Court Tombs
Parknabinnia, Co.Clare. Court Tomb CL017-180007. NGR: 126037/19358205/06/2008: Surrounded by scrub woodland and thus unsurveyable [Pics]. Axis c.124°. GPS found it to be at 126053/193550, about 25m from the NGR.
Excavated and dated to 5,500 BP. Lots of mostly human bone was found in the two chambers, some cremated but most not. There were at least eighteen individuals, of both sexes and all ages. Finds included potsherds, bone and stone beads, two bone items that are probably opposing ends of a barbell-shaped toggle, leaf-shaped arrowheads, various lithic scraping and cutting implements, some débitage, quartz crystals and a few limpet shells. The forecourt is very narrow and straight-sided, about as wide as the chambers, while the cairn is roughly circular or U-shaped. The excavator states that this may be a regional variety of "chambered" tomb as the nearby Ballyganner North and Leamaneh North "Court Tombs" have similarly narrow courts. He also suggests that the classification of all three as court tombs should perhaps be tentative until their relationship to other court tombs is better understood. Shanballyedmond in Tipperary has a similarly narrow court and the earliest date obtained there was 4930 BP.
JONES, CARLETON & GILMER ALIX 1998 Clare 1998:053 CLARE 153, ROUGHAN HILL, PARKNABINNIA. www.excavations.ie
JONES, CARLETON 1999 Clare 1999:062 PARKNABINNIA. www.excavations.ie
JONES, CARLETON 2000 Clare 2000:0099 CLARE 153, PARKNABINNIA. www.excavations.ie
JONES, CARLETON 2001 Clare 2001:086 153, Parknabinnia. www.excavations.ie
BECKETT, JESSICA & JONES, CARLETON 2002 Preliminary assessment of the bone remains at the Parknabinnia Chambered Tomb (Cl 153) on Roughan Hill. The Other Clare 26: 5-7.
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Ballyganner North, Co.Clare. Court Tomb CL009-059063. NGR: 1219233/195649
06/06/2008: The given location was located by GPS but the court tomb was not identifiable. The whole area is limestone pavement heavily invaded by hazel, horizons are much obscured and thus not worth surveying.
DE VALERA, RUAIDHRÍ & Ó'NUALLÁIN, SEÁN 1982 Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland, Volume 1: Clare. Dublin: Stationary Office. p29, no.34.
WESTROPP, THOMAS J. 1901 Prehistoric Forts and Dolmens in North Clare Part III Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland Vol. XXXI, Series V, Vol. XI: 1-17.
WESTROPP, THOMAS J. 1915 Prehistoric Forts and Dolmens in North Clare Part VI Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland Vol. XLV, Series V, Vol. V: 250-274.
There is another Court Tomb a little south of Galway City, all the rest are further north. The currently known total in the Republic is 302 plus 116 in Northern Ireland.
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Passage Tombs
Ballycarty, Co. Kerry. Passage Tomb KE036-074. NGR: 088146/11251225/11/2007: Site is at western end of a ridge of higher ground, below the top. Small tomb with narrow passage, axis c.311° but entrance narrowed by a bend. Made of normal sized field stones - not megalithic at all. Too cloudy to see horizons [Pic].
![[Pic].](Ballycarty/KE036074SE.jpg){kind=link}
Excavated: This tomb underwent several phases of activity. Some cremated bone and worked flints representing the final phase were recovered from the chamber.
CONNOLLY, MICHAEL 1996 Kerry 1996:164 Ballycarty. www.excavations.ie
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Parknabinnia, Co. Clare. Passage Tomb CL017-180011. NGR: 126030/193203
05/06/2008: The given location, identified by GPS, was a blackthorn thicket and a search of the general area found no visible trace.
JONES, CARLETON & WALSH, PAUL 1996 Recent Discoveries on Roughaun Hill, County Clare. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland Vol.126:89, site F, fig 5 (incorrectly titled 'Site D').
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Carriglong, Co. Waterford. Passage Tomb WA017-057. NGR: 259050/105028
04/02/2007: On N facing slope in an arable field and grown with bracken & brambles. Higher ground & rock outcrops locally to S but site is well below the hilltop. Hedge to S, Ash to NW, Conifers to SE. Far horizons W->E. Axis 48°ish to dip between far hills.
Excavation in 1939 found that a fire had been set in the SE quadrant of the cairn, outside the chamber, before the cairn material was added. Finds were 18 small & uninformative potsherds and 3 very small flint scrapers, possibly made specially for burial. The site was interpreted as a late manifestation of passage tomb use by a small colony from Brittany or the Scilly Isles.
MOORE, MICHAEL J. 1999 Archaeological Inventory of County Waterford. Dublin: Stationery Office. p2, no.8.
POWELL, T.G.E. 1941 Excavation of a Megalithic Tomb at Carriglong, Co. Waterford. Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society 46:55-62.
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Harristown, Co. Waterford. Passage Tomb WA027-007. NGR: 267600/104002
Gated access is through enclosure with radio/microwave masts (phone Tony Power 38244).
04/02/2007: In pasture on a ridge of high ground. Axis 62°ish. Equinoctial hilltop, spit of land (below sea horizon) to 144°ish. Coast all round to SW.
