I’ve been in the vicinity of Birrinagh (Biorainneach – abounding in coarse grass?) on a few previous occasions and never visited it. Like Drumhart earlier in the day, it’s not a widely known megalith, though there are some photos of it on the ‘net. It is marked on the OS map but isn’t in the Survey of Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. This series, whose publishing began in 1961, is still incomplete, though county Longford was covered in a 1972 volume with the omission of Birrinagh. Strange.
Spotting the tomb in the field below us as we pulled in at the farmhouse at the end of the cul de sac, we knocked and asked permission to head down. The gentleman farmer was very friendly and freely passed on some other, unconnected information that had me and my mate slightly flabbergasted. He was more than happy to allow us to visit the monument.
The stones look very rough hewn. Five remain – both portals, a three-quarter height doorstone, a backstone and the slipped capstone. There are no sidestones but the chamber continues to have that box-like feel found at many small portal tombs. The surrounding terrain is wide open, low hills surround the massive pasture field in which it lies. It’s maybe for the completists only – the megalithic wonders at Cleenrah and Aghnacliff are only about 7 kilometres to the south, but the rewards here are sufficient for the melancholic and pensive stone hunter.