Cnoc Raithní (; "hill of

bracken Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family (biology), family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that undergo alternation of generations, having both large plants that produce spores and small ...

") is a

tumulus A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of Soil, earth and Rock (geology), stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found through ...

(burial mound) 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 on

Inisheer Inisheer ( , or ) is the smallest and most easterly of the three Aran Islands in Galway Bay, Ireland. With 343 residents as of the 2022 census, it is second-most populous of the Arans. Caomhán of Inis Oírr is the island's patron saint. ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Location

Cnoc Raithní is located on the northern edge of Inisheer, overlooking the harbour.

History

The lower tier is dated to c. 2000–1500 BC, making this the earliest known settlement site on the island. The upper part is believed to be Early Christian (5th to 8th centuries AD). The site was covered by sands before being exposed by a storm in 1885; in that year, it was excavated by D. Murphy and cordoned cinerary urns with cremated bones and a

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

awl were found.

Description

A circular sandy mound revetted by a

drystone Dry stone, sometimes called drystack or, in Scotland, drystane, is a building method by which structures are constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. A certain amount of binding is obtained through the use of carefully ...

wall. About 27 slab-lined graves protrude above the south half. The north half is occupied by a kerbed platform with two limestone pillars.

References

{{reflist Archaeological sites in County Galway National monuments in County Galway Buildings and structures completed in the 2nd millennium BC Tumuli in Ireland Aran Islands