Cairn - unclassified

The National Monuments Service's description

Located at the highest point on a plateau of rough bog on the W side of the Curlew Mountains, c. 400m from the border with Co. Roscommon. The expanse of bog is bordered at NW, NE and SE by forestry plantations. The location provides extensive views, with Brislagh Hill prominent to E, Keshcorran Mountain with its passge tomb cairn (SL040-008----) on the skyline to NNW, and one of the Carrowkeel passage tombs (SL040-096----) visible in the Bricklieve Mountains to NNE. This cairn is not shown on any edition of the OS 6-inch maps, however, the location is indicated on the 1837 OS 6-inch map as a trigonometrical station. Roughly circular cairn (diam. c. 12m; H c. 0.6m) composed of rounded sandstone blocks (size range c. 0.2-0.4m). The perimeter of the cairn is partly concealed by an overlying layer of peat. The cairn has suffered disturbance: in the centre is circular pile or platform of stones (diam. 2.8m; H 1.5m) which appears to have been a built using cairn stones to serve as a trigonometrical station. Encircling it at a distance of c. 1.8m is a roughly built drystone wall (Wth 0.5m; H 0.6m) which encloses a space of diameter c. 5m. This drystone wall is located c. 2.5m in from the outer edge of the cairn. The cairn may be the ‘Finn-Charn’, mentioned in the Annals of Connacht and the Annals of Loch Cé, close to which Donn Óg Mac Airechtaigh and his small band of men laid in wait for the army of Richard de Burgh in 1230. During the ensuing battle, Donn Óg died fighting with his axe, having suffered many wounds and been pierced by five arrows (AC 1230.4; ALC 1230.7-110) (pers. comm. Sam Moore and Lydia Harris, Sligo IT. June 2015).

Attached image uploaded courtesy of Sam Moore and Lydia Harris, Sligo IT:

SL045-023----_0.1.JPG cairn viewed from SW, with ranging rods indicating approximate extent of cairn.

Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 12 June 2015