The Graves of the Leinstermen near Portroe in North Tipperary are categorised as an anamolous stone group. There are many theories on what they actually were.
The great antiquarian TJ Westropp's Uncle lived in Derrycastle (for a time) and it was his game-keeper that told Westropp about a 'fine circle of stones' in this area. In 1892 he described them as "a line of small slate slabs 42 feet long, the largest "pillar" being only 3 feet 6 inches high, by 2 feet 6 inches square,... the others usually under 3 feet high.
There is a low mount 17 feet to the north of the "chief pillar. A sort of fenced avenue runs into the slightly enclosed space between it and the alignment"
Dr Siobhan Geraghty who was the North Tipperary Heritage Officer in the 2000s had this to say about it "It has all the evidence of being a Court Cairn, with the court facing the slope down towards the Shannon. It is outside the usual national range of distribution of this monument type, but within the North Tipperary megalith rich area. It is associated in local lore with an incident described in the Cogadh Gael re Gabhll, where a group of Leinster men, visiting Brian Boru in Kincora to pay tribute after the battle of became embroiled in a dispute ostensibly about a chess game, before the battle of . The Leinster men departed, but were caught up with by Brian’s men; a skirmish followed, and the Leinster men were buried there.
The story has probably got a deeper meaning. A small stream with passes under the road close to the viewing point is the boundary between the Dioceses of Cashel and Killaloe; and a large boulder further down slope has the name of ‘Knockaunrilaghin’ (RM19 36 ‘possible cairn’ the small hill of the King of Leinster. This points to the area having a long political significance."
Archaeology.ie has this to say about it "Situated on the NW-facing slope of Tountinna Hill in the Arra Mountains overlooking Lough Derg to the NW. The scattered and confused remains of several small orthostats protruding from the surface with a single large orthostat (H 1.2m; Wth 0.57; T 0.45m) in the NE sector and a row of low orthostats in the S sector. The arrangement of the numerous orthostats possibly defines a rectangular-shaped area (15m SW-NE; 23m SE-NW) as depicted on the latest ed. OS 6-inch map."
The old OS maps show them as a rectangular area and another an L-shaped monument and many have suggested they might be the remains of a wedge-tomb.
As far as I know there is no plan of the site and as such I would love to see a lidar survey done to see if some sense can be made of the site.
The story has probably got a deeper meaning. A small stream with passes under the road close to the viewing point is the boundary between the Dioceses of Cashel and Killaloe; and a large boulder further down slope has the name of ‘Knockaunrilaghin’ (RM19 36 ‘possible cairn’ the small hill of the King of Leinster. This points to the area having a long political significance."
Archaeology.ie has this to say about it "Situated on the NW-facing slope of Tountinna Hill in the Arra Mountains overlooking Lough Derg to the NW. The scattered and confused remains of several small orthostats protruding from the surface with a single large orthostat (H 1.2m; Wth 0.57; T 0.45m) in the NE sector and a row of low orthostats in the S sector. The arrangement of the numerous orthostats possibly defines a rectangular-shaped area (15m SW-NE; 23m SE-NW) as depicted on the latest ed. OS 6-inch map."
The old OS maps show them as a rectangular area and another an L-shaped monument and many have suggested they might be the remains of a wedge-tomb.
As far as I know there is no plan of the site and as such I would love to see a lidar survey done to see if some sense can be made of the site.
