What is recorded here
Duntryleague Hill carries a buried chamber tomb and two cairns, proving the summit served the dead before it served surveys. The largest mound still shows kerbstones beneath peat and furze, while a small modern hole mars its flat top. People may have placed markers, buried treasure or simply cut through the chamber for passage. The hill keeps those actions hidden beneath living vegetation.
In forestry, on the summit of Duntryleague Hill, 70m SW of townland boundary with Snugborough. A passage tomb (LI049-077----) and cairn (LI049-076----) lie 150m to the W. Not marked on historic OSi maps, an OSi trig. station marking 922 ft. OD is shown at this location. Recorded by Leask 91932, NMI Field Moument Files) as 'the kerb of a larger denuded cairn'. This monument was planned and described by Ó Nualláin and Cody (1987, 81) as follows: ‘This is a round relatively flat-topped mound, about 19m in diameter, along the perimeter of which stretches of a dry-walled kerb are visible. It is covered by a layer of heather-grown peat, at least 0.2m thick at the south-west, on which there are occasional young furze bushes. At the well-defined perimeter it averages about 0.7m in height and rises gradually to about 1.3m at the centre. Stretches of kerb are visible at the north-east, 6m in length, at the east-south-east 3m, and at the north-west 8m, the last apparently exposed in clearing a channel-like course, now grass-grown, alongside the mound edge. Individual kerbstones are occasionally visible elsewhere along the perimeter. The lowermost visible layer of kerbstones is shown on the plan and these range from 0.35m to 1.5m in length and from 0.2m to 0.7m in height. The individual stones in the upper layers are generally smaller. A small hole, 1.1m in maximum extent and 0.3m in depth, has been dug into the top of the mound recently and the upcast of small stones and earth heaped beside it.’ Monument visible on Digital Globe orthoimage taken between 2011-13 and on Google Earth orthoimages.
See attached location map showing Cairn 3, plan of cairn and Google Earth orthoimage.
Compiled by: Fiona Rooney
Date of upload: 7 October 2021
A Neolithic passage tomb; its location on a hill summit suggests a ceremonial or ritual significance within a broader landscape of Neolithic monuments.
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
Duntryleague HillMountain / peak · 5 yd
Darby's Bed Walk LoopWalking route · 62 yd
CairnCairn, unclassified · 197 yd
Enclosure in SnugboroughEnclosure · 759 yd
Partially hachuredQuarry · 951 yd
Glenefyhouse · 986 yd
Duntryleague - hachuredCastle, ringwork · 1634 yd
Knockanebrack HillMountain / peak · 3.5 mi
St Patrick's WellSpring · 3.8 mi
Ballinvreena LoopVisitor information · 5.0 mi