Barrow - unclassified

The National Monuments Service's description

Surveyed in 2012 and described by McGuinness (2012, 38-9) as following: ‘Greatly damaged and densely overgrown monument on ground sloping down to SW, roughly circular (Diam. 25-30m) in plan with NE side removed during road-widening c. early 1980s (pers. comm. Tommy Cassidy of Slane More). Monument is raised above surrounding ground, though its centre is irregularly hollowed out to varying depths (due in part to cattle), and is surrounded by a bank in varying states of preservation. At E side, the clearly defined bank is 5.2m in width; at N side it is 7.3m in width and more massive. At N side bank is raised 1m above external ground level and 1.3m above deepest part of hollowed. area inside. N and E stretches of bank end with a sheer cut just inside modern field boundary, clearly showing where the monument was damaged by road-widening. The bank is very stony, most clearly visible on N side where cattle have worn away the sod; there are many stones in the hollowed interior, especially at the cattle-worn N side, although some of these may have slipped from the bank. It is also to be wondered whether the varying levels of interior of monument might relate to disturbances from time of road-widening project. In its current state, monument is difficult to classify, although given its appearance—a raised area apparently surrounded by a stony bank—it is difficult to accept its classification as a barrow in the RMP. If a burial mound at all, it might be a hollowed out cairn or mound-barrow. In support of its interpretation as a burial monument, there are two barrows c. 50m (WM018-080----) and c. 100m (WM018-079----) uphill in field across road to NE, and on hilltop c. 150m to NE are three further barrows (WM018-078----). All six sites form an approximately linear arrangement from NE to SW'.

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

Date of upload: 25 April 2016

References

McGuinness, D. 2012 The prehistoric burial mounds and related monument of County Westmeath. Part I - Preliminary account of the monuments in the Lough Owel Area (Barony of Corkaree and part of Barony of Moyashel & Magheradernon). Unpublished survey funded by Westmeath County Council in association with Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society.