Mound, Ceathrú An Teampaill, Co. Galway

Co. Galway |

Ritual/Ceremonial

Mound, Ceathrú An Teampaill, Co. Galway

On the middle island of the Aran Islands, a low, grass-covered mound sits in a roadside field near the southern end of Inis Meáin, easy to walk past without a second glance.

It is not tall, barely reaching 0.9 metres at its highest point, and its oblong shape, roughly 6.2 metres along its north-northeast to south-southwest axis and 6.4 metres across, gives it the appearance of a slightly raised patch of ground that the island has quietly absorbed over centuries. What makes it more than an unremarkable lump of earth is the detail at its edges: patches of loose stone adjoin it to the west-northwest and south-southwest, and on the south-east side, traces of what may be kerb-stones are still visible at the surface. Kerb-stones, in the context of prehistoric or early medieval burial and ceremonial mounds, are the upright or laid stones placed around the perimeter to define and retain the structure, and their possible presence here hints that the mound was once deliberately and carefully constructed rather than simply accumulated.

The site sits within a townland whose name, Ceathrú An Teampaill, translates roughly as the quarter of the church, suggesting a landscape with a long history of significance, religious or otherwise. The mound was noted and described by Tim Robinson in 1980, the cartographer and writer whose meticulous surveys of the Aran Islands documented features that might otherwise have passed entirely unrecorded. His observation was later incorporated into the published Archaeological Inventory of County Galway, compiled by Paul Gosling and issued in 1993. Beyond its dimensions and its surface details, the mound has not been excavated or formally classified, and its precise age and function remain open questions.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Mound, Ceathrú An Teampaill, Co. Galway. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement