This ruined portal tomb is still quite impressive, sitting next to a little brook, nestled amogst a few tall trees in the center of a large open pasture.
The state of ruin is quite advanced: the capstone has slipped and lies on top of one of the wall slabs, a single portal stone still stands (about 2.4 m tall) and the other lies on the ground under some tree roots.
The chamber walls are made of large slabs about 1.2m square and just 20 cm thick, only one of these remains upright.
There is also a ground level sill stone in place at the entrance.
In the excitement of the day I forgot to ask if we could cross the scout camp and I think was nearly thrown off. Please remember to ask before visiting this tomb for the security of those staying here.
Another trek across the scout camp, this time through several cubs and tents.
Just to keep the record straight, this tomb is actually in Kilmashogue townland.
This is an explanation of (and a bit of a disclaimer for) the coordinates I provide. Where a GPS figure is given this is the master for all other coordinates. According to my Garmin these are quite accurate. Where there is no GPS figure the 6 figure grid reference is master for the others. This may not be very accurate as it could have come from the OS maps and could have been read by eye. Consequently, all other cordinates are going to have inaccuracies. The calculation of Longitude and Latitude uses an algorithm that is not 100% accurate. The long/lat figures are used as a basis for calculating the UTM & ITM coordinates. Consequently, UTM & ITM coordinates are slightly out. UTM is a global coordinate system - Universal Transverse Mercator - that is at the core of the GPS system. ITM is the new coordinate system - Irish Transverse Mercator - that is more accurate and more GPS friendly than the Irish Grid Reference system. This will be used on the next generation of Irish OS maps. |