Barrow — stepped barrow in Kilcumreragh

Surveyed in 2013 and described by McGuinness (2014, 51-3) as following: 'Subcircular mound (Diam. 8m N-S x 7.3m E-W) with two or three steps or tiers, up to 1.5m in height on SW side, and with two megalithic blocks at its edge on either side of a line running NNE from the monument. The southernmost orthostat, smaller of the two (L. 2.15m; W. 1.4m; H. 1.65m), stands upright against middle step of barrow (no lower step being visible at this point), tilting out slightly due to pressure from the barrow on the W and the exposure of its base on the E due to erosion; it appears to be in situ. The northernmost boulder (L. 3.7m; W. 2.25m; H. 1.5m) lies recumbent just N of the edge of the barrow, which appears to have been severely damaged here and around as far as the other boulder, partly due to animals sheltering under a thorn tree growing beside the southern boulder but perhaps in great part due to the northern boulder having collapsed in the past—especially if it too had originally stood upright against the barrow, revetting its edge. Flattish to slightly domed upper tier of mound is badly eroded on NW and SE sides but appears to have been originally circular (Diam. 2.3m N-S x 2.5m E-W), and rises up to 1.45m above middle step where this step adjoins the southernmost boulder (see below) on E side. The middle step, only evident in an arc running clockwise from N to SW where it appears to drop down to the lower step, rises up to 0.55m above the lower step at SW, although middle step has been disturbed here. The lower step is evident only in an arc running clockwise from S to NW and rises up to 0.42m above ground level on W side. In width the middle step reaches up to 2.1m at E and the lower step reaches up to 2.9m on W side. On SW side, where the middle step is 2m in width, irregular in appearance and apparently disturbed, it and the upper tier appear to have spilled out onto the lower step. Where the mound has been eroded and the sod removed in many places, it is composed of numerous small stones with some soil, such that it could almost be described as a cairn. As it is in a poor condition, being badly damaged or partly removed on N and NE sides, and with spillage from different tiers on all sides, other readings of this monument than the one given here are conceivable. Monument is very prominently sited on a local eminence, c. 38.5m to SW of large curvilinear mound (within graveyard wall (WM031-079001-) on which site of medieval church (WM031-079----) of Kilcumreragh is located; ground drops sharply 12m to NE of barrow before rising again towards the church. Little is known about the history of this church. When John O’Donovan visited the site in 1837, the locals had ‘entirely forgotten the latter part of the name’, referring only to the parish of Kill, and the original dedication to a native, pre-Norman saint had been replaced by one to St. Thomas. But O’Donovan knew well his Martyrologies and saints’ Lives: Groping thus in the dark it is very difficult (for one) to come to any certain conclusion and still I have no hesitation in asserting with every confidence that this is the church of comráire near Uisneach, where in the primitive ages St. Colman was venerated on the 25th of September (Herity 2011, 76). In support of this, Leo Swan inferred from the quadrantal shape of the graveyard an original monastic enclosure or vallum having formerly surrounded the site, sound indication of an early medieval origin (1988, 17)'. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by David McGuinness. Date of upload: 23 February 2015