bawn79

bawn79

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The Birr Stone

This stone is now situated in the town of Birr, next to the Birr Heritage Centre or also known as Johns Hall.

The information board has this to say about it.

Referred to by Geraldus Cambrensis in the 12th Century as ‘Umbilicus Hiberniae’ (“The Navel of Ireland”).
Probably part of a megalithic monument located at Seffin, the exact site of which now unknown.
Reputted by oral tradition to have marked a meeting place of the Fianna. Taken from Birr in 1828 by Thomas Steele to his residence Cullaun House, Co. Clare, to honour Daniel O’Connell and used as a Mass rock at that site.
Returned to Birr Urban Council in June 1974 by the Department of Lands. The stone is a block of limestone of lower carboniferous age around 250 million years old and is of local origin.

Kilmaclenine

This is a great and unusual ‘wedge tomb’. This is the desciption in the inventory but it does cover this by saying “Structure is similar to wedge tomb but large covering mound is not typical of such monuments and could be a secondary feature”.
It was opened in 1838, the cairn was then 6m high. The chamber is aligned E-W and approx 1.7m high. Although the floor is low enough that you can stand up comfortably in it.
The inventory says that the finds found within it arent reliable but include bones.
This tomb isnt far from New Twopothouse. From the OS map the access looks restricted, however this ‘track’ is actually a road into more houses and there is room to park comfortably near the tomb. I spoke to the lady in the house at the entrance to the road / track and she said it was no problem visiting and that they get a lot of people coming to look at the tomb.

Glanworth

This seems to be related to the Moneen complex and is on the other side of the road to it.
I couldnt get a good look at it because there were was a herd of cattle in the field they were in.
It is described as a multiple cist cairn in the inventory. Access to it from the new farmyard / cattle crush and into the field to your left.

Moneen

This is a very cool looking mushroom like cist. It looks almost dolmen like and about 0.6m high.
According to the Archaeological Inventory there is local tradition of this being used as a mass-rock.

You can easily see this from the field next to the Moneen cairn.

It was one of the those times when you wanted someone else to be with you so they could take a picture of you on what looks like a like fairy mushroom.

Moneen

This site was excavated by O’Kelly in 1948 and was originally dated as Neolithic. However it has recently been reclassified as from the Beaker period. Radiocarbon dating from the primary inhumation in central cist of (2260-2140 cal. BC) and from charcol found beneath the ‘old turf’ layer (2560-2390 cal. BC).
There are three phases suggested, first the ring barrow was constructed, then the mutiple cist cairn was placed on this barrow and then the food vessel burial and urn burial outside of the fosse.
I parked at a new farmyard gate a little up from the site on the opposite side of the road. No direct access into the field it is situated in (which is directly adjacent to road). There is a gate in the field next to it and used this to work way around to the cairn which is hidden in the corner of the field.
There is also an unusal stone in the southern corner which hasnt been mentioned before that looks like it has been smoothed out somehow.

Kilmoylan Upper

This site is marked as a holy well on the map and the reason for me visiting is because this link doonbleisce.com/ancient_and_holy_wells.htm mentions a bullaun stone at the spot.
The stream nearby was very flooded when I visited and so there was no sign of a well or a bullaun stone. However there was this standing stone within what looks like an enclosure.
I will drop back this way when the waters have retreated to make sure there is no bullaun stone but from from inspection I couldnt find one.

Corralough

Not marked on the OS map but is described in the Tipperary Historical Journal of 2006.
The stone is about 1.2m high and its most interesting feature is the line of quartz on one side (and half ways round one other side) that gives it a phallic look.
It is located less than a 1km outside of Cashel Town.

Kilfeakle Churchquarter

This is called up on the OS Map as a “Burial Mound” and also on Archaeology.ie.

It is in about 3 fields from the road in fields that often have horses in them.
The mound itself is quiet large, maybe 3 metres high but is covered in scrub so it is difficult to figure out its true shape.
There is a river shown on the map beside it but it seems to have been blocked at some point because it is no longer flowing.

Folklore

Lattin
Artificial Mound

From
Pobal Ailbhe: Archdiocese of Cashel & Emly – Christy O’Dwyer

“The tumulus at Lattin is most likely contemporaneous with the great burial mound at Newgrange”

pg 205

Folklore

Temple Hill
Cairn(s)

From
Pobal Ailbhe: Archdiocese of Cashel & Emly – Christy O’Dwyer

“According to local folklore in pre-Christain times druids worshipped the Sun God at the mound of stones on top ot Teampaillin, Temple Hill”

pg 159

Buffanagh

A mound marked to the east of Cashel near Manserghshill where there are the remains of a fine castle.
Called up in archaeology.ie as a Burial Mound. The remains themselves arent much to look at, with no real discernible form within a thicket of scrub.
Picture quality is poor as the sun was low on the day I took the photos. There is an unmarked lane down past it from the road in the off chance that anyone would like to view this sometime. Personally I wouldnt recommend it.

Warhouse Hill

This mound is marked as a barrow on the OS map and is included in Archaeology.ie as a “burial mound”.
It isnt very impressive maybe only 100mm high under all the scrub that is has grown up on it.

There is an interesing part of Irelands history located next door to it. The “Warhouse Famine Memorial”.
It doesnt open during the winter months. I cant see it being too busy anyway.

ballingarry.net/warhouse/guide.html

Crohane Lower

This standing stone isnt marked on the OS map. It is about 1.2 m high and is located to the east of the town of Killenaule in Tipp.
There is a holy well to the east in the same townland which I didnt investigate at the time.