Magheracar Wedge Tomb

This monument lies 2km W of Bundoran, just 50m from the coast and c. 80m E of the passage tomb in the same townland. It stands on level pasture and commands an extensive outlook in all directions. The mountain ranges of counties Sligo and Leitrim stretching northward from Ben Bulbin to Lough Melvin dominate the skyline to the SE. The monument consists of the remains of a parallel-sided gallery, orientated WSW-ENE, with outer-walling to the N and S, all standing in a large mound. The gallery is lm wide and at least 4m long. A single facade-stone survives at its W end. This stone is set at right angles to the S side of the gallery. Incomplete lengths of outer- walling converge sharply on the E end of the gallery. The mound is grass grown and approximately round, measuring 15m N-S by 14m E-W. It reaches a maximum height of c. lm. There is some disturbance to the western edge of the mound, where an unfenced farm trackway runs alongside it. The facade-stone is 0.5m high. Lockwood's (1901) accurate plan shows a small stone, not now visible, at the N end of the facade-stone. This small stone also seems to be represented on a sketch of the monument made in 1880 by Wakeman (1878-82), which appears to be the source of the illustration published by Wood-Martin (1887-8; 1888). Three stones are visible on the S side of the gallery. The westernmost is slightly outside the line of the other two and is 0.25m high. The second stone, 0.5m to the E of the first, is 0.1m high. The third stone, a further 1.1m to the E, is also 0.1m high. Three stones can be identified on the N side of the gallery, and the easternmost of these is overlapped by a fourth, which may represent a doubling of the gallery wall. The westernmost stone is 0.15m high. The second, 0.6m beyond the first, leans inward. It is 0.1m high. The third sidestone also leans inward, and its inner end is concealed. It too is 0.1m high. The stone overlapping this links the gallery side with the outer wall. It is 0.25m high. The gap between the outer-walling and gallery side at the S narrows from 1.5m at the W to 0.5m at the present eastern end of both. There are three outer-wall stones at this side, and their heights from W to E are 0.5m, 0.2m and 0.1m. The westernmost of four outer-wall stones at the N is around midway along the structure. It is 0.5m high. The second and third stones here are also 0.5m high. The fourth, 0.5m beyond the third, is 0.2m high. A manuscript drawing of the tomb (BLL Stowe MS 1024), a copy of an original made on Edward Lhuyd's tour in Ireland in 1700 (see Introduction), is reproduced above. The caption to the drawing states that Lhuyd's party was informed by Mr Ellis that five urns were found at the site. Nothing further is known of these. BLL Stowe MS 1024, folio 176; Wakeman 1876-8a, 105 (this site appears to be one of those referred to as occurring on the coast at Bundoran); Wakeman 1878-82, 61 (drawing); Wood-Martin 1887-8, 156-8 (sketch, fig. 131); Wood-Martin 1888, 158-60 (sketch, fig. 131); Borlase 1897, 236-8, under Tirhugh nos. 4, 5, 6 ('Due E of the last...another megalith'); Lockwood 1901, 88 (plan, fig. 7); Holly 1973, 270 (plan); Ó Dubhthaigh 1973; Ó Nualláin 1983a, 43, no. 110 (plan); SMR 1987, 106:14; Ó Nualláin 1989, 136; RMP 1995, 106:14. The above description was published in the 'Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. Volume VI, County Donegal.' Compiled by: Eamon Cody (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2002). See linked document with details from Eamon Cody, Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. Volume VI. County Donegal. (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2002) Date of upload: 22 September 2008 Excavation Number 97E0462 Pre-development testing was undertaken on the site of a proposed development in Magheracar, Bundoran, in November 1997. The site lies to the east and north-east of SMR nos 106:14 and 106:13. House No. 17 in the proposed development, which lies adjacent to SMR 106:14, has been excluded from this programme of testing. Seven trenches were excavated within the boundaries of the proposed development site. (Excavation Bulletin 1997) No archaeological features or small finds were recovered from any of the trenches. Gerry Walsh, Rathbawn Road, Castlebar, Co. Mayo. Excavation licence number 01E0683 Testing, monitoring and excavation took place in advance of a twenty-house development at Magheracar, Bundoran, on the Leitrim/Donegal border. The proposed development site lies within an archaeological complex that includes a passage tomb, a wedge tomb and two standing stones. All of these monuments will be protected by the requisite buffer zones and will not be affected by the proposed development. Geophysical surveying had revealed a number of anomalies that may indicate subsurface archaeological features. These were investigated through the manual excavation of four 20m by 20m areas. Two of these cuttings revealed possible archaeological features in the form of burnt areas and linear cut features. These cuttings were extended to discover the full extent of these features before excavation. At the same time, the remainder of the site was stripped of its topsoil, under supervision. Upon excavation, the cut features in Cutting C were interpreted as possible furrows of unknown date. There were no associated finds. The burnt areas in Cutting D were further exposed and excavated, revealing a large corn-drying kiln with two flues. The kiln was stone-lined and exhibited evidence of extensive burning. One of the flues extended north outside the area of excavation, while the other extended southwards for a distance of almost 13m. No finds came from the kiln, although charcoal and bone samples may be able to provide a 14C date. The southern flue of the kiln cut a small pit, 0.2m deep, which contained a charcoal-stained fill and several large pieces of prehistoric pottery from at least four different vessels. They are likely to be Neolithic (some simple decoration is evident), but have yet to be examined by a pottery expert. The topsoil-stripping of the remainder of the site revealed two other areas of archaeological activity. An isolated collared urn filled with cremated material, completely intact and situated upright, was uncovered and barely missed by the machine. It was removed in a block of soil, relatively in one piece, and is in the process of being excavated in the lab by a conservator. Approximately 20m east of the urn, the remains of a circular stone platform were uncovered. Approximately 6m wide, this semicircle, comprising three concentric rings of flat stone slabs, was set in a low earth and stone mound. The northern half of this feature appears to have been removed without trace sometime in antiquity. Nothing was found within the circle or the mound except for two small blue glass beads and a few pieces of struck chert. A Bronze/Iron Age date for the feature is likely although its purpose has yet to be fully explored. A number of stray finds came from the topsoil across the site, most of which comprised struck chert and flint. A single hollow-based limestone arrowhead and a stone axe were included in the finds. (Excavations Bulletin 2001) Christopher Read, North West Archaeological Services, Cloonfad Cottage, Cloonfad, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim. Monitoring wby Aaron Johnston, for Archaeological Development Services Ltd under licence No. 08E0764 as undertaken during excavation groundworks, over the period 8–11 September 2008, during the demolition of a dwelling house occupying the site and construction of a new house on the site. The site of development lies partly within the constraint of a passage tomb (DG106–011) and a wedge tomb (DG106–014). Two test excavations by Eoin Halpin (ADS) undertaken in 2000 within proximity to the site of development also exposed nothing of archaeological significance (Excavations 2000, Nos 185–186, 00E0544 and 00E0895). The site is rectangular in shape, slopes gently downwards to the south and measures c. 339m2. No a