Dolmens Are a Girls Best Friend

'Giant's Leap' : Wedge Tomb

TownlandBurren
CountyCavan
Grid RefH 079 352
GPSH 07874 35240 (3m)
Longitude7° 52' 44.91" W
Latitude54° 15' 57.05" N
Nearest TownSwanlinbar (13.9 Km)
OS Sheet26
UTM zone29U
UTM x573001.33271325
UTM y6013680.1853833
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Visit Notes

Sunday, 1st June 2003

What a beautiful tomb. This long wedge tomb, with a gallery some 6m long, is in fantastic condition, with a complete roof made from 4 large slabs. Some widely set double walling is present, leaning on the south side and incorporated in a wall on the north. The gallery is aligned east-west and there is both an ante-chamber and a portico at the front.

The large slab that separates the gallery from the ante-chamber has a cut away at the bottom. The portico is roofed with an outstanding stone - covered in cup and ring marks, a unique feature on a wedge tomb. Some people doubt that this is rock art, but I am sure that it is; the rings around some of the cups are perfect.

I actually developed a bit of a theory regarding this tomb. I think that it went through two or three stages of development. The building of the gallery and ante-chamber were either the first stage or the first two stages. I think the portico was added later. The stone used to roof this has an unusual step in it, which makes me believe that it was originally a standing stone, set into the ground up to this shoulder (the thicker section has just two cups on it).

Basically, this monument offers all you could want in one spot. I have recently decided to slow myself down a little during my days out. To help me do this I have recently bought some paints and will try (and I mean try) to paint a few of the sites I go to. The location of this tomb is so sylvan that I chose to try and paint this one, but I was bitten to pieces by some seriously nasty bugs! I think some insect repellent is about to join all the other stuff I carry around with me. Great! More stuff to carry.

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Saturday, 17th March 2007

I do love this excellent monument. Even on a rainy day with big blobs of water dripping off the trees and going down your neck it's a great place to be.

I took more time to look inside the gallery this time. I was so amazed at the monument on my previous visit that I didn't give it too much attention. The underside of all the roofstones have been worked, making them very flat.

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Sunday, 29th June 2008

This is the first time I've visited this monument on a nice sunny day and it makes a big difference. The strong light coming through the trees makes photography hard, but the effect on the glade is fantastic.

Despite there being a lot more rock art now known in the area, it is the carvings on the roofstone here are still the best examples.

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How Other People Have Rated This Monument


Paul Slattery from Dublin
John Willmott (Celtic Ways) from Keash, Co. Sligo

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Random Gazetteer

A Random Selection of Nearby Monuments

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509.9 m (WNW) there is a Boulder Burial at Burren.
1.6 Km (SE) there is a Portal Tomb at Kilnameel (Co. Fermanagh).
7.4 Km (SW) there is a Sweat House at Tullynafreave.
412.3 m (WSW) there is a Wedge Tomb at Burren.
316.2 m (WNW) there is a Rock Art at Burren.

A Selection of Other Wedge Tombs

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