Matthewstown Passage Tomb

Matthewstown Passage Tomb is a passage tomb situated in County Waterford, Ireland.

Matthewstown Passage Tomb
Leaba Thomáis Mhic Cába
Matthewstown Passage Tomb is located in Ireland
Matthewstown Passage Tomb
Shown within Ireland
Alternative nameThomas McCabe's Bed
LocationMatthewstown, Fenor, County Waterford
RegionIreland
Coordinates52.175879°N 7.22726°W / 52.175879; -7.22726
Typekistvaen
Part ofScilly–Tramore group
History
Materialstone
Founded2500–2000 BC
PeriodsNeolithic
Site notes
Public accessYes
Official nameMatthewstown
Reference no.237[1]

Location

The tomb is located 1.6 km (1 mile) north of Fenor. Most of the surrounding countryside is visible, to the Comeragh Mountains.[2]

History

Matthewstown Passage Tomb dates to 2500–2000 BC. It is locally known as Thomas McCabe's Bed; this may have been the name of a local outlaw who supposedly spent a night here: cf. the many "Diarmuid and Gráinne's Beds"[3]

This is one of a group of small passage tombs in County Waterford with affinities to the tombs in Cornwall and the Scilly Isles, hence the name "Scilly-Tramore group," suggesting that the builders were seafarers from Cornwall.[4][5][6]

Description

Matthewstown Passage Tomb is 4.5 m (fifteen feet) long and about 1.8 m (six feet) wide. There are two rows of five orthostats protruding above the ground to about 1 metre (three-and-a-half feet).[7] This grave was covered by four large stone slabs. [8][5][9]

References
  1. "National Monuments in County Waterford" (PDF). National Monuments Service. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  2. "megalithomania: Matthewstown (Waterford) :: Passage Tomb :: Visit notes".
  3. "Matthewstown :: Prehistoric Waterford".
  4. "Geograph:: Passage tomb at Matthewstown, Co.... (C) Kieran Campbell".
  5. Past, Ed Hannon-Visions of the (22 December 2016). "Matthewstown Passage Tomb, Waterford, Ireland".
  6. Pip. "MATTHEWSTOWN PASSAGE TOMB/MEGALITHIC MONUMENTS OF IRELAND.COM".
  7. "Matthewstown Passage Tomb".
  8. "A little Fenor history that needs respecting".
  9. "Matthewstown Passage Tomb".
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