Megalithic tomb - wedge tomb

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture, located on level ground in undulating hilly terrain. There is a pronounced drop in ground level 50m to E into a depression of boggy ground. The Ox Mountains dominate the skyline at E-SE, and Nephin Mountain is visible on the far horizon to WSW.
This wedge tomb is a National Monument (no. 293) in state ownership. It is named ‘Dermot and Grania’s Bed’ on the 1838 and 19 OS 6-inch maps. It consists of a well preserved, roughly U-shaped cairn (L 6m E−W; Wth 6.5 at W; max. H 1.5m at W), oriented NE-SW, which covers a gallery or burial chamber. As is typical for wedge tombs, the cairn tapers in width and decreasing in height from the broad, flat façade towards the rear. The entrance is in the centre of the façade at SW, and is flanked by two well matched jamb stones. It opens into the short gallery (L c. 3.5m; max. Wth 1.4m; max. H 1.1m) which is faced on each side by four large upright stones or othostats. The side stones support a roof composed of two massive, overlapping capstones. An outer wall of upright stones is now largely concealed by the cairn, but some of these orthostats can be seen protruding from the cairn towards the rear of the tomb.

MA040-019----_01.pdf:
See linked document with details from Ruaidhrí de Valera and Seán Ó Nualláin, Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. Volume II. County Mayo. (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1964)

Attached images:
MA040-019----_01.JPG viewed from SW
MA040-019----_02.JPG SW facade
MA040-019----_03.JPG SW façade viewed from E
MA040-019----_04.JPG Cairn viewed from NW

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 19 October 2018