ROUGH STONE MONUMENTS 



and chambers together form a cross with a long 

 shaft. The walls are formed of rough slabs set 

 upright. In the passage the roof is of slabs laid 

 right across, but the roof of the chamber is formed 

 by corbelling. On the floor of each division of the 

 chamber was found a stone basin. 



Around the edge of the mound runs an enclosure 

 wall of stones lying on the ground edge to edge. 

 A few of these are sculptured. The finest is a 

 great stone which lies in front of the entrance 

 and shows a well-arranged design of spirals and 

 lozenges. There are also engravings on one of the 

 stones of the chambers. These designs are in 

 general more skilful than those of Lough Crew. 

 They consist mainly of chevrons, lozenges, spirals, 

 and triangles. 



The monuments we have so far described are 

 all tombs. Ireland also possesses several stone 

 circles. The largest are situated round Lough 

 Gur, 10 or 12 miles south of Limerick. There 

 was at one time a fine circle west of Lough Gur 

 at Rockbarton, but it is now destroyed. On the 

 eastern edge of the lough is a double concentric 

 ring of stones, the diameter of the inner circle 

 being about 100 feet. The rings are 6 feet apart, 

 and the space between them is filled up with 

 earth. In 1869 an excavation was made within 

 the circle and revealed some human remains, 

 mostly those of children from six to eight years old. 



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