Images

Image of Monpelier (Hell Fire Club) (Passage Grave) by ryaner

Faint remains of the obliterated, smaller 2nd tomb.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Monpelier (Hell Fire Club) (Passage Grave) by ryaner

The northern end of the north/south trench, where you would hope to find evidence of a chamber. Very hard to make anything out. Some large, mixed stones in the foreground here presumably from the centre of the mound. There are a couple of sockets in the trench, but these don’t look original to my untrained, amateur eyes.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Monpelier (Hell Fire Club) (Passage Grave) by ryaner

Closer look at the exposed stone and the layers in the trench.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Monpelier (Hell Fire Club) (Passage Grave) by ryaner

It was busy up there today. The north/south trench cuts through the ‘bank’, a false feature left by the robbing of the core of the mound. a large, possible kerb stone has been exposed bottom right. Dublin Bay in the distance.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Monpelier (Hell Fire Club) (Passage Grave) by ryaner

East/west(ish) trench with lots of cairn material looking a bit like cobble stones.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Monpelier (Hell Fire Club) (Passage Grave) by ryaner

It was a windy night Saturday. There’s also pools of rainwater in the north/south trench, especially at the southern, outside end.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Monpelier (Hell Fire Club) (Passage Grave) by ryaner

West-north-west into Tallaght, of interest here, but a modern folly(?).

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Monpelier (Hell Fire Club) (Passage Grave) by ryaner

Nice setting, and worth a visit if you’re heading for the two ruined passage graves above, but not prehistoric.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Monpelier (Hell Fire Club) (Passage Grave) by ryaner

Viewed north-east over the city towards Howth, on the northern slopes of Monpelier Hill, below the Hellfire Club and the remains of two passage graves is this curiosity, almost certainly of modern provenance.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Monpelier (Hell Fire Club) (Passage Grave) by ryaner

The mound would have been fairly substantial.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Monpelier (Hell Fire Club) (Passage Grave) by ryaner

The tomb had a bank and ditch, visible to the left, south side. The northern arc has been completely flattened.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Monpelier (Hell Fire Club) (Passage Grave) by ryaner

Snow brings out the lumps and bumps of the old tomb.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Monpelier (Hell Fire Club) (Passage Grave) by ryaner

Plundered passage grave on Monpelier, 21 June, 2009.

Image credit: ryaner
Image of Monpelier (Hell Fire Club) (Passage Grave) by ryaner

2 of the remaining kerbstones with the Hell Fire club in the background. The view in the distance is over Tallaght.

Image credit: ryaner

Articles

Megalithic Art Discovered at the Hellfire Club

Sitting partially exposed in the hollow of the strange mound behind the Hellfire Club, a dark lump of igneous rock served as a handy border to many bonfires over the centuries. However, those who enjoyed the warmth of the fire while lying up against the comfortably curved bank of the mound may not have realised that the mound they rested upon was the remains of an ancient tomb, and that plain looking dark stone was carved with symbols and designs that are over 5,000 years old.

The discovery of the artwork was the result of incredible serendipity. The surface of the stone has been damaged by fires and weathering, so the artwork is almost completely imperceptible to the naked eye. Had we dug our trenches anywhere else on site we would not have discovered it, and had we excavated during the summer, the higher flatter sunlight may not have revealed the faint trace of the artwork.

As the stone was sitting in a disturbed modern layer of material relating to picnics and parties, it was outside of its original context. We removed it quite early in the dig, though due to the many fires that had been lit upon it, it fractured into four large fragments as we began to lift it from the trench. As we did not originally notice anything particularly unusual about the stone, we (with some difficulty) lifted it out of the trench and set it on the side, so it would be close at hand for when we began to backfill the trenches.

More here: abartaheritage.ie/megalithic-art-discovered-at-the-hellfire-club/

Link

Monpelier (Hell Fire Club)
Passage Grave
Hellfire Club Archaeological Project

The Hellfire Club Archaeological Project will take place during the month of October [2016]. The excavation aims to help to uncover the story of Mountpelier Hill, where can find the famous ruins known as the Hellfire Club. The excavation will be led by Neil Jackman of Abarta Heritage, with an experienced team of archaeologists alongside volunteers from University College Dublin. The project is supported by South Dublin County Council, Coillte and Abarta Heritage, with kind support from University College Dublin, the Discovery Programme, the National Monuments Service and National Museum of Ireland.

Sites within 20km of Monpelier (Hell Fire Club)