Saturday 21 June 2014

Barnane "Fairy Mound"


Summer Solstice Sunset from Barnane "Fairy Mound" (described as such in Stout 1984) a megalithic tomb / barrow in Co. Tipperary in 2014 - I had hoped the sun would set within the Gap of Barnane, also know as "The Devils Bit". However it set just to the left of it. The sun sets here at approximately 9pm due to the differences in height and as such it is still quiet bright before it goes behind the mountain. The Gap of Barnane was also know as a Lughnasa assembly site.
Livestock and the overgrown nature of the site prevented me getting a good photo of the mound itself.
It is described as follows in archaeology.ie
"Situated in an undulating, poorly drained, upland area. A natural hillock which has been scarped and flattened on top to form a mound (H 2.75m; diam. approx. 20m). A stone from a possible megalithic structure protrudes from the NW face of the mound (Stout 1984, 20-21)."