Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Megalithic structure
Frenchfort, County Galway, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Frenchfort
- County
- Galway
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.29298, -8.87771
- SMR number
- GA083-078----
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1753 "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
On open level rough grazing land, part of the Defence Forces' property at the Oranmore Firing Range. Cultivation ridges are visible in the surrounding fields. A ringbarrow (GA083-077----) lies 630m to the NW.A large roughly rectangular earthfast limestone orthostat (L 1.95m N-S; Wth 0.5m; H 1.3m), with a slightly rounded upper surface, is flanked immediately to the E and W by two displaced and now recumbent trapezoidal limestone slabs. The E slab measures 1.85m in length along its W side and has a maximum length of 1.2m along its S side and is 0.55m in thickness. Its S edge is very smooth, as if it once might have stood erect with its current S edge as the base. The W slab measures 1.8m along its N side and 1.06m along the E side and is 0.6m in thickness. Some small stones, cleared from the surrounding field, have been piled around the slabs.
At first sight it appears that a single boulder was split, leaving a central orthostat with a displaced slab on either side, however, the faces of the two recumbent slabs don't match the faces of the orthostat, which has a pronounced offset of c. 0.15cms near the base on its W face (visible in profile in photo GA083-078----_02.jpg). Possibly a megalithic structure.
The following images have been uploaded:
GA083-078----_02.jpg View from S
GA083-078----_03.jpg View from W
GA083-078----_04.jpg View from N
GA083-078----_05.jpg View from E
Compiled by: Olive Alcock
Date of upload: 11 July 2023
Nearby in the register
- Barrow - ring-barrowunder 1 mi
- Enclosureunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - cashelunder 1 mi
- Field systemunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.