What is recorded here

Half a metre of earth and one giant roof stone still hold a broad chamber above the Portmagee Channel. Local story tells that an evicted family fitted new slabs across both ends and lived inside the tomb when the weather turned. That much is tradition, not measurement. The chamber itself is real, shallow, wide and facing the sea, old enough to stop arguing with.

This well-preserved wedge-tomb is situated on a level terrace, towards the end of an elevated ridge which extends SW from Feaghmann mountain, Valencia Island. The site commands an extensive view of the Portmagee Channel to S. The monument consists of a short, unusually broad chamber covered by a single roof-stone. It is aligned ENE-WSW and is set in a low mound which rises to a height of .5m at W. The chamber measures 3.5m long, 2m wide, and decreases from 1.25m in height at W to 1.1m at E. The sides of the tomb are each formed of a single slab, though a small orthostat is set inside the N side-stone at its E end. The roof-stone rests on all three stones and on a pad-stone. Leaning against the W end of the structure are three slabs, and another three slabs block its E end. None of the slabs appear to be original and they may have been employed to facilitate the use of the tomb as an animal shelter (de Valera and Ó Nualláin 1982, 61-2). Local tradition suggests that the monument was altered for use as a shelter by an evicted family in the nineteenth century. To see a 3D model of this monument visit: https://skfb.ly/67PJx 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. 75. 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

Wedge tomb, dating to the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age (c. 2500–1000 BCE). Its location and preservation offer insight into prehistoric funerary practices and landscape use in west Cork.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.