The collapsing backstone of the main chamber leans in towards the viewer, remaining partially upright because it’s tightly caught by the sidestone on the right. The padstone presses down on the backstone and, in turn, is struggling under the weight of the main roofstone, the whole shebang delicately poised and in danger of complete collapse.
The 2.2 metre long, almost floating roofstone covering the front of the main chamber and the end of the passage. It’s held there magnificently by the weight of the rear roofstone pressing downward, balancing its rear delicately there on a couple of chamber sidestones.
The rear of the chamber is roofed by a 2.2 metre long slab. It rests on a padstone to the left and the other main chamber roofstone to the right. This delicate balancing act is a neolithic wonder but is probably not original as the heavy stones seem to have shifted with the removal of the surrounding cairn.
The rear of the tomb, showing, from the top, the chamber roofstone, a padstone resting in the (deliberately carved) shoulder of the eastern, rear sidestone and the backstone that leans inwards and would probably collapse if it wasn’t being held up by the western rear sidestone. The massive rear roofstone leans on the top of the back of the second roofstone, visible here just off centre.
The front of the tomb, looking over the western kerbstones.
The small, better preserved, western chamber of this cruciform passage tomb
The two roofstones to the left of the shot cover the main chamber at Duntryleague. Another roofstone covers the western side-chamber.
Summer Solstice visit
The moon behind us
Summer Solstice visit
After sunset
Summer Solstice visit
Summer Solstice visit
Summer Solstice visit
Inside the chamber at sunset
Summer Solstice visit
Summer Solstice visit
Summer Solstice visit
Summer Solstice visit
What looks like a man-made rectangular hole in this cap-stone.
Looking north from behind the body of the tomb.
Looking east at the western wall.
Looking south into the chamber interior from a position just outside the monument.
Looking north from the interior, perhaps to watch over what once existed below.
Part of the underside of the main chamber roof slab.
A joining section of wall and roof making a sandwich of daylight.
The balancing arrangement at the rear of the chamber.
Like a dash of icing sugar.
Duntryleague under snow
To the south the peaks of Galtymore
View to the north you can see all the major hills in the area to the north.
Looking into the passage
The front of the cairn
Looking out of the chamber
A very steep climb. 650 metres according to Carleton Jones’ gazzeteer (Temples of Stone: Exploring the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland, 2007), and straight up. The tomb is just the other side of the peak, at the end of the track.
Inside the chamber it’s diffcult not to engage with the salmon-pink flush of the stones, freckled with bits of quartz and this and that, pitted and alternatively smooth as you gaze along their features. Then the passageway pulls your attention out across the vast plain underneath. It points much too far north, at least on my compass, for a solar orientation but it’s tempting to imagine, having read Bawn’s bit of folklore below, some ancient crumble of bone staring out over his former domain.
A gorgeous place.
Definitely worth a trip, this lovely tomb combined with the beautiful Harps of Cliu to the south are fantistic viewing.
This is a lovely passage grave and the fact that it is pointing north means that whatever alignment it has if any is not obvious.
“Darby’s Bed, Galbally
Darby’s Bed is located, like most Irish passage tombs on a hilltop site. Duntryleague Hill is the westerly extension of Slievenamuck hill.
This great Megalith is thought to be the grave of Olill Olum, one of the early Kings of Munster. The name Duntryleague is derived from Dún-Trí-Liag, meaning the fort of three pillar stones. Diarmuid and Gráinne are also said to have rested here in their flight from the angry Fionn Mac Cumhaill”
Taken from aherlow.com/html/heritage_sites.html
