This is a terrific beginning. I was surprised at how many of these sites I've been to (twelve) even though I've only been to Ireland twice. Generally it seems as if they have a focus on the larger and later monuments, which I suppose, on some level, would make sense. But it leaves out so very much. I think there should be a policy for all sites, for preserevation, at the very least, including those on private lands.

Today I got a reply by post from the OPW.
They explain the role they have in relation to the protection of National monuments. The National monuments section of the OPW is responsible for the conservation, preservation and maintenance of National monuments that are in state ownership or guardianship.
They enclosed a list of these monuments in Clare, they are the following

Seven churches, round tower Inishcaltra
St Flannans church, Killaloe
Kilfenora church
Chancel of Cathedral and Stone Crosses Kilfenora
Franciscan Abbey Kilfenora
Corcomroe Abbey( cist)
Three early Christian churches Oughtmama
Teampull Chronain church
Church and Abbey Inchicronan
Abbey Quin
Dysert O’Dea church, round tower
and high cross
Ruan church
Abbey Ennis
Kilnone Abbey Newhall
Abbey Canon Island
Abbey Clare abbey
Church, round tower Drumcliffe
Magh Adhair, Cregnakeerogue Fort and Toonagh
basin stone

Plot adjacent to Magh Adhair Toonagh
Megalithic Tomb Slievenaglasha
Cahercummaun, Cashlaun Gar
megalithic tombs Tullycommon

St Molua’s church Killaloe
Caher Cahermacnaghten
Carrigaholt Castle and Sea Wall Rinemackaderrig ( guardianship)
Leamaneah Castle
Megalithic Tomb Caherphuca
Bunratty Castle
Dolmen Ballyhickey
Gleninagh Castle Gleninagh
Tau Cross Ballycashen
Dromore castle
Motte( Brian Boru’s fort) Ballyvally
Poulnabrone dolmen

The letter states that although these monuments are in state ownership , that this does not mean that they are all accessible to members of the public. Many, including Lemanagh Castle are on private property and not accessible unless with the express permission of the landowner.
They are referring me to the National Monuments Service of the Department of the Environment Heritage and Local Government if I want to report damage to any other monuments.
They gave me an email address of the local archaeologist for the Clare area to contact.

Well , what I understand from this is that the OPW is not responsible for the wedgetombs on Roughan Hill, Baur, Moyree Commons, etc, and any other ones that are completely overgrown and some of them nearly impossible to reach .So , my next step is to email the archaeologist in relation to these tombs.
I keep you posted.

This is terrific! Thank you. I look forward to hearing their response (as I am sure others will as well)

Well, fuelled by John B\'s post I decided to email the department of art, sports and tourism.
I got a swift reply back, here it is:



I have forwarded your email concerning the maintenance of wedgetombs and
ringforts in the Burren to the Office of Public Works for their attention
and direct reply to you, as they have responsibility for this area.

Yours sincerely

John Hanafin
Corporate Development Support Unit
Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism
Fossa
Killarney
Co Kerry



So far so good, I wait till I get a response from the OPW and see how we go from there.

I truly enjoy checking in everyday to see where adventurers have traveled across Ireland and what they have seen. I've seen many sites, a good many that haven't been posted, and many that have, but I have one question. What is the policy of Ireland regarding the rebuidling or restoration of sites? At times some sites have been extensively restored, and often to very good effect (although not always). At other times sites are left to fall apart and become over-grown with brush and bracken. Is it totally left up to counties or local historical societies, or even the owners of the land the sites are situated on? Or is there some sort of generic policy that is being followed (for the most part, I can't figure it out)? Here, locally, there is a policy of what they call "arrested decay" ... in other words, they accept the decay that has occured, but will allow no further decay. The guide at Ardfert Cathedral seemed to find that idea appealing, but others thought it was nigh on heresy. Can someone please explain the policy, if there is one?

Went up to Cahermacnaghten to find the wedgetomb there, but no luck, then to Lissylisheen , I must say I did not try too hard to find that one as I could only see a forest of hazel greeting me when I drove on the road and that disheartened me a bit. So I will try these ones another time, my main aim anyway was Baur South, it was a bit of a search and if it wasn’t for the cairn I would not have found it.I literally dived into the hazel and emerged near the tomb. It is a lovely one, tucked away in the field, unfortunately very overgrown, if I look at the pictures on this site and how it is now, a big difference, you can’t walk around it anymore, the hazel and briars have taken over, the front however is still open and there you see the double tomb. It is an unusual sight and I am glad I saw it before it is too late and everything of the tomb will be overgrown, I wonder sometimes if the state has no responsibility to keep these monuments clear, they are part of our heritage and should be cared for. Some of course are over developed, like the poulnabrone dolmen ,and then the rest is left to its own and neglected, such a shame, as there are so many of these tombs , take the ones on roughan hill, that needs a proper clean up operation. Even the chambered tomb is already starting to get overgrown with the hazel. It is becoming a problem .

