Inchincurka Wedge Tomb

The superb looking wedge tomb of Inchincurka is one of the lesser known wedge tombs to be found in County Cork.

This small but compact tomb is a wonderful example of a Wedge Tomb.

The tomb is aligned East - West and is about 4 meters in length.
The height of the tomb is 1.5 meters and is close to 2 meters in width.  

The gallery of the tomb is very overgrown so difficult to see any detail.

Access - The site can be seen from the R585 and is best entered via a lane way to the left of the tomb.
I visited this tomb in early summer 2018 and as can be seen from the images it is somewhat overgrown. However I have seen many older images with it in a far worse condition.

Cashelkeelty Stone Circles & Stone Row.

Getting to this site requires a good bit of effort and quite a bit of spare time.
For making the trip you will be rewarded with two stone circle's, a stone alignment and superb striking scenery surrounding you.

Cashelkeelty South East  (images 1-3)
The first part of this site was a five stone, stone circle (only three still stand).
With the two portal stones missing the axial stone is the biggest of the three - 1.5 meters in length and 0.5m in height.
The two side stones are slightly taller than the axial stone at 0.7m but shorter in length at 0.8m.
The diameter of the circle is close to 2 meters.
This site was excavated in the 1970's.

Beside this circle is a three stone row over 6 meters in length  (images 2-3).
It is thought that this alignment may have had four stones originally. 
The tallest of the stones is close to 3 meters in height.

Cashelkeelty North West  (images 4-6)
This circle is said to have had twelve stones originally but only three remain standing, with a fourth fallen very close to the standing ones.
The tallest of the three stones is close to 2.5 meters in height. 

Access - As mentioned getting to these sites will take a bit of time, parking can be found just off the R571 (after you pass through Lauragh). The site is signposted on the main road.
Climbing over a small stile the walk will bring you up through a forest via a nice waterfall.
Reaching the top of the trees you will climb over another stile and turn right (again signposted).
This starts another climb along a good pathway but a steep one (this part of the walk forms part of the stunning Beara way.
After a climb that seems to be not ending any time soon the South East circle comes into view with the North West circle just a bit further on.   
  

   

Knockanyconor Portal Tomb

Knockanyconor Portal Tomb can be found just off the N61 in the town of Lecarrow.
As you can see many other stones lay close by the Portal tomb.
This site is a bit of a mess but still a very striking mess.
The tombs entrance faces east.
The partially collapsed capstone which is 2.4m in length and 1.8m in width rests on two portal stones 1.4 in height.
This site is also known as Nellies big rock, the name comes from the the story of a woman in the 19th century who reared a child under the capstone.
    

Athgreany Stone Circle (The Pipers Stones)

This large stone circle consists of fourteen stones, originally thought to have been seventeen.
The granite circle has a diameter of 23 meters, with the tallest stone 1.8 meters.
There are a number of other large stones close by which may have belonged to a second circle.
The circle is in a field (short walk) just off the N81 and is signposted "the pipers stones".
This is a superb circle with a wonderful atmosphere.

Brownshill Portal Tomb

Located just beside the R726 Carlow to Hacketstown road stands this giant of a portal tomb ( in a fenced off enclosure).
The capstone (estimated to weigh between 100 and 150 tons) sits on two large portal stones along with a door stone.  A fourth stone stands close by.
The date of construction has been estimated between 4,900 and 5,500 years ago.
This site has never been excavated.
For me this site me is all about the monster granite capstone - the biggest in Ireland and probably Europe.  

Ballymacdermot Court Tomb

This court tomb dates from about 3500BC and has three separate burial chambers which were entered from the forecourt.

This site was excavated in 1962 and a few fragments of cremated bone were found in the two larger chambers.

The setting for this site could not be better with fantastic views, you are also very close to Balllykeel Portal Tomb.

Nursetown Beg Stone Row

This is all that remains from what must have been an impressive stone row, only two stones remain.
The standing one is over three metres in length.
You will find more striking stone rows in the area, but few easier to find as this one is right beside the road.

Dolmen of the Four Maols

This site is known locally as the Dolmen of the Four Maols.
The tomb is not actually a dolmen but a Kist.
The site is located on the outskirts of Ballina town above the railway station. It looks like at some stage one of the side-stones has been removed from the tomb (first image) and left lying a few feet away.
This tomb is well worth a visit but prepare yourself for the OPW sign at the front of the tomb and various masts, fences and phone lines (all shown in their full glory here).

Carrickglass Portal Tomb aka The Labby Rock

The Tomb consists of a well-preserved chamber with a large capstone, weighing around 70 tonnes, and measuring 4.4m long by 3.4m wide and 2m thick. It rests on four supports. The two portal stones at the front have a blocking stone behind them to seal the chamber. It has not been excavated in modern times, but Lady Louisa Tennison of Kilronan Castle may have removed cremated remains from it in the middle of the 19th century. It is called Labby after the Irish word leaba, meaning bed, and derives from the folk belief that this portal tomb was used as a sleeping place of Diarmaid and Gráinne when they were fleeing Fionn MacCumhaill.

