Megalithic tomb - wedge tomb

The National Monuments Service's description

This monument was excavated over a five-week period, in June-July 1990 and was followed by restoration of the megalithic chamber in September 1990 (O'Brien 1999, 141-89). The chamber originally consisted of two sub-parallel orthostat rows oriented approximately NE-SW (249-069 degrees). The N row contained three contiguous sidestones and the southern row had two certain sidestones separated by a gap of 0.85m: this probably contained a third upright slab. These were set in foundation trenches and formed a chamber or gallery measuring 4.25m in length. The chamber decreases in height from 1.26m at the W entrance to 0.90m at the E end. The ground plan is similarly wedge-shaped, ranging from 1.88m wide at the SW to 1.20m at the NE end which was closed by a backstone slab. No evidence of a closing slab or septal arrangement was found in the course of the excavationsa at the open W end of the monument. The chamber probably was roofed originally by two overlapping roofstones, only one of which survived. No evidence was recovered to suggest that it had been covered by a cairn or mound. A bronze axe dating to the Early Bronze Age and two pieces of raw copper were found as a single deposit on the N side of the tomb entrance. No other prehistoric artefacts were recovered and there was no evidence of burials. Radio-carbon determinations indicate that the monument was constructed during the later stages of the Early Bronze Age, c. 1700-1500 BC, and had witnessed intermittent activity in the later prehistoric and historic periods. (Power et al. 1992, 19, no. 40)

The attached plan of the monument was surveyed in 1989 prior to its excavation.

Compiled by: Paul Walsh

Date of upload: 12 April 2013

References

Power, D., Byrne, E., Egan, U., Lane, S. and Sleeman, M. 1992 (Reprint 2003) Archaeological inventory of county Cork, vol. 1: West Cork. Dublin. Stationery Office.

O'Brien, W.F. 1999 Sacred ground. Megalithic tombs in coastal south-west Ireland. Bronze Age Studies No. 4. Dept. of Archaeology, National Univeristy of Ireland, Galway.