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Wedge tomb in Eyrephort

Wedge tomb

What is recorded here

Half-buried on the south shore of Kingstown Bay, the wedge tomb still holds its narrow chamber though the sea has taken the south wall. A low oval mound, barely six metres across, hides a chamber aligned northwest to southeast, its backstone and double north wall still standing while the missing stones scatter along the mound’s edge. Whoever built it trusted the bay to keep the shape alive, and the bay has spent centuries chewing that trust instead.
Close to seashore on S side of Kingstown Bay. The remains of this partially ruined tomb are contained in a low oval mound (6m by 5.5m). The chamber (L 1.8m), aligned NW-SE, has been dug out and its S side is missing. It is formed by a single backstone to E and a double side-wall to N; a single stone, probable outer walling, is exposed to NW. The stones which formed its S side are probably among those which now lie along S edge of the mound. Although the remains cannot be classified with certainty, the tomb is very probably of the wedge-tomb class. (Petrie 1972, 253) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. I - West Galway'. Compiled by Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1993). Date of upload: 05 August 2010
Wedge tomb, dating to the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age (c. 2500–1000 BCE). Its alignment and construction reflect regional megalithic traditions in coastal western Ireland.

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

What survives
Recorded monument

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