Megas Lithos Press

SHROUGH Passage Tomb County Tipperary, Ireland
SMR No. TS073-007

This great Passage Tomb is located on the summit of Slievenamuck, (Sliabh Muice), marked as ‘Dermod & Gráine’s Bed’ on the 1885 edition & the 1906 OS 6-inch maps, South-West of Tipperary Town (Tiobraid Árann), and is the only definitive Passage tomb in Tipperary. Encroaching forestry has been cleared in recent times giving extensive & panoramic views of The Harps of Cliu (Sliabh Crotta Cliach), the old name for the Galtymore Mountains (Cnoc Mór na nGaibhlte), to the south, Slieve Felim Hills (Sliabh Eibhlinne) to the north, Slievenamon (Sliabh na mBan) to the east and Sliabh Reagh to the west. A stone wall runs E-W along the south edge of mound. The tomb, which has been dated to 3,000-2,000 BC., consists of a roughly circular cairn 30m in max; diameter and 2m in height, with a small, roof-less oval chamber, which measures internally 1.5m in length and 1.2m in width, aligned roughly East-Northeast to West-Southwest , near the centre of the cairn. The standing stones vary in height from 1.75m to 1.2m, the tallest forming the entrance to the chamber. The tomb lies right beside a hill walkers track, where a new notice board has been installed and a picnic table placed next to the tomb.

CO-ORDINATES...52° 25' 58.705"N...8° 10' 40.714"W

Ref: Dolmens of Tipperary by HS Crawford in JRSAI (1910)

To view more megaliths in Co. Tipperary, visit Megalithic Monuments of Ireland @ http://megalithicmonumentsofireland.com/COUNTIES/TIPPERARY/TIPPERARY.html

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Tooracurragh Ogham Stone
‘The Stone of Formach’ (Lyons 1946)
County Waterford, Ireland
SMR No. WA005-012

This ogham stone was moved from it’s original position on a church site 300m to the south-west before 1950 and was acting as a cover-stone of a culvert in a path leading through a field to the farmhouse but more recently has again been moved close by, lying beside a field boundary. It measures 1.32m in height, 0.38 in width, 0.28 in depth and is composed of grit. The inscription reads ‘DOMOKI’ (Macalister (1945, vol. 1, p.291) and has been dated by Ziegler to 500 - 550 AD. It bears what is apparently intended to be an equal-armed cross pattée in cavo rilievo, with pellets on the arms, enclosed in a circle, as well as a Latin cross with a crescent-shaped expansion at the base. It must surely be the finest cross inscribed ogham stone in County Waterford and is more reminiscent of the ogham stones in Kerry, notably on the Di**le peninsula.

The above text is taken from ‘The Ogham Stones of Ireland (Complete & Illustrated Index)’ (p.337 2010) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ogham-Stones-Ireland-Complete-Illustrated/dp/1463593821/

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BALLYHONEEN (BAILE UÍ UAITHNÍN) WEDGE TOMB
COUNTY KERRY, IRELAND
RMP No. KE035-073001

This great wedge tomb is sited on the highest point on a low ridge to the east of the Scorid river, ‘An Scóraid’, which has its source in Loughadoon, ‘Loch an Dúin’, located NW of Sleivenagower, ‘Slí an gCorr’, on the Di**le Peninsula, Co. Kerry. It consists of a narrow wedge-shaped gallery which is roofed by two large over-lapping capstones. It is 4m in length, 1.5m in width at the west narrowing to 1.1m in the east which lacks a back-stone. Two outer-wall stones are present on the north side and one on the south-side while a standing stone on the west-end of the gallery supports the upper capstone. The tomb is partially buried by peat bog and the chamber is filled with water occasionally to a depth of 0.2m. It is 2m SW of the tomb. Cuppage (1986, pp20-6), noticed, that ‘three of the stones of the gallery bear rock art designs’. They include 12 shallow cup-marks, a penannular circle, a single cup-and-circle & 2 other ‘possible’ cup-marks.

CO-ORDINATES: 52 12' 21.309"N...10 9' 17.041"W

To view more megalithic sites in County Kerry, visit Megalithic Monuments of Ireland.com @ http://megalithicmonumentsofireland.com/COUNTIES/KERRY/KERRY.html

From ‘Megalithic Monuments of Ireland / vol. XII-Kerry’ (Powell, P., pp18-19, Mar.2011), available @ http://www.createspace.com/3574553

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DOOGHMAKEON CROSS INSCRIBED OGHAM STONE
COUNTY MAYO, IRELAND

This cross inscribed ogham stone was first discovered in 1897 by W.E. Kelly. A local priest, Father McManus, re-erected the stone, which was then lying flat on the scrub-covered sand hills, close to where it now stands. It is a blue, limestone slab measuring 1.32m in height, 0.61m in width and 0.15m in depth. The pocked inscription reads "--OVI MAQI--" and on one face there is a cross pattée in a circle. The stone is known locally as ‘Claidhimhin Chathasaigh’ or ‘St. Cathasach’s Little Sword’ and is locally regarded as a ‘swearing stone’.

From ‘The Oghan Stones of Ireland, The Complete & Illustrated Index’ (Powell, P., - 2011, pps.382-83), available @ http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Ogham-Stones-Ireland-Illustrated/dp/1463593821

Also available @ http://www.createspace.com/3597130

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"Of Druid's Altars & Giants Graves"
The Megalithic Tombs of Ireland
available @ http://www.createspace.com/3777262