Labbacallee wedge tomb
Encyclopedia
Labbacallee wedge tomb ( "Hag
's Bed") is a large pre-historic burial monument, located 8km (5 miles) north-west of Fermoy
and 2km (1.25 miles) south-east of Glanworth
, County Cork
, Ireland
. It is the largest Irish wedge tomb.
decorated pot, and fragments of bone and stone. Local folklore associates the site with the Celtic Hag-Goddess Cailleach Bheur, and when during the excavations the site was found to contain the remains of a woman. Although the body had been positioned within the tomb, her skull was found outside of it.
Hag
A hag is a wizened old woman, or a kind of fairy or goddess having the appearance of such a woman, often found in folklore and children's tales such as Hansel and Gretel. Hags are often seen as malevolent, but may also be one of the chosen forms of shapeshifting deities, such as the Morrígan or...
's Bed") is a large pre-historic burial monument, located 8km (5 miles) north-west of Fermoy
Fermoy
Fermoy is a town in County Cork, Ireland. It is situated on the River Blackwater in the south of Ireland. Its population is some 5,800 inhabitants, environs included ....
and 2km (1.25 miles) south-east of Glanworth
Glanworth
Glanworth is a village on the R512 regional road 8 km northwest of the town of Fermoy in County Cork, Ireland. It lies some 40 km northeast of the city of Cork, the county's administrative centre, and 210 km southwest of the capital, Dublin...
, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It is the largest Irish wedge tomb.
Features
The site has three large capstones which slope downwards towards the back, the largest being 780cm long and weighing 10 tonnes. The gallery below is made up of a large rectangular chamber, with a small one behind it, divided by a slab. The gallery is triple-walled, buttressed at the back by three slabs set parallel to the axis of the tomb. To the front of the gallery are the remains of a large rectangular, unroofed, antechamber, which is wider than the gallery and separated from it by a large slab. Outside this there was a further row of stones running off at an angle, but few of the original stones remain.Excavations
In 1934 excavations revealed a number of inhumations, fragments of a late Stone AgeStone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
decorated pot, and fragments of bone and stone. Local folklore associates the site with the Celtic Hag-Goddess Cailleach Bheur, and when during the excavations the site was found to contain the remains of a woman. Although the body had been positioned within the tomb, her skull was found outside of it.
Sources
- Noonan, Damien (2001). "Castles & Ancient Monuments of Ireland", Arum Press. ISBN 1 8541 0752 6