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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Cairn - unclassified

Carn (Fore By., Finnea ED), County Westmeath, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Cairn - unclassified, Carn, County Westmeath, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Carn (Fore By., Finnea ED)
County
Westmeath
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Not indicated
Latest-edition OS map
Outlined
Coordinates
53.75457, -7.28496
SMR number
WM001-027----

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1636 map "Vltoniae Orientalis Pars" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1636 · Vltoniae Orientalis Pars (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on the summit of a hill, just above the 800 foot contour with panoramic views in all directions. Summit of Mullaghmeen Hill and Lough Sheelin visible 820m and 4.3km to the N respectively, Hill of Mael with hilltop enclosure and possible hillfort (WM003-008----/008001-) visible 2.6km to the SW. The cairn appears to be standing inside a larger multivallate hillfort/hilltop enclosure (WM001-027001-). Partial remains of this enclosing element is visible as a curving hedgerow located to N of the cairn. Evidence of scarping of the contour to the W and inside the native woodland forestry indicates the possible presence of a multivallate rampart which appears to follow the contours of the hill.
Present remains consist of a low flattened mound of stones (diam. 12-15m; H c. 2m) which appears to be ancient, on top of which is a smaller heap of stones which appear to have been piled up in more recent times. This smaller ‘cairn’ (diam. 3m; H 1m) may be an OS trigonometrical point marking the spot height of 807 ft. as depicted on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map. There is no indication of a kerb or revetment around the base of the cairn. There are some traces of disturbance & subsidence of the cairn.

Compiled by: Frank Coyne & Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 16 November 2016

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
All Cairn - unclassified in Westmeath All County Westmeath records All Ireland Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
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