Slievenaglasha 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 galle ...

and National Monument located in

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 118,81 ...

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

Slievenaglasha wedge tomb is located on a hilltop at the western edge of the Burren, 2.7 km (1.7 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 ...

. It lies in the townland also called Slievenaglasha, in the parish of

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 ...

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 p ...

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 prin ...

, c. 2500–2000 BC. It was damaged in AD 1894.

Legend

Local lore associated the wedge tomb with a sea-green cow

Glas Gaibhnenn Glas Gaibhnenn ( ga, Glas Gaibhnenn, Glas Ghaibhleann; Hiberno-English: Glas Gaivlen; Gloss Gavlen: pronunciation guide:/glas-gav-e-lan/;), in Irish folklore, is a prized fabulous cow of bounty (fertility) that yields profuse quantities of milk. ...

, abducted from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

by the smith Gavida. From this magical cow's udders used to flow all the rivers on the mountain-side (the "source of the seven streams" lies to the southwest), was tricked by a hag, who, in place of a milk-pail, milked her into a sieve. The cow either died of grief or deserted that locality for ever. Another version has Lon Mac Liomtha as her owner. The herd was supposedly housed at the wedge tomb of Slievenaglasha.

Description

All that remains of this obviously once substantial ruined wedge tomb is a huge 3.5 m (11′6″) long wall slab on the northwest. The opposite wall and the capstone have both been damaged.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Slievenaglasha Wedge Tomb at the Clare County Library
National Monuments in County Clare Archaeological sites in County Clare