Stationery Office.

Ó Maoldúin, R. 2022 Preliminary report on the excavation of wedge tomb CL017-009----, Parknabinnia, Co. Clare. Licence 17E0216. Unpublished report, National Monuments Service, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Ó Maoldúin, R. 2017 Preliminary report on the excavation of wedge tomb CL016-061002-, Parknabinnia, Co. Clare. Licence 16E0129. Unpublished report, National Monuments Service, Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

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.

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.

Jones, C. and Walsh, P. 1996 Recent discoveries on Roughan Hill, County Clare. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 126, 86-107.