Megalithic tomb, Loughros Glebe, Co. Donegal

Co. Donegal |

Megalithic Tombs

Megalithic tomb, Loughros Glebe, Co. Donegal

In the townland of Loughros Glebe, County Donegal, there's a bit of a megalithic mystery that has puzzled archaeologists for nearly two centuries.

An 1834 Ordnance Survey Name Book mentions the existence of a 'cromlech' somewhere in this area, though frustratingly, the entry provides no further details about its location or appearance. This tantalising reference has left researchers scratching their heads, as the feature doesn't appear on any of the OS 6-inch maps from that period.

The plot thickens when you dig a little deeper into the historical records. Some scholars believe the Name Book entry might actually be referring to a feature marked as 'Standing Stone' on the original 1834 Ordnance Survey map; a monument that mysteriously vanished from all subsequent editions. Archaeological surveys conducted in the 1980s found no trace of either the cromlech or the standing stone, leaving us with more questions than answers about what exactly stood here nearly 200 years ago.

Whether this was truly a cromlech (a type of megalithic tomb typically consisting of upright stones supporting a large flat capstone), a simple standing stone, or perhaps something else entirely remains unknown. The site serves as a reminder that Ireland's archaeological landscape is constantly shifting, with monuments recorded by one generation sometimes disappearing without a trace, leaving only cryptic references in old documents to hint at what once was. This information was compiled for the Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland, Volume VI, published by the Stationery Office in 2002, and continues to intrigue those interested in Ireland's prehistoric past.

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