Barrow - ring-barrow

The National Monuments Service's description

Monument surveyed in 2015 and described by McGuinness (2015, 71) as following: ‘Roughly circular, fairly well-preserved ring-barrow (Diam. 23.5m NNE-SSW), comprising a flat-topped, steep-sided platform (Diam. 11m NNE-SSW) surrounded by a broad, deep, flat-based ditch, and, where best preserved, by a broad, flat-topped outer bank. For a stretch of 10m at NNW, bank appears to have been mostly removed and the ditch filled in. On NE side, where it appears also to have been damaged, bank bulges outwards and is most massive, possibly incorporating spoil from removal of adjoining stretch of bank at NNW. Although bank and ditch are densely overgrown on W side, visible parts of ditch are fairly uniform in width (2.8m (NE), 2.7m (SE), 2.7m (SW)); the slightly broader range of corresponding measurements for the bank (4.5m (NE), 4.2m (SE), 4.0m (SW)) are attributable to differential erosion of its exterior. Bank rises up to 0.5m above external ground level and up to 1.15m above ditch on E side, and up to 0.2m above central platform on NE side. Barrow is located on level summit of hill in uncultivated land at SW corner of very large ploughed field; the prospect is good, with barrow-cemetery at Lakill and Moortown (WM007-013----; WM007-018----) visible to E, and but for vegetation, the view to W, where the land falls away most sharply, would be superb’.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by David McGuinness.

See attached plan of monument surveyed and drawn by the Archaeological Survey of Ireland c. 1977.

Date of upload: 10 February 2016

References

McGuinness, D. 2015 The prehistoric burial mounds and related monument of County Westmeath. Part III - Monuments in Northern and Eastern Westmeath (Baronies of Delvin and Fore, and Parts of Baronies of Farbill, Fartullagh, Moygoish, and Moyashel & Magheradernon). Unpublished survey funded by Westmeath County Council in association with Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society.