Site Type: Passage Tomb
Irish Grid Ref: G7531111935
Location: Link to Bing Maps
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| Looking out through the roof-box at Cairn G |
Description:
The passage tomb is described on Archaeology.ie as follows;
"Carn G in the Carrowkeel-Kesh Corann passage tomb cemetery. High on the N slope of Barrnabinnia, one of the bog-grown N-S aligned ridges forming the Bricklieve Mountains. A possible passage tomb (SL040-088----) lies c. 40m to NW and a passage tomb (SL040-09001-) c. 50m to S. A circular cairn (diam. 18-20m; H 3m) covers a well-preserved cruciform passage tomb opening to the NW. The tomb (L 5m) consists of a passage (L 2m; Wth c. 1m) leading to a chamber (L 1.7m; Wth 1.9m; H 2.3m) opening off which there are two opposed side-chambers, one to the right or W (L 0.85m; Wth 0.95m; H 1.3m), another to the left or E (L 0.85m; Wth 1.1m; H 1.4m) and an endchamber (L 1m; Wth 1m; H 1.3m). The tomb is constructed of tall, generally pillar-like uprights and these support a series of lintels and oversailing corbels capped by a large flat slab above the main chamber. Sillstones divide the passage into two compartments and are in place at the front of the two side-chambers and endchamber. Investigation of the tomb in 1911 (Macalister, Armstrong and Praeger 1912, 327-8, 334-5) showed that large flat slabs (some of which are still visible) had been laid as floorstones along the passage and in the chambers. The tomb contained a considerable quantity of burnt bone, some pottery fragments, stone pendants, beads and balls. (Ó Nualláin 1989, 83)".
This tomb has the only other surviving "roof-box" in Ireland other than at Newgrange. The passage of the tomb is much shorter however than Newgrange and as such any alignment is less precise. The sun shines into the passage for a number of weeks either side of the summer solstice sunset. Martin Byrne on his wonderful website www.carrowkeel.com also puts forward the theory that rather than the roof-box being used to mark a solar alignment, that it is used for mark a lunar one. His theory proposes that the roof-box in conjunction with a cairn on Croghaun marks the northern lunar moonset. The cairn on Doomore he proposes marks the solar summer solstice sunset. I myself tried to view the summer solstice sunset at Cairn G in 2012 but was unsuccessful due to poor weather.
Links to photographs;
Picture of summer solstice sunset through the roof-box on Martin Byrnes website
Links for further information;
Further information on Cairn G on Martin Byrnes website
