bawn79

This megalith is at the end of a farm track. So it isnt that hard to find really just follow the path as indicated on the OS map. Coming from Moneygall to Cloughjordan it is up a road on the left. The road rises here over a hill. The lane itself is on the right hand side and has a gate on it and leads into a farm yard. It is beside a timber house and the next house up is a very big house that i think the farm belongs to. At the very end of the lane is a farm building and the tomb is in a field to the right of it. Only got the two pictures and had a look at it for a couple of seconds because some very hungry sounding bullocks started to chase me. I dont know if Indiania Jones was ever chased by bullocks! The capstone itself is big and quiet impressive like i said about 3m x 1.5m. It seems to be on a little raised mound in the field. Definitely worth a second look when the ground is dryer.

You can see this rock outcrop very clearly while on the Portlaoise bypass (M7). The best way up to it is to turn off for the Heath (commons) and then pretty much follow the direction of the castle all the way. There is a car-park below the rock. Really amazing place you can feel the history.

Dun Masc’ or the fort of Masc, as it was known by the Celts, is one of the most historic sites in Ireland. It’s ruins date back thousands of years. Dunamase was even known to Ptolemy, who called it Dunnum and named it in his famous map of the world in The 2nd Century. The Rock stands 150 feet tall in the heart of what is otherwise a flat plain, and was ideal as a defensive position with its veiw right up to the Slieve Bloom Mountains. Pre-Celtic Bronze age settlers were the first to fortify it, followed by the Celts themselves. Among them was King Laois Mor, who gave his name to the country. The Vikings Plundered it in 845, and in the 13th century was given to Strongbow the Norman as a gift from his new son-in-law, Diarmiud Mac Murrough. It is Mac Murroughs castle which lies in ruin atop the rock today. The Castle went through some major changes of ownership over the years after this. Through Bargaining and back-stabbing (most likely in a very literal sence) it passed through the hands of Strongbow to the Anglo-Norman Mortimer family, and from them to the decendents of Laois Ceann Moore. The O’Moores, who used it as a staging point from which to make the Normans lives a living hadies.The O’Moores renovated the Mac Murroughs castle quite extensively in the 15th century, and they sucessfully defended it for over a century until the arival of the planters, who displaced the O’Moores and exiled them to Kerry along with the Fitspatricks, the O’Dempseys and the O’Dunnes in 1607. Finnaly, Oliver “the butcher” Cromwell saked the castle in 1650. One can still see the trenches where his troops were based. A Beloved Family pet still roams the ruins of the Rock. An unearthly, fire-breathing Black hound by the name of Bandog. Legend says he guards treasure buried deep inside Dunamase.

Retrieved from “en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_of_Dunamase”

Situated on a N-facing slope of high ground overlooking a valley to the N with a nearby stream to the E in a mountainous area. A circular area (diam. 12.5m) enclosed by eleven orthostats ranging in height from 0.15m to 2m with several prostrate stones around the perimeter of the circle. A large, flat, recumbent stone lies in centre of circle. (O Nuallain 1987, 142-4)

This stone has been removed during field clearance and is no longer there. May be worth talking to the farmer and finding out its desciption etc.

Standing Stone pair (possible)
Situated on a rise of ground in an upland area in forest plantation with a nearby stone circle to N and stone row to E. A tall rectangular stone (H 1.42m; dims. 1m x 0.52m) with a large recumbent stone immediately to SW aligned on a NE-SW axis. The second stone was knocked during forest plantation.

To get to this stone its in the middle of a foresty plantation but they seem to have left access to it. This area has the reputation for illegal activities so people could be suspicious of you loitering in the area.
You follow the foresty track shown on the OS map and keep to the track to the left at the Y in the road.
Then there is an unmarked track on the left which you follow up the hill until it stops. Keep going up to the top of the hill through the undergrowth and there is the stone.
Its location gives great views of all the hills around and you can also see the nearby stone row.

Wow what a site, I only live a couple of miles from here and although I had heard of it, all I had seen before this was a crappy picture that didnt really get you very excited.
This is just off the nenagh – ardcroney road. Turn left after Ashley Park B&B then its the next left which is a cul de sac/lane thats quite difficult to spot. When u get right to the mound it helpfully has a sign pointing to it saying Neolithic mound!
The mound itself is very impressive and sits beside a little hill to one side. It has extensive views of all the major hills in the area.
However the little hill beside the mound obstructs its view to the ‘Devils Bit’ mountain which seems kinda strange as no doubt an unusual natural feature such as this would have had some significance within the local landscape.
There is a lake in Ashley Park estate only approx 500m away.

Found out about this site from a local farmer who called it the ‘Druids Altar’. I decided to have a look at it because its in an area called Carney and this townland is called Whitstone, so really sounds like cairn country. Didnt investigate up close because of cows in the field. The farmer assures me that the lane adjacent to the site is ok to go up and that the farmers that own the land are ok with people looking at it.
He also told me that there were oak trees growing in it but they were cut down. He also mentioned that there was another druids altar in the area solely made up of oak trees but that too was cut down. Thanks to Tim Heanen for the information.

