Wedge tomb in An Com (bar. Uíbh Ráthach)

This monument is located in reclaimed bogland near the head of a valley that opens E to Ballinskelligs Bay. The gallery, aligned NE-SW, consists of a wedge-shaped chamber, covered by a single roof-stone, and a parallel-sided portico to W. Excavation revealed the scant remains of a trapezoidal cairn, 12m long and narrowing from 10m wide at W to c. 2m at E, which was revetted by a row of small upright stones. The cairn had been largely removed before the commencement of peat growth. A flint flake with secondary working along one edge was found beneath it, but no definite evidence of burial was found in the chamber (Herity 1966, 67). The main chamber is 2.85m long and tapers sharply from a width of 1.45m at W to .4m at E. The chamber is closed at E by one slab, set outside the ends of the side-walls. Each side-wall consists of one long and one short stone. A blocking stone divides the portico from the main chamber. The roof-stone, 3.2m long, rests on the side-stones in an inclined position. Excavation showed that the portico consisted of three stones on either side; originally it may have been roofed by a slab resting in an inclined position with its lower end on the chamber roof-stone. The portico measures 2.3m long and 1.45m wide. The overall internal length of the gallery is 5.45m (de Valera and Ó Nualláin 1982, 65). To see a 3D model of this monument visit: https://skfb.ly/67FLD The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 76. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. See linked document with details from Ruaidhrí de Valera and Seán Ó Nualláin, Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. Volume IV. Counties Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary. (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1982) Date of upload: 28 July 2013