Overview
Roughan Hill has the densest concentration of wedge tombs in Ireland, and that is the reason to come. The low limestone rise on the southern edge of the Burren carries a scatter of Bronze Age tombs, a much older court tomb, and around 144 hectares of prehistoric field walls, all sitting in working farmland well off the tourist routes. There is no visitor centre, no marked trail and no car park – this is open archaeology you read off the ground yourself.
The tombs and field walls
The wedge tombs are the headline. These tapered burial chambers cluster on the hill in a density found nowhere else in the country, most of them dating to the Beaker period and Early Bronze Age, roughly 2400 to 2000 BC. Scattered among them are at least four enclosed habitation sites from the same broad era (c. 2500–1500 BC), so people were living here as well as burying their dead.
Older still is the Parknabinnia court tomb, built around 3500 BC and excavated between 1998 and 2001. That dig turned up human and animal bone, pottery, an arrowhead and a grinding stone – the ordinary evidence of a farming community rather than a ceremonial one. Around all of it runs the field system: some 144 hectares of drystone walls, mapped by archaeologists, that show how thoroughly the well-drained limestone was parcelled up and worked thousands of years ago. Walk the informal tracks and you can trace the walls crossing the pasture.
The Cross Inneenboy
Near the road stands the Cross Inneenboy, a 12th-century tau cross – a T-shaped limestone slab with a carved head on each arm and joined hands between them. It is a National Monument, and one worth being clear about before you set out: the cross here is a replica. The original was moved to the Clare Heritage & Genealogy Centre in Corofin for safe keeping, so if you want to see the real carving, that is where to go. The replica marks the original roadside spot on the hill. For the carving detail and the conservation story, see the Cross Inneenboy page.
Walking and access
This is a place to explore on foot and on your own initiative. The ground is gently undulating, the tracks are informal, and the tombs show best from the south-west, where cairn foundations and stone alignments stay clear. Spring and autumn give the best light for the field walls and rock faces, and drier going. Winter brings mud and short days, and it is genuinely easy to lose your bearings in featureless limestone country, so pick your weather.
A blunter caveat: nearly all of this is private, working land. There are no facilities, gates matter, and there is livestock about. Close every gate behind you, keep dogs on a lead, wear boots for uneven ground near the stones, and bring whatever food and water you need.
Practical information
- Location: southern Burren, above the Kilnaboy–Kilfenora road near Parknabinnia, County Clare.
- Admission: free.
- Parking: informal only, in lay-bys along the L5096 north of the Parknabinnia wedge tomb. There is no official car park. Do not block gates or farm access.
- Facilities: none on-site. Cafés, toilets and supplies are in Corofin and Kilnaboy, both a short drive away.
- Best time to visit: spring to autumn for clear skies and firmer ground; the site is open year-round.
Nearby
Roughan Hill fits into a wider Burren day. The Burren Way passes within walking distance if you want to extend the route into the karst, and the village of Corofin makes a handy base for food and the heritage centre that now holds the tau cross. For a change of register, Corcomroe Abbey offers quiet medieval ruins, Aillwee Cave takes you underground, and the Cliffs of Moher are within easy reach if you’re working along the coast. Give the hill itself at least an hour to trace the walls and find the tombs, then head to Corofin for coffee.