Cairn
Taken from the North Tipp Archaeological Inventory.
“Situated on top of the Mauherslieve Mountain with extensive views. Described in the OS Name books (1840) as a large heap of whitish stones on the summit... Under which it is said there is a cave or cellar in which a great number of the neighbouring people took refuge in the time of the rebellion... it is not known when this cave was made in the mountain... the entrance to into it cannot be seen as it is covered over with the large stones above mentioned .”

Taken from the Archaeological Inventory of North Tipp
Situated on level farmland. The remains of a chamber or large cist stand at the centre of a denuded round cairn some 15m in diameter. Four orthostats of the structure, none more than 0.8m high, remain in place. Two of these are alongside at the W. another stands at the N, and the fourth at the E. A displace roofstone leans against the outer face of the last. Gaps in the structure at the E and S render its original shape and size somewhat uncertain though there is some indication that it may have been polygonal in outline and not more than 2m in internal measurement (Manning 1983-4, 48-50)

Megalithic tomb (possible)
Taken from the Archaeological Inventory of North Tipp

Situated on level poorly drained pasture. A low, elongated stony ridge, at least partly natural in origin, serves as a dump for field clearance debris. It measures 49m long (E-W) and is 10m wide. An orthostat, 1.5m high, stands about 10m frothe village of Ardcroney. A burial chamber is exposed in a partly demolished round cairn now some 20m in diameter. The chamber, uncovered during bulldozing operations in 1977, was subsequently excavated (Wallace 1977, 3-20). The cairn, originally about 33m in diameter, may have been enclosed by an earthen bank and ditch. The chamber, polygonal in plan and orientated N-S, is centrally placed in the cairn. It is 1.75m long, 1.4m wide and 0.7m high. An inward-leaning slab forms each of its sides, two upright stones form each end, and roofing is by means of a single large slab. The skeletons of two males and a decorated pottery vessel were found on the paved floor of the chamber. A bone from one of the skeletons yielded a radiocarbon determination corresponding to a calendar date of c. 3500 BC (Brindley, Lanting and Mook 1983, 1-9)

Linkardstown -type burial
Taken from the Archaeological Inventory of North Tipp

Situated on the NW shoulder of an E-W ridge in farmland. A megalithic structure is exposed in a round mound which in turn is encircled by two low wide banks with internal ditches giving an overall diameter of 90m. The structure was uncovered during bulldozing operations in 1980 after which the site was excavated (Manning, 1985a). The mound, 26m in diameter, consists of a cairn core, 18 to 20m in diameter, overlain by a covering of clay, The megalithic structure stands eccentrically within the cairn. It is trapezoidal in plan, some 5m long and narrows from 2.3m wide at the SE or inner end to 1.3m at the open NW end. It was built around a limestone erratic which has a sloping upper surface and serves as a floorstone. Two stones form the inner end of the structure. There is a stone at right angles to the SW side of the structure 1.2m from the inner end. This, in combination with a rough wall divides it in two. That part of it forward of the dividing wall was filled with cairn stones among which animal bones and the bones of a child less than a year old were found. The inner end of the structure, roofed by a skeletal remains of an adult male and a child were found here along with a variety of animal bones, a bone point, some chert flakes and Neolithic pottery, including sherds bearing channelled decoration. Radiocarbon dating indicates a calendar date of c. 3350 BC for the burial in the chamber (Brindley and Lanting 1989-90, 2)

Not a lot to say about this one. Its just after Ardcroney on the left hand side on the way to Borrisokane about 500mm after Ardcroney village. Not a lot to see some trees on a mound. Maybe Im doing it an injustice. However its right in the middle of a field that is used for tillage so I guess the farmer is respectful of its significance and hasnt removed it.

The site is just in behind the school in Adcroney, go past the soccer and hurling pitches and jump the field at the back, watch out for the electric fence it can give you a good pop.

I wonder what happened to the burial bowl. The excavation notes make it sound very interesting.

Tipperary
1977-79:0067
Ardcrony
Late Neolithic Burial Cairn
R880873
A massive central cist of sub-megalithic proportions was uncovered at the centre of a denuded cairn which originally measured about 33mn. in diameter of which about 20m. remains. About 2.5in. of the cairn height survives, The cist was polygonal in plan and consisted of a single large stone inclining at about 60 degrees at each side and of two vertical boulders at each end. The floor was paved with small irregularly-shaped flat stones and measured I .75in. by 1.40111. The cist was 69cm. high (internally) and I .48m. by 93cm. at the mouth. It was covered by a large single capstone, I .9m. long by I .73m. wide by 51cm. in max. thickness.

