Cairn, Boolanlisheen, Co. Limerick
Co. Limerick |
Cairns
At 2,579 feet above sea level, on the northern side of the summit of Temple Hill in the Galty Mountains, a large prehistoric cairn sits at an administrative crossroads that has nothing to do with the prehistoric world.
Three townland boundaries converge precisely at this point, a coincidence that suggests people have been using this summit as a fixed reference for a very long time, even if for entirely different reasons across the centuries. A concrete Ordnance Survey Ireland triangulation station, planted at the base of the cairn's south-eastern edge, adds a third layer of meaning to a spot already carrying the weight of prehistory and administrative geography.
The cairn itself is substantial. It measures 26 metres across at the base and still stands nearly two metres high, though the top has narrowed to around 12 metres, giving it a slightly truncated profile. A hollow offset to the east and numerous small holes in the cairn's sides appear to be the result of modern interference rather than any planned excavation. The scholar Michael Herity, writing in 1974, raised the possibility that the cairn may originally have covered the remains of a passage tomb, one of the megalithic monuments, typically dating to the Neolithic period, in which a stone-lined corridor leads to a burial chamber at the centre. No kerbing is visible at the base to confirm this, and no satellite mounds have been found nearby, so the suggestion remains speculative. What has accumulated around the cairn in more recent times is curious in its own right: a low crescent-shaped wall about four metres across, apparently a rudimentary shelter or hut site, was built just to the south of the cairn, and three small stone mounds on the south-western and western sides also appear to be of relatively recent construction.
Temple Hill is reached via the Galty Mountains, which straddle the Limerick and Tipperary border. The approach is across rough mountain pasture, and the ground underfoot can be boggy, so boots are advisable. The summit is exposed and the panoramic views extend in all directions on a clear day, which also means the weather can close in quickly. The cairn sits just below the highest point, and the trig station on its south-eastern base makes it easy to identify once you are close. The small mounds and the crescent wall to the south are low enough that they can be easily overlooked if you are focused on the main cairn.