Cnoc Raithní

Cnoc Raithní

Slab atop Cnoc Raithní
Shown within Ireland
Alternative name	Knockgrannie, Knockgrannary, Cnoc Raithnighe
Location	Inisheer, County Galway, Ireland
Region	The Burren, Aran Islands
Coordinates	53.065019°N 9.523220°W / 53.065019; -9.523220
Type	tumulus[1]
Area	350 m^2 (0.086 acres)
Diameter	21 m (69 ft)
Height	1.5 m (4.9 ft)
History
Material	earth, sand, limestone
Founded	c. 1500 BC
Periods	Atlantic Bronze Age
Site notes
Ownership	Office of Public Works
Public access	yes
Designation	National monument of Ireland

Cnoc Raithní (Irish: [ˌknˠɔk ˈɾˠahnʲiː]; "hill of bracken")[2] is a tumulus (burial mound) and national monument located on Inisheer, Ireland.[3][4]

Location

Cnoc Raithní is located on the northern edge of Inisheer, overlooking the harbour.^[citation needed]

History

Information sign

The lower tier is dated to c. 2000–1500 BC, making this the earliest known settlement site on the island.[5] The upper part is believed to be Early Christian (5th to 8th centuries AD).[6][7]

The site was covered by sands before being exposed by a storm in 1885; in that year, it was excavated by D. Murphy and cordoned cinerary urns with cremated bones and a bronze awl were found.[8][9][10]

Description

A circular sandy mound revetted by a drystone wall. About 27 slab-lined graves protrude above the south half.[11] The north half is occupied by a kerbed platform with two limestone pillars.[12]

References

1. "Inis Oirr". Doolin Ferries.
2. Kirby, Tony (14 March 2009). The Burren & Aran Islands: A Walking Guide. Gill & Macmillan Ltd. ISBN 9781848899193 – via Google Books.
3. "Inis Oírr (Inisheer) Seaport".
4. "O'Brien's Castle". Atlas Obscura.
5. "Cnoc Raithní".
6. Fairbairn, Helen (1 April 2016). Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way: A Walking Guide. Gill & Macmillan Ltd. ISBN 9781848895676 – via Google Books.
7. Commons, Dylan. "Inis Oírr Ferry | Aran Islands Ferry | Doolin Ferry Co".
8. "Cnoc Raithní".
9. "Cnoc Raithní (Prehistoric Ruin) » Rothaí Inis Oírr – Inisheer Bike Hire".
10. Halpin, Andrew; Newman, Conor (23 September 2006). Ireland: An Oxford Archaeological Guide to Sites from Earliest Times to AD 1600. Oxford University Press. p. 192 – via Internet Archive. Cnoc Raithní.
11. "The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland". Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 23 September 1938 – via Google Books.
12. Gosling, Paul (23 September 1993). Archaeological Inventory of County Galway: West Galway (including Connemara and the Aran Islands). Stationery Office. ISBN 9780707603223 – via Google Books.