| Cairn |
Complex |
Size (Diameter, evaluated if the cairn has been
destroyed) |
State |
Found in the Monument |
| A1, A2, A3 |
Carnbane West |
A and A2: 6-8 m
A3: 20 m |
Ruined, only a few scattered stones remain. |
- |
| B |
Carnbane West |
9 m |
Ruined, 3 remaining orthostats of the chamber. |
- |
| C |
Carnbane West |
5 m |
Ruined, only a few stones remain. |
- |
| D |
Carnbane West |
55 m |
Mound with a crater shape due to Conwell's
investigations who could not find any chamber. |
Animal skulls, teeth and bones |
| E |
Carnbane West |
7 m |
Ruined. |
- |
| F |
Carnbane West |
15 m |
The cairn is open. The cruciform chamber has remained,
some orhostats are decorated. |
Stone basin in the cist right of the entry, a bone pin
and a flake of flint under it. One ironstone ball in the left recess. Fragments of bones
about the floor of the whole chamber. |
| G |
Carnbane West |
20 m |
Hollow in the center of the mound, the orthostats of
the chamber has disappeared. |
- |
| H |
Carnbane West |
16 m |
The cairn is open. The cruciform chamber has remained,
some orhostats are decorated. |
Stone basin in the recess right of the entry. Thick
layer of burnt bone fragments and some pieces of quartz covering the whole passage under a
layer of earth an lose stones. Small stone balls, pieces of pottery and flint, sea shells,
disc-shaped whale bones, peabbles and other lustrous, shining stones or of different
colours, fragments of bone pins. Amber and roman glass beads, bronze rings,
pieces of iron.
Cow bones shaped into "combs" or "blades", some of them being
decorated with beautiful curved designs (La Tène style), an object interpreted as a
compass (for the drawing of the designs). |
| I |
Carnbane West |
19 m |
The cairn is open. The chamber with 7 recesses has
remained, some orhostats are decorated. |
- |
| J |
Carnbane West |
14 m |
Hollow in the center of the mound; Cornwell noted 3
decorated stones which has disappeared. |
One brown stone ball. |
| K |
Carnbane West |
15 m |
The chamber is ruined, the kerb of long slab has
remained. |
- |
| L |
Carnbane West |
45 m |
Renovated: as Cornwell arrived, the roof had collapsed
and the chamber was full of rubble. Stalled plan with 7 recesses, remains of a corbelled
dome. Decorated orthostats. Kerbstones. A stele is placed in front of the 3rd chamber to
the right of the entry. |
Corwell made the most numerous finds in cairn L. Stone
spheres, small chalk balls onder the basin of one of the left recesses.
Splinters of charred and blackened bones, small pieces of charcoal, human teeth, the
pointed end of bone pin, stone balls onder the basin of the 3rd chamber to the right of
the entry. |
| M |
Sliabh Rua |
20 m |
Ruined. |
- |
| N |
Carnbane East |
19 m |
Ruined. |
- |
| O |
Carnbane East |
10 m |
Ruined, a low circular mound remains. An engraved stone
that have been supposed belonging to the mound has been re-erected near the mound. |
- |
| P1, P2 |
Carnbane East |
9 m |
Ruined, a few scattered stones remain which are thought
to have belonged to the cairns. |
- |
| Q |
Carnbane East |
9 m |
No remainings; the cairn had been mentioned by the
artist Du Noyer who visited Loughcrew and recorded the decorated stones. |
- |
| R1, R2 |
Carnbane East |
10 and 8 m |
Ruined; R1: one large stone in the center of a pit; R2:
remains of a kerb (approx. 10 stones). |
No significant founds in R1; R2: fragment of onamented
urns, bone pins, stone pendants, fragments of clay vessels, a white flint arrow head and
other flint fragments, one miniature stone axehead, human bones and objects made of bone
of undetermined use. |
| S |
Carnbane East |
17 m |
Y-shaped open passage, with 6 ornamented orthostats,
kerb of of 35 small stones. |
A layer of charred bones covered the floor of 2 cists,
one bone pin on the top of each bone heap; on the floor of the chamber: stone pendant,
fragments of urns, small flakes of flint, burnt bones, human teeth, bone pins. |
| T |
Carnbane East |
37 m |
Very good conservation state: only the capstone of the
chamber is missing – the passage was re-roofed during the 60's; cruciform chamber with
ornamented stones, the 3 side-cells have a corbelled dome; kerb surrounding the cairn. |
Many orthostats of the passages and the
chambers wear exceptional engravements. 
Spine? Leaf? The pattern on the right is to be compared with the designs of the
"Dolmen des Pierres Plates" in Brittany. Since the site of Loughcrew is bound
with the legend of a sorceress, the monument is mostly interpreted as dedicated to the
megalithic Mother Goddess. The many sun-like patterns (like the one on the left) could
confirm this point, since the sun was considered as beeing the expression of the feminine
power in ancient times. J. Markale sees in those leaf-like patterns a stylizied
representation of the Great Goddess.
Fragments of charred or burnt bones, human teeth, small broken stones, pieces of
charcoal; one bronze pin with head ornaments. |
The Hag's Chair is the 3rd biggest stone of the kerb. It used to be ornamented, but the
patterns are hardly visible nowadays.
An archeologist I met on the site with his family kindly took this photo of me: it was
raining quite intensively at that moment, that is why I look so miserable!
|
| U |
Carnbane East |
13 m |
Open cairn with a cruciform chamber, and a number of
remaining kerb stones. Ornamented orthostats. |
- |
| V |
Carnbane East |
10 m |
The orthostats of the chamber and the kerbstones has
remained, but the mound is flattened. |
A long and rounded sea-peabble (thought to have been
used as a sling-stone or a hammer). Carvings on the chamber stones. |
| W |
Carnbane East |
7 m |
Crater-shaped mound with remaining chamber stones in
its center. |
An urn under a layer of charred bones. |
| X1, X2, X3 |
Patrickstown |
12, 11 and 12 m |
A few remaining stones of X1 and, X2; X3 has completely
disappeared. One decorated stone near the center of X1. |
Fragments of bones and pottery, pendants, beads and
deer antlers. |
| Y |
Patrickstown |
30 m |
Low mound with pine trees growing on it. |
- |
