Townley Hall

Suspected Alignment / Alignments: Summer Solstice Sun-rise
Site Type: Passage Tomb
Irish Grid Ref: O0228975710
Location: Link to Bing Maps


Description:


The passage tomb is described on Archaeology.ie as follows;


"This monument, excavated in 1960-1 (JRSAI 1963, 37-81), comprised a round mound, 13,5m in diameter, covering the site of a destroyed undifferentiated passage-tomb aligned NE-SW with an entrance at the NE end. Though only two orthostats survived, the sockets of the others were located. It originally consisted of sixteen uprights, seven on each side and two at the rear. The tomb measures 5.3m long and gradually widens from about 1m internally at the entrance to 1.5-1.6m at the centre, narrowing to 1.2m at the rear. The tomb was enclosed within four concentric rings of stone setting, lined in places by radial lines of stones. The mound was originally bounded by a kerb of stones, thirteen of which survived. No finds were recovered from this level. Beneath the mound was a settlement site (LH024-008001-)".


The tomb is in a ruinous state and the passage no longer remains but it does seem likely as per Michael Fox's pictures and video (below) that this tomb was aligned to the summer solstice sunrise.

Links to photographs;
Picture & information of alignment on www.knowth.com by Michael Fox of Boyne Valley Tours


Links for further information;