It was known as Sun Altar (or Altóir na Gréine in Gaelic). This tomb, located on the Dingle Peninsula, was discovered in 1838 before being virtually destroyed in 1840 by local inhabitants (who had taken stones from the site for their own personal use). Since forgotten, the burial site had almost become an urban legend… But Billy Mag Fhloinn, a local Irishman, was determined to follow in the grave’s footsteps!
It was a mystery that had captured the imagination of the Irish for generations… The legendary Sun Altar tomb, nestled somewhere among the green hills of Ireland’s Dingle Peninsula, has yet to be found.
Plans for the site did exist, sketched out by the Englishwoman Lady Chatterton during a visit to West Kerry in 1838. But there didn’t seem to be anything on the indicated location.
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The story could have ended there, but Billy Mag Fhloinn, a local Irishman, was determined to unravel the mystery. By dint of his determination, he is said to have searched the Cruach Mhárthain hill from top to bottom, until he finally came across some distinctive stones:
I knew there was the lost site of Altóir na Gréine somewhere on the hill. So I started scouring the hill for it, covering a large area. Finally, some stones caught my eye. Then, when I looked more closely, I saw that the characteristics of one of the stones corresponded perfectly to an orthostate in the 1838 sketch,” Mac Fhloinn told RTÉ News.
According to Mag Fhloinn, the tomb probably dates from between 2,500 and 2,000 BC.
It would appear to be a wedge-shaped tomb, a structure typical of the period and of the Dingle region.
After observing the site, Sun Altar would have a north-west/south-east orientation, and could be aligned so as to be bathed in light during the winter solstice (as on the model of Newgrange, another major site in Ireland).
Following the discovery, an archaeologist from the National Monument Service is said to have inspected the site, confirming Billy Mag Fhloinn’s discovery. The site is due to be added to the Irish Historic Monuments database in the near future. Excavations may be scheduled in the coming months.
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