Barrow - ring-barrow

The National Monuments Service's description

Surveyed in 2013 and described by McGuinness (2014, 33) as following: 'This monument was almost entirely removed during construction of a silo-pit between 1971, when first visited by an ASI fieldworker, and 1977, when visited a second time. The 1971 account, identifying it as a ring-barrow, is as follows: A small, low, approx circular flat-topped area surrounded by remains of a well defined earthen bank with an internal wide shallow fosse. From SW-W-NW the bank and a small part of the fosse have been quarried away. A sectional profile of the perimeter of the site is visible in the resulting almost straight and almost vertical quarry face. Modern fences contact the outside of the bank on the NE and SE and between those two points the outer face of the bank has been steepened to form part of a boundary. It is overgrown with thorn trees there now. A gap in the bank on the N is probably a later feature due to disturbance. Sited on a small natural rise and surrounded by gently undulating land of poor to average pasture. Good views to the W and N. N-S diameter from top of bank = 22.20m. The site is disturbed in places by burrows. [SMR file] By the time it was revisited, only a part of the bank (H. 1.5m) survived on SE side; also a part of W side of interior survived, outside which to NW was a mound of rubble presumably resulting from the destruction of the monument.

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

Date of upload: 23 February 2015

References

McGuinness, D. 2014 The prehistoric burial mounds and related monuments of County Westmeath. Part II - Monuments in central Westmeath (Barony of Rathconrath and parts of baronies of Moygoish, Moycashel, and Moyashel & Magheradernon). Unpublished survey funded by Westmeath County Council in association with Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society.