What is recorded here

Inis Oírr is a small island in the Atlantic where the sea still touches the edge of the land. At its south end, about 400m north of the lighthouse, graves were cut into solid rock. Barry found one in 1886: a narrow limestone box, barely large enough for a person, holding decayed bones. The grave has no visible trace now, but the island keeps the shape of what was placed inside it.

At S end of the island c. 400m N of the lighthouse. Barry (1886, 493) mentions the accidental discovery of 'several graves excavated out of the solid rock', one of which he recorded himself: 'The grave was flagged with ... limestone ... Inside it was only 3.5 feet [1.07m] by 2 feet [0.6m], and 2 feet in depth. The skull and bones were of a full-grown person ... much decayed'. No visible surface trace survives. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. I - West Galway'. Compiled by Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1993). Date of upload: 05 August 2010

A Neolithic rock-cut burial; significance lies in its early documentation by Barry (1886) and its indication of prehistoric funerary practices on Inis Oírr.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.