Carnbower

On the northern end of an elevated (1000’ contour) N–S plateau of bare karst and rough pasture, with extensive views to the E, N and W. Indicated and named ‘Carnbower’ on the 1842 and 1915 eds. of the OS 6-inch maps. A large approximately circular cairn (29.6m E–W x 28.4m N–S; H 5.2–5.95m) with traces of internal walling. The base of the cairn is obscured by collapse, so it is not clear if there was any external revetting. The traces of internal walling are visible as three arcs on the surface of the cairn north and west of its centre. These suggest it may have been enlarged several times, like the excavated Linkardstown cairn (CL009-032019-) in Poulawack (Hencken and Movius 1935), c. 12km SE. The outer line of internal walling may indicate that it was once much taller and had vertical sides, like the cairn (CL006-017002-) 3km NW on neighbouring Turlough hill (Bergh et al. 2016). Lower ground (D 0.4–0.7m) between the bedrock terraces which radiate off the cairn towards the N, SE and SW may be the result of quarrying for the cairn. Ancient fieldwalls (CL006-042001-) now only visible as grassed-over mounds meander across the hillside; the closest runs SSW–NNE c. 30m to the W. Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Ros Ó Maoldúin Date of upload: 4 May 2021

Portal dolmen; likely dates to the Early Bronze Age. Its location on an elevated plateau suggests it may have had ritual or ceremonial significance in the landscape.