Matthewstown Passage Tomb is a passage tomb situated in County Waterford, Ireland.
Leaba Thomáis Mhic Cába | |
 | |
  Shown within Ireland | |
| Alternative name | Thomas McCabe's Bed |
|---|---|
| Location | Matthewstown, Fenor, County Waterford |
| Region | Ireland |
| Coordinates | 52°10′33″N 7°13′38″W / 52.175879°N 7.22726°W |
| Type | kistvaen |
| Part of | Scilly–Tramore group |
| History | |
| Material | stone |
| Founded | 2500–2000 BC |
| Periods | Neolithic |
| Site notes | |
| Public access | Yes |
| Official name | Matthewstown |
| Reference no. | 237[1] |
Location
editThe tomb is located 1.6 km (1 mile) north of Fenor. Most of the surrounding countryside is visible, to the Comeragh Mountains.[2]
History
editMatthewstown 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
editMatthewstown 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
edit- ^ "National Monuments in County Waterford" (PDF). National Monuments Service. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ "megalithomania: Matthewstown (Waterford) :: Passage Tomb :: Visit notes".
- ^ "Matthewstown :: Prehistoric Waterford".
- ^ "Geograph:: Passage tomb at Matthewstown, Co.... (C) Kieran Campbell".
- ^ a b Past, Ed Hannon-Visions of the (22 December 2016). "Matthewstown Passage Tomb, Waterford, Ireland".
- ^ Pip. "MATTHEWSTOWN PASSAGE TOMB/MEGALITHIC MONUMENTS OF IRELAND.COM".
- ^ "Matthewstown Passage Tomb".
- ^ "A little Fenor history that needs respecting".
- ^ "Matthewstown Passage Tomb".