Excavated: Surface was levelled prior to construction. Contained cremated bone from perhaps two individuals, burnt sticks (from cremation fires?), an axe amulet and a similarly shaped pebble. The excavator was convinced that although no pottery or other goods were found, the tomb had not been robbed. There were several secondary Bronze Age burials, one Urn burial was accompanied by a faience bead.
HAWKES, JAQUETTA 1941 Excavation of a Megalithic Tomb at Harristown, Co. Waterford. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 71:130-147.
MOORE, MICHAEL J. 1999 Archaeological inventory of County Waterford. Dublin: Stationery Office. p2, no.12.
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Matthewstown, Co. Waterford. Passage Tomb WA026-003. NGR: 252915/102904
This one is a National Monument (no.237) owned by the state.
04/02/2007: In pasture, access through gate by weighbridge. On high ground but not the highest point. Axis 103°ish towards hill N slope. Hilltops 120° & 157° ish. Coomeragh Mts to W/NW. Open horizons all round, no tree problems.
MOORE, MICHAEL J. 1999 Archaeological Inventory of County Waterford. Dublin: Stationery Office. p3, no.15.
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Baunfree, Co. Kilkenny. Passage Tomb KK034-031. NGR:243018/128323
28/06/2008: On a hilltop but not the highest point, good views all round except for forestry to south-east & south. Orientation uncertain but perhaps towards Sliabh na Mban [Pics].
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Clomantagh, Co. Kilkenny. Possible Passage Tomb KK008-124001. NGR:233270/165493
Not visited.
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Derrynahinch, Co. Kilkenny. Passage Tomb KK032-021. NGR:256194/135516
Not visited.
The next nearest group of Passage Tombs is in Co. Wicklow. There is a known total of 182 in the Republic plus 28 in Northern Ireland.
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Portal Tombs
Killaclohane, Co. Kerry. Portal Tomb KE047-052. NGR: 083714/10121025/11/2007: In pasture towards foot of a north facing slope. Backstone has collapsed and portals are leaning. Axis c.350°. Local hedge NE->SE. New house c.145°-155° on level S horizon. Far SW is trees but SW->N looks to be open though too cloudy to see [Pic].
![[Pic].](Killaclohane/KE047052SW.jpg){kind=link}
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Ardcrony, Co. Tipperary. Portal Tomb TN015-022. NGR: 190608/187468
04/11/2007: In pasture on an easterly slope, only three stones remain: the north side of the chamber and a displaced capstone. Axis c.89°. Far horizons lost in haze/cloud. Local, smooth skylines with hedges from c.135° to c.290° [Pics].
FARRELLY, JEAN & O'BRIEN, CAIMIN 2002 Archaeological Inventory of County Tipperary Volume 1 - North Tipperary. Dublin: Stationery Office. p2, no.2.
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Lissava, Co. Tipperary. Possible Portal Tomb TS075-045. NGR: 202520/124770
04/05/2008: Even with the aid of GPS this tomb could not be found but the location is inside a forestry plantation and thus unsurveyable.
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Ballycasheen, Co. Clare. Portal Tomb CL016-048. NGR: 124740/192412
05/06/2008: Surrounded by blackthorn scrub which largely obscures the eastern horizons though western horizons are mostly clear [Pic].
![[Pic].](Ballycasheen/CL016048.jpg){kind=link}
DE VALERA, RUAIDHRÍ & Ó'NUALLÁIN, SEÁN 1961 Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland, Volume 1: Co. Clare. Dublin: Stationary Office. p52, no.63.
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Clogher, Co. Clare. Portal Tomb CL035-037. NGR: 154622/180012
05/06/2008: This site is in woodland so there are no visible horizons and the massive capstone has caused the structure to collapse [Pic]. GPS did not agree with the official NGR, finding the monument to be 23m south of it at 154624/179989.
![[Pic].](Clogher/CL035037.jpg){kind=link}
DE VALERA, RUAIDHRÍ & Ó'NUALLÁIN, SEÁN 1961 Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland, Volume 1: Co. Clare. Dublin: Stationary Office. p78, no.103.
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Moyree Commons, Co. Clare. Portal Tomb CL018-011. NGR: 136263/189127
13/11/2007: Axis c.40°. Trees obscure horizons virtually all round [Pics].
DE VALERA, RUAIDHRÍ & Ó'NUALLÁIN, SEÁN 1961 Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland, Volume 1: Co. Clare. Dublin: Stationary Office. p58, no.71.
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Ten Portal Tombs are recorded in Co. Waterford and nine in Co. Kilkenny. None visited.
MOORE, MICHAEL J. 1999 Archaeological Inventory of County Waterford. Dublin: Stationery Office.
This south-eastern group of Portal Tombs extends into counties Wexford, Carlow, Wicklow and Dublin. The currently known total in the Republic is 140 plus 52 in Northern Ireland.
Wedge Tombs
These belong to the late neolithic / early bronze age and are far too numerous to mention. The currently known total in the Republic is 503 plus 63 in Northern Ireland and 57% of the lot are in Munster:Clare=147 (26%), Cork=114 (20%), Kerry=41 (7%), Tipperary North=13 (2%), Limerick=7, Tipperary South=4, Waterford=2 (Kilkenny=3).