Suspected Alignment / Alignments: Equinox Sun-set
Site Type: Passage Tomb
Irish Grid Ref: G9908004994
Location: Link to Bing Maps
Description:
The passage tomb is described on Archaeology.ie as follows;
"On top of the plateau of Sheemore Hill. A rectangular stone chamber (dims. 3.1m x 1.55m; H 0.5m) within a circular cairn (diam. 12m; H 0.45m) which is visible at the NW and N. (de Valera and Ó Nualláin 1972, 142; Herity 1974, 278, Le 4)."
This passage tomb is one of three located on Sheemore. It is a hill steeped in folklore.
I came across this alignment in 2016 with the publication of Dr Frank Prendergast's paper 'Interpreting megalithic tomb orientations and siting within broader cultural contexts' Dr Prendergast uses a statistical analysis of all the passage tombs in Ireland to conclude that 24 of them have significant astronomical alignments.
Links to photographs;
Photo of the North Cairn on Irishmegalithics.org.uk
Links for further information;
Link to the tune performed by Planxty Sheemore Sheebeg
Account of visit to Sheemore on Ali Isaccs blog
