The Seven Monuments

On a ridge in pastureland, immediately to the S of the Loughrea-Portumna road. Named the ‘Seven Monuments’ and shown within a large mixed forest on the OS 6-inch maps, this National Monument was known locally as 'Feara Breige'. It was described in Dutton’s Statistical Survey of 1824 as a mound where there were ‘formerly eight flat rude stones’, but one was missing, five were still standing and two were lying flat on the bank. In the centre was a ‘tumulus’ and the entire site was planted with trees (O'Flanagan 1927, Vol. 2, 239). The trees have since been removed from the monument but traces of the plantation survive immediately to its S and around its W limits and a house has been built to its SE. Traces of lazy beds, running roughly NE-SW are visible immediately to its S. This embanked stone circle (30.15m N-S) is defined by a raised roughly circular area that is enclosed by a well-preserved mainly earthen flat-topped bank (Wth at N 0.8m; int. H 0.5m; ext. H 0.8m) that is clearly visible all round. An outhouse built in the early 1980s clips it a SE (SMR file). There is small gap (base Wth 0.7m) in the bank at SE. The seven boulders are still extant: two at NW and N are lying flat and the other five at NE, E, SE, SSE and SSW are upright. Within the interior, roughly centrally located, is a small cairn (1.8m N-S; H 0.35-0.7m). A low berm (Wth 11.7m) visible around it slopes gently towards the bank. There is no visible surface trace of a fosse. Knox (1915, 310-11) recorded traces of an outer bank to the N, E and S. It is now only clearly visible from N to NE (L c. 16.4m; Wth 0.5m; int. H 1.7m; ext. H 1m). Here a field wall is built outside it and there is a sharp drop (H 1.8m) to the road below. Otherwise only slight intermittent traces are evident from SW to N and this area is densely overgrown with scrub and trees. Knox (1915-16, 72) suggested that the central cairn was possibly an Ordnance Survey station and an excavation by Macalister (1916-17, 506-7), which proved that it was of recent origin, may back this up. The upstanding stones range in height from 1.08m to 1.56m and packing stones are visible at the base of some. Most are partially covered with moss and lichen. The top of the stone (L c. 0.2m; Wth 0.2m) at WSW is fairly flat and bears a roughly square tenon-like feature (H 0.02m; L 0.05m; Wth 0.05m), again suggesting a possible link with an OS trigonometrical station.