Two disarticulated and unburnt skeletons identified by Prof. CA. Erskine as being of men of 17 and 45 years – lay on tile paved floor, one on either side of a shouldered, round-bottomed, highly decorated shallow bowl of late Neolithic date, the bones had been disturbed before investigation. The bowl was covered with channelled decoration comprised of pendant triangles of horizontal lines and dots as well as circumferential lines around the rim and shoulder, the ornament on the base being arranged on a quadripartite system.

The cist and cairn fit into the Linkardstown group while the bowl and mode of burial make this the most western example, so far, of the ‘South Leinster” Single Burial tradition of the late Neolithic. A full excavation of the structure will explore the nature of the cairn, the existence of kerbs, and the relationship of cairn, and a now removed earthen ring, to the cist.
Wallace, P. (1977) N. Monster Archacol. 1., 19, 3-20.
P. Wallace, National Museum of Ireland

We climbed the Mauherslieve on Oiche Samhain 2004. Man was it some climb! It took at least two hours to make our way through a raised peat bog. The top was clouded in mist so we couldnt see if we were heading the right way.

The cairn can be seen from one side of the hill in the style of the Paps of Anu and along with the english translation of Mauherslieve, Mothers Mountain makes this a very interesting site.
As we climbed we came upon a herd of wild deer. I also found an antler of a dead deer but left it on a ditch because I didnt fancy carrying it.

The views from the cairn are amazing. I estimated at the time that its diameter is about 15m by about maybe 5m high. Also there a couple of hollows in it where maybe some one took stones for fill. However there is a story that states that locals hid in ‘caves’ here during a rebellion so what that suggests is anyones speculation.

Later as we stumbled down the hill half lost because of the mist we climbed over a bank and amazingly it was the exact spot that I had left the antler, we all looked on this as a good omen and found our way back down to the car.

This is a lovely circle on Knockadoon, I don’t think you are technically allowed on the land by the farm owner but it is sometimes open as part of tours.

Circle K, the largest circle on Knockadoon, is located 100m northwest of Circle J. It has an overall diameter of 31m and is made up of two concentric rings (1.2m apart) of more or less adjoining stones. The tallest stone is 1.2m high, but many are much smaller. The entrance is located in the east, and excavation revealed rock-cut postholes that probably held the jambs of a wooden gate of some sort. The presence of a gate suggests that the rings were only part of the original enclosing structure, for one could easily enter it by stepping over the orthostats. These stones may actually have been the inner and outer linings of a taller earthen bank. In the center of the enclosure was a rectangular building, outlined by rock-cut postholes (Figure 4). These features suggest that Circle K may have been a 
domestic ring fort, not a ritual stone circle. The pottery found here dates the site to the late Neolithic/early Bronze Age (O’Kelly 1985).
Taken from nd.edu/~ikuijt/Ireland/Sites/cnoetzel/overview.htm#carraig

This has such a wonderful name for a site and is well sign posted from Ballina and Portroe. However when you get there you find that the best thing about the place is the view of the lake. This I think is probably the first megalithic site that I ever saw as this is my ‘home’ site because I only live a few miles away.
Im not sure if any excavation has ever been done of the site but there seems to be stones buried in the undergrowth all over the place and so the exact layout of the site is not apparent.

I think I must have visited this site around Easter Time 2005. Got the directions from the book Sacred Ireland by Cary Meehan. Think I went via latin cullen (the home of ex-tipperary hurling star Nicky English). The site itself is on the left hand side of the road and is difficult to see from the road itself as the side of the road rises up. I parked at a farmers gate just before the site.

At the rear of the site there is a small lake which Sacred Ireland suggests could have been used for votic offerings etc. Didn’t take a picture of the lake because at that stage the old farmer that owned the field had come in. He seemed like a nice guy and didn’t seem to mind people coming on his land.

About a half mile further up the road is the site of where Patrick Sarsfield finished his daring ride and attack on the Williamite forces. There is also a large rock outcrop (bit like the Rock of Cashel) that has been claimed by Christainity (beside a St. Brigid’s Church), however it is very impressive and I would guess that maybe its use may have gone back further than that.

Best way to the circle is up the farm path on the right hand side of the road. Stop just before a ruined cottage with boarded up windows. Up the lane about 300m to the gate, climb over this and then another gate to the left. Then walk diagonally into the field and like all good stone circles it appears out of nowhere!

Was down at Lough Gur for the Oiche Samhain sunset, I’ve read that there is meant to be an alignment between the horned stones in the circle and an Crom Dubh (the biggest stone in the circle). However from what I could see on the evening this seems incorrect but the sun does go down more or less behind the horned stones.

The “Rainbow Circle” had camped here for the last couple of nights and provided some lovely music that really added to the atmosphere of the sunset. Although I didn’t prove the above alignment to be correct, the setting sun and music really contributed to a peaceful and very interesting evening that I came back feeling a lot better from.

To the north of the circle was another circle that was destroyed in 1826 to used for road building. It was meant to be 52m diameter with 72 stones. It would have been a monster and is sadly lost. Would be interesting to do Geophysics on the area.