Interesting day yesterday, went up to see the Moyree commons tomb near Ruan, close to the Burren, it took some time to find it as it was completely overgrown seen from the road, it is a stunning tomb though, i really liked it, the sideslabs are so tall, it must have been quite a sight in its time, pity you don’t see much of that anymore,due to trees growing out of it and ivy covering the slabs all over it, the cairn is very visible, it stands in a lovely field, the whole area around Ruan is nice anyway, patches of limestone thrown in there to feed my addiction, good views towards the Burren mountains, very rural, mostly farming. Would love to get my hands on this tomb and clean it up , won’t take that long, it is a very appealing monument, unusual because of the height. There seems to be a very big side as well, nearly a wall, but so overgrown. After that to the Ballymaconna tombs, i think i found one, the other is a big maybe, just due to the overgrown state of it, could not go near it as the brambles stopped me in my track, passed Durra House at some point and there is something tomb like standing in the front, not sure if it is a real one though, who knows, it looked so neat, have my doubts, like the one in Meggagh, but we give it the benefit of the doubt.

As Sunday turned out to be lovely I took off to go to the Poulawack cairn in the Burrren and walk around there, it was very quiet, also visited the ringfort with the souterain and sat in the sun admiring the landscape. Went for a walk towards the Poulnabrone dolmen , a while ago since I was there, things have not improved , it is becoming the M50 of the Burren, first you have to walk past Caherconnell, which is turned into a tourist attraction, gifts shops, coffeeshop etc, who needs that? I remember 15 years ago on a misty morning looking for the fort, it was special then, the double walls, untouched, the farmer there told me a bit about it and it was lovely, and now there is a staircase build in it, not the only one, they managed to do that as well with Cahercommaun and some others , what is the point, leave it alone, I am holding my breath for some other monuments in the Burren, afraid that they will be turned into something they are not . The flags in the summer at Caherconnell are the worst, it is like the United Nations have a flipping conference there, appr. 5 big flags are standing tall at the entrance, very visible from a distance, it is completely ruining the landscape, I am so disappointed with the developments there. Then to Poulnabrone dolmen, ambiance is a good thing, you don’t find it there anymore, maybe on a moonlit evening when there is a quiet light shining on the dolmen and you can manage to ignore the explanarary posts, 3 at least, the people that sell jewellery there, and the carpark, and more so the terrible signposts towards the carpark, it looks so ugly, right in your face, gone are the times that you just jumped over the wall and walked over the limestone to it, last year there was somebody standing guard over the dolmen , well, do they think you put it in the boot of your car? The ropes around it, sad.

Up I went to the toothache well and visited the wedgetomb there, lovely and isolated, more like it. It is such a big tomb, it made up for the circus they made from the other monuments.

I won’t even start on the Cliffs of Moher . At least not today.

Well, Tom, great to read that you went back to the Burren in Clare and found the 2 tombs, if you went to Cappaghkennedy from Cahercommaun then you are lucky to be still in good shape, I had a fall there that still haunts me, and the chambered tomb in Parknabinnia, it needs no words really, I was tripsing in Cork and KErry for a bit, found the Uragh stone circle, amazing sight, it was very early, the light was shining in a face facing direction, low sunshine, I was transported back, so spiritual, the ambiance is beautiful, after that to Derreen west , a good circle, no complaints, and to the raised ringfort further on, that reminded me a bit of the ringfort in the Burren on Gleninagh Mountain, although that one has a souterain, it is a plateau , and unusual about is that there were so many stones and they decided to make an earthen ringfort and not to use the stones, Westropp has some interesting theories about this one.

Up to Mooghaun, in county Clare, near Newmarket on Fergus, a lovely hillfort, very well presented and maintained, there is a great quietness around the place, woodlands walks, and 3 ringforts so far I saw, it is a big site, and you can spent a couple of hours here, there are explainerary post on your way, the place was deserted, it couldn't be better, worth a visit.