What is recorded here

An unsteady chamber of upright stones still leans across open karst in Ballaghaglash, its roof slabs slipped into the dark like a house caught mid-collapse. The tomb points south-southwest toward a damaged closing slab, as if directing the dead out of the ground and into the widening sky. Whoever built it worked quickly on stubborn stone, leaving gaps between the walls and a tilt that still feels unfinished.

On open, level karst which slopes slightly downwards towards the W. This wedge-shaped tomb (L c. 4m NNE-SSW; Wth c. 2.5m WNW-ESE) is oriented towards the SSW where a large, upright ‘closing’ slab (L 2.1m; H 1.2m) - damaged at its S end – is flanked by a narrower (L 0.6m) but slightly taller slab immediately to its S. The northern side of the tomb chamber is defined by four, non-contiguous, upright slabs (L 0.6-0.75m; H 0.3-0.4m). At their western end, a fifth upright slab (L 0.7; H 0.6m) stands slightly N of their line. The eastern end of the chamber is defined by a ‘backstone’ (L 1.3m; H 0.65m) which leans slightly outwards, towards the E. The southern side of the chamber is poorest preserved and only one sidestone ((L 1m; H 0.6m) is visible, at its western end. Within the chamber’s interior are three large slabs (L 1.1-2.6m; Wth 1.4-1.8m): all slope towards the NW which suggests that they are displaced roof slabs which have slipped into the interior from the southern side of the tomb. A low, grass-covered bank abuts the eastern and northern sides of the tomb. See attached images: CL011-005----_01.jpg View of tomb from WSW. CL011-005----_02.jpg View of tomb from E. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Conn Herriott Date of upload: 12 January 2023

Wedge tomb, dating to the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age (c. 2500–1000 BC). Its orientation and the presence of a large closing slab are characteristic of wedge tombs found in the Atlantic region of Ireland.

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