The best way to get to the tomb is via Cromlech Lodge Hotel, you walk up through a pine forest (arrows are marked on the trees telling you which way to go) and before you know it you are at this impressive tomb.

Hurlstone Standing Stone

This is a giant of a stone, it is much bigger than either of the images would have you believe.
The stone stands to a height  of 1.5 meters and is roughly the same in width.
The hole is 20cm's in diameter.

It is thought that this may be all that remains from what was once a wedge tomb.

Access - The stone is located just off a very narrow road so parking is tricky.
The stone is not visible from a car as the field it is situated in is banked.

Labbacallee Wedge Tomb

Side

Rear

Front

Labbacallee wedge tomb (Leaba Caillighe in Irish, meaning The Hag's Bed) is a large pre-historic burial monument. Labbacallee is thought to have been built during the early Bronze Age, circa 1500 BC.

The site is the largest Irish examples of a wedge tomb. It consists of a long rectangular chamber, covered by three capstones, the largest of which is 8M in length and weighs up to 2 tons. Three chambers lie to the rear of the monument. The site is surrounded by a wide u-shaped kerb.

Local folklore associates the site with the Celtic Hag-Goddess Cailleach Bheur, and when during the excavation of the site it was found to contain the remains of a woman. Although the body had been positioned within the tomb, her skull was found outside of it.
This and many other of the great sites I have put up on the blog have been discovered and found thanks to Jim Dempseys great web site which can be found here ! http://www.megalithicireland.com/index.html

Matthewstown Passage Tomb

This impressive tomb is located on the land of (what is now) a pig farm, (so make sure you ask for permission to visit this site). Smaller than you would think from looking at images, the tomb has a very knocked about look to it. The passage measures 3.5 metres long and has three roof-stones finely balanced on the uprights.

Srahwee Wedge Tomb

This great looking tomb would be in a very striking location but for a bungalow which has been built about thirty meters behind the tomb.

The single roof stone (the sites standout feature) covers almost all of the main chamber which is over four meters long.

Despite that the tomb now forms part of the Clew bay trail it was very over grown on the day of my visit and having seen pictures of Srahwee from before this would seem to be the normal.

Ardristan Standing Stone

The stone stands at 2.8 meters high it has six vertical grooves radiating down from the top, these grooves are believed to be partly artificial.  This stone is very easy to find as you leave Tullow heading toward Bunclody on the N81  it is situated in a field to your left.

Kenmare Stone Circle

The Kenmare Stone Circle is located in the town of Kenmare itself.
The circle is known locally as the Shruberries.
The site could well be the largest in the south west of Ireland and it is composed of 15  boulders, 13 of which are standing and 2 which are lying down.
At the centre is an impressive boulder-burial stone with a giant capstone some 2 metres long.
The one and only drawback for this great site is it now forms part of a garden feature for which you are expected to pay for the privilege of seeing.

Ballybrack Portal Tomb

This small but cute megalith has existed for over four and a half thousand years. The past few years have not been so kind to this wee fellow who now that the graffiti has been cleaned away, is now under threat from bonfire's which are being lit under the capstone. At this rate i don't think this great little tomb will last another four and  a half years. So if your in Dublin catch it while you can !.

Knockeen Portal Tomb

This is quite a stunning Portal Tomb. The tomb stands to a very impressive height of three and a half metres,  There are two capstones - a feature like other portal tombs in the South of Ireland. The main one is a massive horizontal slab twelve feet long and three feet thick.  It rests on the portal stones and on the smaller capstone which covers the rectangular chamber.

Sad to report that this site is becoming very overgrown and coupled with the fact that the tomb has had a boundary wall built onto it - this all takes away from what should be a truly magical site. This should not put you off visiting this site as close by are Gaulstown and Ballynageeragh which make for a great trio of portal tombs that are a must see.

Brenanstown Portal Tomb

This Portal Tomb (sometimes called Glendruid or Brenastown Dolmen) is thought to date from 2,500 BC, it is located in a stunning valley. Close by is a stream which gives you a perfect soundtrack to view this superb site. The structure consists of twin portal stones and a door stone supporting a massive capstone. The height of the Tomb is close to 11 ft and the capstone is said to weigh around 45 tons. On the top of the capstone are two deep channels which run to the side, if (as is sometimes claimed) the capstone was used as a druids altar these may have been of use to release the flow of blood from a human sacrifice OR maybe they were just rain drains.
If you do visit this site remember it is at the back of a private residence so please ask first.

Gaulstown Portal Tomb

Gaulstown Portal Tomb is one of Waterford's superb portal tombs that is a must see along with the others named below.

The capstone on this tomb is close to five meters in length and is about one metre thick. It rests on six upright stones and will give you many different images when viewed from all sides.

The fourth image is thought to be all that remains of a cist, the stone is very impressive itself
( I am a  little bit worried that I did not notice it on my first visit ).

If your in Waterford and close to Tramore the tombs of Gaulstown, Knockeen, Ballynageeragh and Dunhill are all worth checking out.