What is recorded here

Calluragh is a disused children’s burial ground on a broad ridge above the Sneem river in County Kerry. Its small grave-markers still stand in dense rows inside a low stone wall, while oak, holly and furze grow around the place. The site stopped being used by the late nineteenth century, leaving behind a quiet crowd of small stones instead of living memory.

Calluragh Burial Ground: This site is located on a broad ridge in rough, uncultivated land on the E bank of the Sneem river. Oak and holly trees and furze grow within and around the site, and the ground slopes steeply to S and W. It was described in the OSNB as a 'burial place for children' (Kilcrohane, 4), and was no longer in use by the late nineteenth century. It is roughly circular in outline, 16.5m N-S x 14.5m E-W, and is enclosed by a poorly preserved stone wall. This, with an average height of .6m and a width of 1.25m, is constructed of flat slabs set in random courses. It is best preserved from W to N, where a gap, 1.3m wide, occurs. The interior is densely packed with N-S rows of small grave-markers, which average .4m high. One row is aligned NW-SE. A sundial is reputed to exist somewhere near the site (local information), but it could not be located. The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 1034. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 30 July 2013

A portal dolmen dating to the Neolithic period; it represents an early form of megalithic funerary monument significant for understanding prehistoric burial practices in the region.

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