Discover Alone, back to main map

Megalithic tomb in Rathcurby South

Megalithic tomb

What is recorded here

Megalithic tomb in Rathcurby South stands on a gentle western slope above a broad valley opening south. Its small chamber still holds a split western stone, a skewed eastern stone, and a massive roofstone leaning against the south ends. Fogarty wrote that a circle of pillars once surrounded it, though none remain visible. Local people still call it a reputed mass-rock, preserving the tomb inside a newer story.
On a gentle slope on the W side of a broad, shallow valley that opens to the S. A fence to the S of the monument was removed in the early 1990s and the remains, together with other field debris, are piled on the monument. The tomb consists of a small chamber (L at least c. 1.3m; Wth c. 1m), aligned NNE - SSW. The W sidestone is split in two pieces. Its E counterpart is not parallel to it but is slightly skewed. It was formerly roofed by a large roofstone (L c. 3m long; Wth 2.4m; T 0.27m) (Fogarty c. 1850, 88). The remaining N portion rests at an angle against the S ends of the sidestones. Fogarty (ibid. 89) records that it 'was surrounded formerly by a circle of pillars, but there is nothing remaining'. The monument is known locally as a reputed mass-rock. Compiled by: Paul Walsh Date of upload: 12 May 2021
Megalithic tomb in Rathcurby South is a portal dolmen dating to the Neolithic period. Its significance lies in its representation of early communal burial practices and megalithic architecture in the region.

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

What survives
Recorded monument

Places near here

Add to this placeAdd a picture Comment or add a tip

Explore 1,118,481 places