Listoghil
Listoghil (
Etymology
According to Petrie (Letter to Larcom, Aug. 1837), the name may mean 'Ryefort' (it appears as Lios a' tSeagail, seagail meaning rye in Irish, in early maps). However lios in Irish refers generally to a court or enclosed area, so it may be that the name originally referred to the area enclosed by the dolmens, on which Listoghil stands, rather than the cairn itself.
Location
Listoghil stands 59m above sea level at the geographic centre of the
Listoghil is surrounded - and generally, faced - by a cluster of 'dolmen circles', also classified as
Early excavation and damage
Writings by Charles Elcock from the 1880s describe workmen removing the stones for 'road metal'. Only when quarrymen uncovered the burial chamber in the middle of the mound did its destruction end. By the end of the 19th century the tomb had been investigated by antiquarians of the period who recorded finding 'bones of horses', charred wood and a worked flint javelin head. Some materials from this tomb are in the Alnwick Castle collection[2]
Excavation and restoration
In the late 1990s Goran Burenhult, a Swedish archaeologist, partly excavated Listoghil. He dated bone and carbon material, and exposed the still-intact kerb. The monument was subsequently restored by the Office of Public Works. Listoghil now consists of a 4 m tall, 34 m diameter cairn. Access to the central chamber - via a 13 m artificial avenue of gabions - is possible. The chamber at the heart of the mound is a dolmen-like structure, with 6 orthostats. A single limestone slab - tilted at 6.1° - crowns the chamber. A rare example of Irish megalithic art outside of the Boyne valley, consisting of concentric circular carvings, can be seen on the front side of the roof slab (this is visible only in certain lighting conditions). A symbol described by Julian Cope as 'a strangely distorted tryfuss' has been carved on a stone inside.
Bone and carbon material from Listoghil was carbon dated to approximately 3500 BC.
Alignment
Listoghil points at a low saddle-like formation in the Ballygawley Mountains, 6.5 km to the east-southeast. Sunrise in this position coincides with the start and the end of winter, which are traditionally important
References
- ISBN 9171929452
- ISBN 9171929452
- ^ Burenhult, Goran (2001) Illustrated Guide to the Megalithic Cemetery of Carrowmore Co. Sligo. Tjörnarp, Sweden
- doi:10.11141/ia.32.3.
Sources
- Tombs for Hunters, Burenhult, G, British Archaeology 82, 2005, pp22–27
- The Megalithic European, Cope, J, HarperCollins, London, 2004
- Letter from Petrie to Larcom, Aug 12 1837. Ordnance Survey Letters, Royal Irish Academy, Shelf Mark 14 F 14 No 45