Megalithic tomb - court tomb

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated amid the stark, open, hummocky topography to E of Knocknaveen (known locally as ‘Glan Hill’). The Megalithic Tomb lies in a shallow saddle between two hillocks immediately NW of a small peat basin known locally as ‘Poirtín Fuinch’. This is now largely cut away and filled with water. The site affords wide views to N over the Lough Avullin basin, while to E the Peak of Croagh Patrick is clearly visible. The tomb lies within a field system (MA085-037----) and there is a possible fulacht fia (MA085-045----) immediately to SSW.

The Megalithic Tomb comprises of a large roofless chamber surrounded by a low, bracken-covered cairn, within which traces of a court are visible at its eastern end. The chamber’s long axis (L 4.75m) runs ENE–WSW, and it varies in internal width from 1.3m at the back stone to 2.05m at the entrance. It is delimited by fourteen orthostatic slabs (H 0.1–0.6m), the largest of which is the flat-topped backstone (L 1.75m × Wth 0.4m × H 0.75m). A number of large slabs are visible directly outside the south- ern sidewall, many of them leaning against the sidewall stones: these are probably displaced corbels. The chamber interior is choked with stone debris, particularly at the eastern end. Close to mid-point and directly inside the line of the northern wall is a small, loosely set, pillar-like slab (L 0.55m × Wth 0.15 × H 0.4m). This may be a partially displaced jamb stone, hinting at the possibility that the chamber was subdivided originally. The chamber entrance (Wth 0.8m) is flanked by a pair of well-preserved jambs (H 0.75m max.). Immediately outside it to S is a large upright slab (H1.05m), one of only four set stones that indicate the presence of a court. Although widely spaced, these indicate that its southern side ran in a shallow curve and suggest that its internal dimensions were at least 4.8m E–W. The cairn survives as a low jumble of loose stone, roughly oval in plan (E–W c. 19.5m, N–S c. 13m) and up to c. 0.7m in height. It is partially overlain along its south-western edge by a tumbled but relatively modern drystone wall. A number of possible wall lines are visible within it, particularly at the eastern end. A line of seven contiguous set boulders and slabs along the north-eastern edge (H 0.4m max.) could conceivably represent the remains of a revetment, but it and the other wall lines could equally be the remnants of turf stacks (Gosling 1990, 9; 1994, 42–3; Corlett 2001, 106–107 and pl. 91).

The above description is derived from: New Survey of Clare Island. Volume 5: Archaeology. Edited by Paul Gosling, Conleth Manning and John Waddell. (Royal Irish Academy, Dublin. 2007). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated.

Date of upload: 29 November 2018

References

Gosling, P., Manning, C. and Waddell, J. (eds.) 2007 New Survey of Clare Island, Volume 5: Archaeology. Dublin, Royal Irish Academy.

Gosling, P. 1990 Island focus: the archaeology of Clare Island, Co. Mayo. Archaeology Ireland 4 (1), 7–12.

Corlett, C. 2001 Antiquities of West Mayo. Bray. Wordwell.