Cairn, Currahchase, Co. Limerick

Co. Limerick |

Cairns

Cairn, Currahchase, Co. Limerick

A cairn, at its simplest, is a deliberate mound of stones raised by human hands, most often in prehistory to mark a burial, a boundary, or a place of significance.

The one that sits atop a low hill inside the deciduous forest at Currahchase in County Limerick is more substantial than the term might suggest. It rises to 3.2 metres and stretches roughly 15 metres north to south and 16 metres east to west, its sides arranged in a roughly stepped formation, with each tier becoming shallower as the mound climbs toward a flat circular summit measuring about 3 metres by 3.8 metres. That summit platform gives the structure an unusual formality, a sense that it was built with some intention beyond simply piling stones together.

The notes compiled by Denis Power in 2011 record the cairn as roughly circular in plan, with its best-preserved section running from the northern to the eastern arc. The southern arc has suffered a partial collapse, which softens the profile on that side and makes the stepped structure less legible there than elsewhere. The forest setting would have looked quite different when the cairn was first raised, and the trees that now surround it are a relatively recent frame. Currahchase itself is associated with the de Vere family, whose estate occupied this land for generations, though the cairn almost certainly predates any such ownership by a considerable margin. Without excavation records in the available notes, its precise age and function remain unconfirmed, and it is best approached as an open question rather than a settled answer.

Currahchase Forest Park, managed by Coillte, is accessible from the road between Askeaton and Kilcornan. The forest trails are well maintained and the low hill on which the cairn sits is reachable on foot. Visitors walking the woodland paths should look for the structure rising unexpectedly among the trees, its stepped silhouette easier to read from the north or east where the stonework is most intact. The southern face, where the collapse has occurred, gives a cross-sectional sense of how the cairn was constructed. Autumn and winter, when the deciduous canopy has thinned, offer the clearest views of the monument and its relationship to the surrounding terrain.

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 Cairn, Currahchase, Co. Limerick. 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