The three tombs in Marblehill demesne, Ga. 26, Ga. 27 and Ga. 28, are situated on rolling land about \ mile north-west of Ballin Lough. Much of the land on the estate is under forestry plantation but the open ground is devoted to meadow and pasture. The estate is overlooked by the wooded heights (600 ft.) west of Marble Hill House.
This, the more northerly of the three sites, is situated on sloping meadow land about \ mile north-east of Marble Hill House. It consists of a small ruined chamber, about 2 m. long, with the entrance towards the south. The east and west sides of the chamber each consist of a portal stone and one sidestone but both stones at the east have collapsed inwards. A displaced stone lies immediately in front of the entrance and two others occupy the northern end of the chamber. Resting above the chamber is a large roofstone which appears to have slipped somewhat northwards with the collapse of the chamber. The structure is surrounded by a small low mound about -40 m. high. Its perimeter is difficult to define because of the slope of the ground and its present outline may, in fact, be largely the result of cultivation. A prostrate stone, •85 m. by at least -40 m. and -20 m. thick, lies on the mound immediately north of the roofstone.
About 1-20 m. west of this is a small stone, -30 m. long, -15 m. thick and •30 m. high, which appears to be well set in the ground but it may only be a fortuitously exposed cairn stone. The western portal stone is a pillar-like block, -50 m. by -45 m. and 1-05 m. high. The collapsed portal, at the east, is -8o m. long, -35 m. thick and would be about the same height as the opposite portal if it were erect. The original position or function of the prostrate stone in front of the portals is not clear. It is -85 m. long by at least -40 m. wide and -20 m. thick. The erect (western) sidestone is 2-00 m. long, -25 m. thick and •65 m. high. The opposite sidestone has fallen inwards and its southern end overlies the portal. It is at least 1-50 m. long and -15 m. thick and would be about -50 m. lower than the portal if both stones were erect. The two stones at the north end of the gallery are of uncertain function though the larger may perhaps be a displaced backstone. The more easterly of these is -75 m. by -20 m. and would be -55 m. high if erect. The second stone is 1-25 m. by i-io m. and -15 m. thick. The roofstone is about 2-50 m. long and -55 m. thick. It narrows from 1-90 m. wide at the south to 1-65 m. wide near the north.
Borlase: The Dolmens of Ireland,, 106-107 (one of Nos. 1-8 in Barony of Leitrim). Stokes: Revue Archeologique (1882), 21. O.S.L. 14/D.2, 522.
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SURVEY OF THE MEGALITHIC TOMBS OF IRELAND VOLUME III COUNTIES GALWAY – ROSCOMMON – LEITRIM LONGFORD – WESTMEATH – LAOIGHIS OFFALY – KILDARE – CAVAN
by Ruaidhri de Valera and Sean O Nuallain