Having read Eogan's notes (see below) before setting out I was excited and intrigued at what I might encounter. After a long explanation about what we were after at the house at the bottom of the hill, we set out for the not too strenuous walk. There's an old railway cutting that needs to be surmounted and from the satellite pictures I was unsure of how to achieve this. Thankfully there is a gated gap that leads to the field in which the cairn lies.
Early March is possibly the only time that you will get to see anything here. The cairn is a tangled mess of brambles, thorn trees, barbed wire and shrubbery. I couldn't see the opposing uprights that Eogan mentions. I did see some cairn rubble and what looked like two kerbstones, one in situ and one fallen outwards. From my prior research I wasn't really expecting much and I wasn't that disappointed, though there were the usual pangs of regret at the sad neglect.
Class: Cairn - unclassified
Townland: CLONASILLAGH
Scheduled for inclusion in the next revision of the RMP: Yes
Description: This has been described by Eogan (2000, 9-11) as follows: ‘This site is situated on a knoll, from which visibility is not very extensive, the most prominent feature being Carrigasimon hill about 4km (slightly over 2 miles) to the north-east as the crow flies. Before clearance, in July 1999, the site was very overgrown with a variety of bushes. Hence, apart from the top of what appeared to be a couple of longish stones, it was almost impossible to distinguish the type of monument. After clearance, the presence of eight stones arranged in a circle was revealed. There is also a small stone near No. 6. Only three of these, Nos. 1, 2 and 6, were in their original positions, the other five having fallen. There is a gap between the stones, and without excavation it is not possible to say if the circle was complete, but if it was, then, taking the dimensions of the stones surviving in situ, about fifteen stones are missing. If so, the original number would have been about twenty three. An interesting feature of the circle is the presence of two large stones (Nos. 1 and 6). They are the most substantial in the monument, with that on the east being 1.70m in height. Its opposite number is 1.66m in height. Furthermore, they are opposite each other, giving an East-West orientation. These are much larger than the only other surviving upright stone. No. 2, which is 0.93m in height. The dual east-west orientation recalls the similar orientation at Knowth, Site 1 (Eogan 1986, Fig. 16). This monument is 15m in external diameter. No internal features are visible but there is a spread of cairn all over, and while its average depth cannot be determined. It appears to be about 40cm. The surface of the interior is generally flat, but in a couple of places there is a greater depth of cairn than in others. Outside the kerb, for most of its circumference, there is a spread of smallish stones. These might represent cairn slip, if a higher cairn existed, or it could represent cairn debris that accumulated if such a cairn was removed. Professor Phillips reported that "all the stones at this site are composed of massive unstratified coarse grained greywacke formed by submarine debris flows. The greywacke shows a prominent cleavage and there are some elliptical shaped calcareous concretions which have been flattened and stretched on the cleavage. The rock type is typical of the Silurian aged bedrock of nearby Carrigammon Hill. The surfaces of the stones are rough and have a growth of moss, but it has not been possible to detect art.’ (Eogan 2000) ??ME010-044----_01.pdf: Plan and section of the monument (surveyed May 1995). ??Compiled by: Paul Walsh ??Date of upload: 21 April 2015
References:
1. Eogan, G. 2000 A group of Megalithic monuments at Kingsmountain - Clonasillagh, Co. Meath, Ríocht na Mídhe, 11, 1016.
Log in |
Register
0 discussions
Show map (inline Google Map)
Add an image 
Posted by ryaner
Top of page