Barrow - mound barrow, Balgarrett, Co. Westmeath

Co. Westmeath |

Barrows

Barrow – mound barrow, Balgarrett, Co. Westmeath

A low, roughly oval mound sitting at the northern tip of a gentle ridge in the Balgarrett townland of Co. Westmeath managed to go unrecorded by archaeologists until 2013.

That omission is quietly remarkable, because a barrow, the broad term for a prehistoric burial mound, is precisely the kind of monument that tends to attract attention. This one did not, perhaps because it is modest in scale and somewhat lopsided: the north-western side rises to about 0.6 metres, while the south-eastern flank is noticeably lower, possibly the result of robbing or gradual erosion over centuries. Large boulders push through the surface at various points along its edge and across its interior, and at least one more boulder lies just outside the monument's north-eastern margin.

When surveyor David McGuinness examined and described the site in 2014, he noted that the mound measures roughly 7.8 metres along its north-east to south-west axis and 5.7 metres across. What he also noted was the position. The mound occupies the northern end of the ridge's summit, oriented towards Frewin Hill to the north-east, with open views stretching in that direction. Whether that alignment was deliberate or incidental is not something the archaeology can settle, but the placing feels considered. Balgarrett is not short of such monuments: four other barrows lie within the same townland, the two closest sitting around 400 metres to the west and north-north-west respectively. The clustering suggests this landscape held some sustained significance, though exactly when or for whom remains, for now, an open question.

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 Barrow – mound barrow, Balgarrett, Co. Westmeath. 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