876 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



the hurling of the western transverse stone from its position, for the 

 deflection inwards of one of the two northern stones, and also for the 

 present remarkable obliquity of tbe enormous superincumbent stone. 

 Mr. "Weld evidently did not observe, or, if he did, failed to take into 

 bis consideration the large prostrate stone partly buried, and which I 

 believe to have constituted the western wall of the chamber. At 

 present the upper stone only rests on three supports, as it does not 

 touch the eastern transverse stone at all. It is kept from sliding off, 

 and its stability is maintained, by a ledge on its under surface pro- 

 jecting in such a manner as to act like a flange on the upper and 

 inner edge of the north-western longitudinal stone. The latter was 

 violently wrenched from its strictly vertical position, adjacent to its 

 neighbour on the north, which still retains, with the opposite column on 

 the south, and the transverse eastern stone, the original perpendicular. 

 The large upper stone is somewhat heart-shaped, or like an inverted 

 shield, and, as it now lies, is 8^ feet from the ground at its eastern 

 extremity, and but 2^ feet at the south-west. 



The first photograph (No. 1) is by Mr. Francis Armstrong, photo- 

 grapher, of Boyle. It is taken from the south-west, and beautifully 

 shows the obliquity of the large stone, and the projecting ledge 

 which impinges upon the edge of the deflected north-western support. 

 The broken stones on the floor are well seen, as also a portion of the 

 large and partly-buried stone, which, I believe, formed the western 

 wall. 



The other photograph (No. 2) was taken for me by Master Gr. H. 

 Odbert, a young amateur, who kindly accompanied me to the site of 

 the cromlech, and photographed it from two different aspects. It 

 shows the east end, the massive extremities of the northern and 

 southern longitudinal blocks, and the eastern transverse wall, 4|- feet 

 high, erected just a yard from the extremities of the sides. The dimen- 

 sions of this end are 7 feet 8 inches in height from the inferior surface 

 of the upper stone as it at present lies, and 7 feet 6 inches wide. 

 Internally, that is within the transverse eastern stone, the chamber 

 measures but 3 feet 8 inches in diameter. 



In conclusion, I need only say that any antiquarian happening 

 to be in the neighbourhood of Boyle would be amply repaid for 

 his trouble by a visit to the cromlech at Tinnecarra. 



