Megalithic structure, Lickbla, Co. Westmeath
Co. Westmeath |
Megalithic Tombs
At Lickbla in County Westmeath, a megalithic structure has been reduced to almost nothing, and what survives is retreating further into the earth with each passing year.
Two stones are all that remain visible: the western corner of what appears to have been a large, roughly rectangular slab, and a second stone set on edge beside it, oriented along a south-west to north-east line. That orientation is not unusual for megalithic monuments, which were frequently aligned to astronomical or seasonal phenomena, but here there is so little left that any original purpose is difficult to read from the remains alone.
The most telling detail about this site is one supplied by the landowner: the stone set on edge once stood around one and a half feet high, or about 0.45 metres. It now projects only some 0.15 metres above the ground. The stone itself is 0.9 metres in length, which means a significant portion has either subsided or been buried over time. Whether this is the result of agricultural activity, soil accumulation, or simple settlement over many centuries is unclear, but the direction of change is plain. A monument that was already fragmentary has continued to diminish within living memory.