Labbanasighe

National Monument in state guardianship No. 368. Situated within a small walled enclosure in the S corner of a field on a gentle N-facing slope. A subrectangular cairn (dims. 13m x 10m) incorporating a gallery (L 7.5m) aligned NW-SE. The gallery consists of a small antechamber (dims. 0.8m x 0.5m) at the NW separated by a low sill from the main chamber (L c. 6m) which widens (uncharacteristically) towards the SE. The gallery is surrounded by inner walling which follows the shape of the gallery sides and curves around the SE end. A single displaced roofstone lies in the gallery. During excavation in 1937, a number of large slabs laid around the tomb were uncovered in the base of the cairn. The finds included bone, sherds of coarse pottery and two stone discs. Two halves of a sandstone mould for a bronze looped spearhead were found in the base of the cairn at the E side, presumably as a result of disturbance. The cairn originally survived to a height of 1.5m, but material was taken from it to build the protective wall which now surrounds it. (Ó h-Iceadha 1946, 119-28; Ó Nualláin 1989, 140) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wicklow' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 17 December 2008

A Neolithic passage tomb, dating to approximately 3000–2500 BCE. Its subrectangular cairn and gallery indicate a significant early funerary and ceremonial structure in the prehistoric landscape.