Tullycommon Wedge Tomb is a
wedge-shaped gallery grave
A gallery grave is a form of megalithic tomb built primarily during the Neolithic Age in Europe in which the main gallery of the tomb is entered without first passing through an antechamber or hallway. There are at least four major types of galler ...
and
National Monument
A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure.
The term may also refer to a sp ...
located in
The Burren
The Burren (; ) is a karst/glaciokarst landscape centred in County Clare, on the west coast of Ireland.
Burre ...
region of
County Clare
County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
.
Location
Tullycommon wedge tomb is located in the eponymous townland in
Kilnaboy
Kilnaboy or Killinaboy () is a village, townland and civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It is located in the Burren, and as of the 2011 census the area had 347 inhabitants.
Civil parish
Kilnaboy is a parish in the historic Barony (Ireland ...
parish, 1.8 km (1.1 mi) southeast of
Carran
Carran (), also Carron, is a small village in County Clare, Ireland. It is in the Burren region, within a Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of the same name. It is notable mainly for being the birthplace of Michael Cusack, the inspi ...
, between Knockaun Fort (with
souterrain
''Souterrain'' (from French ''sous terrain'', meaning "under ground") is a name given by archaeologists to a type of underground structure associated mainly with the European Atlantic Iron Age.
These structures appear to have been brought north ...
) and a
caher.
History
Wedge tombs of this kind were built in Ireland in the late
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several part ...
and early
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
, c. 2500–2000 BC.
Description
Tullycommon Wedge Tomb is aligned approx SW-NE, receiving the light of the setting sun. It is a box-like structure with two long sidestones and a capstone. The gallery is just 1.7 m in length and 80 cm high.
At the rear two shorter side stones flank the back stone. Just beyond the end of the chamber is an outer back stone.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Tullycommon Wedge Tomb at the Clare County Library
National Monuments in County Clare
Archaeological sites in County Clare
Tombs in the Republic of Ireland