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Megalithic structure in Castlemary

Megalithic structure
Megalithic structure in Castlemary
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What is recorded here

A massive irregular stone still spans a leaning upright and a buried horizontal slab on level ground beneath a steep limestone cliff. O'Kelly called the ruin a wedge-shaped gallery grave, though later scholars doubted the identification. The chamber may have swallowed bodies or marked a boundary for people who watched the cliff light change above them.
On level ground, overlooked to S by steep limestone cliff. Large irregular stone (4.6m x 4.3m) overlies two stones; one upright (H 1.22m; 1.13m x 0.4m) on S side leans slightly inwards; second (2.71m x 1.4m; 0.64m T) in horizontal position, rests on bed of stones. Two other stones (1.63m L; 1.22m x 0.32m; 2.06m L; 1.62m x 0.45m) c. 2m to W, rest one above the other. O'Kelly (1945, 11) suggests remains of ruined 'wedge-shaped gallery grave'. de Valera and Ó Nualláin (1982, 48) consider feature too doubtful for inclusion in main list of megalithic tombs. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 2: East and South Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1994). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

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What survives
Recorded monument

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