Megalithic structure

The National Monuments Service's description

In grassland on the demesne lands of Ash Hill Towers located 700m to SSW. Ash Hill Lough now covered in forestry located 45m to S and town wall (LI047-022006-) of Kilmallock historic town (LI047-022001-) 95m to E. Not indicated on 1840 ed. OSi 6-inch map. Annotated 'Cromlech' on Cassini ed. OSi 6-inch map. Small cluster of three stones visible on Digital Globe orthoimages and Google earth orthophotos. It was suggested by Aideen Ireland (1984, 40) that these three stones are the same site as the 'Kilmallock Cromlech' recorded in 1904 by P. J. Lynch (1904, 284) who described the remains of a cromlech located behind the R.C. Church in Kilmallock. The field in which the stones stand was recorded as the 'Kiln-Field' on an 18th century map of Ash Hill demesne (Ireland 1984, 42). Unlikely to be the remains of a megalithic structure.
These stones were described by Lynch (1904, 284) as follows; 'Only three stones remain of the Kilmallock cromlech. The centre stone would appear to have fallen in and the covering stone slipped off to the left, as it now appears in photograph. This stone is 12 feet 6 inches [3.8m] long, 2 feet 9 inches [0.83m] thick and 7 feet 6 inches [2.28m] wide. The centre stone is 7 feet [2.13m] long, 3 feet [0.91m] wide and 2 feet [0.6m] thick. The upright stone to the right is 7 feet 6 inches [2.28m] long, 4 feet 6 inches [1.37m] wide or high, and about 1 foot 3 inches [0.38m] thick, all of limestone'.

See attached photographs of 'Cromlech' taken from Ireland 1984, Lynch 1904 and Google Earth orthoimages

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 8 September 2021

References

Ireland, A. 1983 An eighteenth century map of Ash Hill, Kilmallock. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 25, 37-42.

Lynch, P.J. 1901-4 Cromlechs in Co. Limerick. Journal of the Limerick Field Club 2 (8), 283-4.