Matthewstown Passage Tomb facts for kids
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Leaba Thomáis Mhic Cába
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 Location in Ireland
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| Alternative name | Thomas McCabe's Bed |
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| Location | Matthewstown, Fenor, County Waterford |
| Region | Ireland |
| Coordinates | 52°10′33″N 7°13′38″W / 52.175879°N 7.22726°W |
| Type | kistvaen |
| Part of | Scilly–Tramore group |
| History | |
| Material | stone |
| Founded | 2500–2000 BC |
| Periods | Neolithic |
| Site notes | |
| Public access | Yes |
| Reference no. | 237 |
Matthewstown Passage Tomb is an amazing ancient burial site located in County Waterford, Ireland. It's a special type of tomb called a passage tomb, built a very long time ago. This historic monument is a cool example of how people lived and buried their dead thousands of years ago.
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Where is Matthewstown Passage Tomb?
This ancient tomb is found about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) north of a place called Fenor. From the tomb, you can see much of the beautiful countryside. You can even see all the way to the Comeragh Mountains.
History of the Tomb
When Was It Built?
Matthewstown Passage Tomb was built between 2500 and 2000 BC. The "BC" means "Before Christ," so this tomb is over 4,000 years old! It was built during a time called the Neolithic period, also known as the New Stone Age.
Thomas McCabe's Bed
Locally, this tomb is known by a different name: "Thomas McCabe's Bed." People say that a local outlaw named Thomas McCabe might have spent a night sleeping here. It's a bit like other famous spots in Ireland called "Diarmuid and Gráinne's Beds", which are also linked to old stories.
The Scilly-Tramore Group
Matthewstown Passage Tomb is part of a special group of small passage tombs in County Waterford. These tombs are similar to others found in Cornwall and the Scilly Isles, which are islands off the coast of England. Because of these similarities, archaeologists call them the "Scilly-Tramore group." This suggests that the people who built these tombs might have been skilled sailors. They could have traveled by sea from Cornwall to Ireland a very long time ago.
What Does the Tomb Look Like?
Matthewstown Passage Tomb is quite big! It measures about 4.5 meters (fifteen feet) long. It is also around 1.8 meters (six feet) wide. The tomb has two rows of five large standing stones. These stones, called orthostats, stick out of the ground by about 1 meter (three-and-a-half feet). Four huge stone slabs used to cover this ancient grave.
