From archaeology.ie
"On a platform in gently sloping moorland on the W slope of Moanour mountain which is at the W end of Slievenamuck mountain. This wedge-tomb is partially buried in the surrounding bog. It consists of a long wedge-shaped gallery (L 5.4m; Wth 1.1m tapering to 0.65m at the backstone), flanked at either side by the remains of an outer wall (De Valera and Ó Nualláin 1982, 95-6). A pair of orthostats stand behind the E end of the gallery (ibid.). Two roofstones lie across the middle of the gallery and a displaced roofstone rests above the orthostats at the W end of the N side (ibid.). A number of displaced stones lie in front of the entrance (ibid.). The structure is incorporated in a roughly circular mound (diam. 8-9m) which rises little above the surface of the bog (ibid.). Monument is quite heavily overgrown with gorse, brambles, ferns and scrub with a rowan tree on the S side of the E end growing on the tomb."
This is one of the few wedge tombs in South Tipperary. It is located in the Glen of Aherlow not far from a passage tomb at nearby Shrough.
It is located on Sliabh Na Múic or the "Hill of the Pig" and these hills are full of legends of Giants and their deeds.
Here is one for example from duchas.ie
"A long, long time ago there lived a fierce black pig on the Sliab na Muc Hills. This pig was the terror of the neighbourhood and nobody would dream of roaming on the hilltops for fear of meeting with this terrible beast. It happened that one day a great giant called Diarmuid chanced to come across the pig at a point or peak on those hills called Corrin (Cairn). The pig in its rage started rooting up the ground and continued doing so until it had made a huge deep hole. This hole is still to be seen and for years everybody that passed it by threw a stone into it, why I cannot say.
The giant then attacked the pig put could not kill it. The battle raged for hours and towards sunset they found themselves 3 or 4 miles further east at a place called Rathdarby. The giant here made a last attempt with his spear to kill the pig but he missed his
thrust only to find the pig taking a sudden hold of him on the ground. It then seized the giant by the throat and killed him. He was buried on the spot where today three large stones mark the site of his grave. This grave is on Mr. T. Kennedys land Rathdarby, a few miles from here.
All the old people called the valley lying south of the Sliab na Muc Hills the "Valley of the Black Pig"."
http://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922302/4868451/5053713
It was very overgrown when I visited and from other photos I have seen this looks to be its general state. I found a picture (included below) of it by Borlase from 1910 when it wasn't as overgrown.
The entrance of the tomb points to the west in an area where (from the plan) only the summer solstice sunset could penetrate. It is possible that it is looking towards one of the hills around Lough Gur.
"On a platform in gently sloping moorland on the W slope of Moanour mountain which is at the W end of Slievenamuck mountain. This wedge-tomb is partially buried in the surrounding bog. It consists of a long wedge-shaped gallery (L 5.4m; Wth 1.1m tapering to 0.65m at the backstone), flanked at either side by the remains of an outer wall (De Valera and Ó Nualláin 1982, 95-6). A pair of orthostats stand behind the E end of the gallery (ibid.). Two roofstones lie across the middle of the gallery and a displaced roofstone rests above the orthostats at the W end of the N side (ibid.). A number of displaced stones lie in front of the entrance (ibid.). The structure is incorporated in a roughly circular mound (diam. 8-9m) which rises little above the surface of the bog (ibid.). Monument is quite heavily overgrown with gorse, brambles, ferns and scrub with a rowan tree on the S side of the E end growing on the tomb."
This is one of the few wedge tombs in South Tipperary. It is located in the Glen of Aherlow not far from a passage tomb at nearby Shrough.
It is located on Sliabh Na Múic or the "Hill of the Pig" and these hills are full of legends of Giants and their deeds.
Here is one for example from duchas.ie
"A long, long time ago there lived a fierce black pig on the Sliab na Muc Hills. This pig was the terror of the neighbourhood and nobody would dream of roaming on the hilltops for fear of meeting with this terrible beast. It happened that one day a great giant called Diarmuid chanced to come across the pig at a point or peak on those hills called Corrin (Cairn). The pig in its rage started rooting up the ground and continued doing so until it had made a huge deep hole. This hole is still to be seen and for years everybody that passed it by threw a stone into it, why I cannot say.
The giant then attacked the pig put could not kill it. The battle raged for hours and towards sunset they found themselves 3 or 4 miles further east at a place called Rathdarby. The giant here made a last attempt with his spear to kill the pig but he missed his
thrust only to find the pig taking a sudden hold of him on the ground. It then seized the giant by the throat and killed him. He was buried on the spot where today three large stones mark the site of his grave. This grave is on Mr. T. Kennedys land Rathdarby, a few miles from here.
All the old people called the valley lying south of the Sliab na Muc Hills the "Valley of the Black Pig"."
http://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922302/4868451/5053713
It was very overgrown when I visited and from other photos I have seen this looks to be its general state. I found a picture (included below) of it by Borlase from 1910 when it wasn't as overgrown.
The entrance of the tomb points to the west in an area where (from the plan) only the summer solstice sunset could penetrate. It is possible that it is looking towards one of the hills around Lough Gur.
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Looking into the tomb
Inside the tomb
Inside the tomb
Inside the tomb
View to the west from the entrance of the chamber
This is actually the western end of the tomb looking into it
View over the tomb (lost in the undergrowth)
After Borlase
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