Megalithic tomb in Gorraun (clonlisk By.)

The monument stands in a copse at the southern edge of a stretch of lowlying, marshy land and is overlooked from the S by higher ground. The surviving remains indicate the presence of a rectangular chamber deeply buried at the approximate centre of a substantial, subcircular, stony mound (diam. 11-12m; H 0.8m). The chamber (L 3.3m; Wth 1.5m), aligned roughly ESE-WNW, is represented by four set stones. An inward-leaning, somewhat gable-topped example marks the ESE end of the structure while a stone on the more northerly side of the chamber adjoins one end of the last, and another on the southern side which leans inwards, adjoins its opposite end. A second stone on the S side, just over 1m to the W, is taller than the other set stones. A large and now dislodged roofstone (L 3.2m; max. Wth 2.8m; T 0.3m) partly overlies the western end of the chamber. Another large stone lying prostrate and broken underneath the roofstone may have formed part of the structure as also may some of the sizable slabs lying on the mound. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 13 January 2010

Megalithic tomb in Gorraun is likely a Neolithic portal dolmen, dating to the early to middle Neolithic period (c. 3500–2500 BCE). Its significance lies in representing a rare surviving example of megalithic funerary architecture in the region, reflecting early communal burial practices and social organisation.