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Newgrange: quartz and granite wall

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CianMcLiam C
CianMcLiam Jul 17, 2016 20:05:37
Replying to tiompan

It could also be said that the near vertical walls at Gavrinis, Petit Mont, Barnenez etc. would have never stood, but sections of these were found in situ.

It's often been claimed that quartz had to be brought to site by O'Kelly. I've discussed this with several people involved in the dig and just a couple of weeks ago Geraldine Stout made clear in a public talk on Newgrange that all quartz used at Newgrange was found on site, none was brought in. Claire O'Kelly also pointed this out in no uncertain terms to a guide there in the early 80's who claimed in front of tourists that some of the quartz was brought in during the excavations.

Ann Lynch's excavations seems to bear this out, she found a quartz layer further back around the mound. The current quartz wall peters out before it gets this far, so the unusable quartz only meant that the quartz section could not wrap around as far as it did originally.

T tiompan
tiompan Jul 17, 2016 21:45:27
Replying to CianMcLiam

There is no problem about the walls standing at Gavrinis , Petit Mont, Barnenez etc.. They used walling , something entirely different from quartz cobbles ,and suited for the job .

It shouldn’t be difficult to work out the volume of quartz used in the façade then compare it with what had been discovered at the site .
O’ Kelly commented “"A good quantity was shattered and could not be used " on the facade ,and how the volume " decreased gradually in amount and extent " ,whereas the facde maintains a solid homogenous wall . Where did it come from ? It doesn’t quite add up .
If nothing else it shows that what see was not typical of the finds .But even what we see ,i.e. the more usable stuff , still needs the steel and concrete to stay up .

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