Carn — Carns (carbury By.)

This large cairn, a possible passage tomb, is a National Monument in State ownership (no. 568). The following description of the monument has been published by Bergh (1995, 232): ‘The site is the easternmost of the two [see SL014-231----] and overlooks the Garavogue River, 700m to the east. The site consists of a large, flat-topped cairn with a diameter of 53-58m, and a height of c. 7.5m. The cairn is placed at the northern end of a ridge that forms the summit. The hillside declines close to the cairn on all sides except to the S where the ground is level. Immediately to the W of the cairn there is a fairly steep, but short slope of only c. 3m, and the cairn has evidently on purpose been placed along this edge. The site is situated in a deciduous forest and is not visible until one is nearly at it. It is today wholly covered by a rich vegetation of bushes and smaller trees. This thick vegetation is probably the reason why the plan of the cairn never has been recorded before, and it definitely was the reason to why it was not measured by Wood-Martin according to the following: “Its circumference at base could not be ascertained, owing both to the uneven nature of the ground and to its being surrounded by trees, and a close undergrowth of briars, furze, & c.” (Wood-Martin 1888, p. 123). Minor quarrying seems to have taken place in the SE part of the cairn, and on the flat top there are several hollows and depressions which are the remains of earlier diggings into the cairn. A number of small semi-circular stone walls are present within the site, and are most likely of modem date. Dimensions: Diameter, 53m (present minimum diameter/original maximum diameter). Height, 7.5m (present and original). Diameter of top, 23m (present maximum diameter). The diameter of the cairn is 53m in N-S, but 58m in E-W. The slip of the cairn seems to vary, and has probably been greatest towards the W due to the short but steep slope here. The E and S sides of the cairn are the best preserved, and the diameter of 53m is considered as being a maximum for the original diameter The flat and slightly hollowed top has a maximum diameter of 23m. The ground level outside the cairn is 2m higher on the S and E, than on the N and W sides of the cairn. The absolute height of the cairn is c. 7.5m.’ (Bergh 1995, 232, Fig. 30). Another cairn/possible passage tomb, very similar in size and construction, is located on a hilltop c. 400m to SW. See linked document with details from Seán Ó Nualláin, Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. Volume V. County Sligo. (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1989) Revised by: Paul Walsh Date of Revised upload: 2 October 2018