Cairn - radial-stone cairn

The National Monuments Service's description

This structure is situated near the top of a ridge in rough pasture land about 0.8km E of the megalithic tombs (GA125-119---, GA125-120----, GA125-128----) in Marblehill (de Valera and Ó Nualláin 1972, 21-23, Ga. 26-28). The stone circle (GA125-039----) in Commons East (Ó Nualláin 1983, 148) lies about 3.2km to the SE. Eighteen radially set slabs delimit an oval measuring 7m E-W by 6m N-S. The slabs are 0.5 to lm in length and are exposed to depths varying from 0.4 to lm. McMahon (1978, 79-80) suggested that the circle may have originally consisted of 'twenty-four stones'. Stones exposed within the ring of radials suggest that this is best interpreted as a radial-stone cairn, a type of monument that is generally found associated with the later Bronze Age stone circle complex in SW Ireland. Only twenty examples are known and there is a second example in the county at Rooghaun (GA114-181----), some 23km to the NW just east of Ardrahan. (Ó Nualláin 1984, 77, No. 17)

Compiled by: Paul Walsh

Updated by: Olive Alcock

Date of revised upload: 12 October 2015

References

McMahon, M. 1977 Stone Monuments in the Ballinakill District. Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society 36 (1977-78), 78-81.

Ó Nualláin, S. 1984 Grouped standing stones, radial-stone cairns and enclosures in the South of Ireland. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 114, 63-79.

Ó Nualláin, S. 1983 Stone circle at Commons East, Co. Galway. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 113, 148.