Megalithic tomb - wedge tomb

The National Monuments Service's description

On a NW-facing slope in a flat field at the SE end of the central Burren plateau and within an extensive multiperiod field system (CL017-180----). This is the northerly wedge tomb in the central pair of a group of four wedge tombs (see also CL016-061002-, CL016-061003- and CL016-061004-) and a quarry (CL016-061005-). The wedge tombs are collectively identified as ‘cromlechs’ on the 1840 and 1916 OS 6-inch maps. Described by O’Donovan (1839) as one of ‘three cromleachs in the same field, one of which is prostrate’ (Comber 1997, 20). Described by Westropp (1898, 357; 1905 213) as a ‘small wrecked cist 6 ft. square’ and included in the ‘Reabachan Group of Dolmens’. Later described by Westropp (1907, 464) as a ’Defaced cist of three rude blocks, west and south’ (1.82m E-W; 0.6m N-S). This site is recorded in the Megalithic Survey as CL. 60 (De Valera and Ó Nualláin 1961, 50-51) and the details that follow are drawn from there.

A poorly preserved wedge tomb with an E-W aligned chamber (L 3.3m; H 1.5m; Wth 1.4) surrounded by an oval cairn (L 7m E-W; 5m N-S). The two broken sides of the chamber are still erect with displaced stone slabs in the vicinity. The chamber has a slight taper and the extant sidestones slope from W to E. The E end of the N sidestone is broken but the W end is intact. The slab (L 1.5m; H 1.3m; T 0.1-0.2m) leans outwards and the top edge (T 0.96m) is dressed. The S sidestone (L 2.55m; H 1.3-1.4m; T 0.15-0.25m) is broken at the W end and leans inwards. The top edge of this stone (L 2.1m) is dressed. A collapsed slab in the chamber may be part of the roofstone and a stone to the W of it (L 1.8m; Wth 1.2m; T 0.2-0.25m) may also be a portion of this roofstone. A stone underneath the roofstone (L 1.3m; Wth 0.8m; T 0.2-0.25m) may have been a closing stone for the W end of the chamber. A stone (L 1.2m; Wth 0.8m; T 0.1m) to the E of the mound may have been a closing stone for the E end of the chamber and is dressed along its N, S and E edges. A later stone fence abuts the the oval cairn at N and S and may have curved around the W side.

This wedge tomb is part of the Roughan hill group which falls within the four townlands of Parknabinnia, Leana, Caherfadda and Commons North and have been acknowledged as the densest concentration of wedge tombs in Ireland (Jones et al. 2015, 5). Excavations carried out at three wedge tombs in the area, CL017-180002- (Ó Maoldúin 2015), CL016-061002- (Ó Maoldúin 2017) and CL017-009---- (Ó Maoldúin 2022) have confirmed their date of construction as Chalcolithic to Early Bronze Age (Ó Maoldúin pers. comm.). This wedge tomb is located c. 130m to the S of Jones’ (2011, 38) Farm RH2 (enclosures CL016-173001- and CL016-173----) and c. 260m to the SE of Jones’ (2011, 39) Farm RH5 (three conjoined enclosures CL016-174----, CL016-177---- and CL016-165----). These farms are two of four (RH1, 2, 5 & 7) within 200m of each other and are Chalcolithic/Early Bronze Age habitation enclosures set within contemporary field systems defined by mound walls (Jones and Walsh 1996; Jones et. al. 2011; Jones et al. 2015).

The following item has been uploaded:
CL016-061001-_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 Lynda McCormack

Date of upload: 27 July 2022

References

Westropp, T.J. 1907 The cists, dolmens, and pillars of the western half of the county of Clare. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 26C, 447-72.

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. 1905 Prehistoric remains (Forts and Dolmens) along the borders of Burren, in the county of Clare. Part 1 – The Eastern Border. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, vol. 35, 205-29.

Comber, M. (ed.) 1997 The antiquities of County Clare: John O’Donovan and Eugene Curry: Ordnance Survey Letters 1839. Clasp Press. Ennis.

Westropp, T.J. 1898 Prehistoric remains in the Burren, County Clare (Carran and Kilcorney). The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 28, 352-66.

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.

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., 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.

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. 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.